4dRennwagen

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!

rk-d

My daughter is 8 and is on the taller side of average. She normally sits in a booster and did so in my previous 991. As it turns out, she doesn’t need a booster in the 993 and fits perfectly back there. She prefers the 993 to the 991 back seat. As small as these cars are, the usability of the back seats is surprisingly good.

Apparently there are car seats that work with the 993, but I don’t know anything about it.

If your wife is 5’0”, I’m pretty sure she could fit in the back seat as well.

badabing

I don't have kids and I never owned a 997 or 991. I've had my 993 for 23 years.

Back then I used to take it when I went out with my friend and our dates fit in the back. They were a bit older than 5 years lol.

Get the 993. Im sure there is a baby seat solution and when she's 17 you'll be able to pay for a significant portion of her college education with it lol. Can't say that about 997 or 991.

Here's a thread from a few years ago that give some recommendations on child seats that fit the 993.

https://rennlist.com/forums/993-foru...-4yr-olds.html

993Mpls

I've been carting my daughter around in my 993 for 5 years, since she was 2. I had some sort of 5-point harness car seat back there for a couple years, which I attached to the hidden rear anchor point behind the back rest, and two racing harness anchors attached to the seat belt anchor points. Now she's just in a standard booster seat. I bought a Porsche-brand one off RL a few years ago, and it fits pretty well. I don't have a recommendation for what brand and model seat to buy, but I'm sure there's one out there. I had a piece of foam cut to help make the 5-pt seat fit better, so you might need to do something like that to make the seat fit better. Take some measurements, and take your kid to the store and you'll find something.

I can't imagine there's much difference in livability in the back seat between the models. I think they're all equally un/livable depending on how big the person is.

Good luck with your decision and search!

993pbug

My son is 15, 5'- 10", 155lbs and has no issue climbing in back for a ride. The passenger seat always has another passenger in it so it's not pulled fully forward either. While he obviously doesn't need a car seat, I can't comment on the benefit of anchor points but have seen the mounting of them discussed previously so it can be done adequately.

RudyP

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.

Onami

My kids starting to complain about being cramped in the 993 at around 12 years old.

993Mpls

Parents of older kids - the one drawback I see is that the seatback is so low that there's no headrest for their heads to hit should an accident (rear-end collision or front-end). I'm glad my daughter can still fit in the booster for one more year. Is the low seatback a concern or am I over thinking things?

rk-d

I don’t have to deal with this yet but I know what you mean. That said, I think that if you get in a collision in the 993 there are a lot of things to worry about. Frankly, as much as I love the car, it feels like it will crumple like tissue paper compared to modern cars.

Railmaster.

Never date ladies that don't fit in the 993 back seat!

goofballdeluxe

Don't buy any 911 for the back seat; none are great and all are about the same

Neuro

In addition to concerns about fitment. Do you all have safety concerns. I have heard these cars are solid and did as well as suv in the same time period. However do they hold up to modern Porsche backseats in terms of safety. I have been using a Porsche junior booster seat for my 5 year old with extra long seat belts. It’s secured by a seat belt and not anchored to the car body.

wesr

I’ve owned a 997.1 and currently have a 993. Definitely more backseat room in the 997 as it’s a bigger 911 though it’s all relative. As already pointed out you don’t buy these cars for the rear seat function.

I found the 997 to be a bit more comfortable to drive (newer and heavier) and it obviously has more power than the 993. Liked the 997 but never loved it. The 993 is my favorite - perfect blend of vintage air-cooled and modern comforts.

I’ve test driven a 991 and it’s a wonderful car but just didn’t excite me. Comfortable? Very.

Really suggest driving them all and with your wife and daughter if they are weighing in. You’ll get the information you need that no search will turn up.

One final comment on the safety of the 997 - my wife and I were rear ended at 25-30mph and the thing was a tank. Damaged the rear bumper, exhaust system, and related components/brackets but no engine damage. Very impressed at how well built these cars are.

993pbug

I’m traveling on business this week but will get one this weekend when back. I wouldn’t want him to ride back there for a long trip as it obviously wouldn’t be exactly comfortable and safety certainly would be in question!

4dRennwagen

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?