Owners who have run early 996.1s alongside air-cooled cars (964, 993, even 1977 3.0L outlaws) repeatedly land on the same characterization: the 996.1 delivers ~80% of the analog-911 driving feel with modern HVAC, reliability, and daily usability. The rear suspension is described as 'superb' with mechanical steering effect under load — described as an evolution of the 993 chassis with less filtering than the 997 successor. …
Driving character — '80% of vintage 911 with modern reliability'
Porsche 911 (996) · community-sentiment