I know what you mean about full attention and 'striking the right balance on the knives edge of fun and fear'. I am also a scuba diver when nothing else enters my head only 'diving correctly' when I am under the water filming wild life. Flying a small plane falls into the same category. Make a mistake and you are severely injured or die. There are no parachutes on those machines. I did know about the pop up roll bars in the rear seats which activate as 4 wheels leave the ground. I didn't think that would be enough to race a car at high speed on the track. I live and learn. Thanks.

 

There is nothing wrong with a cab in the least bit. I personally prefer a coup but that's my personal preference. I feel the coup gives me the more "race car" feel. Different strokes for different folks!! As long as you are happy when you step into your car than it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.

 

Shiftin: I originally posted this thread & must now say I'm starting to get used to the Cab. Aside from putting the top up & pretending it's a coupe like I really wanted, the wife really digs the top down.

Nice thing this Porsche time around is my wife can enjoy this along with me; she loves to take the car out & even helps tidy up when it needs a cleaning. So, rather than me going it alone like with my motorcycle passion, she can share. Win-win for everybody & the new-to-us C4 Cab.

Appreciate everybody's comments here.....

Bob in AZ/USA

 

An old car collector saying states that, "The price goes up when the top comes down." For some reason, with the 911 this isn't the case.


Sadly, as far as where the 996 Coupe/Cab stand in the "Porsche world," because it was sold in as many numbers as it did, has the IMS issue, nonstandard 911 headlight shape issues, is watercooled and not air cooled, and you have the recipe for it always being the red-headed stepchild of all 911s. If you're a collector, you're not gonna get your money back (and you're certainly not going to see it appreciate much, if any). If you're not a collector (like I'm not), love your car, forget what anyone else says, and drive the hell out of it.

 

Cyber: I'm working on the "drive the hell out of it" part right now. But, the only thing the car needed at time of purchase was new rubber so that's next on the list. Meanwhile, I'm trying to hold it down a bit.

What truly surprises me is this is the first car I've ever owned where the performance doesn't dramatically (or at all?) seem to drop off when the A/C is on! Here in Arizona summers, that's a nice feature.

Maybe someday I'll have a sunroof coupe but, for now we're really enjoying the C4 Cab; I don't care about the headlights issue & water-cooling only improved the lot as far as I'm concerned. I've adored the P-cars since 1965 as a boy so I was raised a "Purist" but water cooling is fine with me; natural evolution of things....

Thanks for the post, Cyber!

 

Bob, glad to hear you're enjoying your car--as long as long as you're happy with it, who cares what anyone else thinks? I'm with you on the A/C, as I live in Florida (which is another reason I bought the coupe--heat/humidity and ragtops don't mix well, ha ha). Any pics of your car?

 

Cyber: I really need to take some good pics but posting might be intimidating considering the extremely fine machinery found here at the Forum! I'm amazed at the very tasteful, well-done mods. I've added a GT3Tek front spoiler lip & the small poly GT3 TEK rear wing just to jazz it up a bit & hope those are done tastefully. But, otherwise, ours is very much a "plain Jane" so far without even the side rockers (damn!).

As for the Cabrio once again, we grabbed this '02 after an on/off search for about 1.5 years because it was the best car I'd seen in a long time; 27k miles with IMS/RMS fixes completed & a thumbs-up endorsement by my independent shop (Beck's European in Scottsdale, AZ/shameless plug) who I've known for many years. Totally clean PP inspection which is rare, I think. So, coupe desire notwithstanding, the wife actually pulled the plug at lunchtime one day & I was just a spectator who found the $$$ laying around..... Good girl!

 

Bob, your wife's a keeper! As for intimidation posting your pics, you don't get any more plain jane than my C2, so post those pics! Would love to see any/all of your mods.

 

I have a cab, so I may be biased, but I totally disagree that the soft top ruins the lines.
The way I see it, if you can get Porsche performance with the option of going topless when the sun shines, then why not? Either way, it's a matter of taste for a great car.
As for collectability, no one here can claim to know what the long term legacy or desire of these cars will be 15 to 20 years from now. Afterall, who's to say the first water cooled 911 is a hindrance as opposed to a positive years from now? One could argue that the first of a breed (water cooled 911) makes it just as desirable as the last of a breed (air cooled)? Porsche's not going back to air cooled 911's, so the 996 will be the only first water cooled 911 ever.
Who knows? Or is that, who cares?

 

Dinicor, you've touched on some good issues about the 996. First I want to clear up a few things that have been mentioned in this thread. The headlights are homage to the 1996-1997 GT-1 Race Cars and should not be referred to as "fried eggs". Whoever coined this term obviously does not know the true history of the 996. The 996 saved Porsche's butt from going into bankruptcy and possibly ending the marque, so the 996 should be praised on that merit alone. When the 996 arrived it outperformed the outgoing car (993) in every aspect, and is more affordable. Especially when the 996 Turbo came on the scene, (side note: the 996 Turbo is now collector status) It has been praised as the super car of the decade and that still stands true, and that car is over 15 years old now.

Because the 996 was the first water cooled, and has a lot less electronic nanny's than the later cars ( 997-991) many enthusiast desire this car, plus many enthusiasts can not afford to get into the air cooled game. In the last 18 months prices have settled on the 996 and some models have begun to appreciate. Especially, the Turbo +(S), GT2, GT3, C4S, and the 40th Anniversary. Although prices have dipped on the normal 996 because of the IMS/RMS hysteria, many of the new buyers coming onto the market for a 996 now realize that they will just have to budget to get this done when purchasing this car, or buy a car with the IMS/RMS already done. And if the seller has the IMS/RMS done preventively before a sale they are now asking for a much higher price and getting it. I think it has been generally established now the IMS/RMS is a serviceable item. I own a 04 C4S, I did a lot of research before getting back into the game. I was a previous owner of several air cooled cars as well as a few heavily modified and fun 944 Turbos.

I bought my car just to enjoy, and don't plan on selling it or have hopes that it gets collector status. The purist, whoever they are can say what they want about the 996 because it's water cooled. Does this not make the 997 and 991 (Cayman, Panamera) not Porsches also because they are water cooled as well, lol? I've had my fun with my old leaky, cranky air cooled cars and have moved on. I still love em (air cooled), but I'd be hard pressed own one again. Happy with my reliable, daily driving 996 with working A/C

 

Bernard, very good and relevant points. The cab does have its place as a desirable convertible for those interested in drop-top driving. And will always have an appeal because it is a Porsche. Regarding your other points those really need their own topic thread. The internet hoopla has been dying down about the IMSB as evidenced by the drop in posting about IMSB failures. And most important the realization and acceptance that the IMSB has become either a maintenance item or permanent fix. And what’s most important about this development is that it mirrors the multiple engineering design flaws Porsche engines have had throughout their history. Porsche design flaws date all the way back to the 2.7 engines. There has been a consistent history of high dollar problems like chain tensioners, valve guide wear, head gasket materials, etc., and the IMSB was the next in line. And the IMSB like each of these from past 911s is fixable. And if you think the IMSB retrofit is expensive as a maintenance item, changing the head studs and valve guides on the 2.7 engine models is $14,000!!!! (source: Excellence magazine). And speaking of history repeating itself, get ready for the 2016 Porsches where the whole line up will be getting turbo charged engines. Once those heat generating turbines with factory oil change recommendations of 12,000-15,000 miles on daily drivers begin to fail, ……………………..
Regarding the criticism about the 996 headlight design being shared with the Boxster, have any of those critics or journalists looked at the similarity of the interiors between the last two generations of Cayman, Boxsters and 911s? They’re the SAME. At least the fried eggs were a design original, not taken from the turbo because of pressure from journalists and Porschephiles of the time. And the 997s never returned with “round” headlights. Instead, they were oval.
If history is any measure of where the future will take us, then the designers of the 996 will be praised for the original thinking and saving Porsche from its demise. The IMSB will follow the road of all other much loved 911 with their engineering flaws, and the convertible top will continue to have an important place in the 911 line-up.

Cheers!

 

+1 Thanks, very well said. My thoughts exactly. Bravo!

 

I agree.


Bob, you may want to shop around Indys and join your local PCA. My go-to indy lets me borrow his hardtop for track use. The Pcar community here in NJ/Philly/Long Island is tight, as I assume many other markets are too.

 

There's a lot of passion in some of the comments posted here, but also a lot of whistling past the graveyard.

Look, I own a 996 and I LOVE my car--enough to have had my IMSB replaced with the Raby/Flat 6 Solution, so you don't have to sell me on the 996. Having said that, regardless of how WE may like the headlights, or why they were developed and their history/relevance/heritage, MOST people don't like them. Porsche didn't go back to the oval (not round as many think) headlights on a whim: they went back to them because consumers didn't like the 996 headlights. Look at all the after market kits that exist to change the 996 and you're reminded that even some 996 owners don't like 'em. Me? I like 'em, so don't shoot me, but I'm just telling it like it is.

As far as the IMSB issue goes, yes, past Porsches had their problems, but none received the same attention and negative press the 996 did, and they didn't blow up (catastrophic engine failures) in the same numbers as the 996--the legal cases against Porsche because of the IMS failures should be enough to convince anyone of the attention the 996 gets.

I don't understand all the 996 hate, in every respect it's a much better car than the almost universally beloved 993 (whose values far exceed the 996), but the market doesn't lie, and there's a reason you can pick up a good 996 for ridiculous money. Coupe or cabriolet, if you own a 996 for any reason other than you love it, you probably own it for the wrong reason, cuz you're going to be disappointed when you sell it, now or in the foreseeable future.

I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think so. So drive your 996, love your 996, and stop worrying about its place in the Porsche world, cuz it's the red headed stepchild. Cheers!

 

Cybernaut12, I agree with most everything you state. Especially not worrying about the 996s place in the Porsche world. Not only is it irrelevant as an owner and an observer but also because the 996 is not the first 911 to be snubbed. The SC has languished for years in neglect and until about two years ago it was possible to purchase an SC in the low teens. Now it’s riding on the coattails of the generations before and after it.
The 996 is a victim of the era is was born into. It is currently the redheaded stepchild not because of its qualities, reliability or style, it’s simply due to the internet. In time, the next stepchild will be adopted and I think that’s going happen sooner than later.