Spyder_Man

Hey RL crowd,

I'm looking for some guidance regarding the possible future of my 993 ownership:

Let me start off by saying, I REALLY don't want to part ways with my 993. She and I have lots of fond memories together like taking my newly wed wife and I from our wedding ceremony to our reception and on to a week-long California road-trip. I've also spent a lot of time, sweat and $ bringing her back to life.

I got her at close to 155k miles and she'd been sitting for a while. The guy I bought her from did the bare minimum to revive her before putting her up for sale (he was a flipper). She is a no accidents, all-original 6-speed 993 coupe in the best color combination with lots of special factory options, so I recognized a diamond in the rough.

Anyhow, I find myself at a bit of a financial impasse. I've put a fair amount of $ into her to overhaul the suspension (struts, springs, bushings and new arms where needed) and steering systems (new rack and tie-rods), replacing the alternator, replacing/repacking the rear CV boots, new brake pads/rotors/ss lines, etc. I've also put some money into mods like ToreB lighting and a Fabspeed X-pipe which I LOVE.

She now sits at 186k miles and has a nasty oil leak that needs addressing. It is the sort of oil leak that requires taking out the engine. I've already had the valve and chain cover gaskets replaced, so I know for certainty the leak is coming from the seal of the left chain housing (right behind the dizzy).

How bad is it? The leak is bad. I took her out for a spirited weekend drive last weekend (<200 miles distance). I started the drive by fully topping off the oil. At the end of the drive, I had had to add 1.5 quarts to get her back to full. Clearly I need to drive her as sparingly as possible until the leak is fixed. The leak is so significant that I'm even afraid to drive her down to Monterrey for car week at this point.

In a perfect world, I'd plunk down the cash to get her fixed right: drop the engine for a full reseal, new plug wires, top end job, and a new clutch/LWFW. I'm guessing that all would set me back $10-20k depending upon what all needs doing. I simply don't have that sort of cash to spend, and I am simply not in the right period of my life to have such an expensive toy.

I'm in my mid 30s, and my wife is really putting on the preasure to start having kids. Then there is trying to come up with a deposit for a house here in the SF Bay Area (condos start at $600k here), and everything else that comes with "adulting."

Its not doing my wife and I any favors to keep the car sitting around, limping it along as I am able. It is also not doing the car any favors.

At this point I'm considering two options:

1) Keep the car and use it very sparingly and/or put it into deep storage until I can afford to fix her properly.

OR

2) Sell the 993 and hopefully find a cheaper toy that my wife will let me buy.

Option 1 appeals because I love these cars. I grew up riding around in my dad's air-cooled 356s and 911s, and I want to share that experience with my future kids. I worry that this might be the last air-cooled 911 that I will be able to own based on the way the market keeps heading.

Option 2 appeals because it makes the wife happy... It also would remove a lot of financial strain and stress from our lives right now. While I am not so cash-strapped that I cannot afford to keep the car and pay for storage/insurance/oil, I feel that my money could be better invested in other things at this point in my life.

If I were to sell my 993, I already know I wouldn't get all the money that I've put into the car back out. With that said and given my 993's present state, I worry that the market wouldn't meet me at a price that I would be willing to accept either. At 186k miles her paint and interior aren't perfect either, so it will take the right kind of buyer. One that just wants a classic 993 that they can drive for the sake of driving. A fellow enthusiast.

So fellow 993 enthusiasts, what wisdom can you share with me? Talk me off the ledge or give me a swift shove. I'm getting sick of just standing at the edge of the precipice.

Seamless

Sell. Focus on family.

goofballdeluxe

Keep it.

Here's why: The single biggest cost of any car, by far, is depreciation.

Let's say you sell the car for, say, $40K, and put that money into a new or slightly used car. After a few years, that car would be worth less than $20K. So you lost at least $20K in depreciation over the next few years.

If you took that same $20K and put into an engine rebuild and fixing every single thing is wrong with your car, not only would your $40K car be worth more after the fixes, but you'd probably have many years of driving without any major expense. One could make a strong argument that even after 5 years, your 993 with more mileage would be worth the same, or maybe even more.

I was in a similar predicament a while ago with my C4S, so I drove everything including a 991, 997 etc etc., and I didn't like any of them as much as my 993, so I bit the bullet and did a complete engine rebuild etc. It wasn't cheap, but I'm very glad I did it.

Porsche doesn't make cars like these any longer. Drive a few contenders that you might replace the 993 with, and see if you like anything better. That will help you make a good decision for you.

Best of luck

gavonder

I agree with goofball. I did something similar back in 2000. Sold both 911's to afford a house & marriage. I kick myself over & over. I should have kept one. It would be worth more than my high mileage 993 now. It took me 15 years to get back in one.

Oh, & please stop referring to your car as a she.

P-daddy

Not sure I'm following you here. You said valve cover gaskets and timing Chain gaskets replaced but the left TC gasket is still leaking badly? Where else is it leaking from?

Tlaloc75

If you can swing it, keep it. If you can store it, you can slowly chip away at the problems as a DIY. You'll save money and learn new skills. Even if it takes you multiple years, you'll come out ahead.

If you need the money, you need the money. But if you are selling for convenience, you'll probably regret it later. I've done that before, so I'm speaking from experience.

BTW - its ok by me to use 'she' to refer to a 993. They are most definitely females.

NC TRACKRAT

The question you need to ask yourself is: If your car were for sale right now, would you buy it?" You're a relatively young man and, with determination and some Luck, as the years go by, you'll have plenty of Porsches. Unless you already have a four-door utilitarian vehicle, you're going to need one. Sell or trade the 993 in on something like a good, used Macan, Cayenne or the like. Remember, "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy".

Spyder_Man

It's this thing:


located at #6 on this diagram:



Thanks everyone so far for the feedback. I've definitely witnessed my father part with his Pcars at the wrong times too. For example selling his all-original '67 911S with 40k KM on it for about $60k...

Tlaloc75

I bet he thought he was getting good money for it at the time

Spyder_Man

The wife is amazingly tolerant of my 4-wheeled mistress. She just wants us to be happy.

The 993 is no longer my daily. I have a cheap little electric vehicle for that now that has 4-doors and seats 4. My wife has a gas powered sedan as well. She'd gladly upgrade it to some sort of SUV/family wagon down the road too.

Disraeli

15 years ago my girlfriend pressured me into selling my mint Guards Red '78 SC coupe because it was "impractical". Let it go for $11,500 and bought a freakin' Toyota 4Runner. Today I could probably get $35k-$40k for the 911 and the stupid 4Runner is probably in a junkyard somewhere.

I'll say this, at the time I thought I'd never be able to afford another 911 but at some point when you feel the urge to scratch that itch again one of them will present itself to you.

Tlaloc75

Its true that you can probably get back into another one later but there are some caveats:
- Financial. They may be more expensive in 5-10 years when you are ready for ownership. They may even be much more expensive. You'll be forced into a 996. The horror.
- Emotional. You've already worked hard on this one. Its yours. You've bonded. With another 993 you have to start fresh. Maybe you won't bond. Maybe it needs a bunch of work too.
- Practical. Maybe it will never feel practical to own a 993 again. You'll have to get over the hurdle of realizing you now have to find and purchase another car when the situation hasn't really changed. Would you be able to pull the trigger?

P-daddy

That gasket is at the junction of the case and the timing chain box. It's perpendicular to the TC cover. I believe there's one nut at the bottom you can try to tighten to see if the seepage stops. The other nuts are accessed only after opening the TC covers.
Some really good advices here. Only you know your true financial standing. If keeping means additional stresses on your family/marriage, I'd sell. Keep in mind though, given the current state of the car, you'll be low-balled when you go to sell. If you're handy and can swing a wrench, store it. Pull the plates and insurance to minimize expenses. Then chip away at the leaks at your convenience as mentioned above. I just completed this diy. No Motor drop necessary.

KNS

Deep storage. Put it on minimal insurance for storing a car to keep expenses low.

clib

Its been said many times before. But these are cars not investments. And yours, no offense, has a lot of miles and needs work, and is never going to get any "younger" so unlikely to ride the appreciation wave that seems to be coloring this thread. I dont know what you paid for it but as described i wouldnt expect it to bring a lot. On the other hand you can likely safely buy another 200k mile example in a couple years for similar money.


Look at it this way. You owned and enjoyed a great car. Youre young. Who knows where youll be in 5 years or what will be a priority at that time. and despite our waxing on about how irreplaceable our cars are, its just not the case.

If i were 30's again i would move on and look forward.