Barn996

Noticed that my state inspection had expired in January(oops), so off to a local gas station to get a new sticker the other day for my '99 C2. I arrived at 7 am and found 6-7 people ahead of me waiting for inspection stickers.At one point I overheard a customer asking the station owner if he could change the registration on his Toyota pick-up to a Porsche(porsh). I suddenly found that there was a genuine interest in my 20 year old 911 with a group of local Mainers who had no idea about the age or model of my car. Amazing that not one of the people there commented on my headlights or the many modes of failure, they only saw a Porsche 911 and thought that was really cool. One lady asked how fast my car could go, and another wanted to know how it handled. It
made my day to have these complete strangers so interested in my 996. Go figure. I purchased my 996 in 2006 and have not owned a more reliable vehicle.

wildbilly32

Nice experience. Even with all the alleged faults these cars are still Porsch!...and are excellent looking. People do notice and appreciate what the 911 represents.

Not to hijack but a few years ago I was on the main drag in town(four lanes) at a stop light. An older jacked up rusted out Ford F150 pulled up along side. From my peripheral vision I could see a dude covered with tats, messed up hair and a few missing teeth hanging out his window looking my car up and down. I figured I was about to receive a big wad of chewin terbackie spit on my windshield so thought I would give him the direct "I see you" look. When I turned and looked at him he broke into a large semi-toothless smile and gave me a big thumbs up.

You just never know...

exthree

996 are head-turners for all sorts of people both drivers and pedestrians, and especially for those you don't expect! /X3

TheYoung911

Yeah, the car's a head turner. Most people cant figure out it's age and it has a design that still looks good.

Scott at Team Harco

Nice. I don't think anyone, outside of a few pissy owners, have an issue with the headlights. From what I gather, the fact that the "cheap" Boxter uses them, some how diminishes the cache of the 996. Maybe it makes them feel better.

So what were your answers?

Also not to hijack - but I had a similar experience a few weeks ago. My wife and I were returning from our monthly car-club meeting. We were behind a large diesel pick-up and had finally gotten away from the typical traffic common closer to the city. I could see the road was clear ahead, so I got on it and passed the truck. I think I saw 90 on the digital display. I'm always amazed at how fast that comes up on this car....

Anyway, the truck driver decided he would show me a thing or two. He decided to blow past me. I'd slowed to about 65 or 70 by this time. He blew by in a big cloud of diesel smoke and proceeded to extend his arm out the window. I assumed he was flipping me off.

Nope - we got to the next light a couple miles up the road and he was giving me a thumbs-up! He wanted to know what I had "under the hood". I just said it's a little six-cylinder. He then told us about the twin-turbo set up and a few other vital statistics on his pride and joy. It was all good - and as mentioned, you just never know.

wyovino

Nice story and I agree that most people think they're new cars.

Billup

I don't know, it seems like every time I stop at a red light at least one person is yelling " GET A LOOK AT THIS DUMMY, GUY MUST NOT HAVE HEARD OF AN IMSB OR BORE SCORING!"


Typically they drive off yucking it up as if their comedian of the century, but does it deter me? No. I'm the bigger man.

NuttyProfessor

Great story! I've experienced the same thing. I don't walk through life thinking people are threatening to the car. Most people are genuinely respectful to the Porsche name and don't give a rat's *** if the car is air-cooled or water cooled or has perfectly round front headlights. They respect the brand and I have no problem shootin' the bull when people walk up. If I ever turn a cold shoulder to an adult or a child, I regret it later. I'm reminded when I was a kid a fantasized about owning a 911 and would have loved to see inside one or even sit in the driver's seat. It's special! No matter if it's an early model aircooled 940 or modern 992, it's still a 911 above all - the shape and performance are unmistakable.

I always get a chuckle when someone walks up and asks, what's in it... a V8? hahaha I'm like.. no, it's a Flat 6... they're like "Flat what?" Then that leads to another discussion. haha

parris

Glad to see someone here in the US claiming also about the reliability of the 996

wyovino

I've had my 996 since 2010. I've done a ton of preventative maintenance but not a single repair. (If you exclude the bodywork after getting sideswiped by a Mack Truck).

808Bill

Only other Porsche driver frown on us. Only one of the four other Porsche's I've seen go by has acknowledged me going the opposite way, it was a Boxter driver.
Everyone else thinks this is a $100K car still. When I tell them what I paid they don't believe it.

Battery Guy

I was very pleasantly surprised the other day. Was on the freeway, and a very nice brand new black 991.2 S4 coupe comes alongside me from the entrance ramp. Looks my car over, gives me a thumbs up and speeds down the road. He was a few years older than I was, friendly looking guy with an Ernest Hemingway beard. That was not what I was expecting as thanks to the inter-webs I have been told that "Porsche People" hate the 996. Clearly in this guy's case it was not true - probably he owned one like mine six or seven cars ago!

Also agreed that "normal" car people do not differentiate between Porsches. Our 996's are Porsches, therefore they are cool. They could care less about the headlights.
Daryll

DBJoe996

The homeless guys living behind the downtown buildings love my car at the public parking lot where I park. They are always asking questions and complimenting. It is such a classic design everybody appreciates it. I think they like hanging around with it. And, it's a 20 year old car. Wow! Oh, and when they ask (not often) for some $ I give them some. Tell them not to spend it on dope and drugs. Turned down an old woman crossing another parking lot years ago. She saw which car (not Porsche) my wife and I were in. Went into store, came back out and the old lady bladed the entire passenger side. Changed my strategy at that point.

DBJoe996

Uh oh...Johnny Irish is on the loose again!

motoo344

IMO the only people that make negative comments about these cars either 1. know nothing or 2. are bitter that this was a shift in how Porsche dealt with their cars. I notice a lot of people check my car out, its not the prettiest 911 out there but it's still a Porsche, its performance fantastic for a 20-year-old car. I would argue it was the beginning of the end for the analog Porsche. After the 996 we start to see the shift to adding more luxury items.