Scooter92

Anyone here go from an early hot rod to a 993?

Regrets?

Happy?

Advice?

I know they are two different beasts, but can the 993 satisfy or better the fun of a early hot rod?

Would you buy a third car and keep the early hot rod, or buy one 993 and use it for daily driving and weekend fun?

RallyJon

Yup. I miss the no frills, light weight and go-kart handling. But my 993 is my daily driver, and there was no way I could do that in the old 911.

I miss the short gears too.

dsandfort

I went from SC to 964 to 993. The 993 is far and away the best driver and most comfortable but I sure miss the SC. I'd love to have both and will some day.

VNTGSPD

I have been fortunate to keep both so far and here is my take:

If I had to reduce my car expenditure, I would likely keep the '69, sell the 993, and hopefully buy a cheaper car to use daily (under $10K). If I had to choose, either one with no extra car, I would probably still keep the '69 and drive it daily (my commute is only 15 miles/30 minutes each way). The 993 would be the most practical choice though as it is faster, more comfortable, safer, more reliable (but still more $$$ to maintain I think), more...everything (including weight!). Here is my reasoning:

1. The hot rod is so much fun
2. The early cars keep rising in value so if I get rid of mine, I'm afraid I won't be able to replace it down the road, especially with kids getting older, college, etc.
3. The 993 pool is big enough that getting another is always an option

The 993 is a very strong argument though and if my commute was longer, I lived where whether was harsh, or I left the car unattended in questionable areas, the 993 would win hands down because it truly is more capable with better HVAC, security, NVH, etc.

In my opinion, the 993 can't better the fun of an early hot rod, but properly modified I have no doubt it could fill the void. This is obviously a highly subjective area and my opinion is worth what you just paid for it.

Scooter92

I've gone from an '84 Carrera to a '92 964 to a '70 911 hot rod. They are all different and fun in their own way. The 964 was the best all-purpose 911. I am considering an M3 for daily driving and the early car for fun on the weekends, but three cars may not be the best option. I am thinking that a 993 may satisfy both needs in one car. Will I get used to the 993 and the early car urge will wane?

RallyJon

I think what's most amazing--at least in my opinion--is the extent to which a 993 is similar to an old longhood. The 993 is the newest car you can own and still capture a large amount of what makes those old cars so special.

mrsullivan

i may be going the opposite direction... with a daily driver, my Porsche is all about weekend fun.. while the 993 has filled that bill, i cant help but think about how much fun an early 911 conversion to RS/RSR with 3.6 varioram or even just factory S car would be...

VNTGSPD

Well said. But then I tend to agree with RallyJon alot.

Scooter92

Does this mean I may be ok with a 993?

Svaha

How refined an experience is your desire?

RallyJon

Yes you may.

Really got to drive a few of them and see for yourself. Here are a few memories of my first ever 993 test drive from an e-mail I sent my wife. Some exaggerations, of course.

- feels really heavy
- steering weight and feel is great for power steering
- there is no torque whatsoever until 5000 rpm
- 2nd gear feels like 3rd, and 3rd feels like 5th. No gears where 2nd and 4th should be
- brakes are amazing--rock solid pedal and slows down hard and straight
- seats are pretty bad, nowhere near as supportive as older 911 sport seats

Scooter92

I have driven several 993's. I pretty much agree with your assessment RallyJon. Here is what I felt:

- feels more substantial
- power is much more linear...less responsive, but gets up to speed quickly
- high speed carving is much more stable
- varioram seems to have more lower-end torque
- brakes are very strong
- ride is much more refined
- easier to drive
- seems to be ok as a daily driver
- steering on a C4 is still lively

NP993

I just went from a 2,200-pound 911 street/track car with 46mm PMO's, 250+ horsepower, and short gears -- to a varioram 993. Everything Jon says above is true.

IMHO, the 993 is a wonderful daily driver and succeeds in capturing some of the experience of driving an earlier 911. But it's heavy, the gearing is too tall, there is ZERO throttle response, and it's frankly a pretty slow car -- it's powerful, but it's not quick or nimble, if that makes any sense. A 993 is really more of a fast luxury cruiser than a sports car. That said, I now have a 6th gear for the highway, a quiet interior, and functional air conditioning and heat. And the coilovers really are so much better than torsion bars. You can't get everything in a car, and the 993 almost manages to strike a satisfactory balance between a car that you can live with as a daily driver and a car that's a fast and fun sports car. I think once I get a few hundred pounds out of mine, I'll be a lot happier with it.

Scooter92

So Noah, do you feel like you made a mistake? Or, do you think a 993 will work once you have made a few more mods?

PS: my early hotrod is very similar to what yours was.

NP993

Scooter, I really love my 993. I picked it up less than a week ago and have put almost 1000 miles on it. The PO had a top end rebuild and full tune-up done and had PSS9's installed, all within a year before I bought it. It neither burns nor leaks oil. It's got 85K on the odo and I paid under $30K for it, so I got a great deal to boot.

I'm really spoiled by the joys of a carbureted, lightweight 911. Wiggle your toes on the throttle, and the car jumps forward. I love that knife-edge response. Throttle response in the 993 actually is slower than on a CIS 911 (unless something is wrong with my car). It really takes a long time for the engine to decide that it's time to start accelerating. But I'm going to cure that, I hope, with a lightweight flywheel and RS clutch. And I have Fabspeed cat bypasses coming to me soon (thanks Martin S!). I'll do a few other things to drop some weight, but nothing radical. The 993's porkiness is, IMHO, the car's biggest weakness. And it's a problem that can be addressed.

Getting a 993 was no mistake. My old 911 just plain wore me out, in harshness, wind noise, exhaust noise, lack of AC, and all the rest. A lot of that is my own fault, because I modified it so much for the track. With the 993, it's nice to have a 911 that doesn't require constant maintenance, and that isn't a no-compromises car. I like its luxuriousness. At 29 I'm just too damned old for bare-bones sports cars.