2000 Porsche 911 C2 review from North America

Very few issues with the car so far, the first owner kept it in great shape and everyone who sees it thinks it is a brand new 2003 model. (No, they aren't astute enough to notice the difference in headlight shape.)

And without having actually driven a brand new one, I would say this car feels brand new to me, even after the time and miles put on it. Everything is still very tight and it drives like a rocket on rails.

The spark plug chamber seals were replaced under warranty after a few drops of oil appeared on my garage floor. I'm not sure how long those are really supposed to last, but 3 years for seals is OK with me.

Lastly, this really has nothing to do with Porsche per se, but if you have never had a real sports car with different sized wheels and fancy tires, you should know that with such wide tires (I have the 18" turbo wheels, which I *highly* recommend, sporting P Zero's @ 225 up front and 265 in back) they just *love* to pick up nails. Unless you bought the car to park or drive slowly, you do not want plugged or patched tires on your uber racer. You will find the cost of a new Z-speed rated PZero is $299 even from Tirerack. com and that they are no match for a good 2.5" construction nail that no self respecting sheet-rocker would ever stoop to pick up. And since you don't rotate them, and since you must keep them within 30% wear of each other for proper camber, you may have to replace BOTH tires simply because you picked up a nail traversing Suburbia on the way to work. Stay away from anything remotely resembling wood frame construction, buy tire hazard insurance, have a healthy tire budget, and don't be afraid to burn them a little -- it's a shame to throw away good rubber! :)

Lots of things to love about this car. It is everything I expected.

I grew up riding in Porsches, mostly 912's and a lucky 911 ride here and there when I was a kid, so my expectations are somewhat well adjusted. Some people say the new Type 996 is "too refined" but the truth is Porsche did a damn fine job redesigning a timeless auto piece which is unequaled in its ability to so smoothly handle any driving situation you will be confronted with, on or off track.

I must admit that I did not expect a soft luxury vehicle and I have seen numerous review comments here which seem confused on that point. Just because you can get power seats and stability management (as options) does not mean that switchgear is finely milled steel with the best springs money can buy. It's a sports car. The switches are black plastic. They work well, and that's the point. They look good to me, but I really don't care much, I never see them. I'm busy driving, and if you are worried about the finish on the radio... but honestly, it never occured to me at all until I saw comments here.

And some people don't want the computer driving for them, no matter how bad it thinks things are, and THAT'S why PSM is not standard. It's not because you are getting ripped for something that every old man's Lexus comes with whether he likes it or not. Having said that, I have the PSM, and it makes driving in rain much less dramatic. And you can turn it off (mostly -- it will still cut the gas in some left-foot braking scenarios requiring a right foot double-pump).

What also works well are things like 13" vented and cross-drilled brakes that work in the rain exactly like they do in the dry: perfectly. Keep an eye on the rear-view mirror, because I guarantee the car behind you can't stop anywhere near as fast as you, unless you are on tour with the local Club. Leave space in front, when driving a race car on the street you often have to make room for you AND the idiot behind.

The seats are very comfortable, much better than my Integra's were, and I have more headroom than in any other car without "SUV" somewhere in their title. (I am 6'3" and still have enough room to wear my helmet when driving on the track).

Oh, and when your rear tire goes soft from one of those evil nails I mentioned above, you can actually fit it inside the trunk and hobble home on the spare. Find me a real sports car that can do that, and I'll show you a great daily driver!