I have searched here and tried google/wiki with no real success other than production numbers. I am interested in purchasing a 996tt and was trying to find what differences the manufacturer made each year and what benefits one year might have over the other. is there somewhere i could find this info or are all 996tt's basically the same? thanks for your input

 

01' had no glove box and no cup holder as for the rest I will let the other guys fill you in I am not sure.

I am pretty sure 02' Artic Silver X50's were the best.

 

just did a quick search and came up with this

01 is lighter according the Porsche's published specs.
early 01's had the front bumper "warts", later ones do not.
01's had solid spoke wheels, 02's had hollow spokes, however, see #1
02's have flat black swithgear
02's have Bose (01's sound system's sucked)
02's have cupholders
02's have glovebox
Other slight differences in the interior (console, etc)

Chassis and drivetrain are the same.

 

Depends on the purpose of you purchase? Planning on keeping for quite some time? 05 Turbo S' last year made, more hp, suspension, etc, other options are the x50 and x73 versions, again upgraded from factory vs stock versions, but then again if you stay here on this site you too will be adding mods> what is your budget?

 

i planned on looking at an 01-03 price range. sounds like its best to go with 02-03 in this case then. but it sounds mainly like interior differences, not much in the motor/drivetrain areas.

 

Virtually no difference in the base turbo. These cars had many many interior options, so from car to car, there may be subtle interior differences. Turbo S, X50 and GT2 have K24's all others have K16's (smaller turbos). If you plan to Mod, my advice is you should probably buy a proven modded car.

 

2002 was when the most changes occured. The most noticable of which have already been mentioned by others. Mechanically, they also stiffened the chassis quite a bit in 2002 probably why it weighs a little more. That said it really depends on what you are after and what is important to you. My '01 996 TT is a hell of a car and have been very happy with it since I bought it a couple months ago. I've driven an '02 and '03 but couldn't notice any difference in handling but I'm definitely no pro. There are plenty of good deals out there.

 

sounds like these cars are reliable enough that with passing a PPI the turbos being modified is still a good purchase am i right?

 

Welcome to 6speed! I'm in Frisco as well, near Eldorado Pkwy and Preston Rd.

2003 models add the MOST audio interface, which makes it rather difficult to upgrade the audio system.

If it's stock or has basic bolt-ons (i.e. ECU flash, exhaust) and it passes PPI, then I would be ok purchasing. Bonus points if it has all of the service records.

If it has more extensive upgrades (i.e. turbos, intercoolers, etc), then I would put it under more scrutiny.

If it puts your mind at ease, then I would get an aftermarket extended warranty. When I bought mine, I had Boardwalk do a PPI and they offered an aftermarket extended warranty from Fidelity Warranty Services. It already paid for itself and then some when I had to replace the rear spoiler hydraulics.

I believe RAC Performance also offers an aftermarket extended warranty, but I forget from which warranty company.

Both are upgrade-friendly, but they will know how to determine/spot excessive abuse.

Good luck.

/m

 

buy the newest that you can.

 

The 01 Turbo was based on the 02 global 996 platform that was stiffened therefore there is no difference. Unless someone who works at Porsche says otherwise

 

I've read in Excellence magazine that the 2002+ models have additional chassis bracing (over the 2001) but they didn't go on to elaborate the actual differences.

 

Were they referring to Turbo's specifically or 911's in general. Notice how regular 911's in 01 still have the old headlights etc vs. the turbo models that have all the 02+ updates. Make sense?

 

If you really want to know the differences buy the book "996-The Essential Companion" by Adrian Streather. It covers everything about the 996, every model, every year.

 

They were absolutely referring to the Turbo model since it was part of a Turbo buyer's guide update. I believe there are also some wiring differences in the 2001 versus 2002+ models.