TwinTurb

As a potential(hopefully within 6-8 months) owner I had a few questions about this car. Do 993 twin turbos come with litronics standard(xenon's)? Also how reliable is this car in comparison to other porsches? I've had a 996 and a 964 with no troubles, but I want to make sure the turbo's keys stay in my hands not my mechanics. I know you guys are biased, but is there any other exotic car in this price range you'd look at as well? All information is greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Jeremy

Jeff 993TT

Yes, they all come standard with Litronics.

TwinTurb

Thanks Jeff....
Has anyone compared the turbo to a 993 c4 or c4s. Obviously the c4s has all the turbo's benefits without the turbo basically.

Jeff 993TT

You can find the specs of both cars here:

<a href="http://www.flat-6.net/" target="_blank">http://www.flat-6.net/</a>

What specifically do you want to know?

ca993twin

If you figure that nice 1996 TTs are in the $60k-&gt;$70K range, possible less for very high miles, and more for garage queens, Then look at what else you might get for that kind of money. A brand new Z06, and still have $15K left over? A testarossa would be about the same money, and a heck of a lot more eye-catching. Of course, next to zero reliability. An NSX is right there. A Viper can be had for less (used).

When I recently had this choice, I went for the 1996TT, and I'm thrilled with the car. It may not be the biggest performance bang for the buck (Porsches rarely are), but in the overall scheme of things, they make the most sense... at least to me.

As far as maintenance goes, I don't think the engine is the issue. The previous owner of my car had to have the steering rack replaced, and the front transaxle replaced. His 45,000 mile service cost him $2300 with all the little stuff they found and fixed. Under warranty, there has been some transmission work. Man, I'm glad I didn't have to foot the bill for those things!

But right now, the car is flawless and amazing. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Well... maybe a GT2.

AGC

I had a 91 Testarossa before I bought my 96 993TT and all I can say is there is no comparison. The Testarossa is a beautiful car to look at and have a ton of power, but that's it. The TT is a better rounded sports car and it is more realiable than the Testarossa. The service cost is less than half of the Testarossa and the intervals are greater. If money is not an issue then geta 355 or 360, but nothing older. The reason I went from the Testarossa to the TT is because of all the items listed above. As for the NSX, Viper and Corvette, I have no experience with them.

TwinTurb

Jeff what I'm looking for is someone who has driven both who could tell me whether or not the turbo is worth the extra money over a c4s, but I'll check flat-6.net out tonight.

Yeah viper and vette are out immediately because they are american I don't want that! The NSX is actually the other car I like because of the Targa top(96 and up), plus it is basically a honda(reliable). I guess my ultimate is the turbo, the NSX is realistic and the c4s is kinda some where out there. Just looking for current turbo owners opinions vs other cars they may have driven I guess.

ca993twin

I've driven both a C2S and, obviously, the TT. The C2S is a great car, and if you value AWD, the C4S would be even better. But the TT is amazing. Is it worth the extra couple of thou? Egads yes, unless you don't care about stupid fast horsepower. As for reliability, I don't think there is a significant difference between the maintenance of a C4S and a TT.

The TT is simply the ultimate expression of the 993 (OK, OK, there's always the Turbo S). I am sooo glad I bought my car.

Dan89_930

TwinTurb: My name is Dan. I own a 1997 993tt (and a 1989 930 3.4) and have driven a 1997 C4S.

Here's my thoughts (based on stock models of both cars) - similarities: Porsche badged and all-wheel drive.

Differences. Turbo is: faster (overall and 0-60), more hp, more torque, and will hold its resale value far (FAR) better than the C4S.

The turbo is also more expensive to maintain because it has more moving parts and those moving parts (turbos, wastegates, intercoolers) are subject to a lot of heat and a lot of pressure.

It boils down to what you want. ANY Porsche is better than no Porsche at all. Turbo owners lover their turbos. Normally aspirated owners love their cars equally.

Drive them both and decide for yourself. Ultimately it is a purely personal decision.

Enjoy the search!

Dan

Seljan

The turbo has been as reliable as the cab..they both have the same miles.Low 30's.The only major difference I have seen between them is the TT's insatiable thirst for rear tires.I run S02's and the turbo needs rears every 7-8k,,the cab has over 15k and there is still 5/16th left on them.

Anir

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by TwinTurb:
<strong>Jeff what I'm looking for is someone who has driven both who could tell me whether or not the turbo is worth the extra money over a c4s, but I'll check flat-6.net out tonight.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Jeremy,

I test drove both a C4S and the TT before buying the TT. IMO, by comparison at least, the C4S felt a bit sluggish. We're talking about something like 408 hp vs. 282 hp - not a small difference.

I also test drove Ferrari 355 / 360 / 456GT and a BMW M5 before buying the 993TT. Have owned an E46 M3 SMG until recently. Hands down, I prefer the 993TT to any of these other cars. It's not even a close competition.

Why? The 993TT is very communicative and easy to drive both on the street and track. The AWD, coupled with almost no turbo lag, allows you to put the power down very early coming out of corners. The AWD also makes it a very practical car for wet and snowy weather (mine is currently equipped with Pirelli Wintersport 240's). How many other exotic sports cars are truly four-season daily drivers?

Even though the 993TT weighs only 92 pounds less than the M3, it feels sooo much more lithe and tossable, with more direct and better weighted steering. Not to mention, vastly superior brakes.

My 993TT has been incredibly reliable, even with a bunch of track use in the past 14,000 miles. I've yet to see one break down at the track, unlike a multitude of Vipers, Corvette Z-06s, RX-7s, etc. I do most of the maintenance myself, and the costs are very reasonable - downright cheap compared to Ferraris. Parts are readily available.

Prices for a 993TT are very reasonable now, and I honestly can't think of any other car that I would rather drive. Of course, if you don't really need the power, a C4S would also be nice. And, you can get pretty equivalent performance from a Z06 for less money, but...

Joe S

Go for the turbo. I had a C2-S that I alternated with my turbo as a daily driver. Great car, but not in the same league as the turbo. Reliability will not be materially different. Costs will be higher, though, because unless you are very different from the rest of us, you'll soon be looking for ever more hp no matter how balistic your car already is!

TwinTurb

"you'll soon be looking for ever more hp no matter how balistic your car already is!"

hahaha that is probably very true. Yeah I definetly think the turbo is the way to go after hearing all your comments. Everyone said exactly what I wanted to hear to help me justify it *8^) so now I just need to find the car I want and test it thoroughly (I've been reading about the boost gauge and how it should read .8bar).

Thanks everyone I think I have all the info I need now!!

ZCAT3

I owned a 993 C4 before buying my 993TT. The 993TT is the first time that Porsche made a turbo 911 with all the great aspects of the N/A cars without any of the negatives of the prior versions of the 911 Turbos (i.e. turbo lag, poor off boost performance, less reliability, etc.). Simply put, the 993TT is everything the 993 is times two (or three). There simply is no downside compared to the standard 993 cars. Someone who tells you different (you can find them on the 993 board) has never owned both cars.

J-McDonald

AC - you said that your Ferrari Testarossa wasn't as reliable as your TT. Could you elaborate?

Was it something "popping up", seemingly every time you got to use it, preventing you from being able to use it without fear of something breaking (I've had boats of that type)?

Or was it, whenever you brought it in for a "regular" service, there was a laundry list of things that it needed to be done, which seemed out of proportion to the miniscule amount of miles it had covered since the last service.

Or was it something else?

I ask because I've always thought that eventually I'll get a 512TR, but if it's going to be in the former category, I'll probably take a pass.

Thanks very much for your reply.