A lifelong dream now fulfilled – FINALLY a 993 owner
02-17-2011, 09:10 PM
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
A lifelong dream now fulfilled – FINALLY a 993 owner
Grab a coffee. This is a little long. I know a lot of you are addicts like me.
Like many of you, I have had a lifelong affinity with Porsche/VW. My dad had a few 356s and old VWs (pre 1960) when I was younger and I followed suit when I reached driving age having owned several VWs from the 1950s/60s. Sadly my pocketbook didn’t allow for a P-car at the time. I had to sell my last VW, a 1954 VW Oval w/ Semaphores to help pay for my college education and I have been out of the air-cooled family ever since.
Fast forward almost 20years, a few girlfriends, a ‘real’ job, a house, a very understanding and loving wife (post girlfriends mind you) and finally 2 awesome kids and I’m finally there. I now own a simply stunning example of pure 993 goodness; a 1996 Polar Silver C4S with Midnight Blue interior. (more about this later)
Like most of you, I thought the 993 was simply the best looking 911 since the early “A” series production cars in my opinion. All the lines were back in proportion, the A/C actually worked well, ‘big-red’ brakes that can pop your eyeballs out, a nice powerful engine with the familiar flat-six air-cooled growl and a Turbo AWD option that simply shamed anything else on the road at the time. Plus it was something you could drive every day and enjoy, unlike some other marquee's who shall remain nameless. I’ve had a poster of a European 993 Turbo in Polar Silver since 1996 when they were new and it’s still hanging in my garage to this day. Perhaps I bought it as a subliminal reminder to myself every time I went into the garage that I needed to get one of these somehow. Whatever the reason, it worked. My 993 C4S is now parked behind my old 1996 Turbo poster and matches it very nicely except for the turbo and rear wing. The color is even the same. Yes it has been a long winding road, but it was definitely worth it.
I ended up searching for almost 9mo with money in hand and kept coming up empty. I could find the right color, but it was in bad shape. Or the car was great mechanically only to find out it had been completely re-sprayed due to an undocumented accident. CarFax is near ueseless in this regard as most of you know. Then there is pricing that is all over the map. Yes, the “S” cars are worth some coin, but asking nearly $50K for your 70K mile example that needs some work in a common color scheme isn’t all that realistic. Some of those cars are still for sale. Yeah, big surprise. I know some people say the search is part of the fun, but for me it was painful and nearly put me off from my quest. This has to be one of the most difficult cars to find in the right combination. I partly blame Porsche for this since they offer so many options, as there is some real funky stuff out there, but then again that makes these cars a bit more special. My wife thinks I was obsessed with finding the ‘right’ car, but I prefer to call it determination. She is right about being obsessed though. I am obsessed with owning and driving this car. And no, I have no plans to find a cure other than turning that key and going for a drive.
Weather has been horrible in CA since I picked up the car, so I don’t have any new pics yet. Once the weather clears a bit I promise I’ll get around to it. For now she’s sitting in my garage all nice and shiny next to the 993 poster just waiting for the skies to clear. Unlike me, this car needs no introduction. It’s a Rennlist favorite: Canyon56s old car. I can assure you that this car drives and feels as good as it looks. Canyon’s taste in mods is spot-on and compliments the 993 perfectly. I would honestly recommend to anyone contemplating the same mods to do it, they are that good. It was an absolute pleasure to meet and deal with Canyon as well. A testament to the type of people I am used to meeting with Porsches. In the end, it's not just the cars, but also the people.
Finally, I have to thank my wonderful wife for allowing her car crazed husband to go out and fulfill his Porsche dream. She has never tried to sway me from my hobby and has been nothing but supportive. We even got married in my BMW M Coupe. We have some great shots of her veil flowing out the window at speed.
She even mentioned that I should try to keep my BMW M Coupe. God bless her, and that’s while having 2 young kids (2yrs and 4mo) and another sports car (Datsun 240Z) in the garage. As a bonus, she loves the Polar Silver. It's her new favorite color. Yes I know she’s a definite keeper, that’s why she’s got that bling ring on her finger.
BTW…if anyone is looking for a MY2000 E36/8 BMW M Coupe (clown shoe) let me know. My 70Kmi. black/black example is going up for sale shortly. A very fun and easy car to drive and would stay in my garage if I had the space and could justify 3 cars for myself. Just like my new 993, the Coupe has all the right mods (TCKline coil-overs, bushings, LTFW, Conforti intake, etc…). Plus it actually has a usable trunk so you can justify it to the wife for grocery runs and hauling the dog to the vet. That logic may not work for everyone, but it might!
[edit]added a couple pics[/edit]
Like many of you, I have had a lifelong affinity with Porsche/VW. My dad had a few 356s and old VWs (pre 1960) when I was younger and I followed suit when I reached driving age having owned several VWs from the 1950s/60s. Sadly my pocketbook didn’t allow for a P-car at the time. I had to sell my last VW, a 1954 VW Oval w/ Semaphores to help pay for my college education and I have been out of the air-cooled family ever since.
Fast forward almost 20years, a few girlfriends, a ‘real’ job, a house, a very understanding and loving wife (post girlfriends mind you) and finally 2 awesome kids and I’m finally there. I now own a simply stunning example of pure 993 goodness; a 1996 Polar Silver C4S with Midnight Blue interior. (more about this later)
Like most of you, I thought the 993 was simply the best looking 911 since the early “A” series production cars in my opinion. All the lines were back in proportion, the A/C actually worked well, ‘big-red’ brakes that can pop your eyeballs out, a nice powerful engine with the familiar flat-six air-cooled growl and a Turbo AWD option that simply shamed anything else on the road at the time. Plus it was something you could drive every day and enjoy, unlike some other marquee's who shall remain nameless. I’ve had a poster of a European 993 Turbo in Polar Silver since 1996 when they were new and it’s still hanging in my garage to this day. Perhaps I bought it as a subliminal reminder to myself every time I went into the garage that I needed to get one of these somehow. Whatever the reason, it worked. My 993 C4S is now parked behind my old 1996 Turbo poster and matches it very nicely except for the turbo and rear wing. The color is even the same. Yes it has been a long winding road, but it was definitely worth it.
I ended up searching for almost 9mo with money in hand and kept coming up empty. I could find the right color, but it was in bad shape. Or the car was great mechanically only to find out it had been completely re-sprayed due to an undocumented accident. CarFax is near ueseless in this regard as most of you know. Then there is pricing that is all over the map. Yes, the “S” cars are worth some coin, but asking nearly $50K for your 70K mile example that needs some work in a common color scheme isn’t all that realistic. Some of those cars are still for sale. Yeah, big surprise. I know some people say the search is part of the fun, but for me it was painful and nearly put me off from my quest. This has to be one of the most difficult cars to find in the right combination. I partly blame Porsche for this since they offer so many options, as there is some real funky stuff out there, but then again that makes these cars a bit more special. My wife thinks I was obsessed with finding the ‘right’ car, but I prefer to call it determination. She is right about being obsessed though. I am obsessed with owning and driving this car. And no, I have no plans to find a cure other than turning that key and going for a drive.
Weather has been horrible in CA since I picked up the car, so I don’t have any new pics yet. Once the weather clears a bit I promise I’ll get around to it. For now she’s sitting in my garage all nice and shiny next to the 993 poster just waiting for the skies to clear. Unlike me, this car needs no introduction. It’s a Rennlist favorite: Canyon56s old car. I can assure you that this car drives and feels as good as it looks. Canyon’s taste in mods is spot-on and compliments the 993 perfectly. I would honestly recommend to anyone contemplating the same mods to do it, they are that good. It was an absolute pleasure to meet and deal with Canyon as well. A testament to the type of people I am used to meeting with Porsches. In the end, it's not just the cars, but also the people.
Finally, I have to thank my wonderful wife for allowing her car crazed husband to go out and fulfill his Porsche dream. She has never tried to sway me from my hobby and has been nothing but supportive. We even got married in my BMW M Coupe. We have some great shots of her veil flowing out the window at speed.
She even mentioned that I should try to keep my BMW M Coupe. God bless her, and that’s while having 2 young kids (2yrs and 4mo) and another sports car (Datsun 240Z) in the garage. As a bonus, she loves the Polar Silver. It's her new favorite color. Yes I know she’s a definite keeper, that’s why she’s got that bling ring on her finger. BTW…if anyone is looking for a MY2000 E36/8 BMW M Coupe (clown shoe) let me know. My 70Kmi. black/black example is going up for sale shortly. A very fun and easy car to drive and would stay in my garage if I had the space and could justify 3 cars for myself. Just like my new 993, the Coupe has all the right mods (TCKline coil-overs, bushings, LTFW, Conforti intake, etc…). Plus it actually has a usable trunk so you can justify it to the wife for grocery runs and hauling the dog to the vet. That logic may not work for everyone, but it might!
[edit]added a couple pics[/edit]
Last edited by Aircooled Dave; 02-22-2011 at 02:49 PM.
02-17-2011, 09:19 PM
#2
Three Wheelin'
Great read, thanks for posting!
Funny, my personal story is almost identical (been coveting a 993 since 1996, F-I-N-A-L-L-Y, after about 10 years of poking around, I recently found the right one: midnight blue on blue 96 C4S w/ a Factory Aero II kit and all the right options). I also just moved to the Bay Area with my 993. Maybe we'll drive past one another!!
Funny, my personal story is almost identical (been coveting a 993 since 1996, F-I-N-A-L-L-Y, after about 10 years of poking around, I recently found the right one: midnight blue on blue 96 C4S w/ a Factory Aero II kit and all the right options). I also just moved to the Bay Area with my 993. Maybe we'll drive past one another!!
02-17-2011, 09:30 PM
#3
Burning Brakes
Dave,,
Let me be the first to welcome you to a new addiction. I have had the P-car bug for close to 30 years, and always fullfilled the need by buying Porsches that needed work.....just so that I could have my hand in the game. When it came to my "final" Porsche (now that I am retired), I settled on the 993 since it truly is the nicest looking version of the 911 ever manufactured (my humble opinion). So, I bought a nice one. High mileage, but very well maintained, and with all the proper modifications you mentioned.
In actuality, I ended up paying more for my 98 C2S than I would have for a 2002 997! But, you only go around once.
Enjoy the car, and don't look back. You own the best there is.
Congratulations.
Let me be the first to welcome you to a new addiction. I have had the P-car bug for close to 30 years, and always fullfilled the need by buying Porsches that needed work.....just so that I could have my hand in the game. When it came to my "final" Porsche (now that I am retired), I settled on the 993 since it truly is the nicest looking version of the 911 ever manufactured (my humble opinion). So, I bought a nice one. High mileage, but very well maintained, and with all the proper modifications you mentioned.
In actuality, I ended up paying more for my 98 C2S than I would have for a 2002 997! But, you only go around once.
Enjoy the car, and don't look back. You own the best there is.
Congratulations.
02-17-2011, 11:17 PM
#6
Rennlist Member
Congrats!! This 993 Porsche will be hard to part with now...........you will know about this within first year of ownership.....a really special unique car........enjoyed your post info.....good luck with the car.....
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02-17-2011, 11:37 PM
#8
Drifting
Welcome- you got a great car! Every time I read a post like this it reminds me of when I finally got to make my introductory post for my car. I also bought my car from a Rennlister and it was a great experience. Enjoy in good health and welcome aboard!
02-18-2011, 10:54 AM
#12
Racer
Join Date: Apr 2008
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1. Welcome and congrats
2. Post a picture or three of your new baby
3. This site is awesome and will answer any questions about your car
4. We take no responsibility for any mods you may add to your car or if you fall down the slippery slope
2. Post a picture or three of your new baby
3. This site is awesome and will answer any questions about your car
4. We take no responsibility for any mods you may add to your car or if you fall down the slippery slope
