I'm looking at 2 right now but fell in love with the '01(having a PPI done tomorrow) but before I pull the trigger I want to know what the significant differences are between the years. This 01 is clean, full service history and 'appears' to be well kept(find out tomorrow for sure).

Thanks for any help and hopefully by tomorrow night I'll be part of the club.

 

Some will beg to differ, but my research indicates no difference except the lack of a glove box and bose system. Some will say the 02 forward have a stiffer body but I believe that applies to the NA 996 not the turbo. I would recommend getting the TT that is in the better shape and not be concerned if 01 vs 03.

 

One other thing..how about some pictures also the 01 does not come with cup holder. Good luck. kenny

 

Why are you in love with the '01 and not the '03? Do you have PPI on '03? Does price have any bearing on the situation? Mileage, previous owner info etc. If all things being equal and price not an issue I'd go with the '03.

 

What price point are you looking at?
In any event, go for the more complete history / better sorted example with more of the common issues addressed. All other things equal, I would always go with newer over older.
Patience is the key - but be ready to jump on the right one.

 

With the 03 you get the 'MOST" - and by that I mean the stereo. If you plan to do any upgrades, you cannot just do a head unit, but rather you end up replacing everything. Much easier in an 01

I personally think the 01s should be worth more....

 

Whichever one is in better condition and has a better history.

 

i believe the 01 has more difficulties with 2nd gear pop out as well compared to the 03. i have an 03 and love it. i like the cup holders.

 

There is no reason to be afraid of a properly cared for 01. If you like the car and it checks out (and you can deal with the lack of a glovebox, front bumperettes, and potentially solid spoke factory wheels), go for it.

The common rear wing failure affects all model year 996TTs and the second gear pop-out issue can affect most of them too. I've owned my own 01 for about 3 years now and have a minimum of issues over that time...they are solid cars and the best values out there. If the color/condition/options/mods are right on the 01, go for it!

 

+1 beyond the 2001 the changes vs an 03 are cosmetic only and that includes the glovebox & stereo

 

I totally agree that there is no mechanical difference other than the things listed for a properly cared for 01. There is so much misinformation about this damned 2nd gear pop out that people are scared stiff. I have owned many 996TT's 01's and 03's and they're all Honda reliable so long as you don't downshift to an incorrect gear or have an amateur tune the car incorrectly.

 

Had an 02 and have an 01 now. Same difference except glovebox and cupholders on the 02. Sure, I could use a glovebox sometimes but less source of rattle noise without.

The 01 had 69k miles when I got it and the driveline is as tight/quality feel as anything I've driven, the 02 had 19k miles, and the 01 has a tighter feel to the engine/tranny, whereas the 02 had a tighter almost brand new interior.

So it all depends on how it was driven and on what roads it was driven on.

Drivetrain should feel very solid and tight no matter the miles.
Interior should be tight if miles aren't crazy.
Then if it's 01 or 03 doesn't matter much.

Normally the first year of a brand new model launch is always a little worse than the later years of the same car, but in this case almost all components such as window motors, wipers, steering components, electrical components, are well tried and tested already in 01 since they are carry over products or upgraded versions from Boxster/Carrera that came onto the market several years earlier.

It's good for turbo owners that Porsche always releases Carreras first and then a little later brings out the big guns.

 

look cup holders !!!! should
not be drinking while driving anyway and who wears gloves any more thats what heaters are for!!!!have had an 01 for 11 tears now and love it... agreed you have to spend a lot of bucks on it to make it a real porsche, but that the fun of it....

 

Thanks for the info and I got a clean bill of health from GMG today so I pulled the trigger on the 2001... 49k miles of pure joy!

Here is the first photo, I'll post some more up later!

 

No solid spoke factory wheels, HRE P40's.. damn, that's a nice upgrade!! I think I got a good deal on this one and it's super super clean for a 49k car.