Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

Er, no. Too many of them.

Better off buying a 993 or a 964.

There is at the moment, but they're dropping like flies. The 996 may have been mass produced but that didn't magically make it the equivalent of a VAG or a BMW. It still needs 911 care, of which 50% of owners didn't provide, which is why they're now worth about £12k.