Sweet993

I have both a 2006 Carrera S X-51 equipped car as well a 1996 Carrera 4 Cab. Two completely different driving experiences. Love them both! It's comparing apples to oranges...both are fruits both totally different.

chuck911

Its interesting a lot of the same considerations apply from the opposite point of view. Every time I think of going from my 79 SC to a water cooled (of which the current favorite would be a 997.2S or GTS) I have to wonder if the newer models are worth the extra Federal Reserve Notes. When I look at the cost of very normal work on these cars it hits me how easy it is to spend as much taking care of a few items as I've spent over the whole 120k miles and 15 years with my SC. Registration will not be the $0 I pay for my Collector Car tabs. Insurance will not be $277/year. That satisfying feeling, knowing its you who made the car do that, nowhere near the same. (Leaving a water-cooled behind on a twisty road- priceless!)

But, the SC comes nowhere near a 997 in effortlessly putting the miles down. As retirement and the opportunity for more multi-week road trips gets closer I find this feeling a lot more important. Although, the SC has done lots of these just fine. There really are good reasons the air-cooleds earn those high prices.

Ben Z

Ever since I got my 997 6 years ago I've been occasionally tempted, but then I remember why I never bought a Porsche until the 997. Pre-'89 they have heavy non-power steering, feeble A/C (I'm in S. FL) and no air-bags. So a 964 or 993 would be my only options. I want to DD a Porsche, so it would either mean owning two (and I would have to rent garage space for one, and pay insurance and upkeep on two), or DDing a 20+ y.o. car, which makes me nervous from a reliability standpoint. I owned a '74 450SL in the 90s and despite the reputation of being bulletproof it still cost me a fortune in so-called "minor" repairs.

I suppose if I could buy a 964 or 993 with under 100K miles somewhere in the high 20s to mid 30s I might think seriously about it. But at today's prices I think I'll leave the classics to others, and just ogle and admire them at PCA events. At some point if I decide on another Pcar it would probably be a used 991 in a few years, assuming I can find one I like with a stick.

ilko

I've owned a couple of 997s now and 5 964/993s. A properly set up 993 is a real treat and can be a lot of fun on a back road and on a long trip. I drove an 1800 mile round trip to French Lick this summer in my 993 and I had a blast. Power is decent, noise is awesome, A/C works, stock stereo is quite good.

But I would not daily drive any 911. They are decent, just not that great at sitting in traffic and avoiding pot holes. They are made to run free.

StanThePorscheFan

I moved from 964 C4 to 997.2 C4S. It's an improvement in every way, of course. But driving the 997 never felt as special as driving the old air-cooled 964 did.
So two years ago I picked up a 912, restored it and now the 997 is my weekday summer car, where as the 912 is my special weekend car. I love it.
If you are thinking of adding an air cooled Porsche to your more modern Porsche, do not worry about the power, options, future resale value or rarity. Just get anyone you can afford, I guarantee you will love it.

mk85911

I own one of each, a 2011 997.2, for about four years, and a 1985 911 since new. The first year of ownership I put double the miles on the 997, next year about fifty percent more, but the last two years I find that I put about equal miles on each. The 997 is an absolutely wonderful car, probably better in every way than the 911, BUT, if I'm driving by myself, and it's not too hot, I normally take the 911. (Which black Porsche should I take?). If I could only keep one, it would be the 997, I suppose, but I would hate to make that decision. Mike.

jcsomerv

When I get an air-cooled to complement my 997.2, it will be a 964, exactly what Jake is building here....https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...=891965&page=1

mrhebert

I have driven and owned many of the air cooled cars. They can not hold a candle to a 997. I wouldn't think about going back to balky shifters, stiff clutches, poor ac, poor lighting, etc. To each his own.

johnireland

For the money I spent between the 996 abnd the 997, I could have and should have bought a 993. And I'd still own it. Can't say that about the 996 and 997. As the economy gets worse I may well find a 993 at my price point again.

996scott

After 10 yrs of water cooled i went to a 993 and I must say that my 993 has such an incredible feel and sound to it. I absolutely love driving it! There are a lot of nice features going to a more modern car and if i was using it for a daily driver i wouldn't have a 993, i would definitely get a water cooled. That being said i have a bad itch to add a GTS. I don't think i would trade the 993 for a GTS but if i can figure out a way to have both it would definitely be the best of both worlds.

estrellajon

I used to own several Porsches including a low mileage 89 930. This is so true. Air cooled were ok and fun but I surely don't miss the crappy gears, torsion bars, AC etc. and death sled experience .

henkinc

In my case, I put on the M030 factory Euro/ROW sport suspension with Bilsteins on the 993 cab, and my 2010 997 is stock. Truth in advertising, I probably should not have modded the suspension to sport level on the 993 cab. The chassis is just not stiff enough for that and the potholes in my area of the world are a pain. Plus the damn SAI ports clog up so you have to reset the check engine light every 200 miles or so. Plus the NAV is your hand held cell phone, which is not ideal. Plus I am not sure you can get XM radio. Plus, I got older...

I would NOT go back to a 993 from the 997.2 S- unless maybe I had the 993 TT. 997 S is a fabulous modern super car. Even then, I only drive several k miles per year, have one garage space in the house, etc. So for me the 997.2 S is perfect. All except for the appearance, which is honestly only excellent. The 993 cab is gorgeous. See pix of recently departed. (btw, I have owned 5 911s including the one water-cooled car, and honest they just keep on getting better each model.)

If I could have 2 sports cars I would look at adding a V-8 Aston Vantage roadster or a F360 and put up with the maintenance bills before getting a 993 for about the same $$.

waizone

I sold my 1988 M491 cab in late 06 to make room for a brand new 07 997s. Fast forward to mid 2015 and I had an opportunity, ironically to buy back my 1988 for a 40% premium. I passed but was in the hunt for an air cooled 911. Last week I purchased a 1995 993 coupe that will sit next to my 07 s. Prices on 993's over last 4 years have increased dramitically and I made a mistake not buying one in 2009. Didn't want to make that mistake again so I jumped on it. Can't wait to drive her!

z3mcoupe

I have a '69 912 if anyone is looking ! I love it to bits, but I have to let it go unfortunately.

Valkuri

Feel free to PM me about the 912. I'm passively shopping for a 'fixer', which yours clearly is not, but I'm willing to find out more. Thanks.