vtc4198

Contemplating moving on this.
The guy i bought my S4 from is now selling his 96 Turbo. The price is right.
Polar Silver w 40k miles. manual tranny.

If I buy the 993, the S4 has to go.

Is the car really worth the extra dough?

JEC_31

You're just going to have to take a long vigorous test drive and get a feel for if it's worth it. So many personal-preference factors, like how the interior ergonomics fit your body or how the power and drivetrain appeal to your driving style, can only be properly evaluated with an hour or three in the cockpit.

The current market pricing reflects it's hallowed place amongst Porschephiles - but how many truly love the flexible, powerful, noisy and bulletproof (but $$$$ replacement) air-cooled TT flat-six, the relatively light AWD claw-footed-ness, the exotic styling (especially this one!), and the classic rear-engined 911 handling - and how many love the status symbol in these circles we post in?

You know, on Rennlist I've read informative write-ups by owners comparing the sought-after 993TT to the rare 964T and the common 996TT - but not the 928 S4.

Keep us posted, eh?

chaadster

Buy it.

You can always sell it for big bucks, buy another S4, and still have money left to do something wise with.

Jim Morton

As someone who recently sold a 993TT and bought a 928, I might have an interesting perspective...

If you have never owned a 911, the 993TT is the most capable air cooled 911 there is ! It is very much 30+ years of development on the same 911 platform.

The 993TT is very quick, right out of the box and handles incredibly but is much easier to drive than other 911 turbos. This said, the car is the size of a 911 and has all the same 911 look and feel. Many like this tie to the Porsche heritage, others feel that this look is starting to be aging.

In comparison to a 928, the cars are very different. The 993TT is more of a Cheetah / Leopard where as the 928 is more the Tiger / Lion. Both are capable of the kill, just goes about the kill differently. In the end, it should all be about what you like and not to worry why...

OK, so what's the down side of the 993TT??? COST OF OWNERSHIP... The 993TT's are 10+ years old now and are beginning to show their age. From this standpoint, owning the 993TT is a lot like the 928. Parts are getting hard to get and finding a shop that knows the 993TT systems is a rare thing. Being in So-Cal, you have an advantage as there are several shops that know the 993TT's and like working on them.

Also, before you buy, even if the car is a friend's, have a PPI done that checks the turbos for oil blow by and also all of the electronics / sensors in the engine management system. This could save you the commonly spent $6K+ on refurbishing the turbos and associated wear items that comonly get overlooked by "regular" service. 993TT's require a lot of preventative maintenance to avoid unplanned costs.

Like all 911 turbos, these cars develop lots of heat in and aroung the engine. If you plan on owning a 911 turbo for a long time, save money for the inevidable engine rebuild that many newer 911 turbo owners think they can avoid. The heat takes its toll on the upper end components and if you drive the car under boost, as it should be, you'll want to inspect the bottom end...while you are in there.

Finally. A 911 turbo is a car every "car guy" should own at least once. If you have an opportunity to own one and keep your eyes open to the on-going costs, the car is a blast ! I miss mine a LOT, but my 928GTS is filling a new niche and writing its own chapter in my car hobby-dom.

Enjoy the quest.

Garth S

Amongst the iterations of the 993, the wide body C2S, C4S, and TT have the least depreciation .... and the fun factor is huge. I've not driven the 993TT, but have driven the 997TT: turbo power is pretty intoxicating.
This TT is still up at SUV ride height, so needs ROW springs on Bilsteins to feel 'right' . I sold a near perfect S4 to move to a C4S - see sig line: it is an absolute blast to drive on our country roads, and is ~ matched to your 348 - the TT is much quicker. ... this was the right decision for me - that is allowing that a 928 is still in the family

vtc4198

Thanks for the great post,

for the record, I have owned a 97 993 and an 01 996 cab.
The 01 I got bored of fairly quickly, it was just too easy to drive, if that makes any sence. But, at the time, it was @70k, but I just wasn't lovin it.
The 993, I really liked, kinda regret selling it.
I have driven 993 and 996 TT, though not back to back, If I remember the drives, I liked he 993 better.

This might be a deal I can't pass up.

It has the medium blue interior, with blue tint (medium) and looks so nice.

Damn it! Why did he have to come by yesterday I was doing just fine on Friday

SwayBar

Excellent write-up Jim.

If you can afford it, buy it as it is one of the sexiest-looking cars on the road!

What is he asking for it?

borland

Your S4 looks a little tired.

With updates like,,,

aero mirrors,
painted rear spoiler,
new wheels and tires,
tinted windows, and
stick-on rear lettering (so people can say "It's a Porsche"),

your car would look much like that newer 993.

Consider buying the much nicer 997.

Jim M.

Everything Jim says above is true. My son-in-law had a 97 993TT (sold it to my son). The sun-in-law and I would trade off on PCA tours. He was always eager to move into my GTS and quite frankly I was always eager to move back into my GTS. The TT is VERY fast, handles like a slot car, but the short wheel base beats you to death on long drives. The interior looks like it came out of the 60's (which it actually did) and lacks all of the comfort and convenience features of the 928. If I ever wanted a 993TT, it would be for short drives.

Incidently the son has had to put many $$$$ to keep up with the required maintenance mentioned above.

Jim Mayzurk
93 GTS 5-spd

SwayBar

No, it wouldn't, and not even close at that...

vtc4198

The car is 100 % stock. The way I like most of my cars.

Tired?
Ya, really tired with 37,000 miles.
Hate to see what a 100k car looks like


EDIT:
The originally Radio is with the car, but it has been replaced with a CD player
So, technically it is 99.5% stock

perrys4

That would be a great buy for someone, and your local. :-) Hmmmm!

F451

x2.

Like was mentioned, you could always sell the turbo for good money and easily replace your 928 with another one.

dr bob

For 928 addicts attempting to sway Chris' decision, consider that he found a very nice, very low-mile 928, and handed it and a blank check to Greg Brown for a return-it-to-new session. It's VERY VERY nice. The fallout of a TT purchase will be that the 928 will become available for another purist to take over.

Chris, you've owned and driven a 993, and know already that the smaller car is, well, smaller. They are an absolute kick to go drive around in, but IMHO the 928 is a much better going-somewhere car. You drive in the same traffic that I do, and the torquey V8 with the auto box is hands-down the weapon of choice in all but the mountian twisties.

I fit a couple sets of clubs and weekend luggage easily in the 928, and arrive refreshed enough for 18 holes. Driving the turbo, better resorts have a spa where you can unwind before your game, and you can always rent clubs, right?


It's too bad you don't have room for both. Each has its strengths, and they really are different cars.

Marine Blue

This would be a tough one.

I've always wanted a 993 although the thought of selling a nice 928 doesn't go over so well. Any chance you can afford to have both?