CG901

I am new to Rennlist and having never owned a Porsche before, decided to buy a "96 993 C4S, 77k miles, California car, with essentially no mods. Budget is $40k. Any advice on this? Better to spend a bit more fpr a 97 or 98?
Thanks

Paul K

Not necessarily.

Make sure you get a pre-purchase inspection from someone who 1) knows air cooled porsches, and 2) has never seen this particular air-cooled porsche before.

logan2z

Some of us in CA might say that '95 is the best year for the 993 (despite the lack of Varioram), since an SAI issue will not light the CEL and prevent us from passing smog.

Mike J

solomonschris

I agree with both Logan and Paul. The best thing for you to do at this point is to spend many hours researching this site, as well as the the 993tt site. You can be proud of yourself for picking one of the greatest cars ever made. Many of us have sold much newer faster cars to return to the 993. Good luck in your search....get a leakdown test!.....Chris

CorrdoBrit

Best to avoid the '96 unless its the car you absolutely have to have. The DME (brain) is an achiles heel in this years production due to way its designed with a non flashable CPU chip. You'll have the least potential headaches with an early '95 sans immobilizer.
There are lots of threads, some quite recent to give you an idea.

brucec59

I agree with Mike J.

Mike J

NC TRACKRAT

Don't mean to be chauvanistic but this topic is kinda like searching for THE perfect woman...when you see her, you'll know. The more you see, the more educated you become. Don't rush it...That old addage about "Act in haste, repent at leisure" couldn't be more appropriate. Me, I'm pretty lucky...I got the perfect woman and the cars!

911Dave

The chip issue really shouldn't be a factor, as 99.9% of 993 owners don't chip their car anyway. It's plenty fast as it is. There really is no bad year for a 993.

The 95 has the advantage of an OBD system that doesn't monitor the SAI system function, but has the disadvantage of being down about 13 horsepower as compared to the 96-98 varioram cars.

The 95 also has the advantage of being offered in Aventurine Green exterior color, whereas the 97-98 cars have the advantage of being offered in Arctic Silver, which everyone agrees is vastly more attractive than Polar Silver.

Dan V

96 should be fine for the heavier AWD version.

Howdy993

Ummmm All of them?

NP993

Best to stick to the '99 models.

niche

Whatever you get, just make sure it's black; they are the fastest.

doublecabmel

1996 has the lowest production numbers for a C4S. 1998 is obviously the most collectible