narkose

I am considering getting in to the Porsche ownership experience and I am leaning toward the air-cooled version. One question that I have is the cost of ownership for the 993 vs 964 vs '88 911

I have driven a 964 before but not the 993 or the 87-88 911

Any input is appreciated. Local indie Porsche specialist is suggesting to stay away from 964 due to cost of repairs. Anybody else have the same or opposite experience/advice?

Amber Gramps

Same as the indy. Find an '88.

budge96

In the words of now departed Porschefile Bruce Anderson " get the Best Porsche you can afford"
I think it entirely depends upon your budget.. each one offers a little differing experience ,the '88
w/G50 probably the more classic AKA Vintage feel (while still being at the upper end of desirable
big bumper Carrera's).
The 964 being the most overlooked modern 911 of the bunch can offer incredible value performance and all around driving experience ,with real world A/C to boot.
The 993 a personal favorite ,the last of the aircooled and most refined by way of suspension redesign and added performance over the 964 series.
IMHO the 964 offers the biggest bang for the buck ,but be assured if it doesn't have decent records
or papertrail of repairs they can be a handful if some earlier updates and service have been deferred. Bert

Matt Lane

You really need to drive all 3 to know what you prefer. They are quite similar in some respects, and yet (pleasantly, markedly) different in others.

Trust me, The engine and power is the last thing you'll notice.

Torsion bars vs. coilvers (964 and 993)

Transmission (915 vs. G50)

Power steering, brakes, ABS, airbags (again 3.2 vs. later cars)

Those are the real differences, to me. Love them both.

As for maintenance, these are progressively more complex as you look at 964's and 993's. They also run more expensive consumables.

Besides being older, an early car is relatively simple to work on.

Best,

Matt

RoadWarrior19

I currently have an 88 and a 95 - each an awesome car. As mentioned, the 993 is more modern but can cost a bit more to own for those of us limited in skills and tools. Hopefully you get to test drive each and decide which is the right car for you. In my case, I'm keeping the 88 and plan on selling the 993 by the end of the year. They are both sweet cars but the 911 came first by 6 years and I'm too attached to it to let it go.

narkose

911Michael: I know this may seem sacrilegious for some but do you drive either of those cars year-round(in other words in snow)?

911Dave

I don't know why the local indy would advise against the 964 based on cost. The 993 is the costliest of the 3 being considered. The 964 is less costly, and the 911 lesser still. However, any one of them can be a money pit or a gem, depending on the specifics of each car. You can't use a generality as your guide....you must evaluate each car on its individual condition and merits.

narkose

He was comparing more to the 87-89 Carrera mainly due to the new tech in the 964MF, coilover steering rack etc - in other words new stuff that didn't have its kinks sorted out yet.

RoadWarrior19

I now work from home but the 911 was my year 'round daily driver (the 993 is a one-year scratch-an-itch car). It doesn't snow much in eastern NC and they salt the roads if they hear about a couple snow flakes falling in Idaho, just in case. When that happens, I drive the truck until the salt disappears.

Otherwise, with the rear weight bias and good snow tires, there are many who drive a 911 in snow. The biggest concern would be how deep the snowfall due to the low stance of the car. Pittsburgh has hills everywhere so I'm not sure how that would factor in but generally they seem to handle snow well if not too deep.

Whichever car you decide on, a properly documented service history is a big key along with a good PPI, at least to me. A well maintained 911/964/993 is typically very reliable. I'm from central PA and have made the drive in the 911 numerous times without a hiccup. A Porsche 911 was my dream car since the 1970's and 6 1/2 years of ownership has led to meeting more good people and fun experiences than I imagined. I hope you find a good one. PA has lots of crooked roads for enjoying a Porsche.

theiceman

He May have been refering to the nightmarishly overcomplicated all wheel drive system on the C4 . If it goes i can be very costly to repair. Dont hear much about the C2s .

marcel964

I own a 1987 and 1991 car. The 87 car is very different from 91 one.


Both are fun, the 91 car (a 964 targa) we use for holidays and driving to the french Riviera of to the Alps or italy. It has cruise control, Working AC and you can easy drive for a day. The 87 one (coupe), is more sport oriented, it has bilstrein shocks, and a lim. Dif. Very fun to drive and rewarding, but after 2 hours you get tired. My wife likes the 964 targa, but the carrera 3.2 is not her idea of having fun,.....but its my toy, cause we live near the german bother so the german autobahn is nearby. It does 250km in straight line. :-D

So the question is were do you want to use it for?

FlatSix911

I have owned all of the models mentioned, and the 993 is less expensive to maintain than a 964 due to frequent valve adjustments all things being equal

Skootnasty

This....

I am a Porsche tech, and agree whole heartedly that the removal of solid tappets is the best move (scheduled service wise) Porsche ever made.

Skoot

narkose

Thanks for length of use perspective. It would be a potential daily driver use for a 20 min/20 mile commute with possible leisure use - maybe longer than 2 years.

Andrew

narkose

How often do you have to do this? I thought it was 15K miles apart. Am I mistaken? Is this not something one could learn to do oneself?

Thanks for highlighting the issue.