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For what its worth, my 993 is considerably more reliable and durable than my 997. 993’s are probably the last cars designed and built to last forever.
When you buy an older car, it’s inevitable there will be some sorting out, and its rarely cheap. Once resolved, air cooled cars are pretty reasonable to maintain.
Awesome. And glad to get the POV from another person who has both! Thank you.
Cannot be further from the truth. Have you worked on M96/97/9A1 cars? They are much easier to perform basic maintenance tasks.
Yes, pads, rotors, oil and filters may be similar in effort or in the case of an oil change easier on a 996-on-forward vehicle.
Here is what I am familiar with:
Replacing an alternator, yes much easier on a 996 on car especially when just replacing the diod & brushes. The diods & brushes seem to fail a lot.
Replacing the coolant reservoir, a known issue is a pain in the butt.
Replacing the battery/starter cable, a well-known failure item is a lot of work and its replacement suffers from the same shortcomings ensuring a revisit in the future.
Just changing the coolant can be quite a dance to get all the air out of the system. Yes, the factory says the coolant is a life-of-the-vehicle item, only true if the system never leaks, but they all eventually do.
The door latch mechanism is known to fail a replacement of this complex piece of engineering involves a very expensive part.
The radio head is an expensive item as well.
Seeing the above on a relatively low miles vehicle sours one quickly on a DIY approach to ownership raising the cost to own.
^ so alternator failure, coolant leaks and door latch failure are common on low mileage cars? Please.. as if 993s don't suffer from oil leaks, alternator and door latch failures.. My 996 MK1 aero owned from 62-106K miles and kept in touched with next owner up to 140K was very reliable aside from maintenance. He also DE the high mileage car despite all the forums beat down on the M96 motor.
^ so alternator failure, coolant leaks and door latch failure are common on low mileage cars? Please.. as if 993s don't suffer from oil leaks, alternator and door latch failures.. My 996 MK1 aero owned from 62-106K miles and kept in touched with next owner up to 140K was very reliable aside from maintenance. He also DE the high mileage car despite all the forums beat down on the M96 motor.
Once you get a 993 sorted they are actually very reliable. I am not knocking the water cooled cars, however there is a tremendous difference in the air cooled, hand built cars. The 1999 model cars and newer are much more like any other car. They have generic interiors, they smell generic, sound generic. They are so much less special. That’s not saying they are bad cars, they aren’t. But the air cooled 1998 and older cars are a different breed entirely.
Once you get a 993 sorted they are actually very reliable. I am not knocking the water cooled cars, however there is a tremendous difference in the air cooled, hand built cars. The 1999 model cars and newer are much more like any other car. They have generic interiors, they smell generic, sound generic. They are so much less special. That’s not saying they are bad cars, they aren’t. But the air cooled 1998 and older cars are a different breed entirely.
Agreed. It is very different than saying AC cars are more reliable than water cooled cars. They all have their issues and will cost more than a BMW but cheaper than FIAT to own. AC cars costs more to maintain today due to cost of parts(some are NLA) and experienced shop availability depending on where you live.
Also, if you are in a state without emissions testing (like me), SAI is a total non issue.
Not necessarily. Yes, while owners can still re-register w/o fear of emission fails, carbon build up will, eventually, if left untended to, lead to an engine out repair.
Not necessarily. Yes, while owners can still re-register w/o fear of emission fails, carbon build up will, eventually, if left untended to, lead to an engine out repair.
I’ve never heard of this. Source?
AFAIK plugging the sai passages effects startup emissions only and there is no other effect. OBD1 cars for instance have the same mechanical issue they just don’t throw a code.
Agreed that OBD-1 does not throw a CEL but that doesn't mean excessive carbon build-up will not exist. Am not saying it 100% will but the same issue that plague OBD-II can do so on OBD-1. I was simply speaking to the harmful effects on excessive carbon build up.
Agreed that OBD-1 does not throw a CEL but that doesn't mean excessive carbon build-up will not exist. Am not saying it 100% will but the same issue that plague OBD-II can do so on OBD-1. I was simply speaking to the harmful effects on excessive carbon build up.
This doesn’t build up like a DI engine. I’m not aware of any major issues with carbon in the 993 engine that will impact longevity. Do you have a source you can point to where you are seeing this?
Valve guides are the weak point in the 993 NA motors, all years.
Model Guide: Type 993 — The last air-cooled Porsche
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Article by Tony Callas and Tom Prine
"The worst issue affecting the 993’s naturally aspirated engines was the secondary air injection problem, especially in the On-Board Diagnostics 2 (OBD-2) 1996-98 MY cars caused by valve guide wear. The secondary air injection ports would clog from carbon buildup (burnt engine oil in the exhaust ports from badly leaking exhaust valve guides) and would result in a Check Engine Light (CEL) when the secondary air injection system wasn’t operating. An illuminated CEL prevents owners from being able to pass state-mandated emissions tests."
"All 993 NA cars will eventually have this issue unless the valve guides are replaced (upgraded) to a better quality guide, but it is truly worst for the OBD-2 versions due to the CEL issue. The 1995 993 also has the problem with premature valve guide wear, but because it has the OBD-1 emissions system, it will not set a CEL for secondary air injection failure. However, as the valve guides get worse, the engine doesn’t run as well. The 993 Turbo does not have this issue because Porsche utilized a different, higher quality valve guide material."
To OP I was in similar situation as you back in 2018 I purchased my first 911. Coming from Honda’s/Acura’s, Nissan 240sx, G35, M3.. I’ve always liked tinkering with my cars. After my cousin purchased his 997.1 S, I wanted a 997, but I always lusted after a 993. After a year of owning a 997 c2 as my weekend car, the 993 was always on my mind. I decided to sell and finally get an aircooled.
Both will give you a different driving experience. I just wish I got the 993 from the beginning. Also keep in mind each car you drive will have different setups so depends what you are after. A stock 993 vs a sorted one is a night and day difference. My 993 was completely stock and right away I knew I wanted to change the floaty 4x4 suspension to PSS10 and change the shifter feel with a SSK. Then came wheels, exhaust, seats, going for a lightweight build. The main difference for me with the 997 vs 993 is that the 993 is very mechanical and raw.
Whichever car you decide, you’ll have a nice 911 to enjoy. I’m in NYC also. Message me and might be able to work something out
Last edited by wellcooled; 03-05-2021 at 12:27 AM.
02-25-2021, 06:54 PM
