The 996 legacy
12-20-2012, 04:29 PM
#46
From the perspective of a first time recent 996 owner, less than 1% of the population knows the difference between a 993, a 996 and a 991. Since I bought my 996, EVERY neighbor, friend, work colleague, passer by loves my car. Not a single one of them has said, "hmmm, that car is decent but I would much rather have an air cooled engine." And none of them can guess how old it is. Almost all of them think it's newer than it is.
In my newbie view, they are ALL beautiful cars, and I am so thankful that the "enthusiasts" out there hate the 996, or I never could have afforded one
Plus I didn't buy it so I could check it's value for resale some day. I bought it to drive it and enjoy it.
Love you guys
In my newbie view, they are ALL beautiful cars, and I am so thankful that the "enthusiasts" out there hate the 996, or I never could have afforded one
Plus I didn't buy it so I could check it's value for resale some day. I bought it to drive it and enjoy it.
Love you guys
12-20-2012, 04:34 PM
#47
Rennlist Member
Another point about 996's...
Their value is almost entirely based on condition, mileage and residual of original price. No speculative element. 993's and 911's seem to have a large speculative component, which might go up or down.
I have zero interest in purchasing cars as speculative investments. Minimize cost of ownership? Of course! Maximize enjoyment and bang for buck? Absolutely! But as soon as my car becomes my investment, I probably wouldn't want to drive it the way a Porsche was meant to be driven.
Their value is almost entirely based on condition, mileage and residual of original price. No speculative element. 993's and 911's seem to have a large speculative component, which might go up or down.
I have zero interest in purchasing cars as speculative investments. Minimize cost of ownership? Of course! Maximize enjoyment and bang for buck? Absolutely! But as soon as my car becomes my investment, I probably wouldn't want to drive it the way a Porsche was meant to be driven.
12-20-2012, 05:39 PM
#50
Drifting
It just so happens that there are two good articles pertaining to the “996 legacy” in the latest issues of GT Porsche and 911 & Porsche World magazines. Does anyone have these that they could post?
In the former, the magazine has an article explaining why the animosity towards the 996, and to a lesser extent the 997, is undeserved. It also mentions a great point which has escaped me to this point, and that is the 996s resemblance to the original 911. When designing the 996, Porsche started with a clean slate and was able to harken back to the clean lines of the original 911 design.
In 911 & Porsche World they have an article about the most underrated 911s and, of course, the 996 is on the list. The MKI 996 to be exact(the early 993s made the list as well). In this article too, the writer makes the point that the 996 is undeserving of the criticism it receives and that in actuality it is an excellent car. In fact, I think they mention that it may be the most underrated Porsche of all.
It’s a great time to be a 996 enthusiast, at least in the eyes of the aficionado magazines, so good that I think my car stopped crying(weeping from RMS) and I think I can detect a hint of a smile from its front fascia…and I mean this LITERALLY...HAHA
In the former, the magazine has an article explaining why the animosity towards the 996, and to a lesser extent the 997, is undeserved. It also mentions a great point which has escaped me to this point, and that is the 996s resemblance to the original 911. When designing the 996, Porsche started with a clean slate and was able to harken back to the clean lines of the original 911 design.
In 911 & Porsche World they have an article about the most underrated 911s and, of course, the 996 is on the list. The MKI 996 to be exact(the early 993s made the list as well). In this article too, the writer makes the point that the 996 is undeserving of the criticism it receives and that in actuality it is an excellent car. In fact, I think they mention that it may be the most underrated Porsche of all.
It’s a great time to be a 996 enthusiast, at least in the eyes of the aficionado magazines, so good that I think my car stopped crying(weeping from RMS) and I think I can detect a hint of a smile from its front fascia…and I mean this LITERALLY...HAHA
12-20-2012, 06:10 PM
#51
Racer
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A longhood 911S's resemblance to a 912 doesn't seem to have hurt its value too much. I think there's a fanboy feedback loop at work here that says certain models will always be lesser, and public opinion follows.
12-20-2012, 06:30 PM
#52
http://www.designnstyling.com
12-20-2012, 06:36 PM
#53
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My 1st post:
I have dreamed of owning a 911 for 30 years now. I have owed numerous other German cars trying to get close to the feeling you only can achieve from driving these magical cars. Three months ago I found the cleanest ’01 Artic Silver with 66K on the clock for $20k – showroom quality, clean title, so new it stunk. I was totally ruined and hooked after the first test drive. I will never forget the rush the 1st time I shifted out of 3rd gear at 80 MPH and hearing that 3.4 suck so hard over my left ear during – yes during the test drive. And yes - I’ll do the usual PM’ing - IMS, RMS, AOS, WP, clutch, starter, etc. and still have an affordable ‘super-car’ with money left over. I figure that the fun-factor plus depreciation should always be worth somewhere in the neighborhood of what I paid for it.
I tried so hard a year earlier to get all worked up over an ’86 911 Turbo for $20K that a really good friend had pampered for the last 10 years. It had a bigger turbo & I/C, wheels, the works. It was/is a super nice car but the small increase in performance (which really I don’t even remember now during the test drive now) DIDN’T hold a candle to the balance of power and luxury I get from twisting on my 996.
Very few things in my life have struck me in the way that my 996 has from day one – all for $20k.
I have dreamed of owning a 911 for 30 years now. I have owed numerous other German cars trying to get close to the feeling you only can achieve from driving these magical cars. Three months ago I found the cleanest ’01 Artic Silver with 66K on the clock for $20k – showroom quality, clean title, so new it stunk. I was totally ruined and hooked after the first test drive. I will never forget the rush the 1st time I shifted out of 3rd gear at 80 MPH and hearing that 3.4 suck so hard over my left ear during – yes during the test drive. And yes - I’ll do the usual PM’ing - IMS, RMS, AOS, WP, clutch, starter, etc. and still have an affordable ‘super-car’ with money left over. I figure that the fun-factor plus depreciation should always be worth somewhere in the neighborhood of what I paid for it.
I tried so hard a year earlier to get all worked up over an ’86 911 Turbo for $20K that a really good friend had pampered for the last 10 years. It had a bigger turbo & I/C, wheels, the works. It was/is a super nice car but the small increase in performance (which really I don’t even remember now during the test drive now) DIDN’T hold a candle to the balance of power and luxury I get from twisting on my 996.
Very few things in my life have struck me in the way that my 996 has from day one – all for $20k.
12-20-2012, 06:44 PM
#55
12-20-2012, 09:42 PM
#57
Rennlist Member
Just personal taste... Also, Colorado seems to be too hot/sunny in the summer, to cold in the winter, and cabs in general are to windy/noisy for me on the highway, so it really cuts down on the amount of time I'd have the top dropped.
If it's any consolation, even though I'm not a fan of looks of 996 Cab's, 993 Cabs IMHO look even worse!
If it's any consolation, even though I'm not a fan of looks of 996 Cab's, 993 Cabs IMHO look even worse!
12-20-2012, 10:05 PM
#58
MkII 996 narrow bodies with the improved headlights still look Miata soft. Combine that with norrow body shape (ergo no shape) you have a very poor looking car. They may be great to drive, but aesthetically they are awful.
The market has spoken and the non wide-bodied 996's are the loser.
.
12-20-2012, 10:21 PM
#59
Rat Balls
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Just personal taste... Also, Colorado seems to be too hot/sunny in the summer, to cold in the winter, and cabs in general are to windy/noisy for me on the highway, so it really cuts down on the amount of time I'd have the top dropped.
If it's any consolation, even though I'm not a fan of looks of 996 Cab's, 993 Cabs IMHO look even worse!
If it's any consolation, even though I'm not a fan of looks of 996 Cab's, 993 Cabs IMHO look even worse!
Not really.
IMHO, there is nothing like cruising with the top down listening to the "noise" coming from the sweet flat 6 tipped off with some Fister D's. I get that CO may not be the best place for a ragtop, but you are calling my sweet ride ugly. But, in the spirit of the Holidays, I'll forgive you!
12-21-2012, 02:03 AM
#60
Here's the web site of the guy who designed the 996. There are some photos of sketches and models for the car. If you really look at your 996 carefully, as a piece of design rather than as a car or whatever, you can see how incredibly respectful of the past Lai was with it. I think they will look a lot different and more pure to most eyes in a few years, when they're officially old.
http://www.designnstyling.com
http://www.designnstyling.com
And a warm welcome to you dmw996!