1998 Porsche 911 Carrera 2 from UK and Ireland - Comments

Although the 911's boxer engine has a unique whirr to it, it's too noisy on the outside and tyre roar is numbing on longer journeys.

The rear engine, rear drive layout takes some getting used to, and at times seems like a design flaw rather than a feature.

For an expensive performance car, the cabin is extraordinarily cheap: the indicator and light stalks feel fragile, the plastic is cheap and squeaks down bumpy roads. The switchgear is also nasty.

The car is also not as exclusive as dealers would have you believe. Both Boxtsers and 911s are everywhere on British roads.

If you want a luxury car buy a Jaguar or Rolls. Porsches are for drivers and race tracks.

I have a '72 911. This comment merely demonstrates where Porsche have gone wrong with the 996. It attracts the wrong sort of buyer - really they want an XK8 but like the idea of a Porsche.

With a 993 you were in no doubt as to where you were - pure sports car and enthusiasts with the money bought them. The 996 just seems to capitalise on the Porsche image to create a high speed luxury cruiser with a mere nod to its heritage.

Well said! Porsche spend the money on the chassis, suspension, brakes, engine and other performance parts, not useless stuff like the interior. Who looks at the interior when you are driving a car? As long as it is not dirty and everything works, that should be enough for any enthusiast driver.

I wish they'd change those ugly headlights though!

Well I have a 1981 911 turbo. Sure it's not as flashy as the new turbo (2001), but everybody who looks at it knows it's a Porsche compared to the new turbo which now looks way too exotic (for sure the performance is still up to Porsche standards) for my tastes.

The last air cooled turbo Porsche (1997) has the best of both worlds.

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...

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.

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 :)

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.

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!!

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...

The idea of installing a TV-tuner in a Porsche exactly demonstrates that these cars are no sportscars anymore and that they don't attract a crowd which is interested in real sportscars. Quod erat demonstrandum...

The 993 of course was the last real Porsche.

Problem with the 996 is, that with the change of the engine the spirit and the feeling went away aswell...

I for one enjoy my TVR Chimaera, listen to the sound of the engine and don't even need a CD-player. Since I have it there is a constant smile on my face. By the way, it's my everyday car and even if it breaks down once, I still have enough money left to buy a second one for the price of one 996.

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.

My 98 C2 went pop at 46k in Apr 05 on the M40, steady cruise doing 80 in the fastlane and big cloud of smoke and engine stalled.

Pulled over (no mechanical noise whatsoever) and oil dripping onto the hard shoulder, by the time I had got the car back to my dealers there was a lot of oil.

Apparently the camchain snapped and shattered the crankcase, lunching the engine. Had to have a total engine rebuild which cost £6.5k, could have done it a bit cheaper for reasons I won't go into here. Told by the independent that Porsche wouldn't even consider a goodwill gesture as my car had been outside the OPC network. Had to sell the car to a lucky git who has effectively got a brand new engine in a low mileage, immac 996.

Gutted, I will never buy a Porker again and I absolutely loved mine.