bruised

I am a Porsche newbie but starting to spend some time looking for one - a weekend sunny day summer only 911 in the 30 K range. In seems like you can get a 99 for that price range but not a 98 - did something change from 98 to 99?

Also where does a 98 or 99 stand in terms of its depreciation cycle - assuming only a couple thousand miles a year get driven for the next 5-10 years.

Appreciate any inout I can get.

TroyN

The '98 is the last of the 993, air-cooled series cars, while the '99 is the first of the 996, water-cooled cars. Each (993 and 996) has their own subforums here, you should poke around there, and use the search function as well. Good luck!

Oshin11

I would not buy a 99 996.....they were the worst of the lot and had the most problems I think. The 98 993, on the other hand, is one fine machine.

2002M3Drew

Not true. It is the only year where the regular 996 (non-GT3, GT2, or 40th anni models) could be had with an LSD. While the 3.4 had its share of problems such as the dreaded RMS issue, most have obviously failed (if they are going to fail) already, and therefore been corrected. And even if the car needs a new motor, crate replacements are dirt cheap. When you consider that you can buy a '99 for under $30K with LSD, modify the suspension to near-GT3 specs and still spend less than some 993's out there, they become an incredible bargain.

Brett San Diego

The transition from the 1998 911 to the 1999 911 arguably marks the biggest watershed of change in the history of 911 production, that from air/oil cooling to water cooling (as already mentioned). Yes, the water cooled 911 and Boxster engines have had their issues, but fundamentally and from a purist stand point, I don't think one should be aghast at water cooling. Afterall, former race engines and even the 959 super car 911 of the 80's had water cooled heads on the venerable flat 6 engine. Beyond that, pretty much everything else was changed, too. The 996 is a "clean sheet" redesign of the 911, with a lot of redesign having already been accomplished with the Boxster introduced in 1997.

Brett

911S3.6

Remember that the 993 cars, 1995-1998 had the dry sump motor that is the direct descendant of Porsche Motorsports.
The 996, 997, Boxster, Cayman etc... are all so-called Subaru motors, dumbed down by Porsche for the masses.
Only the GT2, GT3, and twin turbo still have the same 964 series block that is dry sump.
All 964's and 993's have the real deal.
Big difference if you are actually going to use the car as a performance machine.
If it is just for cruising, the others will do.

Hope this helps.,

Nick

Brett San Diego

That is a very good point which is difficult to rebut especially, if I recall correctly, when the 996 owner's manual has warnings to the effect that racing slick tires are not to be used because cornering forces are such that oil starvation can be a problem.

Brett