Porsche is one of the best car brands in the world, and there are many reasons for that. The main reason though, is that Porsche simply makes great cars, especially sports cars. The Porsche 911 is one of the best sports cars out there, but that’s not the case for a certain generation of the car.

What was the 996 generation?

As Road and Track said, the 996 generation was the generation of the 911 that was built between 1999 to 2004. It made a lot of changes from its prior generation, the most notable one being under the hood. Like Road and Track mentioned, up until then, the Porsche 911 was powered by an air-cooled engine. 

But for the 996 generation the car got a water-cooled engine instead. There were other changes too, with one of the most obvious changes being in the headlights. The headlights had a new shape, and as Road and Track reported, the 996 generation got a nickname based on the shape of its headlights. That nickname was “fried egg” since the headlights looked like some freshly fried eggs.

A less obvious change, and something that Porsche fans will notice, is that the 996 generation actually looks very different compared to its prior generation. That’s because the 996 generation completely redesigned the 911’s looks, though obviously the designers made sure to make it look similar to other 911s. 

Why Porsche 911 fans hate the 996 generation

Generally speaking, when a car gets redesigned, a lot of things can go wrong. New features or changes that were meant to improve on the old version may not always work. This was the case with the 996 generation’s new water-cooled engine. Like Road and Track said, the new engines on the 996 generation could completely fail at times and its component parts could also completely fail as well. 

On top of that, since Porsche redesigned the 996 generation from the ground up, it looks different than the cars that Porsche fans are used to. Some may hate this new look off the bat, and that’s just a matter of preference that will happen anytime anything gets changed. That said, the new headlights were an issue that most everyone agreed about. 

The fact that the headlight’s odd shape earned the 996 generation its nickname is a testament to how much they were hated by the fans. Furthermore, as Road and Tracked reported, the interior of the 996 generation just didn’t look great after a few years.

Porsche makes luxury cars, so many people were expecting a high-quality interior. This was a similar story in terms of its paint job, according to Road and Track.

Has Porsche changed since then?

Like any good company, Porsche listened to its fans. Those fried egg headlights are gone and the 911’s interior has been spruced up and revitalized. But, what has stayed is the water-cooled engine. In addition, while some fans didn’t like the new redesigned look, it has become the standard look of the 911 since then.

Indeed, right now, the current generation of the 911, the 992 generation, is one of the best cars on the market today. It helps that the 911 is still a luxury car made by Porsche, and as such, it has a lot of features that other cars won’t. But, since it’s a luxury car, it will be extremely expensive. Right now, the 2021 model year of the 911 will start at about $100,000. 

So, despite the fact that the 996 generation is the most hated generation of the 911, it has left its mark on the car. Plus, like Road and Track said, at the very least, the 996 generation is one of the cheapest ways to own a 911 since so many people don’t want one.