2009 was an interesting time for the 911. I was searching for a fun autocross car, and had been mostly shopping cars in the $10k range like E36 M3s and Mazda RX8s. A marketing anomaly known as Rich-People-Must-Have-the-Newest-911 meant that the outgoing 996 body style, made from 1999-2005, was now as valuable as a well-optioned Camry. The 997 was in, and gosh-darn-it it had those proper round headlights like the 993. And in 2009, that was apparently all anyone cared about.
Some poor bastard bought my 911 in 2004 for $98,000. It was a very special 911- not quite a GT3 but close. It was a 40th Anniversary Edition. Limited to only 1963 units (the year the 911 was first released), each "40 Jahre" car had a plaque on the console letting you know which number it was. I say poor because I'm sure he did not enjoy the X51 package (standard engine upgrade on the 40th, but a $17k option on regular 996s), the Limited Slip Differential (available only on the 40th and on some 1999 models with the smaller 3.4L engine), nor the club sport suspension as much as I have. I know this because he traded it in, along with its very sought-after matching luggage set, to a Mercedes dealer who sold it to me for a song. I still haven't forgiven those Mercedes bastards for swiping the luggage set. The car was low miles, mint condition, and besides breaking a pressure plate, it's needed only preventative maintenance.
I've upgraded it with Koni yellows and a GMG world challenge swaybar. I also deleted the mufflers to save weight and to upset the sound people at national autocross events, because it comes within tenths of a decibel of the sound limit.
This is not a car that you get in and drive; this is a car that you strap into and wear like a damned jetpack. No other car has ever felt so liberating as this one does.
Summer 2021 Update: I’ve owned this car for 11+ years now and it has been very reliable. It’s over 100k miles now, and has received some mods like a DAS sport roll bar and h&r lowering springs and GT3 lower control arms. The market has suddenly gotten VERY enthusiastic on 996 values, and I could probably sell the car for what I bought it for back in 2009. The 40Jahre name carries a lot of value these days as 996GT3’s now go for nearly New GT3 prices, and the 40AE is the next best thing. The bloating in size of the newer 991 and 992 models has made people appreciate the relatively small size of the nimble 996.
