the 964/993 wb is narrower than the 996 nb.... it's all relative to the proportions of the car as a whole.

here is a 996 nb... the h20 cooled cars are way bigger than the air coolers.

 

110% agreed



and the 996 is the downs child of the 911 family

(dont take that the wrong way anyone, i was just making a funny)

 

I will say though, that I feel my view is narrow and superficial. It's a body style thing and nothing about the car - admittedly, I know very little about the 996 otherwise.

I did love the 993 - so maybe it is like some unresolved high-school crush. Cars like these make no sense really for most owners - they cannot be about transportation; has to be psychology. It is too small, bumpy ride, noisy, minimal storage, no spare, everything is backwards - the key, the engine, the trunk, the garage door buttons, ...but it digs into your soul like the girl you know your mom would not approve of. What a car! I digress...

Additionally, that black 996 above with the NJ plates is awesome. So there ya go, I'm fickle too. I'd definitely buy her dinnner

 

The 964 was not particularly well received in 1990 despite its advances over the previous 3.2 Carrera. It was considered too expensive and too conservative by much of the Porsche cognoscenti. In terms of sales the 964 fared worse than the later 996, although it is an aircooled "traditional" 911, and is certainly not held in the same esteem as the 993. Although the 993 was very successful and one of the best 911 designs, it was the Boxster that saved Porsche's financial bacon. The 993 actually sold for less than the 964 and did not bring in the level of profit that the Boxster eventually would earn for Porsche. Considering the level of financial and production difficulties that Porsche had in the early '90s we're lucky that Porsche is still around to make the 997.

 

I love the 993...to be honest in many ways I prefer the 993 as far as looks go. I see a clean example and it's remarkable on how "modern" they still look, ageless.

What drew me to the 997 vs. the 996 was the fact Porsche did go back to what was more inline of the 993 look. Not to metion all the other improvements that the 997 offered.

Dave

 

I love all Porsches, with the exception of the 924 (I still appreciate it), but the wide styling on the 944 is so much nicer to me. With that said I'm lucky enough to have a wife that coped with my 993 obsession after we got married. 2 years into our marriage, she negotiated my first experience of owning a Porsche, which was a 993 C2 cab.

Long story short and after owning a 2008 Ford F150 and 2005 BMW 545i after trading in the 993, plus 1.5 years gone without a Porsche, my obsession at looking at classified's almost everyday for a 997, I found two 997's last month and my AWESOME wife let me get my 2005 C2 997.

With that said, I've owned both and when getting my second Porsche, I primarily looked for 997's, but also caught myself looking at all 993's avaialable. It was hard not to look at the 996's since the deal's out there vs a 993 and 997 are so good, but even with such good deals, I never had the urge to want one, but there are some nice fixed up 996 available (I don't like the stock look). I think the primary reasons I don't like the 996's are:

- Headlights agreessive/boxter like, which strayed away from the classic lines of most 911's.

- Body had subtle difference that I wasn't keen on, again going back to classic lines

The 997's brought back all the classic 911 styling, but you get the modern amenities and incredible performance. 993 wise, there's nothing like the raw engine sound and road noise of the air-cooled Porsches, it's definitely a true sports car, especially with the top down. But the 997 brings you to the modern water-cooled engine and performance, plus every cabin luxury is soooo satisfying, that I don't think another 993 is in the future, but I could be wrong . You get the sportiness of the 993, but enough luxury to make the 997 INCREDIBLE.

From the discusssions I've had with other friends that love Porsches, I've came up with a conclusion and smart marketing on Porsche's part. I've notice most of the people that grew up 996 era love the agreesive styling (I'd say ages 25-35) and 993 enthusiast (35+) love the classic 911's.

Porsche has now managed to get a whole new group of younger generation Porsche fans with the 996, but the old school users still kept following, but maybe not buying. But when the 997 came out, I think they managed to get both these groups to love it!

Anyways that's my $0.02... Here's some pictures of both my cars for the thread!

993 Front


997 Front


993 Back


997 Back

 

In 1995 when I bought my new 993 I didnt know what I had. I hardly took a picture of it and now I wish I had kept it. It had 272 HP and wasnt particularly fast, i was blown off by SS Camaros and Vettes. I sold it 3 years after buying it.





Then I bought a 996 cab which had more power, looked fatastic to me and I loved it, prob more then the 993 since Porsche convinced us thru marketing that the 996 was a state of the art car. I never really like the front headlights.



Then the 997 TT came out and it just blew me away. Waiting for 6 months was killing me and when I finally got it and drove it there was no substitute. The 993 doesnt come close. It is a beauty and I ll keep it for years to come.

 

cabman4007 - all three of those cars are sweet. Nice wheels on the 996.

Driving back home today we passed a silver 996 followed by a silver 993 - made it easy to know I'm a 993 fan - I could just grab that "handle" on the back and take it with me.

 

i shoulda NEVER traded mine. got 71K on my 996...daily driver. 993 there is nothing like it.

 

I grew up on and I loved it. I was in high school for most of the 996 so it was not in the cards money wise. It took a while for the 997 to grown on me but now I'm in love. I would not shy away from a 996 as the prices are so cheap but I prefer the rounded head lights now

 

I'm late on this one, but, to me the 993 is the best body of the "911" styles. The lines flow very smooth from front to back, smaller overall body than the 996/7's, and speaking of the back............ the car looks amazing from the back.

 

I'm 29 so maybe I'm an exception since I don't like the 996 - but I agree with most on this thread that the 993 was one of the best of the 911's based on styling. That was the main reason I waited for the 997 to come out before picking up my 997S.1 - love that they've brought back some of the best attributes of the 993!

 

I have always loved the look of the 993

 

993s are a classic, esp the widebodies. and think many years down the road i'll feel the same way about my 997

no hate on the 996s, they were a necessary experiment and evolution i think for porsche. and am still a big fan of the 996 c4s

 

There's no rear-engined Porsche that I don't admire, but I will admit that there may be something to that 'every-other- Trekkie-like thing.
I've always been crazy about 911/930's and just bought one. I have stared at it in the garage from many angles lately, but I spend most time checking out the whale tail. Stunning and such a bold design move. Just incredible. And as stated earlier, the deep and solid 'click' when closing the door, glove box, front hood, whatever. Sheer unobtainium.
The 993 was also exceptional. The classic shape taken to the highest level of refinement and the redux-turbo tail was killer.
The current 997.X though is just beautiful. The 'other' way to build a perfect supercar. A perfect mix of classic features and modern lines. And they drive so exceptionally well - whether it's a slow cruise or full out.
The 'tweeners are lesser, but hardly weak. The 964 has a troubled front bumper. Just too thick and fat that it throws off the visual weighting. But the RS America and the Speedster (I almost bought one of each at separate times, and regret not doing so) were incredible cars.
The 996 really does drive incredibly well, but just doesn't look 'right' for a Porsche. Beyond the lights, the scoop running from behind the front fender to just ahead of the rear makes the car too soft. It's the line that most turns me off. And the interior console really comes up short.
But they are all rear-engine Porsche's. Each one, compared to any of their contemporary counterparts just walks away in any kind of competition.