2002 Porsche 911 Carrera from UK and Ireland - Comments

Nothing.

As many have said, the 'basic' 996 series is somewhat lacking in interior detail. Ordering mine from new I spent a good deal on getting it right, and I must say that the customized interior is very nice, and can be designed to your individual taste.

Performance is adequate for the UK roads- overtakes quickly and dispatches lesser cars without batting an eyelid- however, it is not hugely exciting to drive unlike my previous car the Lotus Esprit.

As many have said the 911 is a car well worth owning once. In fact it is so practical you could easily manage with it as your only car. It is good for long distances and docile in traffic- and the Bose sound system upgrade is worth the money. Good performance is also readily accessible, and the Porsche Stability Management system adds some peace of mind whilst learning to drive this back heavy car.

I will be changing car soon- I had considered the 996 Turbo X50 or the GT2... but I have fallen for the Ferrari 360 Spider, I hope it will be more fun than the 996.

The 996 isn't that exciting a motor car. I can think of a hundred other cars I'd choose for thrills, your previous Lotus being one of them. I'd guess that most of the glowing comments here come from middle-aged gents who've always hankered after one since their teenage years. With various electronic things to anesthesize the rear bias they can actually drive one without punting it into the scenery at every bend.

I'd owned a Carrera 4 for a short while and like you I found it on the dull side. It does not feel fast. Unlike every predecessor it does not sound fast. Wet weather handling is suspect and the brakes are suspect (a recent handling test in Autocar echoed this). The interior is austere and the plastics straight from a Ford parts bin. It's just way too much money for racing heritage and not a lot of car, but as you say, perhaps everyone should own one at least once. Pity it's just so bland these days.

Since writing that review I test drove a couple of alternatives; the 911 Turbo and the Ferrari Modena. To my surprise, once you have got past the badge and the amazing looks, the modena is no better a car than a 911 in my opinion. Performance was similar, and although the trim would be superior to a standard 911, it was much on a par with my own 911 custom interior.

911 Turbo on the other hand drives just like my car, but is brutally quick. It would make a meal of the Ferrari modena under most conditions. It gives you a facelift when you accelerate!

In the mean time I had a sports exhaust added to my 911- I must say that this has increased my enjoyment of the car hugely; instead of quiet speed, and docile traffic behavior, it now snarls and roars, a real non PC pleasure! I would say if you are buying a new 996 make sure to get a sports exhaust fitted, it's money well spent. The character of the car is pretty much completely changed by this simple upgrade.

So now I'm not entirely sure what to get next!

Don't really get the whole Porsche thing. They're ageing icons for ageing dreamers. When you can buy a 4-door saloon that can carry you and four passengers in safety, just as quickly, and with huge surefootedness down twisty lanes, I don't see why you'd fold yourself up into a 2-door coupe that is expensive to buy, expensive to maintain, expensive to insure, regularly equated with the male member (along with its driver) and less exclusive by the hour. If I had Turbo money I'd be after a Bentley Coupe. Or in fact any one of the solid all-rounders that isn't a Porsche!

I own a 2003 996 tt x50. it is absolutely awesome. I have owned many performance cars and this one takes the cake. luxurious, sure footed and unbelievably fast, this is the car to own in the 911 family.

Alex.

I take the owning of such cars as a Porsche very seriously, I've been saving since I was 10 for a porsche, now approaching my 19th birthday I'm starting to get closer and closer to the target funds for a nice and basic Porsche, the only problem I has is this whole idea that they are only icons.

I have always wanted to feel the rush of adrenaline, letting the car push me back into the seat as I hare away from a set of lights or listen to the purr of the engine as I fly down a motorway, I realize that it may be another 6 years before I can buy a Porsche, for insurance reasons alone, but I just don't want the world to change too much, I hate this idea of safety first, the idea of a sports car is to be somewhat dangerous, to give the sensation of that old saying.

Living life in the fast lane.

When my local Ferrari dealer totaled my Testarossa on a "test drive" I decided to reevaluate my loyalties. While fun to drive, the Ferrari had been very expensive to maintain. The catalytic converters went out twice, the alternator once, the seat belts (motorized) endless times, and the battery every two years. All this in a car that had 11,000 miles on it when crashed. Very often the service technicians were mystified as to how to repair malfunctions. The original service estimates were almost invariably grossly under quoted.

The 5 year/ 15,000 mile service cost nearly $14,000.

Now I own a Porsche 911 Turbo X50. The car is much faster and yet more comfortable to drive. The build quality is superior and to date the car is MUCH more reliable than my Ferrari. When I get in the Porsche I know it will start, a feeling sadly lacking with my Testarossa. I do not get as much attention in the Porsche, however, I have reached the stage in my life where my ego does not depend on such.

The X50 is an exotic that is incredibly (ie., scary) fast, reliable, responsive, good looking, and driveable. Is that not what everyone is looking for in a sports car?