Well done on the comparison! 911s are not for me but you still had me entertained.

996 is beautiful every inch of it.

Don’t let anyone talk you out of spending $30K on a used Porsche. That $50K will be the best $80K you’ll ever spend.

I don't get the carpet on the doors aversion.  Most cars have cheap scratchy plastic panels there that quickly gets shoe marks all over them.

For the love of all that is holy, please go get the 997’s wheels painted silver!

The 996 interior was actually designed for the 993. Porsche were limited on cost and delayed it to the 996.

I have an early 996 and couldn't be happier. It's lighter than a 997, the 3.4 l engine is revvier, it's more analogue (no traction control and it has a  cable throttle), and I don't have to worry about when, not if, I'm going to get bore scoring. Oh and I got mine from the factory with option m150 (no cats!) - so it's lighter with more power. As for fancy interior, that just adds weight. If I wanted a fancy interior I'd buy a luxury car not a sports car. BTW, tyhe 996 has oval headlights also, they just have a different shape cover. If you want to pay 30 grand for  different shaped headlight covers, be my guest

I still like the 996.

Both are amazing cars! But I must say that I prefer the 996!

Bore scoring and IMS is an issue if the car hasn't been cared for. If you do preventative maintenance, annual oil change or 10k km, water pump change every 5 years or 50k km, etc. you'll be fine. Yes, it's a bit more picky than other cars, but any sportcar needs some love.

I remember when the 964 was mosted hated 911 back early 90s - Dual mass flywheel issues, servicing costs were astronomical, and they were sub £10k 20 years ago!!!! Tinterweb needs to stop the 996 hate. If it wasn’t for the 996 GT3, there would be no GT3 today. As Chris Harris says “f*ck bitcoin, buy 996” 👍

2002 996 911 Turbo - made the Kessel Run in under 12 parsecs...still does.  LOVE IT!!🥰

Prefer the more rare 996 lights

supposedly 996 is the most disliked but most of the positive comments prefer 996. Lol.

Personally, I think so too.

996 also suffers from bore scoring. I love them but running cost and flawed engines are a big deterrent. A ppi is a must with these.

my very early build 996.1 with a FSI 3.8 Stage II (cable throttle) and GT3 suspension is the best 911

My biggest gripe with people comparing the 996 to the 997 is that people never use a nice example of a 996.

All I've driven from my youth to my early 60's have been manuals.

I bought a 2016 BMW Z4 35i with the DCT - I don't miss the manual at all. The car shifts wicked fast in Drive shift mode, rips beautifully in Sport shift mode, and absolutely flies when using the paddles. Run into a traffic jam, just put it back into Drive mode and relax. Leave the folding hardtop in place and it's a quiet, roomy (I'm 6'4") high-speed Grand Tourer. Drop the hardtop and it's a great fresh air sportscar to rip around in. A truly fantastic car.

BTW, really great video. I had a 928 and a 2.7l 944 and really loved then (the 944 was a terrifically put together package, if a little underpowered). I drove 3.2 Carrera and failed to see what all the pomp and pageantry was about. Now with ridiculous pricing and atmospheric maintenance costs I'm pretty sure I'll not have another Porsche. 993 is my favorite iteration of this car.

Got me a great condition 2003, 996.2 manual C2 coupe a year ago for $27k.
The car is an absolute blast!

996 cars have all but disappeared from from the South African market. I’ve been looking for a clean 996.3 C2 for over a year with no luck. Think is one of the best looking 911s ever, including the .2 headlights. I actually think the smaller and cleaner C2 design is prettier than my 991 touring. 991.1 seem to be a similar and disappearing from the market