DrPeter

Has anyone ever owned both of these? What did you like best about each of them? I have always liked the 993tt, but the 996tt is very sexy as well. Which is a better car? Does "buy the newest porsche you can afford," apply to turbo's as well? I am trying to pick my next car, currently am in a 97 993 targa.

PorschePhD

I loved the fact that my 993 twin looked like the 911 should and got back to the basics, sleek and sexy. The car was a 911 and the best of all of them. Sitting in the car you knew you were in the 959 all grown up. The smell, the placement of the gauges, it just didn't get better. The technology the car had was up to par, but the quality had slipped a bit. Weak main shafts, 2 friction plates in the diff rather than 4, thin leather, and thin sheet metal. Don't get me wrong, I adored the car in every respect even knowing these issues existed. The 996TT came along and I thought I would "try" it out. Nothing 911 except the key replacement. Not even the turbo script was the same. It took one 8 hour drive from Chicago back home to realize that this is the absolutely finest car Porsche has built. The issues the 993TT were all corrected. Stiffer, faster, quieter and that much better. The car has its quirks as all do, but I will not be so fast to rid this one. The 996 IMHO is as much of a difference from the 930 to the 993TT.

John D II

I totally agree with Stephen (PHD). Get the 996TT...you'll be glad you did.

KPV

Ditto.
I came out of a 993 C2 and I can honestly say, the only thing i miss is the thunk of the door closing. The 993 series had a distinctive and solid sounding door closing. The 996 series lacks that.
Besides that, it only took a week or two to realize the 993 styling looked downright antiquated in comparison.

mkhn

I just bought my dream car, a 1997 993TT blk/blk, after having flown 11,000 miles to 4 separate states over the course of 8months. I have loved 911's since I ever started having an interest in cars. This is my first. When the 993 types were introduced I was utterly in love, but being in college at the time I just couldn't afford one. But I knew one day that I could. Thinking Porsche had hit a gem, I didn't think they would switch to a completely(relatively) new design within 4 years. I was as excited as anyone about the prospects of water cooled engines, hell, Porsche was tearing the competition up with their racing prototypes using water cooled engines. Then came the type 996. I was like what is this? Hmm, maybe I can get used to it. I saw the Boxters and thought pretty cool, but I'm a 911 guy. Then I went to the dealership after having gotten a call that my reserved 911 TT had arrived. I was pretty darn excited. As I got to the dealership I saw that they had this pristine Silver/blk '96 993TT. I was still wowed by that car. The 996TT didn't wow me. Its an EXTREMELY capable car, but it lacked the X factor for me which is very important to me in the overal experience of driving. The dealer told me I'd get used to the 996 and the 993 will look old. It never did and I passed on the 996. I didn't want a used car so Ive held off all these years, thinking the 996 would fall by the way side like the 964. Its now just about 2004 and I still can't get over the feeling I get when I see a pristine black 993TT.

For me the 993TT embodies the direct lineage of 911s from the beginning. The way the door shuts like a bank vault, the compact sport car size, the endless curves of those flares relative tp the rest of the body, the organic sculptured wing, the rain guides along the top, the five dials with the huge tach staring back at you, the floor board pedals, those beautifully simple round litronic headligts, the all-business dash and interior. I just love the interior and always have. Some may say I am one of those old farts that resist change. Well I'm 30. To make a long story just a bit longer, after having raced Ducati's in amateur motocycling racing, I have finally heeded the call to complete one of my unattained goals. Wednesday 12/23 that car will arrive and I will be complete...either way there is no substitute

Cheers.

TB993tt

As is always said on this type of thread; you really need to drive both to see which one you suits you. The looks thing; again your call. They both have similar outright accleration but the 996tt makes more torque lower in the rev band so it doesn't quite have the "kick" the 993tt has when the turbos kick in and when modded this feature is amplified - some people like this charactaristic some may prefer the more (relatively) linear delivery. The 996tt is faster round a track and probably in real life "road racing" situations- if that is your bag.
Just to try and knock a couple of PhD's points - The diff is easily upgradable, "thin metal" - surely the 996 range has more thin metal -this was one of the things Porsche was proud about, being able to use various guages throughout the body to save weight. "Thin leather" - no idea but surely the 996tt isn't thicker ? "Weak main shafts" - mine having been holding out nicely , "but I will not be so fast to rid this one" - I thought PhD smashed his 993tt up- was it on purpose
I have heard/read about many quality issues on the 996tt not least with the engines - I have 2 friends who have needed new crate engines, I know this is anecdotal and would love to see the real figures relative to how many 996tts sold compared to 993tts , but suspect the 993tt is more sturdy.
Driving to work this a.m. I was actually thinking, what more would one want out of a sports car - no 996tt for me

W8MM

I owned a '97 993TT. It was the most exciting street Porsche I had ever driven.

I then, in addition, bought a '99 996 Cabriolet that I shared with my wife.

After driving both cars back-to-back for a number of months, I found fewer and fewer reasons to drive the 993TT. I always seemed to pick the 996 Cab when I went for a spin.

One day, I decided why this was happening. 996's steer better!

Ha, you say! Mike has gone off his rocker! He's geezed out on us! How could something so mundane as steering characteristics be Numero Uno for the enjoyment of a Porsche? Well, it must be a simple way of summing up so many of the technical differences that PorschePhD listed above.

I was growing weary of the bump steer, or whatever it is, that causes all wide-wheeled 911's before the 996 to wander over crowns in the road. Check my sig, I've owned a few. I was constantly fidgeting with the wheel as I drove down the straight-ahead bits of otherwise beautiful and entertaining roads. One should be able to momentarily relax while going in a straight line, No? Fighting the wheel constantly is fatiguing, not exciting.

The 996 is the first Porsche 911 I've owned that has a stable on-center, two-fingers-on-the-wheel, feel over uneven tarmac.

Upon figuring this out, I ordered a 996 TT as soon as I could get an allocation. I haven't looked back.

I'm in love.

PorschePhD

TB,
Yes, the diff is upgradeable as anything else is, however the point is the 996TT carries a much stronger drive train in comparison. Porsche used spacers rather than plates to cut cost, and that cut reliability. Any aggressive driven TT will bear diff issues. You may not realize it until torn down. Also the front diffs overheat on stock setups with mild track time. FWIW the record 85% off all the 993TTs that come in here have main shaft issues. Your wife with a 2K clutch slip/drop will bend it. The updated version is still not the right fix. The GT mainshaft is. The 996tt carries the VC out of tranny through a driveshaft rather a TQ tube. Much stronger. And yes, the leather is thicker. My TT had 20K miles on it and the bolster was not a little worn through, but a lot. I am all of 160 lbs so it wasn't my **** making the problems. Another small tid bit, the leather on the car was dyed through spray. Various bits of the interior would show this. The steering wheel certainly did after the wreck.

Oh and the car was flipped three times when I avoided a guy who pulled out in front of me on the highway. The left tire went flat at 80 when I went into the median to avoid smashing him. Then he left me for dead in the ditch. I had a choice to make after that. Buy another 993TT or the 996TT.

The issues with the 996TT ended up being minor leaks, however Porsche did not want anyone to open them up as they could asses the problem once back in the mother land. They studied the issues and would remove any defective parts and make the sub company who built it bear the responsibility. They no longer do this as they know what the issues are. Now all that being said I would still have the car in my stall should it have not been totaled. I loved and adored that car, quirks or not. "like your own amusement park" It was simply breath taking. The 996TT has earned its way to my heart. The 993TT had it the first time I saw one.

vrus

Being someone who has owned both cars, my personal preference is towards the 993TT. I like the feeling of driving a go-kart and that is exactly the sensations I get when I drive the 993TT. It feels more responsive. It seems to transfer more road feel to the driver.

To give you an example: If you were to blindfold someone and put them in the passenger seat of a 993TT and drive them around they would know right away what car they were in. If you did the same thing and put them in a 996TT they would have no idea what car they were driving in..

The 996TT is a great car, but they made it softer, more muted. This is ok if that is what you are after.

These are just my personal opinions. I often drove both of them back to back during the same day and noticed these things all the time.

Whatever choice you make, you wont be dissapointed because you will have a great car!!

jsonnen

Personally I think the 993tt is the better built car, from its dash configuration, to its ergonomics, the quality of the materials used, its switch gear, and all of the little nuts and bolts you can't see. Now it seem's that the 996tt is a faster car when it comes to handling and it also seem's more forgiving with a smoother ride. Now the 993tt have held their resale value better than the 996tt(IMO) and the 993tt is the zenith as far as the classic 911 goes, 30 years of consistent improvements and the 993tt was the last of the line. As far as looks go, i would easily say the 993tt is much more agressive and IMHO the better looking car.The 996tt is the comfort cruiser of the two, but thats why you have the M5 or RS6 in the garage. For myself the choice is clear An Arena Red 993tt
Also from reading alot of posts about the 996's they aren't as reliable as the 993's and seem to have alot more engines grenading than is acceptable, also the dreaded RMS problem.

Maybe its just me but i preferred Porsche as a company when they were building the 993 series as to today, with all the parts being shared(Boxster vs 996. fenders, lights, dash, interior,etc) and their foray into the SUV market, Porsche has become a bottom-line business first and a sports car company second. Hey thats life and i'm sure thats what they needed to do to stay alive, but i don't have to like it!

Kevin

This has been an interesting thread. It's like the debate over 964 vs 993... I have to say that I started ownership with a 914, and have moved up the ladder. I have disassembled each and every car to repair known problems or to improve the different design flaws. I have always been a admirer of the 993. I can also say that I own every model sitting in my garage from the 914 to the 993. With that said, the very first question that I asked Stephen when he purchased his 996TT was, Is it really better? His reply would send a dagger in my heart. However, I still rejected the idea that the newer, plastic, joint-engineered by Toyota 996TT could be better.

I had the chance to do some extreme modifications to a 996TT, Stephen and I tranformed it from a normal/any one has one, 996TT to a very lethal street/DE car. All I can say is that most of us air-cooled guy are in denial. This car as a platform is rock solid. I did some things that could never be done to a 993TT. The car is a pig, but yet it doesn't feel sluggish. It's power is so linear, it feels like plane on take-off. Yes, I'm comparing this car after all the mods. But in all fairness, most of my other car, including my RS could never reach this level of speed and grace to which it got there. Another note, the car was black, and has had a well driven history, and the thing that amazed me was how straight the body panels looked. There weren't any door dings riddled down the panels, the rockers weren't rock chipped, like on the 964's. I slammed the doors, I'd listen for the dreaded click! I'd listen for the windshield squeak. It just wasn't there. Guys, I wrenched on the car, I tore it apart. This is one great car. I could place a jack in one spot and lift the entire car off the floor, and still be able to open & close the doors! The biggest disappointment came when removing the front struts. Porsche engineered them so the weekend owner couldn't do it without knocking all the ball joints off. I told Stephen "no way would Porsche do that!" I am a firm believer of this car. I tried to discount it in everyway. All in all, I might be adding a new addition to the fold. I won't get rid of the 993, but I might sacrifice the 964...

mkhn

Isn't it great to have two cars, the 993TT and the 996TT, to have to decide between?...I'm sure each person could easily write another 1000words(I know I couldn have) to describe why they prefer one over the other, why they like driving one over the other. So far, all I have read are great reasons for both.

Cheers

steve c

Given that I wanted a warranty the decision was not a hard one.

The 993 does have better lines, and I do agree that it is a bit more visceral .... and maybe I am getting old but I actually prefer the driving dynamics and more refined behaviour of the 996.

Last930

2 years ago I traded in an '89 951, a '96 993TT and a '79 930 for a brand new 996TT to order. My goal was to have just 1 car that combined the best features of all 3 older cars( as well as reduce expenses, have a warrantee, etc..). After driving the 996TT for a year, I missed some of the raw, visceral feeling of the other cars and ended up buying back my old 930!! After driving the 930 for awhile, you get to appreciate what a fine car the 996TT is. Faster, smoother, more reliable and economical, and more comfortable. All in all, a better car than all that have come before!!

sharkster

Hehe I don't think that just because you and Stephen were able to transform the pig into a kick *** track car, that anyone could, ya know

I mean it's just a grocery getter...