Which Is The Best Porsche 996 To Buy? | The Complete Guide To The Porsche 996 Range

Are you looking for a Porsche 996? The affordable Porsche 911? Are you looking for comfort, power or handling? The Porsche 996 range covers all your needs and I will guide you through it to show you if a tiptronic convertible is the one for you or if you need a rear wheel drive 478bhp GT2 track car!

The whole range discussed including the horsepower of each model, the IMS bearings of each and the niche models like the Porsche 996 Targa. All three ranges of Porsche 996: Carrera 2 and 4, Turbo models and GT models. There is a Porsche 996 for you!

Please note that I have updated my guide to note that the ‘40 Jahre’ edition has 20bhp over the standard Carrera.

#Porsche996 #Porsche911GT3 #Porsche911GT2 #Porsche911Turbo

[tserzz]

The 996 A unique way ahead of it's time design. A beautiful car indeed with true grit Porsche character and quality a superb car to drive. A great timeless icon.

[trails]

The 996 is an great opportunity for someone on a budget to get into his first Porsche 911. I would buy the newest model you can afford, in the best condition, with the least amount of options, like a C2, for the most in driving enjoyment.

[rodgraff]

I’d only have the Mezger engine cars of that era. They use An air cooled 964 case, oil fed Babbitt plain bearings, for the intermediate shaft, dry sump lubrication, and water cooled heads.

[sgttombailes]

Love my '99 996 Gen 1 Cabriolet w/ LN IMS retrofit. 6 SPEED !! Outstanding car. I actually love it more than my previous 1976 and 1980 911's. I live in the South and the COLD A/C is wonderful! The '76 had no A/C, the '80 had A/C that sucked.. Love that water cooled engine. I did install PSE and it sounds AWESOME~~

[buckyes]

I have a2003 C4s - same color as yours. Love it

[stillnupey]

This is pound for pound the best model history video out there. And there are quite a few of em out there. thank you and good job.

[racekar]

Actually the GT3 is the best, all engine, raw, if you can get a GT3RS even better

[amerigermangarage]

Hey Jay! As always, very nicely put together! Love the visuals. :-D
Only slight addendum to your note from above is that the 40 Jahre (or any X51 optioned car, including the C4S) have 25 additional HP (I see that you mentioned 20), and this isn't just at peak, it is throughout the power band. There are enough differences with the intake manifold and valvetrain, as well as the engine management, to give it its own engine code - M96.03S. Cheers!

[alexandervanwyk]

After owning 48 vehicles, I can tell there is nothing comparable. I wonder what could have been if that was my first brand. Most certainly everything else would have been disappointing at some point in time. Saying that you have to be an enthusiast. Love driving, fast, safe, tough, robust, almost bullet proof, all combined with exceptional reliability and quality. My eldest son, one day made the following remark: (when driving in any of our other cars). "Dad I can feel how I'm aging in this thing" So if aging is your thing, their are great brands out there, not Porsche though.

[michaeldrew]

Just picked up on your video, Jay. Most interesting and enjoyable. I've had a 2003 Carrera manual with factory sports exhaust, for around 10 years and never tire of it. A trip to the shops is an event … how anal is that? I’d always wanted a 911 since working as a Porsche service manager in Brooklyn. Early on we had ‘the IMS incident’ which meant full engine rebuild, of course. Interesting though … when the first ‘pinging’ sounded I thought maybe a stone had got into the bell housing (idiot) as after a few minutes it went away, and there was no drop in oil pressure. From there it took 5000k’s before she gave up (full oil dump in supermarket carpark). Expensive yes … but unlike the supermarket, I was impressed with the engine’s durability! Rebuilt with upgraded IMS and run for 1000k’s, I thought about an engine upgrade, but wanted one t’on the quiet (warranty). Hmm? In the end I went for an EMS adjustment where the engine was tuned to run at peak performance on 98/100 grade fuel … not a ‘chip’. Nothing wrong before of course … fabulous engine, but now producing 359HP and 392NM (Dyno tested) in 1320kg body. A driving transformation, as well as a marked saving on fuel. Effortless when cruising and frightening when pushed! (I’m well past my racing days … and my reactions aren’t what they were!) And she runs perfectly well on 95, if caught short. Now, with Covid having locked us in I’m driven (sic) to driving the thousands of kilometres around the South Island of New Zealand. No tourists of course, just sweeping curves and straights, through snow capped peaks, past clear lakes, through dense bush and forests, with hardly a vehicle in site. Now tell me … what would be your car of choice?
How very, very, very fortunate, are we. Drive safe, stay well. MD

[WadeinWhiskey]

Turbo S got ceramic brakes also, previous X50 cars did not get ceramics.

[computerhelpcc]

manual base c2 offers a more visceral experience, including the psychology that it’s just you, the mostly tamed chassis, tires, and your shift judgement. I’ve come to savor it. However, it would become tiresome as my only car. I have a Jag sedan which is quite the contrast. A Tiptronic is fine in canyon roads where you are already underway, but from a dead stop the manual outdoes the Tiptronic. A 1999 base manual vs final 2004 S Tiptronic are notably different for enthusiast drivers. Choose accordingly to what really makes the difference to you.

[Audidude]

Good informative video, Jay. Enjoying following your work. Getting better all the time. You forgot to mention the premium for the manual gearbox. Much rarer than the tip, (which is really just an automatic, not a PDK) and so much more involving to drive.

[markedmondson]

I have a 3.6 c4, yet you say they stopped production at 2001 with the 3.4., mine is a 2002.

[max-qbyr]

What a very informative video. Second one I have watched. Thank you for them.

[garyboag]

Great videos...helpful and extremely useful in my search for either a 996 or 997.

[francisflorez]

If a turbo is in your future consider the 997’s. I have driven both 996 and 997.1 turbos and the Mezger engine is similar but the cockpit is updated with more standard leather and less plastic.

[KrustyKlown]

7:20 the Sticker Porsche hood badge is always mentioned as a weight savings option .. LOL .. that apparently costs about $50, 000 ... Porsche Marketing is genius.

[foeljmn]

Amazing. Thank you for sharing such a comprehensive resource.

[mastershake]

I bought my 996 1 hour ago, ist exactly yours only with gt3 wheels 😁