Between a '13 GL450 and an '09 997TT cab I was taking a lot of flack for the amount of money I had tied up into cars so I sold the GL and consigned the 997TT. I don't miss the GL a bit although it was a great car but I am having 911 withdrawals pretty bad. So I'm thinking about picking up a 996. Yes I will miss the torque of the TT but it was the character of the car I loved most. I rarely even went WOT except every once in awhile. So I am wanting a car that I can club autocross, DE day 2x a year, and DD on nice days. I figure whatever I buy, I will most like tune, exhaust, SSK, and PSS10. I need to keep total build cost below 30k (lower if possible.) I will also try and do a lot of the work myself, even though it's been 20 years since I've worked on my own car.

So my question is which platform should I start with? I'm leaning toward an '02 C2 Coupe but wanted to get knowledgeable feedback. Also, what is the most HP someone's gotten from one of these while staying NA? A lot of people are telling me to skip 996 and go back to 993, but I don't think I can do that on my budget. Thx!

 

I've had extensive driving on both .1 and .2 (the latter a C4S). The .1 was a 2001 coupé with Aerokit, factory sports suspension, GT3 sway bars and GT3 wheels and PSE… awesome machine and lots of fun at the track. My C4S was a 2004 coupé with Aerokit, PSE and stock suspension… another very capable car but felt different to the '01 because of the AWD. To me, the C4S has the nicest body of the 996 series and comes well appointed inside, as it is more luxurious than a Carrera. The 2nd gen cars are also generally nicer inside than the 1st gen cars, if that matters to you.

If you want to stay at or under $30k with a car in which you'll be doing some upgrades, get a nice 1st gen car and use the rest of the money to upgrade its suspension and wheels, put a different exhaust and an aftermarket Aerokit (there are some that look almost 100% factory) and you'll have a great car you can use every day, beat up at the track and looks great, without spending too much; I think the Aerokit is a must in a 1st gen car but this is purely subjective from my part. Put in the IMS bearing from LN or the IMS Solution on either gen car for peace of mind.

I don't know the market now for the 40th Anniversary 911 but, if it is around your budget, get that as it has the Powerkit and LSD and don't worry about modding until you save more for them. I would rather get that car even if it eats up my mods money and then worry about those later. I think that it is the best package - performance wise - in the 996 lineup short of getting a GT3 or a Turbo. It has the narrow body of the normally aspirated Carrera with the front end of the C4S, unique interior trim and more. If I had that car at the time, I probably would have not bothered buying my 997 Carrera S.

 

The 996 is lighter and faster than the 993. It also has more modern safety features and will perform better in the situations you described. Personally, I would buy either a C2 MK I aero or a C4S MK II. These are the best looking variants of the 996, in my opinion.

If you want more power, then look for a car with the optional power kit. The 40th anniversary cars have this as standard equipment in addition to some other nice upgrades. I believe they are rated at 345 HP. You can add some power with an ECU flash and an exhaust, but it's a relatively small amount.

The full leather interior option is very desirable in the 996 - I think you'll appreciate it coming from a 997 TT.

 

Looks like we have similar thoughts!

 

This is awesome feedback guys. Thank you!

There are some deals on 40th's out there but all of them have Tips ;(. The MTs are bringing more than a high mileage 996TT.

I've never had an LSD. How big of a difference does it make?

How much of a difference is there between the 996 C2 you had your 997S? Sometimes there are a few of these that drop into my budget range. Probably not without a story though.

 

C4S...best looking rear end on the street, especially when lowered.

 

There is a big difference, specially when I have an X51 kit on my 997 (381hp vs 320hp) but not a great difference if my car had the stock 355hp motor, as far as straight line performance is concerned. But, what I mentioned was not about a regular 996 C2 but about a 40th Year Anniversary car; that car has 345hp by means of an X51 kit as standard and other upgrades which make it a very viable option to a basic 997 Carrera or even a non-X51 997S. Looks aside, if I had a car like that one, I would have not cared about getting a 997S at the time, for the power increase and different styling from a 40th Year car to a 997 were, to me, not worth the extra cash outlay. Again, this is subjective so my opinion might not be shared by everyone. This is my personal experience. But, since I had the extra money and my goal was to have my 997 with as much power as I could, and my C4S had a non-X51 motor and AWD (which I'm not a fan of), I jumped and got a 997S. YMMV.

 

Just to clarify - all of the 40ths came with 6-speed manuals. None had tips. Wasn't even an option.

 

Get both? I like both the RWD 996.1 and AWD 996.2. They feel completely different handling wise stating the obvious.... I like the lightweight feel of the RWD 996.1 and during the winter (now) I use my 996.2 C4S as my winter beater. Has a nice sturdy feel on the road with all the crappy seattle weather.