Hi,
It's been a long time since I had the 996, probably 20 years or so. Unfortunately, I had a number of issues with that car and returned it to the dealer after 3 months for a full refund. However, when it did work(!), it was fantastically composed on the road - especially compared to the front-wheel drive hot hatches (Peugeot 205GTI/ VW Golf GTI / VW Golf VR6) or rear-wheel drive card (BMW 3 series) that I had before it. My son was only 2 years old and used to shout "Faster Daddy, faster!" as we drove to the nursery in the morning
I loved my 997 and kept that for around 3 years, which for me is quite a while. IMHO a much better-looking car than the 996 generation and the performance (road holding, acceleration, noise) were all a step up from the 996. Given the length of time it's been since owning these, I'd need to step back into both to remind myself how they both drove. I remember smiling a lot when driving them both, and always looking back at them once they were parked in the car park, so they must have both been good.
I've recently moved from the dark-side (Audi quattro!) from 2x RS3 and an RS6. The RS6 was also blisteringly fast but it was too big a car for the UK roads - on my daily commute I drive down some narrow B-roads and I'd be tantalisingly close to the verge when overtaking slower traffic. It was also an ungainly beast when it came to multi-story car parks, so the surround-view option was a necessity if you didn't want to scuff the downramps. As an autobahn cruiser, the RS6 would take some beating. Really comfortable inside, well finished, stunning in-gear acceleration, and room in the back for the dogs! The RS3 however, is a much more nimble hot hatch and with 400 bhp as standard could nip round anything in the city centre, country or motorway. It's not the most communicative drive, but is pretty sure-footed on our poorly surfaced UK tarmac. A lot of the motoring press over here rate it lower than the equivalent Mercedes A45 AMG or BMW M140i, as less of a drivers car and not 'fun' to drive, but tail-out oversteer on the commute or on every roundabout would be a bit impractical. I've been driving the last 2 now for over 4 years and really had no intentions on changing... but then the 992 came along!
I've only had a chance to drive my 992 for a few hours, but already blown away by the car. So much easier to place on the road than any of my Audis; corners so much flatter and faster and just seems to follow the exact line I intend. Steering feedback is much more communicative, and despite the massive 21"/20" wheels, seems to soak up the road imperfections with ease. The car feels so much smaller than the RS6 and no bigger than my RS3 which on our crowded roads is perfect. You tend to sit 'on' the Audi - I could never get the seats to go low enough for my liking, but I sit 'in' the 992, feeling part of the car.
Still playing with the car and getting to know it - so into Sports mode yesterday on the back roads was awesome fun... going from a comfy GT car to all-out sports car with PDCC working away and the PSE blaring away put a massive smile on my face. One of the first cars in a very long while that I just want to take out and drive, rather than drive to a destination. I think I'll have to get it up to one of the local tracks up here and find out more about its limits whilst improving my driving skills!
