993 vs later 911--rear seat considerations
04-23-2019, 01:48 AM
#16
Thank you everyone for the really helpful responses. It sounds like that from a space perspective, we might get 5 years or so out of the 993 before she really complained alot. I had not found the more recent Rennlist thread on 993 kid seats, which is a help. It would be great to give her some fun memories in the car like I had in my dad's old 911SC in the late 70s!
I have not driven a 997 but have driven 991.2s in GTS, Turbo, Turbo S and GT3 flavors. Not on the street, though--on Porsche's tracks in Birmingham and Atlanta. So my judgement of which is most fun is distorted by the venue. That being said, of the 991s, the only one that really seemed "raw" enough was the GT3, though the GTS (a 991.2, so turbo) in 7-speed manual flavor was pretty fun. Of course, they don't make GT3s with back seats. Anyone who asks about it seems to be directed to get a normally aspirated GTS with a stick shift... But in shopping for 911s I keep coming across people selling their 997s and 991s with the listed reason for selling that they want a 993... which makes me think the 997 or 991 will be missing something in the character department if I got one.
The safety thing also does have to be a concern. A few years ago we were in a bad collision (driving a MB GLA250, which saved our lives when a drunk driver hit us head-on) so it's in the back of my mind also. I would assume the later 911s are safer, but it's not like the 997 or 991 has airbags or headrests in the rear. So any improved safety would have to be from improvements in the crumple zones or better overall structure, right?
I have not driven a 997 but have driven 991.2s in GTS, Turbo, Turbo S and GT3 flavors. Not on the street, though--on Porsche's tracks in Birmingham and Atlanta. So my judgement of which is most fun is distorted by the venue. That being said, of the 991s, the only one that really seemed "raw" enough was the GT3, though the GTS (a 991.2, so turbo) in 7-speed manual flavor was pretty fun. Of course, they don't make GT3s with back seats. Anyone who asks about it seems to be directed to get a normally aspirated GTS with a stick shift... But in shopping for 911s I keep coming across people selling their 997s and 991s with the listed reason for selling that they want a 993... which makes me think the 997 or 991 will be missing something in the character department if I got one.
The safety thing also does have to be a concern. A few years ago we were in a bad collision (driving a MB GLA250, which saved our lives when a drunk driver hit us head-on) so it's in the back of my mind also. I would assume the later 911s are safer, but it's not like the 997 or 991 has airbags or headrests in the rear. So any improved safety would have to be from improvements in the crumple zones or better overall structure, right?
The biggest thing, safety wise, I think with the 991 is the more substantial A-pillars and higher belt line. You just feel like you're surrounded with a beefier structure. The flip side is that you sacrifice a lot of the open/airy feel that makes the 993 so enjoyable to drive.
04-23-2019, 04:31 AM
#17
The 993 cabin is more airy and my kids 9 and 8 enjoy the 993 over my 997tt backseat. They are in a cheap booster i found at walmart that fits perfectly for $25. But as a driver i enjoy my 997gt3 immensely more
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JRB (02-07-2022)
04-23-2019, 08:50 AM
#20
Wow! Got a picture? That seems almost impossible to me.
I'd like to think I’ll be able to take my kids (one is 1 yr ok and her brother is due in September) at some point but we are a tall couple- I’m 6’6” and my wife is 5’10” so the front seats are as far back as possible. In fact, I relocated the drivers seat rails back an inch or two when I first got the car so the back of the seat effectively touches the front of the rear seat cushion.
I'd like to think I’ll be able to take my kids (one is 1 yr ok and her brother is due in September) at some point but we are a tall couple- I’m 6’6” and my wife is 5’10” so the front seats are as far back as possible. In fact, I relocated the drivers seat rails back an inch or two when I first got the car so the back of the seat effectively touches the front of the rear seat cushion.
04-23-2019, 09:35 PM
#21
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Thanks for posting! Great pic...looks like they're having fun back there!
04-24-2019, 01:35 AM
#22
My 3 year old son rides in the back all the time and the 11 year old niece and nephew still fit perfectly. My slender 5’5” 15 year old daughter can wedge herself in back for short drives but I probably wouldn’t pick her up in it if, for example, I knew ahead of time one of her friends needed a ride home.
We shouldn’t fool ourselves as far as crash safety goes. While the 993 might have been pretty good way back when, no 90’s vehicle is going to compare favorably to anything built today. To me it’s worth the risk, but without doing any research I can confidently predict the safety hierarchy goes best to worst from 991 to 997 and then 993.
This spring I ditched our 3 y/o’s small, flimsy car seat which never fit quite right. We now use a Ride Safer Delight brand harness (no affiliation). Basically we put him in this approved (whatever FMVSS 213 standards are) harness, then he gets in the back and I quickly feed the seat belt through three brackets and click him in. The harness holds the seat belt down to, and perfectly positioned on him rather then raising him up to the belt as a booster does. It’s well suited to the small rear seats since it takes no space, and I cut a 4” thick piece of foam that he sits on to offset the weird, high mounted seat belt receptacle. An unintended consequence is he can now see out much better than any of our other vehicles which further enhanced his already insatiable desire to ride in it. The Ride Safer is a sort of quasi-four point harness, so it supposedly disperses the force of a front/rear crash better than a booster. Unfortunately, neither a booster nor the harness provide the integrated head and body protection of a car seat. A car seat would be especially helpful in a statistically less likely, but much more serious T-bone accident. If you do consider a harness please be aware they are not all created equal. Very few are crash tested and the worst examples simply tear apart under the massive instantaneous forces exerted in a serious crash.
Ultimately we all know statistics are almost meaningless. The fact that I’ve never seriously damaged a car won’t mean anything if my kid is hurt or killed because I put him in a 993. There’s a balance of risk in a life well-lived and while I think this one is worth it I have no illusions when any family member is in the car. On the other hand, If we were all truly prioritizing safety above all else we’d be communicating on a Volvo forum and the topic would be “Why does a little part of my soul die each time I drive my car?”.
If I wanted a used 911 and absolutely needed the very safest and most practical version, I’d be looking at a 991. In fact, I did look seriously at both 997.2 and 991. Regardless of what you decide you can’t go too wrong as they’re all fun! Good luck on your search, let us know what you buy.
-Mark
We shouldn’t fool ourselves as far as crash safety goes. While the 993 might have been pretty good way back when, no 90’s vehicle is going to compare favorably to anything built today. To me it’s worth the risk, but without doing any research I can confidently predict the safety hierarchy goes best to worst from 991 to 997 and then 993.
This spring I ditched our 3 y/o’s small, flimsy car seat which never fit quite right. We now use a Ride Safer Delight brand harness (no affiliation). Basically we put him in this approved (whatever FMVSS 213 standards are) harness, then he gets in the back and I quickly feed the seat belt through three brackets and click him in. The harness holds the seat belt down to, and perfectly positioned on him rather then raising him up to the belt as a booster does. It’s well suited to the small rear seats since it takes no space, and I cut a 4” thick piece of foam that he sits on to offset the weird, high mounted seat belt receptacle. An unintended consequence is he can now see out much better than any of our other vehicles which further enhanced his already insatiable desire to ride in it. The Ride Safer is a sort of quasi-four point harness, so it supposedly disperses the force of a front/rear crash better than a booster. Unfortunately, neither a booster nor the harness provide the integrated head and body protection of a car seat. A car seat would be especially helpful in a statistically less likely, but much more serious T-bone accident. If you do consider a harness please be aware they are not all created equal. Very few are crash tested and the worst examples simply tear apart under the massive instantaneous forces exerted in a serious crash.
Ultimately we all know statistics are almost meaningless. The fact that I’ve never seriously damaged a car won’t mean anything if my kid is hurt or killed because I put him in a 993. There’s a balance of risk in a life well-lived and while I think this one is worth it I have no illusions when any family member is in the car. On the other hand, If we were all truly prioritizing safety above all else we’d be communicating on a Volvo forum and the topic would be “Why does a little part of my soul die each time I drive my car?”.
If I wanted a used 911 and absolutely needed the very safest and most practical version, I’d be looking at a 991. In fact, I did look seriously at both 997.2 and 991. Regardless of what you decide you can’t go too wrong as they’re all fun! Good luck on your search, let us know what you buy.
-Mark
04-25-2019, 01:23 AM
#23
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Thanks so much for your great post, Mark! I will definitely update on what I end up with but I am probably going to stick with the 993 goal. You are right that the car seats are not equal and the specific seat suggestions are most helpful 
.
.
04-27-2019, 11:48 PM
#24
Rennlist Member
I am shopping for a 993 C4S (6-speed) and am trying to get an idea of the rear seat comfort for a child (since that will likely affect how much I actually get to use the car). How much space is there for a youngster vs a 997 or 991? It looks like there isn't as much but I'd like to hear from those of you who have 993s what it's actually like. And what modern child seat for a 5 year old actually fits back there. This will be a weekend car but could be for a 2-4 hour weekend trip if comfy enough. Our daughter is 5 and small. I am 5' 8" and my wife is only 5' 0", so the passenger seat can be pretty far forward!
Since the budget is for a 25k mile 993 C4S I could also purchase a really nice manual shift 997.2 or 991--but I really like the air-cooled aspect, classic 911 dash, and the old school "thunk" of the 993 door that seems to be absent later on. Also no depreciation. So I'd prefer a 993...but it might be a factor if the rear seat were substantially more livable in the 997 or 991 with regard to space or ingress/egress. I noticed during research that the 991 has isofix anchors which makes a car seat alot easier...
I have already done the search thing and found the threads on rear seats with 997s and 991s...but not in comparison to 993s or earlier. Couldn't really find much on measurements either. I did find some threads here and elsewhere on 993s but some were really old with car seats used in Britain or no longer manufactured.
Thank you for any advice/wisdom here!
Since the budget is for a 25k mile 993 C4S I could also purchase a really nice manual shift 997.2 or 991--but I really like the air-cooled aspect, classic 911 dash, and the old school "thunk" of the 993 door that seems to be absent later on. Also no depreciation. So I'd prefer a 993...but it might be a factor if the rear seat were substantially more livable in the 997 or 991 with regard to space or ingress/egress. I noticed during research that the 991 has isofix anchors which makes a car seat alot easier...
I have already done the search thing and found the threads on rear seats with 997s and 991s...but not in comparison to 993s or earlier. Couldn't really find much on measurements either. I did find some threads here and elsewhere on 993s but some were really old with car seats used in Britain or no longer manufactured.
Thank you for any advice/wisdom here!
04-27-2019, 11:58 PM
#25
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Super, thank you!!! I may be in Richmond in May or July and will let you know if coming through. Do you have a picture of the seat in the meantime? Doesn't have to be in the car, I just want to get an idea of what one that fits well looks like.
02-02-2022, 08:01 PM
#27
Intermediate
I have this seat for my daughter
https://wayb.com/products/pico-car-s...caApbvEALw_wcB
Best part is its portability and ability to be used on airplanes. My daughter is 3.
https://wayb.com/products/pico-car-s...caApbvEALw_wcB
Best part is its portability and ability to be used on airplanes. My daughter is 3.
03-18-2024, 10:10 AM
#28
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Join Date: Mar 2024
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I have this seat for my daughter
https://wayb.com/products/pico-car-s...caApbvEALw_wcB
Best part is its portability and ability to be used on airplanes. My daughter is 3.
https://wayb.com/products/pico-car-s...caApbvEALw_wcB
Best part is its portability and ability to be used on airplanes. My daughter is 3.
Hi there!
How do you attach the tether? where do you attach that to?
03-18-2024, 07:23 PM
#29
Rennlist Member
Wow! Got a picture? That seems almost impossible to me.
I'd like to think I’ll be able to take my kids (one is 1 yr ok and her brother is due in September) at some point but we are a tall couple- I’m 6’6” and my wife is 5’10” so the front seats are as far back as possible. In fact, I relocated the drivers seat rails back an inch or two when I first got the car so the back of the seat effectively touches the front of the rear seat cushion.
I'd like to think I’ll be able to take my kids (one is 1 yr ok and her brother is due in September) at some point but we are a tall couple- I’m 6’6” and my wife is 5’10” so the front seats are as far back as possible. In fact, I relocated the drivers seat rails back an inch or two when I first got the car so the back of the seat effectively touches the front of the rear seat cushion.
Last edited by RudyP; 03-18-2024 at 07:27 PM.
03-19-2024, 11:16 AM
#30
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Wow - old thread but my kids are now 6 and 4 and we still all fit just fine as a family in the 993 at least for now. I am starting to think about another car for me (out of 'my 7 cars' the 993 and 992 are the only ones with rear seats) that has a little bit more longevity for us as a backup family car as the kids are growing quickly and we probably only have another 2-3 years of 993 utility. I'm thinking E34 M5. Still high on my fun meter but can fit the family for quite a while!
Can you share which car seats did you use when they were little and what do you use now? And, Random question for the public, is the Cabriolet less spacious in the back compared to the coupes?