FisterD

I couldn't disagree more with this statement. A 993 is a great handling, road hugging car.It gives great feedback to the driver and definately doesn't feel like you may lose it at any minute.Maybe the car you had did not have the suspension set up properly.

Carrera Mike

I had a 97 993. I think the 993 is a great car. It's 30 years of continued enovation, but it's an age old frame. They could only push it so far to adapt to ever changing road conditions. It's true that they say that the 993 needs more attention to drive, it dances with the road surface. The 996 does not. If it hits a bump, it stays in it's trajectory. I think that stability is good for our fast highways/freeways of today. 02 and newer has 40 horses more, with lighter bodyweight. So you actually gain more push power. The interior is more civilized functionaly. Shifting alone is so much easier with my 996. It's a shorter throw with less effort. It gives me that more sport shifting feel. I could only go on and on. My only advice though is inspect the car thoroughly for the RMS. Look at the bolts where the transmission meets the engine for oil seepage, or if they bear signs that they were move before, a telltale that the RMS was replaced. I'm lucky that mine is clean(Knock on wood). I still have 9 mos of waranty and only have 13500 mi. There's only few percentage of these cars that have that problem, of course you only hear it from these guys thats why it seems like it's an epidemic in rennlist.

I took a porsche master mechanic(I consider the best here in our area) with me when I looked at my 02coupe from a non porsche dealer. I gave him $40 for 20 mins of his time(although he didn't want to take it being a friend) to look at the car real good, drive it to check the Vario Cams, ABS and PSM if they were all working good. The mechanical checks he did weren't limited to what I mentioned but those were the big ones he explained to me while we were driving it and he let me feel them at work/or when they kick in. The car has 9 mos more of waranty, so thats a plus.

1 more thing, ease maintenance on the engine is 4 folds better than the 993. Changing oil is easier than my Toyota truck. Oil Filter and Drain Port are both right at the bottom of engine.

Good luck on your search. Pick what your heart really wants. I respect all porschephiles for whatever model they pick. Porsches are all track bred cars...and the Cayene to pull the trailer to the track

caf

I don't think he's saying that the 993 isn't a good handling car. What he's saying is that the behavior at the limit is less predictable than the 996. I think he's right and his skiing analogy is perfect (having just done some great high runs in Taos last week).

bet

The 993 is difficult to find people to set up the suspension properly. The Kinemetic toe settings is somewhat tricky to set up properly and most alignment shops don't even have the proper tool. Even many dealership fail to make this adjustment. The failure to adjust this setting properly can cause some wicked handling characteristics under certain circumstances. However, the failure to set this setting properly is usually not noticed in sedate in town driving or even at highway speeds on straight smooth roads. The 996 does away with this setting.

Additionally the 993 stock suspension does not last long. The degradation is gradual and usually not noticed by the owner but it is happening. The result is many ill handling cars because the owners think because of the lower miles everything is fine (even though many of the cars are approaching 10 years old). That said a properly set up 993 is not skittish and/or unpredictable. Sure it is compared to an Honda accord but not in the realm of sports cars.

Arrwin

I'd have to agree with my 993 brother here. I feel the utmost confidence in my 993 C4S on sweeping curves at 100mph+. Most times I don't realize the stability of the car at those speeds until I peer down at the speedometer in utter amazement. Very easy to get into trouble here (with the law that is).

I'd have to agree however, that the 993 is not the most daily-driver friendly. You have to pay much closer attention on what you are doing than any other car. What I do like about the 996s are their modern interiors. However, being that all new car interiors have a similar feel, getting into my 993 gives me a nostalgic feel, a feel that I am sitting in a piece of Porsche history. Just my $.00002.

When it comes down to it...all Porsches are beautiful.

mborkow

"I'd have to agree however, that the 993 is not the most daily-driver friendly"
i love my 993 100 miles a day, 5 days a week (+ weekend driving). (hate the maintenance though!)

houldsworth1

I never tried a 993 but I do think that the 993 C4S is the best looking car of the lot with my 996 C4S a close second (my opinion so don't bother to contradict please).

Barry