dmw

I posted this on several boards to get different perspectives.

I have trolled the board for over a year, have sold my 98 M3, and am now actively looking for a 911. I drove a 1988 911 and thought it was slow compared to my M3. I am looking for 1990 and newer because I want something with power closer to (or hopefully greater than) my old M3 and something a little more modern than the older 911s. My target price is close to $20k, but I would go higher for the right car.

I have to say I am very worried about buying a car with a bunch of oil leaks or other problems. My M3 wasn't a Honda, but it sounds like an appliance compared to the 964's I seem to read about. I definitely plan to do a PPI.

So - any suggestions for a new guy? $20k give or take seems to be the price for 964's. The 993's seem to be holding strong in the $30's, although higher mileage 95's are getting into the mid-high $20's. It seems like the higher mileage 996's priced about the same as similar mileage 993's. Is it better to spend a little more and get a newer style with more miles or save a little money and get a 964?

95 C4 993

You will see prices all over the map on 964s and 993s. Take your time and be patient, the right opportunity will come along. As far as which way to go on a 993 or 964, thats personal preference. The 993 board will probably say 993, the 964 will say 964.

If your shopping, heres a good link

http://www.rallystuff.com/pcar_sources.html

dmw

I have been looking around at 964's and with around 75k miles they seem to go for around $25k, give or take. But then I see 1995 993's with 100k miles are going for around the same price. All things being equal, I'd rather have a 993 based on looks alone. Anybody care to comment on going with a high mileage 993?

rkass

It's all in the maintenance. The body and motor are sound, valve guides are biggest issue for higher mileage 993, but with proper maintenance your 993 (and probably 964) will last a long time. These cars are well built but will require and avg of 1,000 a year to maintain assuming 12k of annual mileage. Good luck with search, will tell you that you won't get sick of driving car so money spent is well worth it.

dmw

I think I found a 1995 Guards Red C2 w/ 77,000 miles w/ manual. What's a good price and what things should I be looking out for? Thanks

six gun

For what it's worth, if you a new to the breed, take somone with you who knows the cars. Even if you have to pay them-- IT'S WORTH IT!!!

dmw

My reality is that 99% of the cars I will be considering are not local. The cars are on the coasts and down south. I am going to have to probably rely on helpful Rennlist people to check out any cars or rely on lots of pictures and a PPI.

InTheAir

There is a map in my signature showing the location of a bunch of 993 owners/Rennlist Members who would probably be willing to help. Just be sure to click "show all members" in the lower right corner of the map.

95 C4 993

A rough range would be $27k-$36k-all depends the condition and mechanics. What to watch out for? Take it in and get a PPI.

endodoc

body is most important - the rest can be fixed , this board is biased toward mechanicals ,,, important but can be fixed for cash down the road .. i bought a speedster for $850 in 78 and put 18k into it .. probably worth close to 100k. my 98 cab is the most fun car i've had out of maybe 100 cars ....

tshih

Bruce Andersen said to buy the newest one you can afford and expect to put $10-20K into the used 993 to make it as good as new. So your budget is not enough to get a good 993. I would try to find a 964 for around $17K and have about $5000 set aside for immediate repairs for some major issues that will crop up in a 964 with about 100K miles of wear and tear. You can always look for a pre-1990 911 with a 3.6 transplanted for the punch you're looking for without the added complexities of the "modern 911's".

chris walrod

I read that article and feel that, in some cases, yes, by all means these cars are expensive to make perfect. Buuuuuuut, in the case of my 993 that is for sale, it needs absolutely nothing. I have put a lot of love into it, but not a whole lot of money, in fact, all of the money I spent on it was for upgrades and such.
Also, I do realize my car may be somewhat of an exception.

I have driven and worked on a lot of 993's and found areas in a lot of them that do in fact need attention, or just had a lot of attention payed to it I find its mostly based upon the threshold of the owner and what he/she feels is a well sorted car.

targa pho

Pick the body style that you love and go for it. I owned a 993 for 6 years and other than regular service, it never cost me a dime. Yep, they are not cheap to run but the performance isn't like a Toyota's either. If you have ever had a really hot girlfriend compared to the girl next door, which one cost you more money to run with? Well, you get the picture. Good luck in your hunt.

dmw

Headed to Dallas Saturday morning to pick up a 1995 red with grey 993 w/ 72k miles.

chris walrod

Cool deal! Congrats!!