That is a good question. The thing is, a 695B is going to be at least 50% more to buy than a comparable condition and times 980. Even a 695A is significantly more-- even a 900 with -10s is more, although we are slowly sliding down the value scale.
What the 695B gives you is tremendous flexibility due to it's very high takeoff and landing weights. So you can fill it up with fuel and people and go-- a long way! And you can stop along the way and pick someone up, and not worry about landing weight.
It also gives you the ability to fly in the low 30s, if you have RVSM, but a 695A or a 900 can give you that as well.
The long cabin airplanes also give you an enclosed bathroom, which my wife would probably like, although she's not a fan of any of the portable toilet setups in these airplanes.
So ultimately, I made the right choice. I spent less money, get to go a few knots faster (because my airplane is lighter), and don't generally take more than 3 or 4 people at once.
That said, I really enjoyed flying 96063, and had I known it was going to be on the market shortly after I bought my 980, I might well have tried to stretch and get it. It has a zillion hours on it, which might bring the price down a bit, and at the time it really needed paint and interior, so maybe it would have worked.
