The 996 the new 914, Interesting Article. Never thought I'd see the day Options

[914_teener]

Interesting article.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/bu...be-collectible/


Never thought I'd see a 914 worth more than a 911....but that day has come.

Although initially I didn't buy my teener for appreciation value.

[horizontally-opposed]

Years ago, a Guards Red/black 993 Carrera S 6MT came through Excellence. Had if for a week, and liked it a lot. And there was a lot of like...styling, connection to what we love about earlier air-cooled 911s, useful torque, good sounds, pretty nice shifter (for back then), and then all the stuff that seemed like a quantum leap from my 914—air-conditioning, power windows and locks, power seats, etc.

Not too many months later, a Guards Red/black 996 Carrera 2 6MT came through Excellence, and I spent a few days in that. The air-cooled diehards were busy panning the 996, mainly citing the 993's styling, build quality, materials quality, tradition, etc as superior (and those are hard points to argue), I had to say that the 996 put it on the trailer if the drive was what mattered. Down the same roads, the 993 was very much the compromise that it was...a car continually refined—and VERY well developed—from 1964 to 1998 (the upside) stuck on a wheelbase and chassis that dated to...1964. In terms of the driving, the 996 felt like what they'd make from all those lessons with a clean sheet. The handling was flat superior, with a lighter helm that filtered out the white noise while leaving me with what I needed to carve up a road. The whole car felt lighter, more agile. The 3.4 was elastic, pulled harder, and sounded better (to me) than the workaday, torquey 3.6 in the 993, the shifter was better, and the brakes were better too. More comfortable on the freeway, and offered VASTLY better HVAC. Sure, you could see where they saved the money (um, no glovebox...really?), and the interior quality was spotty at best, but the driving position was better and the 996 was...to me, if I put what I was "supposed to like" aside...more fun to drive than the 993. I still have a soft spot for early 996 C2s—I prefer the 986 headlights to the later ones, and the 3.4 to the 3.6, and the handling of the 1999-2001 C2 to the handling of the 2002-2004 C2.

Don't get me wrong. I love 993s. But I don't get the 996 hate. The only thing that makes me nervous in recommending them is the engine, which is an overblown subject in my view—but if you get stung, it huuuuuurts.