RobMc

I've been looking through the threads here and trying to learn as much as I can about the 993 TT and have found a whole deal of fantastic information here. I haven't come across a lot of threads on weak points on these cars and was wondering what if any are considered weak points on a 993 TT. I'm not there yet but I'm getting close to being at the point where I can purchase a 993tt but my question to you owners is will it be a car I can afford to run. I can afford to budget a couple of grand a year for maintenance and I won't be using it as a daily driver but I would expect to be able to take off for a weekend and put 3-400 hundred miles on it with no problem. What are some costs for instance the 15k and or 30k mile sevices, and how about clutch replacement? How is ownership of a 993 TT compared to say a Ferrari of the same vintage the 355. Thanks in advance and I'll continue searching through the older threads.

ploglet

Compared to a Ferrari these cars are bullet proof. These cars are made to be driven and there are plenty that have some pretty decent miles on them. You need to be aware of the cost of tires for the car as they go through the rears fairly quickly. I drive mine daily and have had very little problems with it. I even drive it in the snow here in Colorado. Make sure you have a good check up on the turbos, compression check and all the other normal PPI items done before you buy and you should be in good shape.
Most of the people on this board will let you know that the cars are made to be driven and most here do just that. These are cars you can drive to the track, race around the track and then go home. Change your oil and stay up on general maintenance and you should be good to go.

Seljan

The cost for the 30k was around $900.
A normal yearly oil change is around $200.
I have to replace rears on my car about every 9k and fronts around 15k.I don't track my cars.

RobMc

Wow those prices for the services aren't anywhere near as high as I thought they would be. As for the tires I currently have a Honda S2000 and I have to replace my tires every spring when I take it out of storage.

RobMc

One other thing I don't have any experience with is turbo's as I've always owned N/A cars. How long do the turbos generally last? I've read in a lot of threads here were they need to be cooled down for a couple of minutes before you shut down the motor, what would be the diffrence in life expectancy comparing a car whose owner cooled down before shutting off and one who didn't.

tlark

Rob, I doubt there is any type of evidence that would sight the differences in those that cooled or did not cool turbos after a drive. Longivety of turbos would depend on driving conditions and past history. Some owners have 50+k miles on them from what I have seen w/o and any problems.

As far as a comparison between a 355. Not even a good comparison. A 355F1 w/ a tubi is a beatiful sound and I can see how the loyalist in the F camp become addicted. IMO it has classic lines like a air cooled twin, but the operational cost and some of the problems these car have is enough to make you sick. A tt wins hands down at all levels of preformance and driver satisfaction and will cost you a fraction of a non-sorted 355.

RobMc

Tom you are spot on about the Ferrari I have always wanted an F-car planned on getting one but after doing research and finding what the the cost of repairs maintenance is I decided it was just too much. I've driven a N/A 993 C2 as well as a 964 C/4 and was impressed by both but I would like a bit more power and to me it would be worth it to spend the extra $$ for the TT I just want to make sure the ownership costs are not sky high like the F cars. I'm hoping to test drive or at least get a ride in one this spring/summer.

OldGuy

Rob the turbos can go as far as 70Kmiles or more. the one on mine that Marc in AK bought is failing at around 50K. They can go anytime or last a long time.
When I got the car the clutch was gone at 35K miles, and that depends on the driver. I had the dealer go through the whole car while the motor tranny was out and tell me anything and replace anything that was suspect. the price was just short of $5K. If you knew your car and everything was done like 30K serivce etc etc then I think a clutch can be as low as $2700. But you need to have an initial maintenence budget to fix things that are old. For instance if youre gonna buy a 30K mile ++ car with stock supspension then budget $4k or so to redo that. The stock stuff is toast at that point gauranteed. SO to the shocks springs and sways as soon as you buy it. What I would do is to negotiate with the seller and tell him the suspension is shot and make him pay for it. Tires and brakes need to be inspected. if its a 60-70K motor then a compression check and leak down are probably mandantory. after you get it sorted out then your normal maintenence budget would be fine with regular oil changes. Your going to eat rear tires more so budget for that too.
There is no comparison with Ferraris. 355s and older have to have the motor pulled to do belt cahnges so BIG $$$. thats why there is a ton of 355, and other ferraris at 4985(5K) miles, 9875(10K) miles and 14567(15K ) miles and 29543 (30K service required) miles. Cause the guy dont want to pay for the next service. WHich is funny because if I was the buyer I would MAKE SURE he took care of it BEFORE and qualification for purchase.

RobMc

Thanks for the info Oldguy I thought most turbos lasted for over 100k but I guess not. What is the cost to replace the turbo? I realise with the clutch that it depends on the driver so you can't really say how long the life expectancy of a clutch is. I've had a lot of high performance cars and I've never worn out a clutch so I'm not too worried about that.
As for Ferraris I've spent a lot of time on Fchat and have learned a ton about them even the models that don't require the engine to be taken out are very expensive to have the 30k service done too rich for my blood.
I REALLY appreciate all the info. I'm getting it helps me to make an informed decision.

OldGuy

The turbos cost an arm and a leg UNLESS you go to Kevin our own Turbo expert and guru. He rebuilds one at about $750 I think BUT then you can do upgrades and get like 650 hp out of his upgrades for around $5000 for both I think. Better for him to chime in and tell us. But he rebuilds Turbos to better than Porsche specs for $750 for one based on core exchange. Porsche wants $2200 I think for a new one. Not much if you can pull it out yourself which is a tough task for a junior mechanic but not TOO bad.

RobMc

I wouldn't be game to pull off turbos myself so I would have to factor labor into the cost also. Like you said in your previous post this is all good info to have when negotiating price with a seller.
I dug through my collection of magazines and found a C&D from july 1995 with a road test comparo of a 355, nsx, viper, lotus espirit and an arena red 993 tt so I'm gonna go do some reading!

OldGuy

Read up -information is your friend. the only car I cant comment in that line up is the esprit but I have read about the 355, intoxicating noise huge maintenence $$$. I have driven a Viper and was disappointed, it was big and heavy and slow compared to the TT and that was the 500hp version-the GTS??. the NSX is short on horsepower and an excellent reliable, dailey driver but boring. Youre in the right neighborhood. The 993 TT is the classic supercar.

RobMc

The 993 TT came out in first place, no suprise! The numbers are very impressive they got a 0-60 time of 3.7 and 1/4 mile was 12.3 at 114. Their only complaints were the keyfob ignition bypass security system and also the steering and clutch. All in all they called it the only daily driver supercar in production and it is actually faster than the F-40 which I imagine you wouldn't be very comfortable in driving all day.