markjmills

Wow -- first of all, thanks, guys, for all the responses. Post a query, go to sleep, and in the morning, Voila! -- the Rennlisters have stepped up! Of the replies so far, 9 favor the '93, 2 would go for the '94, and 2 seem to be in the "this boy is crazy for not going with a vanilla C2 and stroking it up" camp...and since I considered that path too, the idea doesn't surprise me at all.

I'm not sure why the RSA seems so right to me. Part of it is in the lack of power steering -- the road feel is direct and immediate, like the Carrera 3.2 but even better. I like the fixed wing rather than the little pop-up airline dinner tray. Removal of many pounds of sound insulation -- a messy job -- already done, and making a good sounding car finer, even with the windows closed. Because the launch of the 964 coincided with an economic downturn, they are somewhat rare, and the RSAs are even rarer, with something of a mystique -- lots of rumors and misinformation about them floating around. When someone says that RSAs have the best engines dynoed off the line, I just nod and smile; who am I to tell them that they're just regular 964 engines? And of course, one of the reasons I like the white '93 is...the white ones are faster! Maybe TR6 is right about the phase of the moon....

I still need to gather more information about both cars (and keep an ear out for rumors of any other contenders) -- I'm trying to go into this with my eyes as wide open as possible because a mistake could be VERY costly. A PPI would be a must for me -- I'm far from the most knowledgable car guy. I've also gotten widely divergent prices for fixing the leaky pulley seal and cam box covers, from $1200 to $3000+ -- and while I'd like the job to be as inexpensive as possible, it makes more sense to pay a higher price if necessary and get the job done right by the best shop. As someone noted on another thread, not every Porsche wrench knows the 964 intimately, not every Porsche shop services them day in and day out, so it's best to go with the best and most knowledgable mechanics who do know the 964, and whatever they cost, so be it. If anyone has ideas about great shops they really trust specifically with 964s in the eastern PA, NJ, and metro NYC area, I'd like to know, as I'd call them to price the repairs that must be done.

Gary R: The '93 already has harnesses and a roll bar, but just the stock RSA sport seat (which is pretty good, maybe just a smitch too narrow for me -- or should I just lose some weight?).

Chris M. and Gary R: I think you're both right in your engine analysis, in that I never would have put money into the kinds of engine mods that were done, so I'm reluctant to pay extra for something I don't really need or want.

Dave Morris: I don't personally know the people at the Pennsylvania shop that worked on the '94 engine, but they're held in very high regard by many people here on the list.

pcarcraig: Yup, that's my gut feeling -- which is why I wrote to the list, to see if my gut could possibly be overwhelming my brain!!

ltc: Thanks; I was considering adding the distributor caps, rotors, and belt to the 'do upon buying' list, because it seems rather cheap insurance against major engine damage. I know Porsche must have had a reason for designing the dual distributors as they did -- d*mned if I can figure out what it was, though.

74carreraturbo: LOL! You're probably right that I'd be hollering "MORE POWER!" not long after buying either car! But I'm trying to be sensible, and not be drawn into the dark pathways of Club Racing...as we know that way many, many dollars are sucked into the black hole of race prep! Hmmm...unless, of course, I win this week's lottery....

roketman: Thanks for your thoughts. Fortunately the leaks on the '93 have been identified, and are, at this stage, relatively minor -- which is why I would have them repaired as a condition of purchase, before they develop into something major.

Again, thanks for all the feedback -- and please keep your thoughts and opinions coming my way.

Cheers, Mark

dave morris

Have you looked at the cars on RSAmerica.net? There seem to be a few your area.

TR6

One other point although you didn't ask specifically about it.... I wouldn't be scared away by an RSA with high mileage provided it passes ppi and has been well cared for. As has been said many many times on this forum, these cars were meant to be driven and it doesn't hurt them a bit provided that they are maintained. Ironically, prior to my buying a Porsche, I had the mindset with other cars that I wouldn't touch one with high miles. My experience with my 964 has changed my mind on that. These cars really are like well broken-in leather jackets. They just get better with age and use!

BlackWidow964

It really comes down to the reputation of who did the motor in the '94 and what you want to use the car for. My RSA also has the Carillo rods, cams and a LWF. The motor was done at a very reputable shop, runs like a top, plus the car only had less than 20K on it when purchased.

I will tell you this. With the rods, cams and LWF.....it's not a car - it's a weapon!

CWay27

Wow, everything has been said but since I'm a RSA owner, I thought I'd add my vote. I'd go without a doubt on the 93. There is something with the "no back seat" that is appealing to me. Don't worry about the miles, mine had 61K when I got it and I can tell you that it starts and runs better, than my daily driver with less miles. Track miles or not doesn't do anything. First of all, who says the truth if the car ever set foot on the track and to me, track cars are better maintain than "street only" cars. If you want a car and not a trailer queen then nothing wrong with a few scars.

Good luck!!

J richard

I've got two 93's one street/de, one race car in the making. A few thoughts.

I'll probably get corrected but I have never heard of a well maintained factory motor grenading. Over revved and bent a valve yea, but never grenaded. On the other hand I have seen plenty of shop motors saw themselves in half. And these are good shops. I just think when you get into a motor and start tweeking you are messing with the factor of safety that porsche builds in at the factory, and obviously your intent on upgrading components is you plan on running hotter and faster. So two reasons I would stick with the factory motor. $3K for cam housing seals seems a bit steep if we're talking covers.

They are great cars, I love the manual rack, and small tweeks make for a really fun time on the track. And yea you can throw some cash at a C2 and have a pretty nice car too, but the bottom line is that the limited number of RSAs keeps the value up, I haven't seen the tweeked C2's hold the same value. Not a bad deal. For the most part, unless it is a real low mile pristine garage queen, tweeked rsa's value doesn't seem to be impacted.

The heater blower tube is a issue. There is a resistor that sits on the top of the tube as part of the climate control/engine cool down system. It is a root problem for a lot of 964 car fires, and there was a recall for the resistor. I found out about it after buying a salvage car that had a fire, I went around to try to find some of the damaged parts and found a suprising number of 964's with fire damage from the same area of the engine. I almost think this might be under reported or confused with a FI leak/fire. I would check it, the distributor belt, and distributor ventilation kit. You can find more on rsamerica.net a good source of info.

A PPI is a MUST! particularly ask for the cam covers to come off and look at the valve guides. This can get ugly. The flywheel is less of an issue with the 93.

Go for it, you'll love it.

markjmills

Greg,

What would you consider high mileage for an RSA? I think the 45K and 55K cars I've been looking at have pretty moderate usage, less than 5K per year on average. Given my driving pattern, I don't think I'd be putting much more than that per year on the car. However, I've shied away from RSAs with substantially more than 100K on the clock, thinking that more miles equates to more tired components that would need replacement sooner rather than later.

Cheers, Mark

markjmills

Have you had your engine dyno'ed since it was modded? I'm curious what those specific mods do to the HP and torque curves.

TR6

Mine has 142K on it and runs like a champ. But, the engine was replaced also. If a car had that many miles on it and the engine had never been rebuilt, I would expect to see some signs that it is tiring out. Also, with a car with as many miles on it as mine, you also want to see that things like CV Joints, clutch, brakes, wheel bearings, etc have been maintained and replaced over the years. Those wear items would be expected to go by that many miles. But my point is this: I bought one that had 138K on it when I bought it last July. It is in top cosmetic shape inside and out. Looking at the car even close up, you'd be hard pressed to tell it has any more miles than a 40K mile car sitting next to it. And I got it for less money than I would have paid for a 40 or 50K mile car. And even on a car with 40-60K miles, by this age, you need to be looking at repairing/replacing the wear components mentioned above anyway. So to me, the 142K is merely a number on the odometer. It has no other implication to me. Now, if I sell the car, sure, it will sell for less than one with only 42K on the clock. But 1) I don't plan to sell it anytime soon (knock on wood) and 2) I got it cheaper when I bought it anyway.

One other point in favor of having a car that already has high miles (at least to me).... It is quite a liberating feeling to not have to worry about putting miles on the car since they are already high. I own another collectible car that has only 55K on the clock and I honestly have to think hard about taking off on a cross country trip to a meet in it because I don't want to put another 2K miles on it. In my RSA, its a free pass!

Flagg

Definitely go with the 1993.........The engine mods on the 1994 sound a bit scary. Unless they were pulled, the back seat in the 94 will make it fell LESS like an RSA..........

I am an original owner of a 1993 RSA. I have loved it since Day one..........

Flagg

BlackWidow964

MarkJMills

Yep, as I recall the dyno sheet shows 345 ponies at the crank, 305 at the rear wheels.