I just bought this car:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-cars-sale/970320-porsche-911-40th-anniversary-edition.html
and want to provide here the most positive experience possible for my 15th Porsche. The car was better than described, and Anthony (seller) is organized, forthright, diligent, and he clearly cared for this car. He remained very positive and gave me the benefit of doubt even while I started to back off from the transaction. So now I get to try out my first water-cooled 911!
After driving it around the block, it's a totally different feel than my current Cayman, and I'm very pleased to have a Porsche with the engine way out back again. It feels more related to my old 964 than to the Cayman, with a closer attachment between car and driver. I don't understand why these 996's are treated like ugly stepchildren. Sure, they have the IMS issue, but I do recall the problems with pulled and broken head studs and of course the timing chain tensioner issues with our older air-cooled cars. I recall a day at Cape Cod in 1982 having to pull a bad tensioner on a 1970 911E and doing a quick re-fill and re-install to get me and an old girlfriend back home from a night in a tent. And my 964 had something like 5 broken studs when I bought it. So yeah, we all have had issues with these cars we love. So be it.
So I rambled more than intended... bottom lines are: a great car,... and I do recommend a 996 for anyone on the fence. A lot of performance for the buck. And even though Anthony (the seller) has not been here on Pelican or Rennlist, he's a true enthusiast. Best to everyone who reads this.