J.Seven

To make it short, new member to the family and it would be fun to have a 408Hp(quicky tuned to 450/500Hp) forever Classic Porsche and have the chance to give some spireted driving with the family 996 Cabrio would be another option but I probably will keep my 3.4L Boxster anyway.

Spend the weekend searching for info on the net about this beauty and today went for a test drive. Dealer was nice, and let me drove alone for a long period.
I will start from looks. Car is really agressive, those sexy curves makes it very sporty, much more than a 996 Turbo. I really prefer the 993 Carrera 4 S, but that big rear wing after a while star to grown on me, I find this car so, so beautiful.

Driving position is not perfect, but after some time you´ll get use to it. Ergonomics is worst than on Boxster and you really feel the age on this car regarding cabin look. Engine sound was not so overwelming as I was expected, both from inside and outside. It´s loud from outside but not as musical and refined as the 3,4L. From inside the cabin is quite and engine sound is not that intrusive. I prefer the 3.4L sound from in and outside. Car felt more solid than Boxster, suspension is hard, but there were no plastic ratles, overal quality felt good, but again the interior design looked from 20 years ago. Steering was heavier than on Boxster, clucth although very hard, felt very easy to operate and I liked also the gearbox feeling. Brakes seemed to have more grunt and suspension although hard, wasn´t unconfortable. Untill you reach 4000rpm, this car seemed slower than the 3.4L, but once you reach 4500Rpm your could feel the turbo kick, gosh I love turbo engine. You really need to go up on the revs to feel the 408Hp. Had the chance to make a hard acelaration from 0 to 140Kph and as soon as you pass from 1º to 2º the rev drop to 5000/5500rpm, where the engine torque really shine, and power is strong but not devasting some 60Hp more would be welcome Handling seemed good, although I didn´t push it near the limit, but was confident to make some quick curves and car always seemd very planted. After a 20 minutes ride I felt very good inside the car as if I knew it from some time, that was really good. It made me feel that after a month of ownership, I would be totally in love for it.

I drop the car at the dealer and went out on my car, what a difference, manely on the driving position and overall mechanical feel. Boxster is slower, and you know it is, but doesn´t feel like it, it screams louder, the engine sound feels the cabin, and the air blowing on your face really makes it quick. The open roof driving feel is unique, I´m so adicted to this car and his capacities. Driving at 140Kph with top down and lestean to a good cd felt so good.

The 993TT really have something special, those sporty curvy lines and 408Hp really play their roll and after some engine tuning, this car makes the Boxster feel like a diesel powered engine from 100Kph up. It could become a monster on the road, the kind of challange I would love to deal with, and I´m sure I would spend hours after hours looking at this beauty.
It would be wonderful to have this car, but always next to the Boxster in the garage.

J.Seven

As you can see by this picture this is a US spec car, the suspension is much higher than the Europe 993TT, and it makes the car less sporty regarding looks, also the speedo and board computer info is in milage not good for us. Can anyone tell the differences between the Euro and U.S 993TT specs? Thanks in advance.


Love this Midnight blue color. The interiors were grey with sporty seats. There´s almost no trunck space compared to Boxster.

John H. in DC Area

Hello J. Seven, it seems like I've responded to this post twice , although I spend much more of my browsing and posting time on this board rather than the other. Some of the folks here can likely answer your questions about baby/child seats in the 993TT.

Initially, I found the exhaust sound of the 993tt too muted as well. I added a Cargraphic exhaust and I'm happy with that.

I also agree with your thoughts about the 993 interior. The ergonomics are not great (unless one has arms like Michael Jordan, it's best not to mess with the distant radio while driving). I decided to upgrade the interior wherever possible. I was fortunate that my car came completely optioned from the factory with tons of carbon fibre and the aluminum package. I have since added chrome gauge rings, a new steering wheel, 996TT shifter, aluminum pedals, built-in Valentine 1, FVD short shifter, and upgraded audio system. After all of that$, it finally started to feel special. I prefer the feel of the 996/986 shifter with a short shift kit (reminds me of my old 951's short shift) to the 993 shifter.

Here's a link to my interior ... .Link to Interior Photo - double click on photo to enlarge

With the new little one (congrats, I saw your pics on the Boxster board, your wife is very pretty as well, if you don't mind my saying), you may get better use out of the 993TT's back seats (plus baby seat) versus the two-seater Boxster.

Turbocharged power is one of those things that people either love or hate. One must be conscious of throttle modulation to stay in the torque/powerband, but once that's mastered there's no greater thrill than riding the wave of turbochargd power. Others prefer the razor sharp edge of NA power. I prefer tons of torque. If Porsche made a more powerful and torquey NA engine (less costly than the V10 in the CGT), then I would buy it in an instant. I had a "stage 1" upgrade performed on my car, consisting of exhaust and ECU (tuned by Gunther M, who handles a lot of ECU tuning for Sportec, TTP, Gemballa, and others). I've been very happy with the upgrade, though I'm lusting after a Ruf Turbo R upgrade.

You didn't mention whether warranty coverage is important. If so, you may want to go with a newer car

ZCAT3

Jose - you already caught many of the differences between the 2 cars. I had my 993TT in for some dealer service a while back and they gave me a new Boxster as a loaner. That was the first time I had driven a Boxster and I was impressed. I had the car for a week and logged almost 1,000 miles on it. I also find the ergonomics in the Boxster better, but could barely hear the engine in the car I had. The 993TTs are very insulated, but a few simple mods can give you a more engine sound (and at the same time lower back pressure and improve the car's performance).

The handling of the Boxster is superior for a novice driver - no question. It is almost totally neutral, meaning the car shifts side to sie - as opposed to the *** out tendency of the 911 cars. As far as performance there is really no comparison (of course your 3.4 liter Boxster is undoubtedly a different story). If you were feeling turbo lag, then the car you drove may either have different turbos or maybe is not in a good state of tune. In a stock 993TT there is just about no turbo lag at all and the turbos should be spooling well before 4000 RPM.