993
- Thread starter David
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David - good choice! I' ve had mine three years and it was the best motoring decision I ever made. I got mine from Camtune (nr Godalming in Surrey). They were really good and the car has been trouble free, I can' t speak for other dealers.
Things to look for. Well, as a general rule, (I saw loads of cars), 993s are sought after cars so I' d be weary of a " bargain" price. I think as a rule you get what you pay for due to the high desirablility. This is probably in contrast to used 996s (which I think are great cars but just suffering on the used car market) where you could get a really cheap good car. I paid around £4k more than the cheapest cars of the same age when i got mine, but its paid off in terms of being trouble free. I would do the same again today.
I would get the car inspected by a reputable dealer/inspector. Would also try and talk to the previous owner if possible.
If its a pre 1996 car, check whether the car has been in for the wiring loom recall - if not, you should get the loom checked (replaced free by OPCs if in the recall spec).
Check the usual used car things, evidence of damage (under the carpet in the front is a good place to check), check also for options on the car. This is down to personal preference but I looked for air con at the minimum, 18" wheels, sports suspension, sunroof and sports seats are nice to have. The options will be listed on a white sticker under the front bonnet, a series of M codes - you can decipher the codes on various sites where you enter the codes and it tells you what they mean in English (eg rennlist.org will have links).
The main decision to make in terms of variant in my view is probably whether you want a targa, tip or mannual. There' s probably not too much to choose between 2 wheel or 4 wheel drive - base your decision on condition.
The wide body cars (" S" ) models will cost more, although there is healthy debate as to which are better drive. The 4S model is quite sought after. Its personal preference but I think the non S cars look better (just my opinion!).
The turbo is awesome, albeit expensive and complex.
You could probably get a left hand drive RS for 35k ish - again, great car but focused on track use.
Check wear on the tyres - it should be even.
Also turn the steering all the way around - any grinding sounds and you could be looking at a new steering rack (circa £1k) - although the inspection and warrantly should pick these things up.
Hope this helps and good luck.
Ajit.
Things to look for. Well, as a general rule, (I saw loads of cars), 993s are sought after cars so I' d be weary of a " bargain" price. I think as a rule you get what you pay for due to the high desirablility. This is probably in contrast to used 996s (which I think are great cars but just suffering on the used car market) where you could get a really cheap good car. I paid around £4k more than the cheapest cars of the same age when i got mine, but its paid off in terms of being trouble free. I would do the same again today.
I would get the car inspected by a reputable dealer/inspector. Would also try and talk to the previous owner if possible.
If its a pre 1996 car, check whether the car has been in for the wiring loom recall - if not, you should get the loom checked (replaced free by OPCs if in the recall spec).
Check the usual used car things, evidence of damage (under the carpet in the front is a good place to check), check also for options on the car. This is down to personal preference but I looked for air con at the minimum, 18" wheels, sports suspension, sunroof and sports seats are nice to have. The options will be listed on a white sticker under the front bonnet, a series of M codes - you can decipher the codes on various sites where you enter the codes and it tells you what they mean in English (eg rennlist.org will have links).
The main decision to make in terms of variant in my view is probably whether you want a targa, tip or mannual. There' s probably not too much to choose between 2 wheel or 4 wheel drive - base your decision on condition.
The wide body cars (" S" ) models will cost more, although there is healthy debate as to which are better drive. The 4S model is quite sought after. Its personal preference but I think the non S cars look better (just my opinion!).
The turbo is awesome, albeit expensive and complex.
You could probably get a left hand drive RS for 35k ish - again, great car but focused on track use.
Check wear on the tyres - it should be even.
Also turn the steering all the way around - any grinding sounds and you could be looking at a new steering rack (circa £1k) - although the inspection and warrantly should pick these things up.
Hope this helps and good luck.
Ajit.
David,
Yes, good choice, and Ajit' s advice is very sound.... its is virtually impossible to find 993s within the OPC network, so an independent or private seller is going to be where you go...
Again, echoing the advice above, buy on condition, ie if the car does not look straight, then walk away... an inspection by a specialist Porsche technician would be advisable if buying privately.... it might also be worth getting in touch with the 993 Register Sec (Derek) to see if a potential buy is listed with him....
Happy searching...
Yes, good choice, and Ajit' s advice is very sound.... its is virtually impossible to find 993s within the OPC network, so an independent or private seller is going to be where you go...
Again, echoing the advice above, buy on condition, ie if the car does not look straight, then walk away... an inspection by a specialist Porsche technician would be advisable if buying privately.... it might also be worth getting in touch with the 993 Register Sec (Derek) to see if a potential buy is listed with him....
Happy searching...
If you can afford to , You may as well stick to an all opc service history. There will be a core of buyers when and if you sell, who will be impressed by that statement. They wont necessarily be getting a better maintained example than one without full opc history, but this is all about perceived condition. It would be nice if the opc you have in mind had an engineer in the workshop who has a proven track record on the older models. I would task them to carry out only the standard maintenance and then seek out a decent alternative for other repairs not carrying a stamp in the book if you don't like their quotes for additional work,which they may suggest at service visits. Sometimes it is useful to have a different pair of eyes cast over the car once in a while to confirm or expose the true condition and issues evident? One other piece of advice is to always negotiate the price before agreeing work you ask them to do!
Christian................
Christian................
Welcome Mike. Well done for choosing the right 911 for your first!
Ask around at your local regional meeting to see who other 993/964 owners use for servicing and what the truth is about "air cooled" experience of technicians at your local OPCs. I don't know how far Exeter is from you but certainly 9 years ago they had a guy who knew his 993s well.
As others have said the fact that you have all the stamps so far is a strong reason to maintain the sequence, but it is not everything - actually getting competent work done is a higher priority. I (and some others on here) have had less than perfect work done at OPCs on occasions, not because they don't try, but because they do lose the skills. Whereas some of the independents typically work all the time on the older cars and so have much higher skills and knowledge specific to our cars. (Although you still have to select your indy with care!)
Ask around at your local regional meeting to see who other 993/964 owners use for servicing and what the truth is about "air cooled" experience of technicians at your local OPCs. I don't know how far Exeter is from you but certainly 9 years ago they had a guy who knew his 993s well.
As others have said the fact that you have all the stamps so far is a strong reason to maintain the sequence, but it is not everything - actually getting competent work done is a higher priority. I (and some others on here) have had less than perfect work done at OPCs on occasions, not because they don't try, but because they do lose the skills. Whereas some of the independents typically work all the time on the older cars and so have much higher skills and knowledge specific to our cars. (Although you still have to select your indy with care!)
Mark
Great observations and advice. I will be keen to keep the OPC stamps going, car has only 30k on the clock so nice low mileage to keep well documented. I have identified an indy in Chichester with OPC centres in Portsmouth, Bournemouth or Guildford being the closest. Exeter about two hours and a great drive!
Thanks again
Mike
Great observations and advice. I will be keen to keep the OPC stamps going, car has only 30k on the clock so nice low mileage to keep well documented. I have identified an indy in Chichester with OPC centres in Portsmouth, Bournemouth or Guildford being the closest. Exeter about two hours and a great drive!
Thanks again
Mike
hi & welcome
to the best 911
ive now had mine since sept 2004
& love it to bits its a great car
hope you enjoy yours as i have done
to the best 911
ive now had mine since sept 2004
& love it to bits its a great car
hope you enjoy yours as i have done
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