996 Turbo: Why the dissin’, Yo?

I have a 99 996 c2. I have never really understood why people hate the interior so much. Maybe it is just because it is so different from the aircooled cars?

But if you go back and look at most cars from the late 90s/early 00s the interiors aren't very nice. Ever look at the interior or a Corvette or Viper from that era? I also think a big part of it for Porsche is how the car is spec'd.

 

Actually… I agree. The original design by Butzi Porsche has a perfect balance. Much as I liked my 993, I think even it lost some of the iconic stance of the 911. The view over the “cannon barrel” front fenders is one of the unique automotive perspectives. Now that every sports/super car looks like a McLaren-Emira-F8-296-MC20-Huracan, the classic 911 stands apart even more.


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Definitely the spec makes a difference. Many 911 enthusiasts, including myself, love the five round gauges and the eccentric old school German arrangement of the controls. It always felt like you were in something that could only have come from Stuttgart. There was a whiff of ‘90s Ford Taurus to the 996 center stack, and some Toyota influence — so the ergonomics of the 996 are better, but more generic. Ordering full leather got rid of some of the aluminum-look plastics, which tended to get scraped up or lose their finish. I remember being underwhelmed in my 2002 non-Turbo test drive. I think if Porsche had made the upgraded interior standard there might have been less criticism, because a car’s interior communicates how it was built. Bentley, for example, commands a premium because entire forests and herds of college-educated cows give their lives for these interiors. I don’t want/need Porsche to add weight and waste time on this, but with the 996 it seemed obvious that they had cut costs on everything you touched or saw when sitting in the car.

The Corvette and Viper always had rubbish interiors, but with Porsche there was (partly due to the steep price) an expectation of quality and tradition. The digital dash in a C4 Corvette is the furthest thing imaginable from the big VDO gauges in a G-body 911. With Porsche, the Teutonic interior was expected. It felt like a forever car. It was like a Rolex… the Apple Watch is “better”, but would you pay $10,000 for one?

Again, I’d take a 996 over any of its contemporary competitors. But when I see the yellow 964 Turbo ahead of me in the service drive at the Porsche dealer…


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I think mechanically they are great and the best thing the car has going for it. (twin turbo or GT3 only)

If the prior generations didn't exist I would probably be ok with it on it's own. That being said, the boxster, and it's similarities exist, and of course it has to be compared to the prior generation 993.

When I test drove a 996tt and owned a 997.2 carrera, the final thoughts I would have is, I just want a 993. 964 very close second for me.

Just feel like not only the interior design but even more so, quality, was less with the 996. And aside from the headlights of course, the body went from very curvy to very slab sided.

 

I think a lot of people are influenced by others. I never noticed the headlights on a 996 (I had 3 or 4 of them) until somebody mentioned it. My response was I don't see the headlights when I drive.

 

I agree on the “regular” slantnose, though I do like them…but if I had an extra $1.5mm of Porsche money floating around, I’d have that 964 in a heartbeat

 

Regarding the interiors…the interior in my turbo is “better” than my 993, but the 993 interior didn’t show it’s 100,000+ miles. Well, except for the carpet, but it was still quite usable.

For me, the difference is that the turbo interiors are all full leather, and all the 996s I’ve driven had full leather, so I have never had the full-on “late 90’s Ford Ranger in a Porsche” experience. I’ll concede the buttons aren’t top shelf and the switches and HVAC controls were better in the 993, of course they also were not digital. My guess is, had some of these changes occurred during the 993 lifespan, they would have been equally meh.

I’m going to upgrade the center stack with the PCM update before too long. I think that’s money well spent.

 

But you do after you park it and take a glance back......or do you?

Kinda the opposite of- hate to see you go but love to watch you leave.

 

I’m a driver. Not a lover. When I park my car, I close the door and don’t look back.


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Forgive me but hard to believe from someone that's said "I don't do ugly" more times than I can count

Not saying the 996 is outwardly ugly of course, just isn't pretty compared to it's predecessor(s) IMO

 

Truth is I’m not a hardcore P-Bug fan. The 996 headlights don’t brother me. Another truth is the 993 cars look a little off to me. Compared to the earlier 911s, it doesn’t flow. Yeah, just a sample size of one.




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If I’m truthful, I’ve always felt 911s are a little “off”. All of them. ALL Porsches, really, 928, 944, 924, 968…all kinda weird, even if I love them dearly now. When I was a kid I tried desperately to understand why people were so crazy about these Porsche things. Odd accordion bumpers, frog eyes, slightly tacky decals that apparently existed to remind you and everyone else what you were driving… didn’t get it.

Now that I very much DO get it, I can only see slightly odd 993 proportions or fried egg headlights as being quintessential Porsche oddness!

 

The lights with the orange in them on the 996.1 are awful. Upgrade them to the clears and they don't look that bad. The 996.2 headlights I don't think are bad at all, especially in the widebody cars.

 

Funny thing is now the .1 lights are now gaining a bit of a cult following! I always thought the .2s fixed what I didn’t care for as well.

 

That is good news for me!

 

The cult and its devotees are slowly drawing me in as well. I’d love an early 996 with cable throttle, an odd color, aerokit perhaps...

I take it you have an early 996? Post it, yo!

 

I think they’ll stay there for some time. Seems the market is in a little bit of a lull at the moment, and maybe - juuuuuust maybe - a little of this Porsche fever will subside.

 

Will dig up a photo shortly. It is a 99 C2 coupe 6 speed. Silver on black with about 80K on it. I am coming up on 8 years of ownership.

The good:
996.2 staggered wheels
6 speed
throttle cable!
upgraded to sport steering wheel
Miltek exhaust
Ceika coilovers
Tires are all pretty new
LN IMS bearing
Clutch done in last 10K or so
leather dash, headliner and a couple other things I forget
hi fi sound system (currently with an aftermarket head unit)
Clear headlights/tailights (w/ HIDs)
GT3 chin spoiler
new battery

The bad:
Dings, scratches, curb rash
Needs an alignment
crack in windshield
the weatherstripping could probably be replaced
oil leak on the driver side...It is either the cam cover or worst case it is the RMS

Whenever I can finally get the car in to get some of this stuff taken care of it will be for sale. Cosmetically it certainly isn't perfect. Would make a great track car or maybe do a wrap?

IDK I really love it but I am ready for something different.

 

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I did the PCCM upgrade to my 964, replacing an ugly aftermarket Pioneer unit from at least 10-15 years ago. Expensive but a nice component. The tech also removed some improvised wiring that apparently caused a battery drain for the previous/first owner. Problem solved.

Regarding the interiors, I’ve always been impressed with how nicely the 993 and earlier generations held up. They seem to acquire a sort of patina but look great in the process.


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I haven’t seen many air cooled cars with unacceptable interiors. Quality for sure, but also a function of simplicity I think. Simple is always good for interiors IMO.

Lovely 996!! Dig the .2 wheels

 

I owned a 996 Turbo for 8 years, 55k miles, and loved it. My only gripe was the massive deprecation (63% over my ownership, and 77% over its first 13 years), which didn’t occur on the oil cooled turbos.

I think it was that really steep deprecation curve that torpedoed the Turbos value.

 

I agree. Of course I think that depreciation was largely due to some of the things that were dubbed “not 911” that have been discussed previously.

That said, I definitely didn’t underpay for my car, and I think the market for the good ones will tick up slowly simply due to the fact that the new ones are stratospherically expensive and perhaps a bit detached in comparison. Then there’s the PDK only thing, and the 993 and previous cars are stupid money now. Makes it a good value presently, but values only last as long as there is no major demand. Guess we’ll see.

 

Couldn't agree more, I don't see the value in new $300k Turbos. Several things I would rather have.