Unloved series? 996's sold in higher numbers than any 911 ever built - by a long shot. The general public loves thes cars, and so do most of the owners. The people who generally give these cars a hard time are the old school air cooled only crowd.
I have a 2000 996 and have driven it for 36,000 miles in a little over two years, including many track days. It now has over 75,000 miles. Other than an alternator problem (which any car can have), it has been utterly trouble free. It is tight, solid, and rattle free. It is quick, fast, and handles incredibly well. It really is a great car and is an incredible performance bargain these days. Why? Well mostly because of the fact that so many were sold and the market is soft. This is a
good thing for buyers of these cars, but not good for sellers.
Unloved by the air cooled crowd, yes, but NOT unloved. And by the way, the air cooled crowd dislikes ALL of the water cooled cars, including the 997's. They just dislike the 997's less (they are somewhat better looking).
Just so you know where I am coming from, I am an air cooled nut myself, but I also happen to love my water cooled cars too.
And don't forget...the 964 was loathed for years. People are finally realizing that that car was in fact a pretty darn good car.
Here's a link to the Renlist 996 forum - very active and FULL of 996 admirerers:
http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=60