How different does that all wheel feel when thrown around the turns compared to the Cayman? I had a Mist. 3000GT VR4. It was a pretty fast car, but felt like a pig in the turns. That AWD felt funny and huge. I hope the 996 turbo doesn't feel like that. I looked it up, its only a couple of inches longer and wider then my Cayman. That lil' Cayman drives like a little car, similar feel to my S2000. I am excited about the 500hp and may make the deal. Since its not my car, I can't really throw it into the turns but jam on the gas and smile during test drive.

I also have my 993 turbo in the guy's shop for a long time. He works on it when he feels like it. I'm having all the rubber hoses changed out, transmission and clutch work. I have never driven it yet. I really hope it doesn't drive like the 3000GT since its awd.

Tranny and engine are going back on the car today. Its been almost two years. Free storage:D

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1526011673.JPG

I love my 996TT and have had a few air cooled 911’s as well including a turbo.

Mine has right at 40,000 miles now and is still nice and tight. I might do the suspension next summer, but I’m not nearly capable of driving this car at its limits.

The interior has held up very well and it’s been reliable, while I don’t drive it everyday, I still love getting in it and even just running errands.

Plus, I bought a suitcase that fits in the frunk and it’s makes the hour long drive to the airport much more enjoyable.

I don't know a thing about them and their weak points. What suspension mods is needed to make them not so soft? I have been reading a little here and there since last night. I will find out exactly what's been done to it this Saturday when I go and test drive the 993 for the first time. I know he mentioned something about the shifting cable upgrade.

The shifter upgrade is popular for sure.

I wouldn’t say the suspension is soft, it’s just 15 years old by this point.

It definitely feels different than my ‘92 turbo, but after test driving mine I had to crawl under and look to make sure it still had the front driveshafts, so it’s not horribly noticeable. Does the AWD on the 993TT bother you? It’s AWD right?

I have never driven it. Bought it from an old friend a couple years ago. It sat in the corner of his storage for 15 years. he rebuilt the motor for more power and such and lost interest and started building race cars. My only experience is my old Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4. Its from the mid 90s, all wheel drive and twin turbo. This thing felt like a fat pig or course, I had a first gen MR2 at the time. The acceleration of the 3000Gt was what sold me. I hated the way it cornered with the AWD. It just felt heavy and funny but my friend is a huge fan of AWD on the track.

Tell me about shifter upgrade and why was factory so bad?

I hear people call that turbo soft, so suspension change out is almost a must to make them feel like a sport(y) car again. Like the 911s of the old.

Also, I am told there's no turbo lag on these wasser pump-pars unlike my 930. The 930 is modded pretty heavily so the lag is keep at bay along with lower ring and pinion. Anything else you guys can give me a heads up on will be appreciated. I am talking about upgrades and blunders that Porsche seem to include in many of their cars during the air cool era.

You really don't notice the AWD unless you punch it around a tight corner and can feel the front end dig in and grip. It doesn't feel like a pig, it does feel like a 911. That means you can still get on the gas early to launch it out of a corner, and you can still feel the rearward weight balance even though it won't kill you like in a 930. Factory suspension was not soft, that's internet dramatics, the TT would outhandle a standard 996 which will run circles around the vaunted 993. If it has quality coilovers that should really tighten things up, without making the ride harsh. No turbo lag, it's a sequential system and they just go like hell. The shifter has plastic bushings that tend to get loose and the cables had plastic ends that tended to wear and eventually break. A good upgrade is a 997 shifter, an even better upgrade is a 2010 GT3 shifter that has metal bushings or a good aftermarket shifter like a Numeric. Numeric also makes upgraded cables with metal ends, or you can get the Porsche GT3 Cup cables. Just replacing the cables with new OEM is still a good idea from a preventative maintenance standpoint.

I think the biggest difference between the 996TT and the Cayman will be that the Cayman is mid-engined and feels like it. Really low moment of inertia so the car always feels like it just pivots around you. Because of the rearward weight balance you won't ever get that feeling in any 911. The Cayman will always feel more nimble, but the 911 has that fun ability to get on the gas early and rocket out of corners.

Compared to an long hood - yes they (the 996tt) can feel a little insulated. But really - It's like a GT on crack. Normal to drive around (I drove to the office yesterday and today) - I guess Camry like because the AC works and the exhaust won't make your ears ring...

But get on the boost and it's like making the jump to hyper space. The headlights have never bothered me - they are the same that were on the GT1. To me - they look much better with a wider bodied car.

It has the Mezger engine and updated suspension - what's not to like?

Common trouble spots are - front radiators tend to collect crap - and then leak - fairly easy replacement once you get past the intimidation of getting the front bumper off. The hydraulics on the spoiler tend to leak and you get a fault (I bled mine and put in a little leak stop and it has been good since) The shifter gets a little sloppy - I have a numeric on the shelf.

They are in the GT series (GT2, GT3 and Turbo, 996 and 997) so they have the stupid Porsche low point of glued in connectors to the water jackets - so if you take the car to the track you will need to get the fittings either welded - or glued and pinned. Off the track - you should be fine.

I've driven both at the track. The cayman is more like a current version of the 944 - easy to get into and out of a corner - balanced - the Turbo leaps toward the next straight - pulls from one corner to the next. Turn off PSM and get the car on it's toes and it actually does feel like a early 911 with the weight hanging off the back. Time the car coming onto boost (there is a slight lag compared to a NA) and you can throttle steer with your right foot - only slightly do you feel the front wheels trying to help keep you in the corner.

The PSS9's made a difference to me - although I have them on full soft around town. Out of the box they are excellent - but you can also mod the heck out of them - there are guys that get 800 HP out of a stock bottom end. 1500 hp with mods -

JeremyD and onewhippedpuppy have summarized years of research for you. I've had two 996 and still believe that a 996TT is THE best "bang for the buck" out there when it comes to Porsche, and many other brands/models.

A few weeks ago I got the insurance check for my totaled Audi RS5, another "fast GT" car. Many focus on "sports", but the truth of the matter is that I'm willing to bet that 99% of the driving we do is of the "GT" nature and not seeing if we can shave .01 seconds off the 0-60mph or adding .05G through a turn. That is what the track is for and that is what purpose built track cars are for.

When I get back into a position where I can purchase another vehicle for myself, the 996TT is at the top of my list.

@look 171...you already stated you love boost. I think this is a foregone conclusion:D

I had a 997tt cabriolet after I sold my 930. My only complaint with that car is its utterly ridiculous. So incredibly fast and capable that in order to feel as if you're pushing it a bit, you're going 80-90mph on a little 2 lane road with corners marked as "suggested speed" 45mph. Now that I am on to race cars for my speed fix, I am rolling in Benzes on the street. However if I decide I want a "sporty" car for the street, I really think I'd go buy a Miata.

Interesting comment you made about a Miata. After owning a 2013 Miata NC for three years and a Boxster prior to that I still think about a Porsche even though it is less practical for city streets.

I had the exact same experience.

Jeff, if you are an S2000 guy, it's possible you will love a TT for about month and then you'll feel the weight every time you get in the car. I'm an absolutest when it comes to weight and would much rather have a nimble, tossable car you can drive to 7-9/10ths out and about all the time rather than twice the car, both in hp and lb, you can drive 5/10s now and again. Miata recommendation is a good one.

May not make a difference to you but IMHO, a TT isn't much of a lookback car.

My first sports car ever was an '88 targa. It was sublime, I loved pretty much everything about it other than the fact that I really couldn't afford it. Buying the car was fine, but the repairs/maintenance on a 100k+ mile Porsche wasn't something that I'd planned for.

My next car was a stock '97 miata. It was fun, but that generation has super soft stock suspension, and I never liked the seats. I made 3 mods, stiffer springs on Bilsteins, 15" wheels (vs stock 14x6) and a foamectomy on the driver's seat (trim some of the foam in the seat bottom and seat back to give you a deeper seat and therefore more lateral support. After those mods, I really loved it! It was tons of fun at legal speeds.

After the miata started getting a bit long in the tooth, my desire to upgrade lead to a 2004 Mazdaspeed miata which was the factory turbo (about 35-40hp over my previous car). The great thing about the MS is that it came with uprated springs, shocks and anti-roll bars. It also came with 17" boat anchor wheels. I upgraded the wheels to 15x8" wheels. I also performed a very mild foamectomy on the driver's seat. I really enjoyed that car, although I did miss some of the low end instant grunt of the previous naturally aspirated miata, but the handling and ride and extra speed more than made up for it.

The Boxster is similar to all 3 but certainly better than both miata. It's got a similar, engaging feel to all 3. It's alive. It's, of course, faster than all 3, but also has plenty of low end grunt for driving around town. It's got higher handling limits, and you can steer it with the throttle at low enough speeds that you don't have to be going super fast to "play" a bit when the opportunity presents. The old 911 was more raw and more engaging than the boxster. The boxster is certainly more comfortable than all of the others with more/better creature comforts which is great since I live in an environment that's often hot and humid with plenty of rain and this is our only car. My boxster also has PASM (active shocks) so I can hit either one of two buttons and the shocks get quite stiff. Then you get more of the feel that you would with the older raw car although not the same.

All through owning both miatas, I was counting down to the day that I could get back into a Porsche. I don't think I'd switch, but I am VERY curious about the new ND miata since I think it's probably the best new miata since the original NA (89-97). Probably much better than the NB (99-05) and NC (05-15?)

I never gave the Miata a second glace until I bought my Spec Miata race car and starting doing wheel to wheel in it. Incredibly fun and absolutely tough little cars...without the "P" tax.

That was exactly why when I sold my 911 that I went to the miata. I sold my original 911 voluntarily to get into something more budget minded, but after the 911, I couldn't go back to something completely pedestrian. It had to be a sports car of some sort. The miata was the perfect car. It's probably one of the best sports cars in the world from a handling performance and "live with every day" point of view. They have fully adjustable (caster, camber, toe front and rear[exc caster, obv]), double wishbone suspension with coilovers (non-adjustable, and def not struts) at all 4 corners. The original had a 50/50 frt/rr and 50/50 rt/lt weight distro with a 165# driver in the car. Cheap to buy, uber reliable, and cheap to repair or upgrade.

Considering he's driving a 2009 Cayman, which is about 3,000 lbs, going to a 3,300 lb 996TT isn't a massive increase. Not knocking your Miata suggestion though, I have personally been kicking around the idea of a lightly used ND Miata as a daily driver with a warranty as my wrenching time is pretty scarce these days. Oddly enough, the wife wants me to get a Cayman.

I would disagree with the lookback car comment though. With the wide flared hips, intakes, and different front end, I have always loved the look of the 996TT. To each their own in that department.

One other general response, the comparisons to an air cooled 911 are a bit asinine in today's environment. Any decent air cooled coupe will be much more money, and yield a car that is louder, harsher, less comfortable, and less practical. For a toy that's all stuff that makes them fun, but for a car to actually USE I prefer little things like working A/C, cruise control, clutch I can use in traffic, a decent stereo, etc. The cool thing about the 996TT is that it's a supercar that you can drive daily, drive across the country, and take to the track.

I am not looking for a toy, have crappy riding cars for the weekends. This will be my daily driver along with dumb pick up trucks.

I know what you are saying, shaun. That's what I was afraid of, the heavy pig like my old 3000GT. I can't never toss that thing into a corner no matter how many Gs they pull on the skid pad. I think from reading all this, the 996 doesn't seem to be too bad. Issue it that I can push the car in the corners during a test drive, it not right and fair to the owner.

I have had a number of sports cars since college, the memorable ones are my first gen MR2, and the S2000 and now the Cayman (damn I live that thing). Had a NA Miata. While that was fun to get around corners, but the thing has no go. I rev the snot out of it to get around a tow truck going up a hill trying to beat him to the next light without any success. If the 996 handles 90% like the Cayman then I am seriously going to think about it. Going to see it again under real sunlight tomorrow afternoon.

Matt, I was unser the impression the TT were 35-3600 lbs?

You may not be able to/want to do a drift session in it or take it to 10/10ths, but you also can't really know if you're buying the right car without running up to redline through a few gears, make sure the steering wheel isn't vibrating off it's column at 60, 70, 80mph, and take a couple of hardish corners even if they are just 50-60mph corners. You're buying a supercar, you can't test drive a supercar by toodling through a school zone. Just don't wreck it or break it or drift it through a corner with smoke rolling off the tires and you're well within respectable limits IMHO.