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Hi everyone. It seems as though this is THE active forum for 993 owners. I’ve been moderately active over the last few weeks and appreciate the information, fellowship and help. Now that I’ve got my (latest) 993, here’s a proper introduction, an executive summary, and a full version of what is hopefully an interesting story. Sorry in advance if it’s a little long.
The executive summary:
I just bought my 6th 911, a 4k mile 1997 Guards Red Carrera 2 coupe. I sold my 5th 911, a 2009 997.2 Targa 4S to fund the purchase of and make room for the 993. I had to add money to the proceeds of the 997 to purchase the 993.
911 #1 was a 1970 2.2 liter 911S coupe
911 #2 was a 1997 993 Targa (metallic black & cashmere)
911 #3 was a 1997 993 Targa (white & black)
911 #4 was a 996 4S coupe
My daily driver is currently a 2014 BMW 435 with a manual transmission and all of the M Performance add-on’s that actually relate to improving performance. It’s a really nice daily driver. I’m fortunate to have it.
I’ve been a member of PCA for 23 years and am periodically active in Concourse events.
Glad to be here and to be part of the community.
The (mostly) full story:
With respect to the basics, I’m a life-long car guy. I can’t ever remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated by cars, but I vividly remember the moment that I fell in love with cars; it was the first Ferrari Dino I’d ever seen in person – a brand new Silver example – on Balboa Island in 1972. I was 7.
My first car was a completely ragged out 1970 240Z with over 250k miles on it when I bought it.
It had what seemed like no heat insulation between the engine and passenger compartment, pulled to the left under braking, leaked exhaust into the passenger compartment, left me stranded a few times, and I loved it. But what I loved even more was my best friend’s light ivory 1969 911E coupe.
Several not particularly interesting cars came after the 240Z. But after several years of saving and scheming and studying and searching, I bought my first 911 in the early ‘90’s; a light ivory 1970 911S coupe.
It was $20k, and all the money in the world to my 20-something self. It wasn’t numbers matching, but had been nut and bolt restored and was beautiful and mine and had the same induction howl under WOT as the 917K in the movie, LeMans. Completely amazing. During the search for “my” 911 I met and made a new friend, who is still a great friend to this day. He had a 1970 911S that he bought new from Vasek Polak in Hermosa Beach – a ‘Conda Green coupe that had traveled less than 5k miles back in the early ‘90’s. He was willing to sell it to me, but wanted $30k, which was fair but an unreachable $10k over my already stretched budget. Through an introduction I made, he sold that beautiful car to a famous Porsche collector (who still owns it and, I gather, very much appreciates it…see the Mel Brooks / Carl Reiner CCC episode) to buy the Guards Red 993 that he just sold to me.
More about this beautiful and much loved 993 in a bit (or just skip to the bottom of this missive where you’ll find my driving impression of the 993 if you’re getting bored with my Porsche life story).
I worked my working-class *** off to then buy my second 911, a year-old 993 Targa in ’98, passing on a restored 356 B Super 90 Roadster that was my original target.
The 993, at the time, cost around $10k more than the 356, and was massively more fun to drive! Just a brief intermission here about value. If you’re keeping score at home, I could have had a very nice, numbers matching, B Roadster for around $50k, but passed. And you’re about to read about me selling the 2.2S – basically for the same amount it took to buy it. Oh, and anyone want to guess what that ‘Conda Green 2.2S is worth today? Maybe $300k? Oh well, I never intended them to be investments.
In an idiotic moment, I realized that after buying the 993 Targa I wasn’t driving the early 911S, and though I loved it, felt guilty about taking up all the limited garage space we had and sold it. Hindsight is a bitch. That car was a complete revelation – very minimal and nervous in handling, but very exciting to drive. It wasn’t all that powerful, but it was adequate. The steering was absolutely fantastic, although it took almost no steering input to change direction and that took some getting used to. The mechanical fuel injection was kind of cantankerous, it hated to dawdle around town, it seriously needed to be warmed up before I could give it the beans, there was almost no power below 4,500 RPM, and the dogleg first gear in the early five speed 901 gearbox was seriously funky. But OMFG, once you got on the cam above 4,500 RPM, it was like unleashing the hounds of hell. The induction sound was amazing and I can only describe as like coming on boost in a turbo car. I lust after each and every early 911 I see, but, if I’m honest, probably wouldn’t want one in even a four car garage if given unlimited funds. And if you’re the current owner of 9110300036, you’re one fortunate bastard.
Meanwhile, I put 80K daily driver miles on my first 993 Targa and loved them all – through replacing rear tires every 8k miles, dealing with the check-engine light for the then not widely understood SAI problem, smiling in the face of the leaking and squeaking and whistling Targa top, and cleaning the massively PITA Targa wheels with a toothbrush every Saturday morning. Then came kids and mounting repair bills, so the Targa had to go. In its place, I tried really hard to like a then new G35 coupe that was perfectly reliable and looked great on paper, but had no soul and sucked my car-loving soul with it.
So I stopped trying to like that soul-less Infinity and found and bought my third 911, a white ’97 993 Targa, and was happy and in love again, and realized that it was stupid to try to deny my love (need?) for the Porsche 911.
I’m guessing it’s not important to describe the driving experience of the 993 on this forum. FWIW, its performance and civility and dramatically improved suspension geometry conspired to make me sell the 911S. The 993 was just so superior in every way, I couldn’t imagine the early S being anything more than a very much loved but archaic use of limited space and funds.
And then a financially ruinous house remodel and the global financial crisis conspired to take my second Targa, and I was very sad. I then unsuccessfully tried to fill the void by getting an Audi S4 as a daily driver, which was a good and fun car, but not a 911. So time to reverse course and try a 911 as a daily driver. After a bit of pleasant research, I realized that 996 prices had plummeted (2008) and found and bought my fourth 911, a Polar Silver 996 C4S coupe and was happy again.
I liked the 996 and seriously appreciated having it in my life, but never loved it. At the time I lived in NY and used it as my daily driver / train car / winter car…basically everything car. The interior really deserves its reputation as not particularly good with liberal use of plastic. Being tall and with no steering wheel tilt, I never could find a driving position in which I could see the tops of the gauges; thankfully there’s a digital display for speed. FWIW, even though I didn’t love it, I think these cars are a great deal; particularly the 4S or even better, the Turbo with the Metzger engine and no IMS / RMS issues.
I found the 996 a good, not great car to drive. Most of the time I owned it I was living in Westchester County, New York, and had several fun drives in and around Westchester. I generally drive at no more than 7 to 8/10ths in the twisties and the 996 was a good companion. Perfectly acceptable road manners, reasonable power, non-intrusive electronic nannies, but overall heavy and not particularly invigorating. That having been said, I really enjoyed multiple drives to Lime Rock Park and romps on the Merritt Parkway, as well as a fantastic solo drive to the Skyland Resort on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. I have fond memories of the 996, but don’t regret selling it. Even when I bought it, what I REALLY wanted and couldn’t afford was a 997 Targa.
After some life changes and a move back home to California, I figured I could afford (not really, but what the hell) a 997 generation Targa and started a pre-owned search that took longer than expected (Targas made up only around 10% of 997 production), but in retrospect not THAT long. Three months in to a Nation-wide search I found and bought a year-old, CPO, black on black Targa 4S from a local dealer, Rector in Burlingame.
Pretty much instantly this car became my favorite car ever. It served daily driver duties for 3 years and was fantastic in that role. All mod cons, quick, beautiful, great manners, much room inside, convenience of that operable glass hatch, PASM, etc. To my eye, this is one of the greatest generation of the 911. Okay, sure, it’s even heavier than the 996, and I was relieved to find a 997.2 with DFI, as opposed to the first generation with its lingering engine issues, but the 4S on the longer wheelbase (relative to the 993) has pretty much perfect proportions.
This car was a great traveling companion for 4 years. I have fantastic road trip memories in the 997 Targa with my wife, mostly up and down California, as well as at least monthly romps throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains and a great many early breakfasts at Alice’s on Skyline. AND my first ever Porsche Parade Concours in Monterey over the summer; what a great experience that was! It was surprising to me how much more quiet the 997.2 was relative to the 996 – basically no intake sound and very little exhaust sound with the stock side cans and center muffler. And that won’t do. So I installed AWE side cans and crossover pipes to get rid of the center muffler, and it sounded great. Maybe a little loud, but great. In my opinion, with 19” wheels and PASM set to sport suspension, the ride is way too harsh for anything but perfect roads. On the track at Laguna Seca, however, PASM sport mode is just fantastic.
Yep, I loved the 997 Targa and thought I’d keep it for a very long time. So what happened? Well, in February I ordered my BMW 435 to replace my VW GTI as the daily driver. What’s that have to do with anything, you may well ask, and that would be a good question. Just before I took delivery of the BMW, my friend with the (now my) 993 asked if I wanted to buy his car. At first I demurred; I was still head-over-heels in love with the 997 and I had a new BMW on the way. I couldn’t figure out how to make it all work, and it seemed stupid to trade a 997 for a 993, however great the 993 might be. And, although I work really hard and am in the 1%, a new (really nice) BMW and two 911’s seemed gluttonous and impractical, particularly given space limitations. My wife, recognizing the importance of the 993, basically put her foot down and told me I had to buy this car or I’d regret it for the rest of my life, God bless her.
So why not just sell the BMW and put the Targa back in to daily driver duties? I thought about that, but I didn’t want to take the drive-off depreciation, not to mention write off all of the sales tax I had just paid. Plus, it turns out that the 435 is a really nice car for commuting, etc. And it’s damned nice looking!
Sparing you more details, I committed to buying the 993 and my friend committed to being patient while I figured out how to do it. Eventually I realized that the right path was to sell an ultimately replaceable and depreciating 997 for a literally irreplaceable and appreciating 993, which is what has just recently happened. The good news is that the 997 Targa went to a very deserving and appreciative owner, fulfilling a life-long wish of his. I’m very grateful to know that my much loved Targa has gone on to be the much loved fulfillment of another man’s dream. It’s both comforting and rewarding, and I’m sure there’s a life-lesson in there somewhere. Thankfully I had time to get used to the idea of letting my then favorite car ever in the whole wide world go.
Finally, what about “my” “new” 1997 Guards Red narrow body 993 coupe?
I picked it up last Friday with just over 4k miles on the odometer and had several irreplaceable hours with its original owner, who has become a very dear and close friend over the years. I bought a second set of 17” cup wheels earlier in the week and had a set of S-04’s mounted on them so that I could save the original tires and wheels for posterity; seemed like a relatively inexpensive move to preserve the originals and the tires seriously had to go since I want to drive this beautiful car (at least a little). Anyway, I think it was great for my friend and I to spend time together while the second set of wheels and tires were mounted, and we completed whatever paperwork had to be done. And in a great example of synchronicity, I drove it to my life-long best friend’s house in Santa Barbara late in the afternoon (he the instigator of this 911 love, the owner of the 911E) to spend the weekend before driving to the Bay Area on Sunday.
What a hell of a drive that was, up PCH through Santa Monica and Malibu on a perfect day, getting acquainted with a car that had only ever been driven by my friend until last week. Then on to the San Francisco Peninsula early on Sunday morning.
So, what was it like? Much, much, much better than I expected, interestingly. First of all, rather than feeling as though I’d taken a giant step back, I found that the 993 coupe reminded me of driving my 1970 S. Please understand that I sold my 2.2 S in 1999, so I only have hazy physical memories of what it was like to drive that car. But the steering feel, general quality of being alive and agile, internal dimensions, seating position, view of the gauges, upright windshield…all of it…perfectly reminded me of my early S. That was one hell of a surprise. It didn’t remind me of either 993 Targa, which is what I’d expected. I guess it’s all of that weight up top on the 993 Targas, but my new coupe felt remarkably more alive and agile.
The second big surprise, relative to the 997, was that the 993 didn’t feel underpowered. Quite the opposite, actually. I found the power perfectly adequate and the torque to be really useful to pass slower cars on PCH in the twisties north of Malibu. The best way I can put it is that the power / drivetrain seemed exactly matched to the chassis, and that was a very pleasant surprise.
The third big surprise is that I didn’t touch the stereo. The car came equipped with the hi-fi package and the Becker tape deck head unit. I don’t believe that my buddy, the original owner, ever turned on the stereo. And after an hour or so of driving without it on, I figured I wouldn’t mess with that streak (to paraphrase the line from Bull Durham) and I left it off, enjoying the sound of the air cooled engine. I left it off on Sunday as well, for the 5 hour drive home. And I didn’t miss it. Quite the opposite, actually.
The fourth and final surprise is that the Red Wonder didn’t miss a beat during the 500 miles I just put on her. Literally everything works and works well (can’t vouch for the stereo, and that’s just how it’s going to be). My friend did a fantastic job of enjoying, loving and preserving her for me to enjoy and love and preserve for years to come.
So what’s next? Well, a good detail over the winter is the first order of business. There’s some dried wax and minor paint imperfections that my perfectionist eye wants to get rid of, but that’s nothing more than attention to detail and some elbow grease. I bought clear turn lenses for the front and euro red / amber lenses for the rear that’ll go on (although, honestly, the all red US rear lenses might just look better on this Guards Red car). Also bought a third key so I can make a remote fob and separate lighted key head and not mess with the original switch blade keys…and that’ll be a fun project. Bought and plan to install the LED and HID external lights from Tore…seems as though that’s kind of a no-brainer mod. I probably need to change all the fluids and belts sometime soon, just as a precaution. And I’m likely going to be knocking on Mr. Fister’s door for a M066 upgrade to lower the ride height to the “proper” setting, but I’m not sure about that last change, might be a bridge too far for this bone stock girl. Oh, forgot about the motor sound air box cover; that’s bought and going on this weekend.
Thanks for reading; hopefully it was enjoyable and not a “dear diary” thread. If you’re in the Bay Area, I’ll look forward to seeing you at PCA Concours events next year. It’ll be hard to miss the Red Wonder.
All the best,
JD
(P.S., JS, if you’re reading this, can I call dibs on Henri’s 911S? Forget what I said up above! When you’re done with it, it seems as though it should sit alongside the 993…right? I’ll sell a kidney.)
Probably the best intro (re-intro?) thread I've read on RL. Ever. JD, you really captured the passion that so many here have for not only Porsches, but anything on 4 wheels. What really struck me in reading your story, and what's probably so relatable to the many others who will read your post, is that many of us can instantly recall many years later that moment in time from our youth that flipped on the "gear head" switch. That switch really ever gets turned off right? It was fun for me to relive that moment in my mind and your post inspired that fond memory. So for that, I thank you sir!
Beautiful 993. While your friend was certainly a good cartaker of her, she really needed new owner like you-she needs to RUN!
VA993 - Glad I roused that memory for you. For me it was epochal. Like the first drive in a 911! To his great credit, the Dino driver must have seen my lower jaw on my chest and stopped and showed me the car.
Kein - I have no excuses, except maybe schedule. Rennsport is on the BFG (big fun goal) list for next year. And those would be highest and best use miles! I've even got room and board at my brother's house in Carmel.
12-05-2014, 10:06 PM
A Somewhat Lengthy Introduction, etc.
