JimB

I hate to bring this up and I'm not trying to pick a fight with my 993 friends but you really should look at a 996 cab. I've owned both and the 996 is a pretty significant improvement. The chassis is a lot stiffer and the top is much easier to live with. The biggest difference being not having to deal with a boot. You can put the top up and down in a few seconds.

I liked the looks of my 993 better but not by much. You can actually make a 996 look pretty good.

Again, not trying to start an argument, just another car to think about for about the same money.

2nd993

JimB that might not be a bad recommendation here. What's the rpice spread these days between a 993 Cab and the 996 w/ similar miles?

rmani

actually I was looking at 996s for a while because value-wise they seem much better. Newer car, even cheaper than a 993, plus as you said there's no boot to deal with. I can't get over the extreme narrow body look however. I either want a 993 or a 997, the 996 has always been a sore topic for me (exception being c4s or turbo, and I don't want awd and can't afford a turbo). I had the opportunity to drive my friends 996 c4s cabrio and it was so much fun to drive that's what really got me on this porsche cabrio bug. I was always a hardtop guy but driving his car around was very cool, the fact that i'm young (relatively) I think makes it even cooler.

993Maineiac

Given the use you plan the cab should be fine. It is either you are a cab person or not-there does not seem to be a middle ground. Well, OK, Targa but that is another story. Mine is lowered with stiffer suspension and a strut tower bar and is pretty stiff for street use. I have AutoX'd it and the difficulty was more the nut attached to the wheel then the car.

Al

ljugete

Go for the 993 Cab. it definately is the most exotic looking 911 ever made, IMHO!

JimB

rmani,
You do realize I'm sure that the 996 is almost two inches wider than the 993. The rear track is actually more than two inches greater. Granted the 993's bulgy fenders and short length make it look wider from some angles. I guess it’s a trade off between the short, muscular look of the air cooled cars and the low, wide, sleek look of the newer cars. I'm a racer and a race fan and for me the beautiful 996/997 cup cars and RSRs have redefined 911s for me. I fully respect the opinion of others that still prefer the more traditional body style.

Anyway, good luck in your search. It’s pretty hard to go wrong with any of these cars.
Jim

Tom W

I think 993 cab's are just fine at 80k miles. Mine has 82k on it (bought in '01 with 19k). Is it a coupe? No. Is it in anyway deficient in handling or performance? No. I've had mine on the track and it functions just fine for DE and autocross.

rmani

yeah it's more just the look that the 993 and 997 have. however they styled the car the rear fenders bulging out really hits a sweet spot with me. the 996 reminds me in many ways of the 964. I don't really like the regular cars but the widebody models I love. just personal preference is all i know the 996 is a better overall car than the 993, but since i'm not a professional driver how proficient the car is on the track doesn't mean much for me. i enjoy driving my cars as much as i do looking at them.

LAT

FWIW, the rear track is actually 56mm or 2.2" wider on the narrow body 996 however the Turbos are another story as the 996TT is only 24mm or 1.0" wider than a 993TT and nowhere as sexy.

JimB

You should find a nice 993 cab and enjoy it. Like I said before. It's hard to go wrong.

Can't argue with that. Turbos are way too heavy for my taste but the 993TT is one gorgeous car.

isell188

I too am looking to get into a 993 and prefer the look of the cab. I used to own a 1992 c4 coupe, and I liked it a lot, but I like the look of the cab. my concern is that I live in Pennsylvania, and only have a one car garage, that I could keep the car in most of the time, but I would mainly leave it outside since i hope to use it as a daily driver. I know that the tops they use are high quality and should be pretty durable if left outside. Am I correct in this thinking?

thanks,
Rob

C4 NLW

I have had both the cabriolet and the targa. I very muich enjoyed the cabrio and the whole experience of roof down driving with that loud Flat 6 booming away. It did have some leaks and the top itself was not always reliable, it would sometimes not lock properly as far as the electronic side of things was concerned and this would leave an annoying red light glowing on the dash. I also had a couple of times when it stopped operation half way through and would not close at all. The other thing to keep in mind is that you should only open/close the top on level ground as if you open it with your wheels up on a curb it can cause the top to misalign as it goes up and you run the risk of breaking one of the cables that raise and lower it, ask me how I know.

The Targa I totally love. It's a good compromise between the coupe and the cab. The full glass roof experience is really very refreshing. I'm happy I've owned both, if you tied me to a chair and forced me to choose which I preferred I would go with the Targa.