Dan V

An evaluation of 964 v 993 wouldn't be complete without checking the used car listings of "Dodge of Naperville", the tri-county area's leading authority on air-cooled Porsches.

chancecasey

993's suck. 964's rule. nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah

Seriously, I believe in the market on this one. Aesthetics aside, the 993 is obviously "better" for anyone except someone with a superior "palate" and a soft spot in their heart for the 964 for some obscure reason - like vintage wines. However, for me personally, the "betterness" is exactly offset by the increase in price. If you are neutral on aesthetics (or biased toward the 993) and have the scratch, get the 993.

Me personally, I'm slightly biased toward the 964. Not perfectly so, but more classic lines ( I just don't like the slanty headlights/fenders of the 993 - but oddly enough the 993 does have a sweeter a$$). And it was more in-line with my budget - very important when you're working for a living. I also like the fact that it was more "hand built" even if it's for the worse. When did they start using plastic valve covers?

If and when I get another one, I will likely go even farther back.

cabrio993

Well...at least you don't have to adjust the valves every so often as you do on the 964's. So I guess you save that maintenance service cost.

cabrio993

jackb911

I've owned both. Dynamically the 964 and 993 drive VERY similarly. Much more so than most 993 owners want to admit.

964 advantages: price, the last classic 911 body, less complex OBD I diagnostics (also on '95 993), somewhat easier to work on (oil changes).

993 advantages: a bit more power, six-speed trans, better resale value, it was the last of Ferry's air-cooled Porsches, and best of all..NO VALVE ADJUSTMENTS!

ceboyd

Isn't the RS America a 3.8???


I honestly don't know enough about the 964 line but I thought they were the 3.8 in the RS America (which is a nice plus IMHO)... and resale value on the RS America seems to be above most 95 and 96 NA 993s

ZombiePorsche44

I agree to a point but, I find the 993 to be just a bit more refined and comfortable near the outside of the envelope when compared to my 964.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have an RS America to keep my 993 company but for me it was choose one or the other and my choice is obvious.

Let's face it, "almost" any Porsche is better than 99% of what other cars offer out there

ZP44

ZombiePorsche44

3.6L

H964

i dont believe some of you here just believe that 993s are better than 964s.
993s are modern beauties
964s are timeless beauties
as a far as power, 993s are not faster, only a bit smoother, but my previous 91 964 with a chip exhaust and CAI was quicker than a 96 993 with 60k miles
so at the end it comes dowm to which car fits your personality and desire.
i love the c2s , but a a wide body 964 will make you forget about it.
964s are great value for the money, but in the last year, their prices have goone up a bit , since its become very hard to find good examples. 993s are all over the market and their prices have been coming down because of 996's prices.
if you think 993s are better than 964s , then 996s are better than 993s....
when you insult 964s , you are actually insulting all the pre 94 911s.
the 964 is the modern 911 with the timeless design that carried porsche since they created 911s, and a monkey in the jungle will tell you thats a porsche.

its amazing how these cars grow on you, and here we are profesionals debating whose car is better. we need to get a life
MY ADVISE , DONT BUY A PORSCHE , you will end up like us

Andy Roe

An RSA uses the same 3.6 engine as the rest of the 964's. It's a rare car - hence the higher value.

For me, the price difference between the 964 & 993 says it all. Why spend so much more to get 993 when you can have a 964 that's 95% the same for less $$? Spend the cost difference on making the 964 better & then sit back and enjoy the better looks of the 964!!!

JasonAndreas

It's a wash, the 964 has the $300 valve adjustment tax every 15k miles and the 993 has hydraulic valve adjusters that start to fail at 60-90k miles/6-8 years which ends up costing about the same to repair as 3-4 valve adjustments. 993 oil changes are more expensive and all USA/CAN MY96+ will have SAI failures. The service costs for both models ends being about the same or maybe even slightly in the 964s favor.

ceboyd

it would seem the 95 993 is the cheapest to own (no SAI CEL issues) and OBD1 less trouble to deal with... ....and the 95 is easier to supercharge without the varioram junk in the way


...but I love my 96 just the same and admire the RS America whenever I see it

cabrio993

I see your point but according to your math :

on a 964:
90K miles = six 15K miles valve adjustments @ $300 each = $1800

on a 993:
90K miles = replace hydraulic valve adjusters (if required). I doubt that this will run up to $1800 to do.

Also, you say the all MY96+ "WILL" have SAI failures...that is not a fact. some will, but not all.

ceboyd

my 96 has never had an SAI failure (hope it won't in the future too anyway)

I'm far from 90k miles.. how would I know when I need to 'replace hydraulic valve adjusters'?


BTW: I think ultimately it's still a 'wash' on cost of ownership when buying a USED 993 vs. a used 964 (excluding the resale on RS America) ... since the cost of entry is cheaper on the 964, the valve adjustment fees eventually bring up the price to what you would have paid for the 993 (along with the other expenses of bringing it up to 993 spec if it hasn't already been done).... maybe the 964 is a bit cheaper overall if all the 993 spec stuff has already been updated and fixed...


I agree with what other's have said that if you like the 964 more, go for it but just know what you might be in for maintenance-wise (as you should also know what you might be in for maintenance-wise on a 993)

Yes the 993 oil change is a PITA but it can be a DIY (just that it's a DIY that takes longer is all) If you don't track your 993 or 964, you really aren't looking at many oil changes per year anyway (at least the 993 doesn't need an oil change every 3k miles or 3 months like normal every-day cars -- not so sure on the 964)


It's a little silly to argue over which is more expensive.. if you get a 911 with problems, you could get a 993 that has more expensive stuff to repair (same goes for the 964).. yadda yadda

Mark in Baltimore

I love my 993, but a 964 Cup car would be a more than adequate substitute.