Nice car! Congratulations on the new baby!
Nothing much better than a 'modern' Porsche; air conditioning that really works [without putting thousands of $ into a few degrees less than warm], a suspension that has taken advantage of new technologies, cup holders, a nice stereo, etc.
Eat your hearts out, air cooled purists!
I had an early '89 with a '97 Vario Ram with a tricked suspension. It was a nice car [how could it not; its a Porsche!] but I really like my 2002 C4 so much more! Maybe I'm just old but I sure like the 'fast comfort' and less drama when cornering.
The 996 also has a very low coefficient of drag @ .30.
Another very good aspect of a 996 is the lack of sophisticated electronics. Porsche hadn't started putting in a lot of electronics during the 996 era.
My personal opinion is that the 996 will come back into the good graces of the Porsche enthusiast when the 997/onward models start to have electrical problems that are very expensive to hunt down and/or fix. By then, most 996 cars will have had the IMS/RMS issues addressed and will be recognized as a very nice, uncomplicated car.
Enjoy!
Taco Truck