Steve 96C4S

Rethinking this, I wouldn't go with a 993. The others are right. You need to have a cushion for 2 years as stuff will not be 100% at first.

Enjoy your 964, another fine machine... unless, like many of us, you find that extra $7500 or so for a 993 It may be worth it for you. Can you sell something? Anything?

TRINITONY

There's a nice 964 FS in the classifieds.....

Edward

Neither car is "better" unless specific criteria are included to justify that assertion. Moreover, either car can be modded into what you ultimately want, from weekend crusier to daily driver to track beast. Finally, a 911 is far from "practical" ...it is an enthusiast's car: emotions take precedence.

And so it is on that last note that your decision rests: which car makes you feel more like you've "arrived." That's the car, stick to it, and be patient. Otherwise, you will forever be looking around for greener grass. There's lots to be said about the satisfication of finally arriving at one's passion, be it your dream great car or the perfect spouse (Tiger kept putting on other greens ...but I digress ).

Edward

hddude

If $25k really squeezes you financially you are looking for the wrong car. A $25k 993 is surely overdue for major repairs. Buy a new Prius and save your money for the day you can afford a costly toy.

Quadcammer

Way to make assumptions. Maybe he just set a limit for himself and doesn't want to break it.

To suggest that if he can't afford a nice 993 he should buy a prius is simply asinine.

hddude

Yeah, Mr Asinine, it's a terrible assumption to think someone with a <$25k budget for an auto purchase should rethink buying a 993. Sounds like I hit a nerve of yours. Maybe you're having a nightmare about paying for that SAI fix when it pops up this year or next.

jimq

It must be nice to be as rich as you and
be able to afford a 993. Golly gee. i hope I can some day

race911

Too funny. I thought that comment was tongue-in-cheek. I think the original inquiry regarded wanting a cab. If you need to step down a whole price range, nothing wrong with a well-documented-but-driven 3.2L car. (Which is what happened to me yesterday when I inquired on a car and ended up being pitched an '04 turbo cab............)

In any case, I'd point someone in the direction of a Boxster, Z3/4 or Miata if a 911 was truly out of reach.

vincer77

A 993 to a Prius?

SMehder

Just ran across this car. No affiliation to it.

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/ctd/1574592068.html

Warpig

I did that. Set a limit at 21K for a decent 964. Then found my 993 and spent 28K on... Then another 3K in making it right/better. I didnt want to do it but a little voice in my head made me do it. Sometimes I have no self control. Don't bang head, don't bang head. Damn.

Nick

Steen

I did almost the same. Started out looking for an 87-89 in the $20k range and got talked into a 993 by the guys on that board when I told them what I was looking for... Atlanta heat, semi-daily driver. No regrets at all... and I've been fortunate. My initial investment is all I've had to put into it other than the Stage III's which I didn't really need, but really "needed".

LastMezger

I started out looking at 993s. Drove a few and they really are a more "modern" feeling car IMO than the 964. More top end to the engine is what stood out most for me. One day, however, for no reason I can discern I simply fell in love with the 964's design. I like the idea that it was the bridge car between outdated engineering and truly modern components.

Sure the 993 is the most modern air-cooled Porsche and the last of its kind but I like the idea of the 964 being a "bridge" car. Just happen to love the styling and lowered with an RS alignment I love the way it drives too.

Just as many have posted here. You can get a solid 964 for the budget you've set but not a solid 993. Good luck.

Teuton993

Hey everyone, thanks for all the input so far.
I'm trying to catch up on this thread now, while waiting for a callback from yet another emergency at work. Sorry, but this past week/weekend has been a hellacious marathon at work, and I've been hard pressed to check my personal email, much less read all your great responses.

But I'm here now, so I'm gonna type what I can until I have to leave. Please bear with my verbosity - it's kind of like stream of consciousness writing…
==================================================

I wish I could respond to everyone individually, but there have been so many good replies, I don't see that happening right now. I'll try to post some better responses in the near future. In the meantime...

I posted my original question because I found myself veering from the path I had decided on this past spring - find a decent 993 cab that fell within my car budget ($25K max). Tall order, huh? But not impossible!

Prior to that, I had been looking for anything from a 3.2 liter G50 to a 993 with a manual tranny anywhere in the US. But this became a challenge because I think my criteria were too broad. I was coming across dozens of 911's to investigate every week. And it was difficult to find a decent 993 cab for $25K or less. I did find 3 nice 993's cabs for about $25K in the past 5 months, but they all sold quickly. One of them even had a new engine with less than 1000 miles on it, but needed new front seats. (It was on the west coast, and since I was a few weeks out from a planned trip to the west coast, I decided to wait until then to go see it - missed it by a week.) So in my recent (and limited!) experience, I believe you can find a decent 993 for $25K, but as several, more experienced, folks have noted, you have to look hard, move quickly, and you may likely have to spend a little more money to make it real nice.

Oh, just for information's sake - in case anyone's even reading this far - I did almost buy a '95 cab in Georgia for $22K, but the PPI indicated that it would need about $8,000+ worth of work to get it into good shape. That supports the argument of many here - spend $30K+ up front to get a good car. This is likely the best advice I've gotten so far.

Anyway, these 993 deals were few and far between, and in the meantime, I was still getting leads on the '87-'89 3.2's and the 964's. So the thrill of the hunt began losing it's adrenaline rush. It was turning into a car buying research fest and I began to drift on an ocean of JPEG's, Carfaxes, Autocheck's, search emails, seller emails, PPI's, car descriptions, and URL's. Information overload!

Then a 964 came along that was for sale nearby and was nearly everything I wanted in a 993, except it was higher miles (96K), but for less money ($22K). I began to waver from my 993 path. Should I? Shouldn't I? Will I be happy? Why do I even care so much whether it's a 993 or not? Stop whining and buy it! My job had high demands of me and distracted me, but I continued to contemplate my dilemma. Then I thought of rennlist and I knew I could count on you guys to help me out of my quandary...


Just after I started this thread, 4 more 993 leads came in and pulled me back from that 964. They were all nice cars, but 1 sold within a week (for $24,500, by the way!), another went off the market (buyer is not sure he wants to sell now), and the last 2 are much farther away and difficult to go see. So, I'm working on these leads, but I was still curious to know why someone would choose a 993 over a 964 or vice versa (or a 3.2 G50, for that matter). So I updated my original question and here we are.

I think the first few responses to this post restored me to my path - find a 993 cab - but I still wanted to hear opinions and research on the 964-993 comparison. As for the dilemma, I believe I was trying to be logical and use common sense to make a decision about something that's inherently visceral. I was trying to be practical. God help me, how can I buy any Porsche and be practical at the same time? Impossible! As has been pointed out, we all know that emotion (a woody?) is what makes someone buy a Porsche, not common sense and practicality. So I'm back to listening to my heart (and my "woody") and leaving "practical" to govern the act of purchasing one.

On that note, I have to leave. More to follow...
Thanks!
Bill

Edward

Exactly, Bill! Follow your passion (and listen to that other part ) ...nothing is practical about a 911. It is a dream car for most, and so passions trump features and specs ...otherwise one is doomed to trying to explain any purchase that isn't a new Porsche! Once you've decided, then keep your head and utilize all those practical skills and choose the best car.

...and as per Forum Conditions and Bylaws, you are required to post your victory, replete with pictures

Edward