Porsche 911 Face-Off: 991 Turbocharged Carrera Vs 996 Turbo

Interesting read comparing the new 991.2 Carrera S vs. our beloved 996 Turbos.

I never was in the market for a 996 Turbo and definitely still miss my naturally aspirated 997 C4S, but for some reason I decided to get into a 996 Turbo as it was the better investment over the 997 (yes, I know, cars are never an investment).

The 996 Turbo seems to be the best bang for the buck in terms of current market price, performance, and resale down the line (I doubt prices will drop, but I'm not optimistic they will rise either. Just happy that they are holding their value at the current market).

As for now, the 996 Turbo is keeping me happy and will stay in the garage for now until I decide it's time to change things up with a 997 GT3.

My 996 Turbo likes:
1. bang for the buck price
2. thrust in the back of your seat feeling
3. the "near bullet-proof" historical Mezger motor
4. still turns heads even after 14 years
5. aftermarket support

My 996 Turbo dislikes:
1. "front headlights" (yes it's subjective, but I fall with the majority that dislikes them)
2. poor throttle response Turbo lag (this car has more lag than my BMW 335i)
3. interior (compared to a 997 or a 991)
4. the ancient AWD viscous coupling system (makes for a difficult choice of aftermarket tires in the 19" wheel setup)
5. the "upgraded" Bose sound system

 

Great article imo. I got my 996 Turbo a few months. My first Porsche, and certainly not my last.

 

Good little write up watching that 991 launch it was silly fast looking.

 

Makes me wonder how the new car will react with the wick turned up and wonder if the transmission could be swapped over

Where's the intercooler in the new cars btw?

 

I was wondering the same thing

 

intercoolers?! hah! opening the "engine compartment" i wondered where THE ENGINE WAS! two fill caps and some plastic

 

i dont remember that a stock 996tt has a great turbo lag as i must read / maybe the test 996tt had a boost leak?

of course to find the engine you must remove off the body of the car

 

Here is a pic of 991.2 Carerra engine (I believe), you can see the intercoolers, i think they get their air through the decklid since these cars don't have side intercooler intakes like Turbos.

 

There's definitely lag on the stock 996tt... At least compared to the new turbo cars like the BMW M4. You don't feel the boost kick in on the new cars, which is kinda lame because the boost kick lets you know it's working!!! Now it's less pronounced. Not that the stock lag of the 996tt was all that egregious, it was just perceptible and now in the new cars it isn't. As is the typical argument with progress, the new cars feel "antiseptic" compared to our older cars with "character". And in their defense, the new cars just feel strong everywhere, there's no rpm where you're waiting for boost to kick in... Different strokes for different folks!

 

thats a good point. but it's a fairly simple process with a couple bolt on mods ( to say nothing of some fast spooling hybrid turbos and tune to match ) to dial out most any turbo "lag" which was deplorable in my old k24 car..

but what brings a smile to my face is nearly equal power band and delivery from the new 991 for what? $120k as measured against my old 996 which has a street value of barely $30?? LOL. i get the last laugh on that one, depreciation be damned.

 

 

Oops, post edited.
I really meant "desirable, famous, historical" (not infamous) Mezger motor of our 996 Turbos.

 

hah! was gonna say....

 

Enjoyable read proving our cars are as wonderful as we know they are

 

Well they tested an X50 car, which does have a softer bottom end than the K16 cars when untuned.

A better comparison would have been a base model, not X50.