forbanger

Hi guys & girls!
I am looking into purchasing my first Porsche. I am mechacically inclined and have owned a couple of european cars (Mercedes, BMW, 1969 VW Bug).
With so many variations of the 911 I am getting confused. Some of the things I am looking at: Price around $55-70K, Turbo, Manual, AWD.
Doing my research I have easily found out that I can get a 993 turbo for almost the same price as a 996 turbo. What is the deal with that? What is the benefits of the 993 vs. the 996? Cosidering one is aircooled and the other is water cooled (and soch and doch) they both have almost the same horespower (ex. turbo S, GT2). Is there a bigger advantage owning a 993 that I can't see?
I guess a brief explanation of the adavntages of owning one or the other would be much appreciated. One more thing, what are the best years to look at (whether it be a 993turbo or a 996turbo)?

Thanks,
Jose

Amber Gramps

forbanger, I am in the group of guys that don't consider a 993 on par with a true 911. some of us think production of the 911 ended in '89. even more think it was dead with water pumps. get a couple books that are must haves: "used 911" by peter zimmerman and "original porsche 911" by peter morgan. they will help you pin point exactly what to look for. if you have $55-70k just sitting around for a porsche, please do your homework very carefully. with that kind of money you should get one that will even do windows.

(sorry I'm adding this after thinking about this all day) most SC owners would claim to own the last real 911's. that said my boss drives a 997 to work on fridays that is a stunning look and an unbelievable ride. I would go as new and as powerful as you can afford. Walter's has one for about $182,000.00. it's yellow.

Brett San Diego

Benefits are in the eye of the beholder (uh, so to speak). Some people consider the more refined, modern interior of the 996 a benefit. Some don't. Some consider the higher horsepower of the 996 a benefit. Others look beyond that. Some consider the air-cooled 993 engine a benefit. Some don't care. Value wise, there is no question that there is something special about the 993 being the last of the air-cooled 911s and something dubious about the 996 being the first of the water-cooled 911s.

The two cars will offer very different driving experiences. You should drive both before you overthink the decision (assuming the driving experience is important for you).

Good luck shopping. Yours is an envious decision.

Brett

911S3.6

The 993 still is air cooled and a true dry sump engine- a direct descendant of the 1998 GT-1 LeMans winner. The only cars that still utilize this bottom end now are the GT2, GT3 and twin turbo. The rest of the current line 996,997, Boxster and Cayman all utilize the semi-dry sump "Subaru " motor.

///Nick

autobonrun

I'm wrestling with the 993TT vs 996TT advantages/disadvantages myself. I recently asked a similar question and got responses that you may find of interest.

https://rennlist.com/forums/993-forum/349426-na-vs-993tt-vs-996tt.html

forbanger

Thanks for the help everyone!
I had posted a similar thread on the turbo 993 forum so I can get more response and so far it comes down to personal choice. I did notice that the afficionados stick to the aircooled engines...thus, 993.
I don't know what to pick? I guess no one in my area would judge me if I was driving a 993 or a 996 but me.

autobonrun

You will be judged regardless. Buy the best car at the best price that has the most sought after options; Porsche options can add up to several thousand dollars so don't just look at mileage, year, and cost. You can't go wrong with a 993TT or a 996TT in my opinion.

Norske

+1,

Many of us have owned several Porsche's and can be biased. I have a 993 now. 11th Pcar dating back to 1966.

One rule of thumb. Once you experience boost, it is hard to return to normal asperated cars.

You should drive both, talk to you local Porsche Club, and then decide, but get the best car for the money you can. 70K should get you a great car. 993TT seem to be holding their value better, but that does not mean they are neccessarily the better car.

Good luck & keep us posted.

Edgy01

Good questions. There are many out there who love the looks of the 993 cars (introduced in 1995) over the very dated 911 looks but as with everything, it's subjective. The 996 cars (wasser-pumpers) arrived in 1999 and in my opinion de-sexed the car considerably. Porsche also learned how to build the cars for better profitability. They dropped the separate dry-sumps to keep the engines drier (modern day Porsches aren't supposed to leak oil!) and without the dry sumps not a whole lot is lost to the average daily driver or even occasional weeekend warrier. Driveability is more important to today's buyers.

I went from a turbo to a na car because, frankly, I don't need that much HP. The present 997 cars have 355 hp in the S forms. That's more than the 930 turbos, 993 TTs and fairly close to the 996 TTs. I also prefer the handling of the 2WD cars, and the fact that they are a lot less complex.

When Porsche began to really go to town on AWD in the 911s (with the 1990 964 cars) they adopted a lot of the technology from the not too simple 959 super car. It was a big mistake. It makes for a complex car. So complex, in fact, that Porsche abandoned that engineering approach and returned to the simpler stuff with the 993 TT cars.

The 993 cars are holding their value better mostly because many want to drive the 'last' of the air-cooled 911s. In truth, the 993 is quite removed from a 911. (Just don't say that to a 993 guy). They are considerably refined from the 911SC and Carrera 3.2 days. They are also the beginning of a more complex 911. If you want something that handles like a 911, is easy to maintain, and is bomb proof, strongly consider the 1984-1989 Carrera 3.2 cars. There are a ton of them out there, and many in outstanding shape as owners are moving up into the wasserboxer world of 911s.

theiceman

could also the reason the 993 TT is holding it's value over the 996TT be production numbers ?

I know they only made the 993TT for 2 years ... and personally I think it is a very sexy looking car ... If I can say that ....