The new 55 body style will be around for +/- 5 years or so, the 996's is due for replacement in 05 plus there may be a C2"S" model available in 04. On the plus side you can get 5-6k off msrp on the 996, you get O with the 55. The V8 is hard to beat but the 3.6 with the new exhaust is sweet, there is more standard equipment in the 55 vs the 996. The 55 is a first year production car,could have bugs. Also if you lease compare reiduals and money factors + insurance rates, oh and window curtain air bags are not available ( I beleive) on the 996...could be a life saver. And then there's the 376 lb ft of torque on the 55
RJC

Wanted this to be part of the on going (996 vs 55 thread) but I hit the wrong button creating a new one, sorry...please move to w209 section and appropriate thread.

Thanks
RJC

mmm pretty hard decision but id go with the 996. the 997 will not have a dramatic change in appearance from the 996. the most changes are under the hood.

hmm.. 997 doesn't seem like a pretty number.. i like 996 better..

I'll put my 2 cents in.
I traded my 2001 996TT for my CLK55 AMG.
I like this car so much better. Lot's of reasons why.
Tim

Timster Can You Expand On Your Decision ? I Am Interested To Hear Your Views

I've posted this before. For those that missed it:

My experience with my 2001 PP5 Twin Turbo;

I had my 2001 996TT for five weeks. The car had about 2800 miles on it when I got it. I put about 3200 miles on it in five weeks. I raced it in Open Road Racing. Drove it on two very long trips. And used it for my daily driver.
It rides very ruff. The seats are uncomfortable on long trips.
The suspension was unpredictable. Meaning some times it would handle correctly and other times the car would bounce around like a basketball.
The steering wheel isn’t in the right position for me. After two hours of driving I had to get out of the car. It’s just not comfortable for me. (Just like a Viper)
The tires howl (I put two new rear tires on, do to a blow out) the front end bounces horribly on California freeways.
The rear wheels do not fit in the front storage area, so if you have a blow out on one of the rear tires your better call a tow truck. Or you will have to leave the rear tire there (Just what I want to do leave a $1000.00 rim on the side of the road).
I got stomped by a stock Z06 corvette on a 50 to 140 mph burst.(I know the owner and the car, we race together)
No tire pressure sensing system.
No Head Up Display.
A crappy Stereo
No automatic headlights.
No Tilt Steering wheel.
The steering wheel, shifter, seats all are three quarter size, compared to any other car.
The car just doesn’t measure up!
I don’t think it’s worth the money.
Tim

I Understand, I Two Had Various 993/996 And Found Myself Wanting More Other Than Performance, For The Price Of Admission One Would Think You Get A Little More Comfort, Not Always Is Driving A Porsche A Race On The Track. Perhaps We Are Just Getting Older And Wiser To The Finer Things In Life. My Brother And I Just This Past Weekend Had The Same Conversation. "Rick Would You Trade In Your CLK55 For A 996TT To Use As A Daily Car" I Replied " As Much As I Admire The 996TT For All It's Wonder, I Couldn't See Me Driving It Daily " As I Felt Many Times Before - Commuting To And From NYC - My 996 Simply Wasn't Comfortable Enough For Daily Driving, Sure The Burst Power And Spiriting In And Out Of Lanes Was Fun, But That Was Few And Far Between. Which Leaves Me To The CLK55 - It's A Perfect Daily Car, With Seats That In My Opinion Are The Most Comfortable My Narrow *** Sat In, The BOSE Stereo Is Great, The NAV Is Always Correct And The Power To Play The Fool At Times Is A Joy - What's Not To Love. :p

comparing the clk 55 with the 996 tt? the 996 tt would kill and rape this car period. the carerra is more direct comparison.

It seems pretty straight forward that they value more than the raw power.
If they wanted more power they could always drop in a Kleeman super charger for about $20,000 installed and still be much less expensive than a 996tt with nearly equal power.