[Dan_Lofgren]

I have a 1999 996 (May 1998 production, so it's an early model). I think these cars are amazing bargains. I've had zero trouble with mine in about 5 years/20,000 miles of ownership. This model, along with the Boxster, do mark a transition in Porsche philosophy - they went from building it as strong as they knew how to as strong as it needed to be. As an example, I do resent the switch away from a dry sump engine. On the good side, it's an amazing design (as a racer, I really appreciate how much effort they put into keeping the weight down) and the nice part of the philosophy change is that a lot of the parts are WAY cheaper than for previous models (they're made in a factory rather than by German gnomes in a hidden underground lair). Ironically, I also think that 10 years from now the early 996s will look newer than the late 996s - the headlight design makes it look like they went from the 993 to the late 996 to the early 996 (IMHO).