peter.m

I have a general question that is probably unanswerable, but I would appreciate any opinions. I am selling a 1987 911, and trying to decide on a late 80s 930 vs a 993. I know - two very different cars, one much more modern,etc. This will not be a daily driver, but will be driven a lot as long as the weather is decent, mainly a 15 mile commute without traffic. I know that they are both roughly the same acceleration times from 0 to 60, but with a different feel. Any advice on relative merits of each? I'm not uncomfortable in my current 911 - will the 930 be much different? Any advice on the fun-to-drive aspect of either?
thanks.

Jay H

Peter:

The 930 will have a similar 'feel' to your '87 n/a car, but with that big hit around 3k rpms from the turbo as it comes on the boost. Lots of the same sounds and feel as your '87. The 4 speed tranny on the '86-'88 Turbos may not be as smooth as your G50 trans in your '87. Nothing wrong with that, just different.

The 993 will have great acceleration too, but it will be more refined and the power delivery is much more linear. Like you mention, the 993 has similar 0-60 times in comparison to the 930, but it won't feel as fast because the 993 is more buttoned down. It's much more quiet too.

Obviously the creature comforts will be greater in the 993. Better A/C and heat ventilation, ABS, power assist steering, air bags and such.

I'd choose a 993 if I wanted to drive a 911 to work or fight with rush hour traffic. I'd choose a 930 for fun driving. The 930 is a handful and is a blast to drive. The 993 is also a great car and is definitely a 911 in feel and soul, but you have to push the car more to get more involvement as compared to the earlier models.

Good Luck,
Jay
<a href="http://www.jays911.com" target="_blank">90 964</a>

cmoss

I was in your position last February, and really wrestled with the 930 vs 993 issue. It is not a simple choice, and no matter what--you'll probably wonder "what if..."

I decided to go with the 993 for several reasons...
Great Looks
I could purchase from a dealer
Much Newer
Great Looks
Much smoother tranny
Oh yeah--Great Looks

I also had issues with the reliability of a turbo. P-cars are expensive to maintain--turbos even more so.

So, have I been happy? Yes, but it has been an adventure. Less than 2 months/500 miles after purchase, I discovered that the car had a "carbon build-up" problem (search the 993 board using "carbon build-up"). This required a top-end rebuild and tons of hours (~76 hrs!!). The total cost was apparently ~$10K. I say apparently because Porsche picked up the total cost. Please note that I do not think this is general practice. They've covered some cases of carbon build-up, but not others.

On top of all that, the dealer where I bought the car sold me a POS aftermarket warranty that they said would cover everything. The warranty people took one look at the cost of the repair and decided that they wouldn't pay for a pre-existing condition.

Sounds bad, but--hey--maybe a turbo would've been worse...or better...or...

Have fun,
Chris

Ian964

Why not get a 964 Turbo, they are more refined then the 930, look great and have tons of power. I was going to get a 993 but went with the 964 turbo instead, it was about the same price. ~40k for a nice 964 turbo or a nice 95-96 993. I use mine just as a summer car not to commute to work and I love it.

Ed Bighi

I would take the 930 turbo for a few reasons. The main one is that in five or ten years time, it will be that much harder to find a good, unmolested 930 turbo, whereas unmolested 993's should still be plentiful. Of course, if I were a sheep and rode the opinion bus like everyone else, I would get the 993. Don't get me wrong. I adore the 993 as much as I despise the 996. But whenever I am faced with a choice between two cars of different vintage, I always take the one I know will be more likely to become harder to find in good condition in a few years. The only time I did not follow that rule was ten years ago when purchasing my SC. I wanted something more raw than the 944 I owned. At the time I was driving a 964 C4 that I had for sale, but being 22 at the time, I found it too civilized. Back then, there were plenty of good 911S's to go around. All in pretty good shape at great prices. I went with the SC instead, which has been a great car. But I regret not picking up an S when it was plentiful. This rule applies to anything that can become limited in availability. Drive the 930 and when you tire of it, you sell it for close to what you bought it for and easily find a very good 993 at an even cheaper price than now. The reverse will not be as financially feasible, let me assure you.

Another reason I would take the 930 is very personal. I am a thrill seeker love the way the 930 feels. Especially when endowed with more boost and a hair less lag. Not too much less lag to spoil the fun. Lag is like foreplay. Too much and you will start to lose interest. Too little and you will not appreciate the main event as much. I also like a car that the usual newbie cannot feel comfortable in while driving at 10/10ths. The 930 is that kind of car. Especially with more boost. Also, with more boost it will become seriously fast since it is relatively light by today's standards. Drive a 930 that has been modified by the right people, and you will make the choice that much quicker.

Last but not least, the sound of a 930 with a less restrictive muffler or no muffler at all, sounds really good. Of course this is subjective, but there is something special about the sound of any single turbo flat-six. Not to mention the flames.