1998 Porsche 911 Carrera (996) Review

1998 Porsche 911 Carrera (996) Review

Controversial from the start - and still so today - but there can be no denying the enduring appeal of the first water-cooled 911

Arguably the most convincing ‘starter' Porsche among those showcased here is the 986-model Boxster. The simple truth is, though, that for many newcomers - and old hands, too - it is only the iconic rear-engined 911 that will ever hit the spot.

Porsche 911 Carrera (996) rear view

Cue, then, the 996-model 911 Carrera. Launched a year after the 986, in the early autumn of 1997, it shared much hardware with the mid-engined Boxster, including its entire front end and its liquid-cooled power unit. Enthusiasts complained that from dead ahead it looked the same as the cheaper entry-level 986, while the water- cooled engine (even before it proved itself to have a number of technical ‘issues') was considered nothing less than heresy, if not the work of Lucifer himself. (That, too, ignored the fact that Porsche had no choice but to abandon the air-cooled flat-six. It cost a fortune to assemble, and would have needed a great deal of work to render it sufficiently quiet and clean for future legislation.)

Porsche 911 Carrera (996) front view

Sixteen years after its launch, and 10 after its demise, the 996, which like the 986 Boxster has been superseded by two further generations, is coming to be seen in a different light. (And it is worth remembering that just over 175,000 of all types had been built by the time production ceased.) Probably its greatest claim to infamy will forever be the relatively high number of power-unit problems from which it seems to have suffered - leaking crankshaft oil seals, cracked cylinders, and worn intermediate-shaft bearings - but by and large these are now far better understood than they used to be, with a variety of practicable after-market solutions, and surviving cars either have been appropriately re-engineered or will for various not always obvious reasons never suffer the same issues in the first place.

Porsche 911 Carrera (996) interior

And the fact is that the 996 can be a genuinely lovely car to look at, to drive, and simply to own. It came with a wide variety of body styles and drivetrain configurations, but that merely adds to its versatility and appeal. Choose a standard coupé, a Cabriolet, or one of the glass-roofed Targas, the coupé also available with the wider Turbostyle body. Engines? First a 3.4, and then, from 2001, a 3.6. (Both the Turbo and the naturally aspirated GT3 famously have 3.6-litre motors with a crankcase based on that of the air-cooled 993, and from which derives their perceived reliability and thus enduring popularity.) Transmission is a six-speed manual or five-speed Tiptronic automatic, in both cases driving the rear wheels alone or, in the C4 (and the wide-body 4S and Turbo), all four corners. You get the picture - and if not have a look at our many detailed buyers' guides.

Porsche 911 Carrera (996) engine

The result is that there has never been a better time to buy a 996. Whether prices have bottomed out remains to be seen, but given the availability of solutions to those technical problems (whether over-stated or real), and the unstoppable rise of just about anything with an air-cooled engine, they must start to creep up very soon. A similar car with 80,000 on the clock could be yours for $25,000.

As for those engine problems, we have a commendably simple philosophy. ‘If at this stage it’s going OK when you buy it, then there’s not a lot you can do, other than just enjoy it. And fixing it might cost less than you think, too.’ We’ll go along with that.