[racer]

You really need to drive examples of each. The 964/993 will be closer in feel to your 1985 911. The 996 is a whole nother breed. Much better performance.. Much better HVAC (heat, AC). Much more modern. But it gives up much of the "soul" that the aircooled cars come with.

Yes, the M96 motors have known issues. What annoys me is the seemingly indiscriminate nature of their failure. Some (many) are fine.. and have logged 100K miles or more. Others just seem to "blow up".

That said, a 964 or 993 could run your $10-15K to rebuild. You don't really rebuild an M96 motor so much as replace them. And they cost $3500 used to likely the same $15K for a crate motor.

C2 vs C4 is a personal preference. The 996 AWD is very different than the older, mechanical unit in the 964. That said, a 100K miles 964C4 may need its AWD unit refreshed.. and as is the case with any C4, there are more components to replace overall.

I found the Boxster a very easy DIY car, and the 996 shares this same philosophy. Don't be afraid of any porsche to DIY.. With internet boards like this and ease of finding repair manuals, they can be tamed.