2004 40th AE v. 2004 TT X50 (collectibility)

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Seemed everyone at once agreed that the headlights were "ugly". Like lemmings jumping off a cliff.
Nothing wrong with the front end.
Or the interior
Or the "proportions".

But if everyone repeats negatives enough times they becomes true.
Lemmings

 

once everyone is priced out of the aircooled market, the 996 looks like a bargain

 

Looks-wise, I think the criticism of 996's is valid. Beauty is on the eye of the beholder, but I think the 996 does look a bit awkward from the side. The headlights don't bother me at all except for the fact that they are similar to the Boxter (which was a stupid is decision by Porsche IMO).

Driving-wise though, the 996 is GREAT. The 996's are lighter than both the 993 and 964 that proceeded it, and MUCH lighter than the 997. The 996 is slightly heavier than the 3.2 Carrera that preceded the 964, but it feels a lot lighter than my '87 3.2 because the weight difference isn't that much and the 996 has a LOT more power and especially a lot more torque. For the purest "lightweight sports car' 996 experience, you need to drive the C2 6-speed (arguably pre-2002).

As a daily or regular driver, most with actual driving experience say that the 996 is much better than the 993 (with the 993 being the better weekend car). The 997 is even better as a DD, but it's less of a lightweight sports car than the 996 and the 996 doesn't lack anything significant as a comfortable DD.

Interior-wise, options make a huge difference in the 996. Without the full leather and 3-spoke steering wheel options, the 996 interior can feel a bit cheap. With those options, it's a nice interior. The interior trim ordered also makes a big difference in aesthetics. I can't disagree with those that find the earlier and later (997) interiors more attractive, but a well-optioned 996 interior is better than most think.

 

That car never grew on me, hated the headlights, the way the front end curves under without a spoiler, the three spoke steering wheel is ugly and the interior looks like cheap plastic. No doubt it is a performance bargain. I researched the kits to fix the headlights but none of them looked right. I used to have the 2000 Ruf RGT as a screen saver but still couldn't get past the headlights.

 

When driving a 996 you don't even see the headlights. The experience behind the wheel; supposedly that's why people spend the premium for a Porsche.