911 Buyers remorse

[jeffm]

Anyone else here purchase a 911 after owning a Boxster and have regrets?

I've owned my 1999 Boxster for over a year and have loved every minute of it. With currently 86k miles, I've had zero issues and the car is even more enjoyable every time I drive it. Even with those feeling, for some reason, I felt the need to own a 911 (996). I had this nagging feeling ever since doing a mountain run with the 911 guys that this would be the car for me.

Fast forward a month later and I'm still not in love with the car. Yes there are been some maintenance itemsI wish I didn't have to address (AOS, motor mounts, interior bits), but I'm OK with that. It's just that I don't get the same feeling in the 911 as I do in the Boxster when I stick the key in and drive.

Any similar experiences? Guess they'll be another 996 up for sale soon.....

[Perfectlap]

I think you have buyer's remorse about buying a grand touring, not so much regret in buying a Carrera. Had you switched to a 964 or 911 from the air-cooled era you'd be happy. Maybe a Targa to compensate for the lack of a drop top.

The 993 layed the ground work for the 996 as a more insulated and "modern" coupe experience. The 996 layed the ground work with a longer, wider Carrera. The 997 went further and now the 991 is a 'flattened' version of the 997 grand touring car. All previous Carreras had better feedback and were size approriate.

If you wanted to keep it water-cooled but wanted a coupe experience the 987.2 Cayman S would have kept you happy as well.

When I was first shopping for the Boxster I was actually shopping for a 996S. I also drove a C4S. And then a C2. All felt way too big, way too plush, and the understeer in the C4S was an absolute no go me. Then I got in the 986S and it was game over. This had everything I wanted as a roadster fan and I kept about $10-$15k in my pocket? What's there to talk about? To seal the deal it was in the exact color combination and it had under 9K miles.
In retrospect I should have bought a 964 RS back then and picked up a second car for winter like a Wrangler or something. Then once the market crashed in 2009 I would have picked up a pre- PASM 986S on the cheap. Although with an air-cooled Porsche, imho you'll always need a water-cooled version as well.

P.S.
Regarding the 996/997/991. These are workhorse Carreras. Sure it would have been great if Porsche kept them at Cayman proportions and kept the high fenders of the air-cooled cars but these are 911's that you can actually drive all year without worrying about depreciation. If you put one in the wall at your local track, you'll probably live. And once you've walked away you can go out buy another within a day at a bargain price relative to performance and experience. The fact that a weekend warrior could get within a couple of seconds of Porsche factory driver says a lot about what a huge step forward in performance, certainly on a cost basis, the 996 was. The 991 pricing is now officially absurd but I think years from now the 996 will mark the begining of the era of 'fast and practical' when it comes to the Carrera. And no "leak of the day" mystery on your driveway floor or costly engine rebuilds as regular part of long-term ownership. There will be Carreras you can drive, a lot, and Carreras that sit in your garage as an antique.

[BYprodriver]

I was lucky enough to be able to do extensive test drives on all Porsche's product line back to back from 2000-2003. Through the years I came to the conclusion the only way the 996 driving experience was superior for a daily driver was in breaking the law quicker & faster than a Boxster "S". I didn't feel it was prudent to pay 30% more for this "advantage" for street driving. After quitting that job 1st order of business was to buy my own Box S. 7 years later, thanks to the R&D by LNeng. & Jake Raby I was able to equalize the remaining advantage of 996 vs. 986.

[Perfectlap]

I'm not sure I would miss the Boxster right away if I switched to this:






and another



http://www.ecarlist.com/showroom/947/photos/1495881#10

[jdraupp]

I think the slant nose is a love or hate thing. I've never caught the bug, but I know a lot of guys like them. I just love the Porsche trademark with the high quarter panels and scooped hood. Whether it's a 356 or a boxster, it's the same gorgeous design. The slant nose takes that away for me.

[thstone]

Not me. I LOVE MY 996! Its a perfect car for any type of street driving - commuting, cruising, canyon carving, coffee meets. Plus its more roomy, much quieter, and has much more power. And no one makes any "girl car" jokes.

I think what you're feeling is that the Boxster is a better pure sports car whereas the 996 is a perfect GT. This is one of the reasons why I turned the Boxster into a dedicated race car rather than building the 996 into a dedicated race car - in terms of pure driving excitement, the Boxster is better.

In order to own a 911 that has a better pure sports car feeling than the Boxster, you'll have to buy a 993 (expensive) or a 964 (affordable) model.

[RedTele58]

Nope. I think my 996 is awesome. It's a '99 C4 with an original sticker of $95k +. It was a hellofalot of car then and it still is. And I purchased it for only a couple of grand more than my Boxster S.

It is a different car than my Boxsters, but I just think of it the bigger brother.

And nobody mistakes it for a Miata!

[jeffm]

Drove it around again this afternoon, but still don't feel the love. I have to say the power is addictive, but perhaps that's remedied by a 986S or 987?
Maybe the allure of owning a "real" Porsche or "911" may have played some part in the purchase, but at the end of the day who really gives a $#i| about what other people think. This is partly why I made the purchase in the first place, hence the regret!!
Of course the "it's a girl's car" comment doesn't much bother me. After all, I have owned four (all 3 models) MX5/Miata's

My plan is to keep if for another month, iron out any residual bugs, and see if it grows on me. Of course the whole 4 cars with only a 3 car garage and 2 driving adults is driving my wife crazy. There is some motivation in that...

[BRAN]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

I'm not sure I would miss the Boxster right away if I switched to this:






and another



http://www.ecarlist.com/showroom/947/photos/1495881#10

A sacrileg, what RUF did to the front...:ah:

[woodsman]

Originally Posted by jeffm

Drove it around again this afternoon, but still don't feel the love. I have to say the power is addictive, but perhaps that's remedied by a 986S or 987?
Maybe the allure of owning a "real" Porsche or "911" may have played some part in the purchase, but at the end of the day who really gives a $#i| about what other people think. This is partly why I made the purchase in the first place, hence the regret!!
Of course the "it's a girl's car" comment doesn't much bother me. After all, I have owned four (all 3 models) MX5/Miata's

My plan is to keep if for another month, iron out any residual bugs, and see if it grows on me. Of course the whole 4 cars with only a 3 car garage and 2 driving adults is driving my wife crazy. There is some motivation in that...

Wow, I feel your disappointment. I often think about getting a 911- preferably a GT3, but then when I get in and DRIVE my car, I fall in love all over again! Really. For me it's all about how it drives. I did recently drive a 997 base, tip and it felt absolutely pedestrian to me. I was surprised and disappointed. Then I hopped in my Row030 sprung S and was truly blissed again. For now, I've got the right car for ME. As Joseph Campbell said, follow your bliss! Sounds like you're not ready for a grand tourer, yet.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by BRAN

A sacrileg, what RUF did to the front...:ah:

Sure if you like your cars to be confused with VW's.

I love the rear styling of most any Carrera. But frankly I never thought there was anything original or dramatic about the front end and those round headlights. They look appropriate on an air-cooled car for sure but sports car design cant' deny evolution forever. The GT1 headlights of the last Porsche to win the overall at LeMans was striking and I'm glad they added them to the Carrera for at least three years.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by jeffm

Of course the "it's a girl's car" comment doesn't much bother me. After all, I have owned four (all 3 models) MX5/Miata's

My plan is to keep if for another month, iron out any residual bugs, and see if it grows on me. Of course the whole 4 cars with only a 3 car garage and 2 driving adults is driving my wife crazy. There is some motivation in that...

If you had an NA,NB an NC then I think it's safe to say that you're a roadster guy first. As such you'll never be completely happy without another midengine roadster. Translation Audi R8 Sypder.

[woodsman]

I can honestly sat I HATE all 911 slantnoses. When are those damn things going to die in the junk yards???? Talk about 'esthetically challenged'!
A 924 looks magnificent in comparison!

[recycledsixtie]

I have tried a water cooled 911(a '99) before I bought my 2001 Boxster and to me there is no comparison. The Boxster for me is a sports car . The 911 is a GT as mentioned above. However the only exception is an air cooled 993 which I tried about 15 years ago.

Anyway I ended up with a Boxster because it has air cond. and heated seats. It feels
modern even though it is a 2001. The price was right and am in my third year of ownership. I just can't see getting a 911 of any kind now(air cooled = too expensive and the water cooled = not enough excitement even though more power).

I might consider a Cayman in the future. I like the 2 seat concept and the handling.
Cheers, Guy.

[trimer]

Both Boxsters...loved them but wasn't in love with them. I am not a fan of the back end on the 986 but love the back end of the 996. In the end, I wanted the brute power. My 89 944 Turbo is the best car I have ever driven...and it still isn't 100 percent as the motor mounts and tranny mounts need replaced. It is quick, when the turbo kicks in it is a whole different world and handles just as good as my box did. I made an offer on a 993 that wasn't accepted. Missed it by a couple grand. I would Personally buy a 911 over a boxster at this point. But again. I had two 986.

[j.fro]

I'm with thstone all the way. I bought my 986S in 2006 with the intention of eventually building a race car, and that's what happened. But a funny thing happened on the way to the race track. I discovered that my dream race car was a PITA to drive daily. I needed something that was more practical. It needed enough room to carry me and whatever stuff (even the dog!), good a/c and amenities, decent mpgs, DIY maintenance, AWD for rain and snow, and fun car enjoy-ability. I tried a BMW e90...snooze. I thought about a Subaru...fugly low mpgs. And landed a 1999 C4. My world is complete.

[j.fro]

Oh, yeah, I'm also in the slant nose-haters club. YUK!

[jeffm]

....and maybe it's the whole open roof, roadster thing too that I'm missing. Drove a few 996 cabrio's, but those seemed like a bloated rattle box with an over complicated top.

[coreseller]

986=Pure Handling Nirvana

996=Pure GT Porsche Driving on a Price Point Nirvana

996 GT3=Pure Water Cooled Nirvana

Air Cooled 911=Nirvana

[fatmike]

In a word. No.

Although I definitely will own a Boxster or Cayman again in the future.

Here is my 1996 Targa (model 993).


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(sorry for the big pic!)