Paul902

+1. I drove a 997 for three days over Christmas holidays. It is faster, and tighter, and more creature comforts. It is more of a "normal" car - no offset steering wheel, pedals not hinged on the floor, etc. It was awesome but I wouldn't trade my 993 for it. The 993 is just so emotionally right! Try out both, and decide!

pewter82

993 All you need is the Tach and the 6 speed The rest is pure fun !!

axl911

Price-wise, the 997 is comparable to the widebody 993s. I would go with the widebody 993. Looks much better. However, the 993 is slow in day-to-day traffic unless you're at a track or a windy road.

Then again, if you have a widebody 993s, you probably wouldn't be driving it day to day anyway.

NC TRACKRAT

All depends on what "trips your trigger". You just have to decide what kind of a person you are when it comes to picking out a car that describes who you are. Life is just too full of compromises. For me, a 993 is not a compromise. I just can't get over how excited I get every time I turn the key and hear that "bark" of the 993 coming to life.

Mike J

I have looked and pondered this for a while, and I am sticking to the 993's. Most of my reasoning is technical, and the following is based on my personal opinion.

The 996 and 997's share a lot of engine design, and there are systemic problems that have been identified, and some that are emerging. If you want to be scared, read some of the information on this web site

http://www.hartech.org/buyers.html

and especially:

http://www.hartech.org/docs/buyers%2...20part%205.pdf

Some of the issue scare the hell out of me, and things like SAI's are nothing compared to grooving cylinder bores or blowing IMS bearings (with practically no warning). Valve guide wear on a 993 can be tolerated for years, IMS problems for about 5 seconds. I have also spent a fair amount of time on various Porsche water-cooled sites, and there seem to be some trends.

I really do like the look of the 997's since they hark back to the 993's, but they are just too complex for their own good.

I have been researching, and realize that deep technical work on cars post 993 gets beyond the DIY'er really quickly. For me, than means I need to pay someone to do that work when it occurs (and it WILL occur), and I hate doing that. I would especially hate to buy a crate engine from Porsche, that would hurt! A key component for me is to be able to do my own maintenance and fixes.

As far as driving goes, for me, forget the 996's. I have driven a few, and just was not impressed. Yes, they haul *** for sure, but it does not feel fast, and its just too isolated. I have also driven the 996 Turbo, VERY fast, but again not impressed enough to switch. The 997's, yes with an S they are very nice drivers indeed, and from a pure driving point of view quite good. I could enjoy these cars except for a few problems (technical and excessive depreciation).

As far as cost goes, the 996's prices sunk like a rock, and the 997 prices are also falling. i suspect that the 993' prices have pretty well stabilized, especially with the 964 and previous prices being stable. So the depreciation costs are much less for a 993.

Its true that maintenance of a 993 is likely to be higher than the 996/997's until an engine blows... . Mind you, a 993 engine rebuild is more than a 996/997 rebuilt engine, but it just that its more likely to occur on the water cooled cars.

So what's the conclusion? For me, stick with the 993 even as a daily driver (which it is for me three seasons of the year).

Cheers,

Mike

Rinty

How many months has it been, since the most recent 993 v 997 thread?

Mike J

two weeks but its always fun!!

race911

Hit this from a bunch of angles:

Why? I'm thankful I unloaded mine last week. Certainly hoping the new owner enjoys it as a companion to his similar 30K one he can't really drive for fear of depreciating it, but comparing to the two 993s the RSA did nothing better.

And there is what keeps half of us here from having a a 997 in the stable, right?

Uh..............................see my other thread about 4K miles up and back from the Sierras to ski, 600 miles at a time since Thanksgiving? Why would I drive anything else, since I have a POS example that's fully depreciated?

zschicago

I enjoy my 993 so much I got rid of my new 09 C4S. The new one lost the Porsche soul, if that makes sense. Too much like Lexus. Now between the 997.1 vs 997.2, I would always go for the 997.1. I loved my 06 C2S 6 speed non-DFI motor. Overall I still choose the 993. In my opinion the best Porsche ever.

ABCar

993

blake

+1 on all counts. My 997 is a DD, and to be truthful, it feels "throw away". Having it as a DD was personal bucket list material, but it lacks the soul of my 964 Speedster and 996 GT3. The GT cars are something else, and are a far cry from the standard Porsche 911 fare (996-997).

If you want SOUL and a massive grin on your face every time you drive it, I'd suggest the 993. On the flip side, I am not worried about the M97 engine issues becuase I purchased mine under a two year CPO. Once that expires, I am out and on to the next Porsche DD...

(I still long for a 97/98 993 C2S with Aero Kit - those curves!)

Good luck.
-Blake

Texas993

If you have to ask...

Ed Burdell

That's interesting. I thought the 997.2 motor (9A1, is it?) took care of a lot of design issues with the M96 which led to RMS, IMS, and other unpleasantries. For me, it would be the latest 997 all the way...after my 993, of course.

pdemar

Have had my 993 for five years and until last summer also had a 07 997 turbo. Could only keep one - it was the 993 for this reason.

MrBonus

I already sold my 997S for a 993S. Why would I go back?