TheWulf

iTrader: (4)

^^ Plain interior? What have you been driving?

I've never seen a busier interior than the 8... all the circles and triangles and colors... even the seats are unique.

You Fail

delhi

I think what he meant was that for the price, the interior was quite plain. I think it's functional. Some ***** were not to me too ergonomic. But that's like saying I do not like Jessica Alba's mole on her hip....
For some reason, the water-cooled 911s still perk me up. 993 still fetches very good price. In fact I've seen 993 prices going for higher than 996!

swiftrx8

Yeah I don't know how Porsche was able to get away with air-cooled engines for so long. There are a lot of 996's so that drives the price down. I don't care, that means they are more affordable.

The interior is function, perfect word for it. It doesn't feel like an $85K car to me but hey, who cares, Porsches are track bred street cars. They aren't really in the game of luxury. I like the interior but it's nothing appealing.

If I had to describe the car, I'd say Perfect. It has a great balance of performance, and a strong powerband. I've loved rotaries but the flat 6, has an enormous bore and runs as if you deigned how it would run in your head.

swiftrx8

GT3 Seats = not going anywhere the car isn't. The car is not as well balanced as the RX8 but it has a lot more capability from a street use perspective. Can't wait to become more comfortable with the handling.

TopGear8

iTrader: (3)

Where are all the pictures??

9291150

Can't fault a 911, a great sportscar and daily driver...though at a cost. 911's are on my "must own one day" list! Congrats.

swiftrx8

As promised:

swiftrx8

Oh and my beater:

swiftrx8

Sorry the car was held up at the dealer for about 2 months getting a new engine. It was under the extended warranty. I have never been in a car that handles so well. It's incredible, I can't even begin to describe to you the feeling of confidence and pure feel for the road you have in it. Basically I can just slam down back roads faster than I ever thought was possible. I love it, it's truly a driving experience.

delhi

Looks great. Not a fan of the black rims though. Is that automatic?

Renesis07

iTrader: (1)

okay, now I changed my mind and think it was a good move. Nice car.

Leenseen

The 996 easily outsold all previous incarnations of the 911 so I wouldn't call it unloved by any means. This is why resale value isn't as good... Porsche made and sold a lot.

The early 996's had the same headlights as the Boxster and to the uneducated looked the same. In 2002 Porsche changed the design and the headlights were sourced from the Turbo and looked nothing like the Boxster.

The 993 might have been 'successful' to the purist but Porsche was in financial Dire Straits during its tenure. The flagship 996 turned their fortunes around (so much so they are increasing their share in VAG to over 50%).

Leenseen

Levels of grip are amazing... people slam the 911 for being rear engined thinking its a bad configuration. You just need to drive it differently... you can brake later into a corner and get on the gas earlier. It feels so solid and planted and the flat 6 growl is symphony.

from Fellow 2003 911 owner!

delhi

Sorry I fail to see your point. You just regurgitated what I wrote but in different words?
Early 996s can be had for cheaper than 993. Actually even the redesigned 996s can still be had cheaper. Whether you like it or not, it was the headlights and the lack of coke-bottled 993 sexiness that caused the 996 to be less loved.
Lots of used 996 are dumped on the market once the 997 came out. Like you said, big production volume also led to lower resale value vs. other Carreras.
Not a bad thing. A 911 is still a 911. They drive superbly and I consider the 996 like the 964 a great value for used Carrera.
BTW, there is a reason why Porsche redesigned the entire front end of the 996 mid-cycle. And it's because it is too Boxster-like. Money talks.

Leenseen

Not sure I needed a point to contribute, just adding to the conversation... but FWIW

You stated that the 996 was unloved. I simply suggested that it easily outsold all previous incarnations of the 911. To me this suggests it was loved more...

You stated the 996 looked like a boxster. I agreed the early ones did. Porsche also agreed and modified it.

You stated that the reason the 996 had poor resale was because it was unloved. I suggested it was because of mass production. Plus current economic state hasn't helped.

Much has been made of the 993 Vs 996 debate. I like em both, but don't consider them competition for each other. The 996 has such a wider and in some cases different audience so personally I don't think the 993 hurts it. I think the 993 has a HIGH resale value because to some people it was the end of an era (to your point air cooled/styling/soul) and obviously they are not making any more. Whereas they still make the 997 which is similar to the 996.

I don't have a problem with some people preferring the 993. I drove them both and personally preferred the 996. I also don't have a problem with the 996 being cheaper than a 993 (It meant I paid less for it), actually you can also pick up 997's for the price of 993's.

Not sure what your point is here, this is true of lots of cars and will happen to the 997 when the 998 comes out.

The 996 and 997 feel very similar on the road. I much prefer the looks of the 997 (both inside and out) but couldn't justify the extra money for the minimal gain performance wise. I'm glad many people could so I could pick one up.

TopGear8

iTrader: (3)

Wow your car looks amazing! Will you come down to charlotte and give me a ride

HockeyRX-8

iTrader: (1)

nice 911. good luck with it.

swiftrx8

It's a 6 Speed, I'd never drive an automatic under and circumstances haha...

I love this thing it handles on another level. I do have the Bilstein PSS9 suspension with H&R Say Bars and of course the AWD, but man this thing is unreal. I can just let loose on the backroads without a concern. I can push what I thought was possible. I've only had the stability management kick on twice and I've been getting pretty crazy with it. It's so solid and inspires confidence. I can't tell you how much of an amazing driving experience this car is. If anyone is ever in the market for one, I HIGHLY recommend one.

swiftrx8

Where's your pics???

Another thing I noticed about the rear engine config is that on bumps and dips on roads, it doesn't effect the car being planted. It's like my car likes bumps, where as other front engine, rear wheel drive cars I've owned like to get loose when they hit a bump. I'm telling you, for a road going car, I think this might get as good as it gets. I also like how Porsche concentrates most of the racing efforts on road cars. Not like Audi and Honda...building champions of things you will never see on the road. Just my 2 cents. Still cheer on the SpeedSource RX8s in the Grand AM series! They sound so good!

Razz1

nice pics!

RotaryP7

Nice man. Damn, I need to get me one of these once I earn the big $$$. In the meantime, I'll keep enjoying my 8.

Good luck.