I would definitely suggest going ahead with the best cared-for 993 (or 964, 3.2 Carrera or 3.0 SC) you can find that fits in your budget.

I just turned 37 today. First 911 I bought was at age 22, didn't know **** about driving, but knew exactly what sports car was right for me. And it feels like yesterday - what an amazing 15 years of ownership pleasure and growth as a driver.

The point is, life moves quickly. If you in any way regret moving ahead, buying a really top-quality example should allow you to sell it in a few years with minor depreciation, if any. If you love sports cars, and love to learn, it will be the best purchase you ever make. Seriously.

Hang around here for a bit, read all posts, including those in the 911, 964 and DE forums. You will quickly discern the right model for you, understand why, and learn how and where to buy one.

Good luck.

Matt

 

I'm not telling you anything you don't already know...You're having a case of mid-life crisis. Nothing wrong with that. Obviously, you have good taste since you're contemplating a 993. They are the best of breed, a blend of the best from the past with creature comforts of the present....the last of the air-cooled. Do it! It's kinda like the guy on his death-bed saying, "Gee, I wish I'd spent more time at the office". Recommendations: 1) Look at as many as possible before buying one. 2) Visit P-Car shops, ask questions and learn because knowledge is power. 3) Don't compromise. Once you know what you want (year, color, options, mileage, price range, etc.), stay the course 'til you find it. Best of Luck!

 

Corrected ir for you

To the OP:
- you don't need to be a mechanic to own a Porsche
- you don't need to be a champion driver to drive a Porsche - but the more you will drive it the more you may improve. Track time / DE recommended. Instructors do help, racing is not required...
- you chose the right car.The 993 is a good compromise: age vs. technology vs. performance vs. price vs. reliability vs. comfort vs. practicality vs. depreciability, etc., and above all it looks gorgeous and driving it will make you smile.
- listen to all on this forum: they know, they have faced the same decisions (sometimes) and they can help you choose the car, decide if a particular car is at the right price and looks right (PPI is a must). They can help you with any maintenance issue. They can even counsel you with your life problems if you go to OT
Good luck
You won't regret it

 

If a Porsche is the car you have been drooling over for thirty years I would suggest you step up to the plate and buy one.

Much like yourself I learned a great deal from this forum prior to purchasing my car. But you must remember the premise of this forum is to help people with diagnosing and repairing their cars. Many are DIY'ers and others just take their car to the mechanic. The problem with the forum is that someone searching for a car will begin to think that the car they purchase will have all of the problems people enquire about on the 993 forum. It simply doesn't happen.

As these cars can be over fifteen years old now things can, and will, go wrong with them. I've had mine for three years and probably spend about $800 per year, mostly just routine maintenace. Most people would say they are bullet proof and I would agree. A top end rebuild can be $5-6k but that is one expense that you will see coming in advance if your oil consumption starts to creep up over time. You would have time to save up for that repair if it was actually ever needed. There are people on this forum that had top end rebuilds with less than 60K miles. Others have gone over 250K without a rebuild.

It is good that there are lots of Porsche dealerships in proximity to where you live but you might find that there will be good independent mechanics in the area that are much cheaper. If you are not mechanically inclined Rennlist can at least aid you with diagnosing car problems so when you go to the mechanic for a repair you should have some idea of what the parts/repairs should cost.

I wouldn't worry about being able to handle the car. A few test drives of various models of Porsches will probably give you an idea of how they handle. There is a definite learning curve with driving these cars if you have never driven one. If you drive it as a regular car it is really no different than any other car. If you want to learn to drive more aggressively you can join the PCA and take it out to a DE event where you drive the car on a track with a driving instructor.

As far as your age is concerned if you purchase a car, join the PCA and go to some of their events you might find yourself being one of the younger people present. I waited until I was 57 to purchase mine and now regret that I didn't purchase one at an earlier age.

Best of luck should you decide to purchase a 993!

 

my first manual car, and first sportscar, was a 3.6L swapped 911SC track car it's a tough learning curve but you'll do fine, take it easy.
the rationale from club members was that if i learn on that car and master it, any other sportscar will be a breeze

 

I refer to my C4S as my mid life REWARD car! At 49 years old, mortage paid off-credit card debt gone(well both were before the car and various home projects to make addtional room for it)it was time to reward myself.

Make sure your wearing comfortable shoes...cause your gonna jump in with both feet.

 

Get a 993.

There is plenty of information here and at Pcarworkshop.com to educate yourself about the common maintenance and failure items. Look at as many cars as possible and pay for a PPI when you find the one you want. This will alert you to any issues and will help you steer clear of a car with delayed maintenance that will be costly to correct. Once you have the car join your local PCA and go to their drive education events. That's pretty much all there is to it.

The risk you are worried about is minimal.

 

I say go for it!

I bought my 993 at a relatively young age (I was 28 at the time) and was extremely worried about my ability to maintain it. I saw one post where a guy put away about $300 a month into an account used solely for repairing his car, figured I could swing that and have been doing it for the past six years. I currently have more than $4000 in the account and would probably have a bunch more if I wasn't buying mods and race tires with the money on top of routine maintainence costs or if I was actually doing any of the work myself (I did install rear rotors and pads once and it was surprisingly easy). My point is that the 993 is a fairly reliable car which is affordable to drive given the relatively low depreciation (i.e., a new Civic will never go to the shop, but may lose about $200/mo. in value each month you drive it).

As for being able to drive it, I found the car relatively easy to drive once I got used to the whole engine behind the rear axle thing. In fact, the first time I drove a 993 was at a local autocross- I got the fastest time of the day out of 70 cars! All by way of saying you'll be used to it in no time. In fact, like many members of this board, I wish my car had more power!

Don't let the dream slip away. The most important advice I would give a prospective 993 owner is to take your time and wait for the right car. Very nice 993s come up for sale on this board from time to time, so I encourage you to keep your eyes peeled here as well as the typical places (autotrader, cars.com, craiglist, eBay). The more you post and ask questions here, the more people will know you are looking for a car and the quicker the process will be. That said, the search is half the fun!

Good luck to you!

 

if you are concerned about the "driving" part of a 993 I assume you are referring to the "performance driving" aspect... otherwise it's just another car. 4 wheels, one steering wheel... etc.
Just much cooler.
There is the whole massive-weight-hanging-off-the-rear-thing (as Brandon mentioned) but that really only comes into play when pushing the car

As for the perf driving aspect and getting to know the car, sign up for a DE and have fun!

 

I also say go for it.
My first was a 911T with carbs. That was a ***** to work on because it took a guru to get it tuned everytime. The SC was a blast and cost nothing to run for two years. Ultra relaible and bullet proof.
Skip forward 5 cars and I'm at the pinnacle of car nirvana. A 993, as long as the basic maintenance is done, Oil, filters etc, it will be more of a companion. Like an old dog if you like. Trustworthy and always eager to please. Easy to drive as well.
I don't care what the resale is either. I will worry about that if I ever lose my marbles and sell it for some reason.
LIFE IS NOT A DRESS REHEARSAL.

 

Oh, really? Not in my experience. Cabs are worth a few thousand more than the coupes, just as they were thousands more when they were new.

To the original poster, go drive a few, that will tell you what you need to know.

 

+1

 

Best advice, is go & DRIVE ONE! Deseide if it's for you. If it is, you will "get it" & want to purchase one.