So I'm two months into 996 ownership. Lots of sorting out still to do, mostly cosmetic. Had the front and rear bumper resprayed and filled in the front license plate holes and fixed a ding in the rear bumper. I think the PO parked via the braille method, all the wheels have curb rash as well. Another project to take care of. Did a pretty good detailing, need to fill in a couple rock chips on the hood and then a clear bra. Interesting thing about 996s is that they have large front bumper openings to let air over the radiators (1 engine, 2 a/c) and these scoop up a lot of road trash. Friend scoped up a quail in his radiator - yuck! So cleaned that area out and installed mesh grill inserts.
I have to admit I'm a bit anal about my cars and its obvious, at least to me, the the POs weren't. So I'm still finding areas to clean as I dig deeper into the car.
General impression is that the 968 feels more nimble, even with less power, and in reality the weight is about the same, the 996 is more hp/lb by a lot but the car feels a little heavier driving.
Comparing the two, Porsche did a really nice job on the 968. Too bad the costs were too high, they should have sold a lot more of those than they did.
Haven't had time for a road trip in the 996 yet; I suspect we're going to have to leave a lot of the stuff we could get in the 968 at home.
Oh,Dan, I'm still looking for the clear engine cover :-)
