996.2 C2 manual for the win. I absolutely love mine. Aero kit and wheel spacers do wonders for the looks. I daily drive mine. Keep the 991.2 GT3 6MT for the weekends.

One thing not mentioned was the historical significance of the 996. It marks a lot of “firsts” for the Porsche 911. It was the first water-cooled 911, the first mass-produced 911, the first 911 with non-round headlights, the first 911 to share parts/components with other models. The 996 was the car that caused the rift in the Porsche community-suddenly there were two sides: air-cooled and water-cooled. While the haters still exist, most people have matured and moved on realizing that a 911 is a 911. The 996 plays a big role in Porsche’s history, and it’s a great thing to talk about when chatting with other enthusiasts at shows, cars and coffee, and other events. I used to own a Boxster 986, and that’s a huge reason why I bought a 996. That pure, raw sports car feeling just doesn't exist in anything newer than the 996. And, the reliability of both (986 and 996) has been far superior to any other car I’ve ever owned (and I’ve owned a lot of cars). Anyway, historical significance of the model may or may not matter to a lot of buyers, but I think it's something worth noting.

Having owned a 997.2 C2S for four years and having driven my brother’s ‘99 C2 w/aerokit extensively, I have to disagree with your comment about the 997 being more of a Grand Tourer (as you imply) than the 996. The 997 was built on the same platform and is close in most dimensions. Just because the interior is a big step up doesn’t take away from the small, light and raw feeling of the 997. I’d agree if you were referencing the 991 as the GT car but I think you’re slightly off base with that comment. I do agree that the 996 is a great and pure sports car. Thanks for posting the content.

being a 2003 986 owner, I really enjoy the feel of the car. I haven't driven a 997 to have an opinion. I like my car quite a bit. The "connected" feeling is what draws me to the 986 and by extension the 996 as well.

"The pure sports car feeling" is the primary reason for buying a 996. The cable throttle body is desirable, but the extra power and torque and upgrade from variocam to variocam plus in the 3.6 engine of the 996.2 more than compensates and makes the latter just as, if not more, desirable. Sure, the air cooled cars have a more connected and raw experience, but the 996 provides driving Thrill in spades.

I have driven both the egas and cabled 996, I have to agree David, the feel of a "connection" from my foot to the engine feels alot better than a "wire" Great video.

Pulled my IMS out at 86k and it was mint. 99 996 Cab. Born Feb 98.

My first Porsche was a 996.2 that I purchased back in 2016, which I recently sold with 67.5K miles on the original IMS bearing. Never had a single issue with it, I only performed regular maintenance and only had to replace the cats which went bad. I just recently switched up to a 997.2 Carrera S I found in a manual gearbox which I couldn't pass up, I do miss the mechanical feel and feedback I had in my 996.2 with a RoW M030 suspension setup I installed on it. My new 997.2 feels a lot more luxurious and refined on the inside, as for the driving experience, well, it feels more forgiving and seems to allow more room for driver error. . I do love the 997.2 S as well, when I hit that "Sport" button with the included Sport Chrono I can definitely get the car more squirrely around the turns and have usable power readily available. Although my 996.2 felt a lot faster, perhaps because it was a smaller and lighter car. PS - I always laugh at the IMS commentary vloggers and forum posters jib jab about to get likes and views. I can't believe people are still regurgitating this internet scare they read in forums or hear about in other videos.

I love my 996 Gen1 built in OCT 1998 w/ dual row IMS. However, we decided to do the retrofit LN IMS at 51K just to be safe. It is now "bullet proof". I hope I live to put 200K on it.

996 all day. Most definitely a Turbo - no issue with the IMS

So depressing to view this vid 2yrs later. There isn't a 997 anywhere under $38K right now w the crazy used market. Missed my window!!!!

Not sure about this argument. The IMS issue is a red herring. This is a factor only bc the 996 failure rate. Doesn’t really matter if 997 needs a rebuild bc there isn’t a huge failure risk in that car. Also the interior quality on an early 996 is awful. I owned a 99 and it’s cheap feeling. The later 911s get better in this regard. Lastly, part of the allure of the Boxster is that it’s much easier to push bc of the mid engine design. You can toss it around much more comfortably. With no weight over the front, the 911 feels very different and very light over the front wheels, Particularly during her acceleration. Expert drivers can get plenty out of the chassis but for many the Boxsters are simply easier to drive fast in real road scenarios. Styling is subjective but the 996 headlights are certainly a messier design as well. There are plenty of price based reasons to go 996, but the traditional throttle is the only objective reason I see based on the cars themselves

Im a 996.1 c2 owner(2012-2014) and 997.1 c4s (2019-current). A 996 gives better driv8ng experiences compared to 997. But 997 will have better driving feeling compare a 991 or 992. Cars nowadays r getting faster, but has lost its spiritt they failed to communicate with dtivers

I have the 996 C2 and agree with this video. To me, it still drives more like the air-cooled 911 and gives me a sense of nostalgia and enjoyment. It is comfortable enough that I can actually talk my wife into a weekend trip to Monterey; in fact, she prefers to drive it. She would tolerate my previous air-cooled versions but not for the entire weekend.

I bought a 997.2 and never looked back.

Early 997’s do have a serviceable ims bearing just like the 996.

Analog or assisted car? Of course 996! The very first one without PSM or TC...

Buy a 996 turbo. Bargain of the century. End of story

2008 997 C2. Never looked back. Interior is superior, with much better seats; 996 seats are famously torturous. 997 handles much better in stock form. With the 996 Porsche did not trust their mostly inexperienced drivers new mass market buyers. With money, their tendency to over steer can be neutralized. 997 is perfectly neutral out of the box. 996s have been very cheap for a long time; deferred maintenance will be an issue that it simply is not with a 997.

These cars aren’t really the same price. Of course there are 996 Porsches at $25,000, but they start at $12,000 for a decent one in a private transaction. That’s what I paid for my 996.1 C2, and it is terrific.

I also disagree the IMS isnt easily replaceable on the 997, thats total nonsense.. sorry. Here in the UK it costs around £500 to £800 and is straightforward. You also failed to mention the Gen 2 997 which doesnt have the IMS issue at all!

Well although I like GT cars the 996 is just a better toy car.

These cars have gone up a ton. You think the 997 will drop back after the used car crisis ?

997 from 2004 stay in Museum in Gmund :)

IMS bearing issues not on 3.8L right?

Low mileage 996

Doesn’t make sense for me buying a car considering a potential IMS issue. Then you should rather buy none of both.

996: 1998-2004, 997: 2004-2012

You can’t rebuild the engine when the IMS bearing goes out. You must scrap it.