A key to the left of the steering wheel is turned. Six cylinders roar to life, yet smooth as butter thanks to the flat configuration. But here, there is one historical difference. All 911s before had flat sixes which were kept from going pop, with air. But then came the 996 which did so with water instead.

This single reason made some purists hate it because of uncontrolled sentiment. But why did they hate it so much though? Go ahead and read the first sentence. Well, true automotive enthusiasts would understand that at a certain point, air can only cool an engine so much. There was simply too much power here to be cooled by just air. Also while it is true that a water cooled system is heavier and bulkier, cooling components in the front improve weight distribution, in turn improving the car’s handling. Now, is it really bulky? They managed to fit the entire thing into a rather small car with a small rear (No pun intended).

Enter the new “fried egg” headlamps. Sure, “Historically” the 911 had bug-eye headlamps from its ancestor, the Volkswagen Beetle, but this is the single one generation which begged to differ. Now, think about it. Tell the truth to yourself. They are simply beautiful. No denying to that. At all.

Now, let’s go to the interior. The old, sweet 911 interior is gone? It has been replaced with a perfectly functional and a nostalgically good looking one (in the right colour, that is). The interior and the lights were a tribute to the Boxster which, for those who don’t know, saved Porsche from bankruptcy. So, before you hate on the 996, think of it as a grateful tribute to the Boxster by Porsche, because without the Boxster, you would see no 911 or any other Porsche for that matter, ever. And for those who care,the 997 generation and the ones after that came with the classic interior with a modern twist and the round headlamps which have been perfectly executed.

Now, there are issues with the 996 as well. One of them is the IMS (Intermediate shaft ) bearing, which if faulty can turn the 3.6 litre 300 horsepower Carrera engine to a 3.6 litre 300 horsepower lump of Carrera-4 (C-4, if you understand). But while the 996 haters exaggerate it so much, the truth is that this issue affects a very negligible percentage of cars. A ceramic IMS bearing ensures lifelong guarantee and peace of mind. Apart from that, there are not really a lot of issues with the car. Its actually pretty robust. Porsche also has past experience with building water cooled cars (The 924, the 944, the 928, etc) which means the cooling system is tough as well.

Because of its low popularity, second hand prices are insanely low. It feels like when you buy a 996, you steal it. This means that the Porsche 911 996 is an excellent car on its own, which when properly used will grant the owner, satisfaction and true smiles per miles for many, many years to come.

–  Abhyjith. K. Ashokan

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