strato58

Hello all, i'm a new member and on a quest for my 1st Porsche....I want a 993TT. I was under the impression that the 1997 model year was easier to mod for higer power due to the ECM but just spoke to someone who said the 96 is more easily modded and can produce more power than the 1997...
Can someone give me the "real" story please.

EThec

try a search in this forum....... the '97 has the ECU that you can more easily chip. The '97 also has a stronger 1st gear input shaft. Generally speaking the '97 is a tad bit more desirable than a '96, but then it all depends on the sale price.

jrgordonsenior

Eric's right, that someone you spoke with needs a flashlight up there......Stay here on these forums and you'll learn tons about your potential car, I have!!!
Regardless, they've got plenty of HP to start with. New buyers should be focusing on suspension, more suspension, and seat time behind the wheel long before you'll ever need more HP. IMHO of course.....

Felix

I would suggest focusing on condition and history more than the year. A 993tt putting out 408 horsepower will keep you amused for a while. If/when you decide to modify it the cost of a replacement ECU for a 96 car is just one figure in what could easily become a long column of numbers. Condition, condition, condition...

ACEparts_com

I agree with Phelix. Spend a few thousand dollars learning to drive it properly and then look at more performance. You may just be surprised by the car's limits; that or I was a really bad driver!

strato58

Thank for the replies gentlemen. Condition is really 1st and foremost on my list. I know my initial post lead all to believe I was going to "rush" to more HP but i've always been about keeping my cars in "stock" form in the past (although this will be my 1st Porsche!)....I just want to be prepaired because you never know what the future will bring and I only plan on buying one 993 TT.
I know my driving skills are not nearly good enough to test the limits of a 400HP 933.

Rob 97 993c2

I do suggest doing the suspension immediately.
Most likely the original shocks will be dead (as were mine) and the car will be very hard to drive.

ca993twin

I agree with the above comments, except that I must have a really numb butt. My 1996 with 60,000 miles on the ROW suspension felt pretty good to me... I noticed some "wallowing" and rather lazy responses, but it wasn't until Viperbob took off my shocks that I could see they were toast. The PSS-9 suspension really tightened everything up, and is fully adjustable. I still have the stock, early turbo sway bars, so someday, they will also get upgraded. On my 1996, I bought a used 1997 ECU that was already reprogrammed by Gemballa. I have since heard that there are a couple of outfits that claim they can reprogram the 1996 ECU.

The 1997 turbos seem to bring about $5k more than the exact same car as a 1996. You can't go wrong either way, as long as you know up front what you're getting. All of the 993 models, turbos or not have some common problem areas:
1). leaky steering racks
2). corroded aux fan resistors
3). leaky hydraulic clutch slave cylinders.
5). premature valve guide wear

Other big ticket wear items are clutch, shocks (mentioned above), and brakes. Proper maintenance is a must. Have fun in your search.

Rassel

If you're going for HP. It wont get cheaper buying an already modified 993TT.