camlob

Its been a month since I drove a 964. I was really impressed with the lightness and agility of the car. But the poor AC, condition of the interior and steep asking price made me look for other options. After much searching here in RL, I decided to go for a 993.

Coming from a E39 M5 background(just sold the car last week), I was worried about the lack of hp that the 964 or the 993 would produce. Nevertheless, I was still impressed with the agility of the 964. Last week, I took my M5 to the track, and behold, it felt like a boat. BTW, it had stiffer lowering springs and adj Koni yellow sports dialed to full hard! 1,750 kilos is no joke.

The car I placed a deposit on is a 1994 C2 Euro model and its from Japan. I have attached some pics. I have some questions. Does the stock ride height look ROW? My research shows that US models had a much higher height(SUV) due to regulations.

The car is arriving in three weeks max. I have the option to unwind the deal if the car does not come up to my spec. That is also the reason I have contacted some members here since their cars were on the market. No PPI in this case.

I have bought already HRE wheels and ordered H&R springs and bilstein HDs.

Pls give your inputs on the 993. So I can carefully examine the car more stringently.

Here is a pic of my M5.



And of the 993.

Macca

Hi Camlob. Welcome and I can help....

Firstly. Good taste. I have both 1994 993 6spd ROW and also 2000 e39 M5. Love both. Different cars for different uses but both brilliant in their designated function....

Japanese 993 are more or less ROW spec. They have smog gear for Japan which is simialr to the states but the front and rear bumpers and ride height are same as for ROW. This means they are a ood starting point for your project. You may want to also consider buying a factory high stop light kit as this car doesnt have the basket hndle or high stop. This means its a very early car and likely a late 1993 production 993. If you have the VIN please provide the last 5 digits and I will tell you.....

Other items during your upgrade to consider are: clear front and red back corner lights. A new hear lever and handbrake as the ones in this car are quite worn (correct me if I am wrong but my guess is this car has done approx 100k km?). Head unit is an ugly thing - probably update with something black and more appropriate....

I am curious as to what you wone this car at auction for. If you are enclined please PM me as if the pricing in Japan is reasonable it would be a good place to shop for a race car project base vehicle....

I hope this all helps.

Cheers
M

wisky

Congrats on your purchase! Im guessing by your plate on the E39 M5 you are from the Philippines, I have a lot of family in Cebu City myself.

I currently own an E39 M5 myself and even with Dinan Stage 1 suspension its hard for me to get over how heavy the car feels and I have been thinking of making the same switch you did. Good luck with your 993!

Macca

Fair call but you must remember the e39 M5 fees heavy beacuse it is heavy. If you put is side by side with a 993 the 993 looks like a mini.

Infact my appreciation of how well set up and nicely experience was probably the reverse of yours - I already had a well sorted, highly modifiedlightened and more powerful (than factory) 993 when I added the M5 to the fleet and I was actually very suprised at how well sorted the M5 was for such a big, practical and spacious car.

I think BMW will have a hard job trying to match the e39 M5 in future iterations of the M5. I know for colleagues who went to the V10 they were very dissapointed and most preferred teh earlier, 6spd generation. Will be interesting if they start shedding weight when they go V8 turbo....

Cheers
M

TxnBluDvl

Am I the only person that wants to know the story behind the interior shot with the person in the driver's seat, covered by a neon green sheet?

camlob

Macca. The car was won by the importer who is a paid member of the auction. I dont have a clue how much it actually cost. But it came out cheaper by roughly usd8k than similar cars.

Your thread was one of the threads that inspired me! The M5 is good for nice long winding roads, like sweepers and straights. I tuned her to 430hp!

Txnbldvl, The guy in the car is just a driver for the auction.

Wsky. Make the move! I too had cold feet since the v8 was so nice! But the handling and pureness of the Porsche is something to crave for. For the short time I drove the 964 it gave me a sensation that I would want one.

autobonrun

The mistake would be trying to compare the cars on any level. The engineers had totally different design goals in mind. Each does what it was designed to do. I take my M5 on the track as well. It's not a 993 but on the other hand it's almost perfectly balanced. The secret to driving the M5 on the track is removing DSC. If you take advantage of the balance by letting the tail hang out, then it's more fun. But it will never be a Porsche on the twisties. If you want the power of the M5 with the handling of the NA 993 then get a turbo 993. Otherwise, when in the NA 993 you'll miss the M5 torque. When in the M5, you'll miss the handling of the Porsche. I have both and have learned to appreciate each. Personally, I think the NA 993 has plenty of power and speed. With the turbo, you just reach the go to jail point a few seconds sooner.

As to your question regarding the stance of the 993 in the photo. It looks high for ROW. I assume it looks a little high to you as well.

Macca

Hi Camlob. Im glad I could help inspire you! You have made a great choice :-).

autobonrun - your assessment is perfect! Agree 100%. They (the NA 993 & M5) do compliment each other beautifully. I think better than mixing a 993TT with a M5 as the subtle nuiances wouldnt be as obvious....

Cheers
M

camlob

autoonron. i didnt have ds off but i still feel the m5 felt heavy. i think bec of the very tight track. a honda type r would feel at home there. i cannot keep both. the m5 was a garage queen. my wife freaks out when i go fast. so it defeats the dual purpose personality of the car. i felt i needed a special car that i can go alone on. it was a very hard decision to make.

my long term goal is bump up the hp to around 240 per ton. with that i will be equal to the m5.

i know it will cost money. but i plan to make it a keeper.

also i noticed prices of m5s have been going down fast so think the 993 should protect some capital. maybe wishful thinking!

i cant afford a turbo and would want to stick with na for a while. at this stage, even a 964 would make me happy!

IamSMC

Showing off that pretty hand...

Macca

Camlob. Thats a noble goal and one I share myself. You need to be at 300bhp for 1300 kg "wet weighht" to acheive equivalent to stock e39 M5 power to weight ratio.

Ive been working hard to achieve that (while improving asthetics and comfort/interior presentation) for a while now and after 30k+ usd spend it looks like I will be (hopefully) 298+bhp for 1318kg by Xmas. At that point I will have to abandon the weight challenge as I dont want to compromise comfort and praticality further (door cards, air con, rear wiper, sunroof, rear seats, carpet etc). Chasing weight by substituting steel with alloy or composite factory panels is too expensive and spoils originality. Chasing horsepower beyond 300bhp for a NVR car involves heads off and then vast (read min 15-20k usd) type costs (cams, manual adjusters, rod bolts, new head profiles, larger cyslinder and pistons etc) - unless of course you go forced induction....but then you may as well spend less and buy the heavier 993TT!

My advise is to keep costs reasonable chase 290bhp and 1330kg. You can achieve that and improve handling by lowering the car with new shocks/sways/bushes and putting new wheels and tyres on for under 20k usd fitted. Then after that its down to the cosmetics, condition and trick features you want to further spend your money on....

Cheers and enjoy.

IXLR8

I have a Canadian car that has not been lowered. Based on your pics, it appears we both have the same clearance between the tires and fenders, so I would say it does not look like a ROW ride height.

Unless I spent all my time at the track, I won't be lowering mine. The damn thing is low enough and hard enough to slither into. My daily driver is an SUV...I know what a higher ride height is about.

I had a BMW car. Good and solid and what cars should be, but so different from a Porsche. I still have my BMW motorcycles though.

IXLR8

Shouldn't be a problem. I was running a stock 559 hp per ton with 1986 technology. Ooops, that was on two wheels.

Macca

It is factory ROW height. All Japanese market cars were. It will need lowering on Bilstein HDs or similar to look and handle better IMHO.

Cheers
M

camlob

I have a Ducati 998s Ben Bostrom no 142 of 155! The v twin makes the boxer engine more appealing!