11th Jun 2001, 20:13

About the 911; if this car is this much money, then the interior damn well should look like it's worth it. The driving experience is lessened if you're stuck looking at a cheapened interior. Thanks to honest comments like this, I can avoid the headache that I'm sure these 911 owners have, but are too ashamed to admit to, cuz of the $$$ they've got into their rides. Thanks for the honesty...

29th Jun 2001, 17:17

If you want raw performance and great handling and are happy with a poor interior, then buy a kit car or a beefed up standard saloon - they are all far cheaper to buy and maintain.

Have to agree with the last poster - if you pay Porsche money, then they should have an interior which at least matches the quality of a Ford! If this is not what Porsche are selling, then they should not have such fancy showrooms and stick to the staff walking around in boots and overalls for that 'race track' image.

4th Jul 2001, 09:02

I'm the guy behind the original review. I posted a similar text to a US car review site, and was astonished at the flood of insults and admonishments that headed my way. Apparently, Porsche people don't like to hear to truth. As I've always said, this car is desperately, hopelessly overpriced: the physical lump of metal and lesser quality plastics on your driveway is in no way representative of the price you pay. It suits devotees and aficionados, as by definition they are blinkered to its many faults and the antique cheerlessness of the interior (sorry, for $90K I expect better). Thanks, though, to those of you who posted measured responses, especially about Porsche having "lost its way". Certainly the older 911s are more characterful and representative of a once great marque. Air cool is the only way :)

9th Sep 2001, 18:22

I would have hoped for a better interior for that kind of money, you almost expect sat nav and cruise control, but obviously those things won't appear in a Porsche. However if they are going for the toned down racey image then great, but they shouldn't try and do something and make a poor job of it. I assume you won't be forking out this kind of money again.

18th Nov 2002, 18:10

Those whiners that dislike the interior of the 996 should go and buy something else and stop complaining. The people that say air cooled is the only way are stuck in the dark ages. To maintain and develop the 911 further Porsche need to keep up with technology and cannot just simply keep adding more turbos. Trust me, drive the latest 996 GT3 and you will not have a problem with it, you won't have time as you will be too busy trying to get rid of the smile splattered across your face. My model has sat nav and I have had a tv tuner added as well so those of you who still dislike the interior should check out my car!!

14th Dec 2002, 20:20

The 996 ain't so great. It's a relatively common sight and shares its nose with the even commoner Boxster. So if you want to pay three times the average wage for a motor you could lose in any London car park, go ahead. On the subject of the interior, it's not so important on a sports car, but that doesn't mean it has to be so bad. The much-touted brakes aren't that special, especially at low speeds. The handling is electronically controlled because of the rear bias -- the rear engine is there for historical reasons only. No other manufacturer choses the layout. The Turbo is the pick of the bunch and stunningly quick, but for the same money you could buy so much more of a complete car and at the same time escape hand gestures from pedestrians. And why would you want a bullet anyway, not just a 911, when every hour they erect another GATSO and two new potholes appear? As has been echoed here many times, the badge is what does it. You could strip out the seats and paint the floor pink and customers would still be forming queues outside the dealers. Find me a four year old Porsche with one owner! They have one of the shortest ownership spans of any car on the planet...

15th Jun 2003, 23:52

Yes, The 996's are junk. The only purpose they serve are for people who need to spend some cash to say I have a "new" Porsche so they can get laid. They lost the back bone of what the company was formed on. The 993's are the last true Porsche. What's with the SUV and and talk of a 4-door Carrera?

The only good part of all this is us people who have the air cooled cars will watch as our cars sky rocket in value in the coming years.