pu911rsr

I am considering buying a 964 or 993. I am curious to hear from people who have owned both, pros and cons.
Thanks,
Phil

swmic

It depends on what you are looking for. Expect to pay >10K more for a similar (miles&condition) 993. Motors make about the same power, 10% more for the 993. 96 and up 993s have the SAI issue. Do a search on the 993 board and you'll find thousands of post on it. I like the 964 5 speed more than the 993 six speed trans. I like the looks of the 993 more especially if the car has the turbo front bumper. Interiors are about the same. Good luck. Both are great cars.

last toy

I agree with Swmic's comments. I have both, 95 is a great car, no maintenance if that is what you want, 964 little more raw performance but still comfortable, easy and fun to play with if you like to get your hands dirty. If you want an everyday driver with little time to work on it, go for the 95 993. All you may need is a lower suspension. If you want a 964, may want 92 to 94. The 90 and some 91's could have leaky heads. pretty pricy to fix. If the car has 50k miles on it with no visible oil leakage detected from the cylinder heads than the car is probably safe. never a guarantee. If I had to do it again and I probably will, I would go for a 94 964 with the wider rear stance(precursor to the new design 95 993. You get a little of both worlds.) If you got some bucks to throw around, I'd go for a 993 turbo, more comfort with a lot of power. I would go with a 94 964 turbo but the asking prices are rediculous. The 964 RS Americas are also great 964's with a little more "racing" styling. Go to www.rsamerica.net to see what is on the market. You'll pay in the $30-40's for a RS America, $20's for a standard 964, $70k for a 94 964 turbo, low $30's for a 95 963, high $50 to high $60's for a 95-96 993 turbo. Obviously the prices will fluctuate with condition and miles and the expectations of the seller. Good luck

68CGPlt

IMHO I don't feel there is to much of a difference between the two. My reference point is a previously owned 993C4s compared to my current 94 Carrera 4 widebody and RSA. To me the 964 allwheel drive has a more front biased feel than that of the 993. I also felt that the multi-link rear suspension of the 993 provided a more modern, confident and compliant ride (perspective of a street only driver-take it with a grain of salt). The 993 had a little more power and a great sound. I much prefer the 5 spd gearbox of the 964 (for street use). There is a wide gap between 1st and 2nd in the NA 993's, which I found just plain annoying. The interiors are nearly the same. I would be equally happy with either. I think it comes down to the look, condition and price point your after. I don't think you can go wrong with either.

Chris M.

My 2 cents; it's all cosmetics. They feel the same as far as power, the 993 rear suspension is probably better, they look different, one costs a lot more than the other...
Contact RL user "Ritter" for more. He sold his 993 and bought 2 964s!

This is gonna be good.

Ritter v4.0

Well that's just the way it worked out- I didn't set out that way. Theres a longer version to the story but heres the short one:
I had first got a 993 C4S for street and then later also got a 964 as track car.
I then got a great offer on the C4S and replaced it with another 964. What I saved on not getting another 993 allowed less guilty indulgence on prepping the 964 for track. Sort of.

Here's a sweepig generalization; both great cars with more similarities than differences, but the 993 IMO should be minimally modded and street driven (too nice to beat up on the track perhaps?) and the 964 should be max modded and tracked hard. YMMV.

Manny Alban

Love the 993. Great car. However, 964 prices are pretty tempting. I just picked up a twin to my racecar, same color and interior. I have so many trim pieces from the race car, anything that wears out, i'll be able to replace it.

pu911rsr

Well I guess we all think alike, I have a 964 race car, I love it! having another 964 gives me a rolling spares car. I want to stop racing my US Carrera Cup at some point given its rarity ,it would be a shame to ball the thing up. I would buy or build another race car. Decisions, Decisions. I have to admit I am not seeing a 2X price difference, more like high teens to mid 20's for a 964 and mid 20's to low 30's for 993, so I see a fair amount of overlap in pricing.
Thanks,
Phil

FLA997

+1 on the increased costs for a 993, especially a track prepared 993...ask me how I know!

Conversely, I was considering a 964 for street use. Both GREAT cars in my book. Chris M's car is a looker...wish my car was white!

FLYNSCOT63

I would just like to say that I am new to this forum and I purchased and RS America almost two years ago I didnt really know that it was a special car I liked the whale tail. I have had lots of fun with it most recently at VIR.

Tom W

I don't know what David (Ritter) is smoking. Why would anyone want a beautiful 993 as a daily driver and a 964 as a track car? Ya gotta be nuts.

Seriously. it's like they say, not a big difference when compared to most other cars. It's mostly cosmetic and price.

Ritter v4.0

Sorry about the typo: 964 as beautiful daily driver and fugly 993 for track

joey bagadonuts

I'm surprised no one mentioned the potential valve guide issue. I'm not one to bash other p-cars (they're all special in their own way) but like the troublesome DMF and leaky seals found on some 964's, the valve guides appear to be a very real issue and may lead to costly mechanical work down the road.

Recent 993 discussion on valve guide wear

It doesn't sound like it's a given for all 993's but something to consider as you go through this process.

Texas993

I mentioned it on the 993 thread. It is an issue for MOST 993s regardless of miles or age. When I searched for my 993, I was only interested in a car with a fresh top end.

Valve guides on the 993 played into my decision to buy a 964 as a daily driver. That and the fact that I found a mint 964 tip in my backyard.

Ritter v4.0

Thats an issue (leaky seals) to be sure, but given the age of the cars now, many have had to deal with this
somewhere along the way so current buyers should be able to easily identify if it has not.

Anyway 993's have SAI issues- 996's spontaneously combust- its all good!