Thinking of swapping 996 for 993

[cobalt911]

Hello all,

I have a really nice cobalt blue 996c2 (2003) which I am very happy with. I do, however, have a 'thing' for the 's' models of 993. I am doing a lot less mileage right now and I am thinking this may be a good time to make the change. My main concerns are with reliability and cost. The 996 has the OPC warranty and, at 30,000 miles, still feels pretty fresh.

Looking at a couple of 993c2s on the web (Paragon and one other) that are sitting up near 60,000 miles and wondering how you guys feel the cars are at this age/mileage. I know it varies from car to car but are they starting to get expensive to run now??

I reckon my 996 will retail for around £37k, the 993's I have looked at are roughly same price with twice the mileage.....

Should I forget the dream of the 993 due to age/cost etc or is it a leap I should take? I think I need something a little more 'raw'....

Any advice gratefully received as I am currently walking down the fence on this one []

Mark

PS - anyone want to swap? ha ha

 

[Dylan1]

when i went to a well known indy specializing in 993 and a few 996he told me i was bonkers to consider changing my 996 c4 2003 facelift for a 993!!why would you want an older outdated noisier car with crap airconditioning and ancient gearbox is how he put it[]
personally i much prefer the look of the 993 but ended up going for a new car[]but still love the 993.perhaps someday i will get one as well as the modern[]

 

[FLAT-SIXY]

Let put this another way, Why would you want a 2.7 RS over a 964 RS. Exactly. Class. []

 

[Porker993]

Crap airconditioning ? Who needs it ? With all the rain we've been having a boat would be more useful.

Brilliant decision though Mark -

(Of course I'm completely impartial.)

 

[burrow01]

Hi,

I'm the third owner of my 993, the previous two owners put on 168,000 miles between them, mainly the second owner, who had it for 10 years and averaged 15,000+ miles per year, so anyone who says that they cannot be driven daily is talking rubbish.
They are more "raw" than a 996, and you will be more tired after a long journey than you would be in a a 996, mainly due to the increased noise levels, but an advantage is that they sound better than a 996 []
A friend of mine has a 993 Tiptronic, bought with 64,000 miles on it, drives it most days 20 miles to the railway station and back, and generally treats it like a normal car. So far has only cost routine servicing, plus wear items such as tyres and brake disks.
He previously had a Jaguar, and so was used to "wafting" along, but he absolutely loves driving his 993, and it makes any journey special.
Not sure where the comments ref the "ancient" gearbox come from, I thought that the gearbox on a 996 was another G50 variant? I came from a 915, so the 993 gearbox is a delight []

Pete

 

[Dylan1]

i didnt agree with him[] as far as aircon goes-i always prefer an "oldfashiooned"sunroof myself[]
and i think he was alluding to the 4 rather than 5 speed tip gearbox..
didnt put me off a 993 tho -i still think they are the nicest looking 911 ever

 

[Gordon Attar]

If its the auto you are looking at decision will be much harder as old fashioned 4 speed vs 5 speed.

If its a lower mileage more of an occasion car then the 993 hands down if you are going to do less than 5k pa then the 993 as minimal depreciation vs £3 to 4k for the 996.
Personally and I am biased I would spend up to an extra £5k (for the equivalent mileage) on a 993TT for the extra 40%+ hp over an S, as then it will be a very special occasion you take it out!!

 

[RichardLW]

My 993 has done 84K miles and just had its annual service - as usual, I said if it needs fixing, fix it - and the cost was under a grand for the last twelve months motoring - about 12K miles in fact, including 6 trips to Cornwall, 4 trips to Yorkshire, two trackdays, one day at North Weald and the annual LM pilgrimage. It is my everyday car and is used whenever needs be but not everyday as I commute into London most of the time.

I have spent a lot on silly stuff - suspension, rear wings, new brakes - but most of this is either unnecessary or very infrequent expenditure so I reckon you can keep one of these on the road for about £1500 a year on average. It will also be a lot more fun than a 996, sound better, look better, make you feel better and draw glances from very attractive ladies in their early thirties (or maybe thats just me[8|]).

Go on, get one and you will never regret it. The only thing better would be a 964.

Richard

 

[burrow01]

ORIGINAL: RichardLW


Go on, get one and you will never regret it. The only thing better would be a 964.

Richard

So Richard, the plan seems to be you buy a 964, Mark buys your 993, everybody happy []

Pete

 

[pse_SC]

The only thing better would be a 964.

I don't think so. You'd end up paying at least half as much again on service cost[].
And you'd lose all the inherent beauty of the 993[]!

 

[Mark Elder]

ORIGINAL: dyllan

...993... -i still think they are the nicest looking 911 ever

Dylan, so why did you not get one? The 996/3 indy obviously sussed you out, you're a new car man[]. Each to his own.

(IMHO: don't need them both - just need a 993)

Just been out for a wonderful evening drive in mine. (Scottish roads are blessed with sun this evening)

 

[Dylan1]

as you say mark-each to his own-i have just been out for a thrash in the cayman s across herts on a beautiful evening-bliss ,great exhaust soundtrack no need for music just me ,sunshine and machine-B[][][]liss

 

[Pickled Piper]

Drive a 993. If it's the right car for you, then you will just know and not feel the need to ask others.
If you drive a 993 and still have doubts then in all probability it is not the right car for you.

Sorry if that sounds dogmatic, but in my experience that's the way it works. In fact I'm thinking of asking to have the above advice added to FAQs.

pp

 

[Gordon Attar]

ORIGINAL: RichardLW
It will also be a lot more fun than a 996, sound better, look better, make you feel better and draw glances from very attractive ladies in their early thirties (or maybe thats just me[8|]).

Go on, get one and you will never regret it. The only thing better would be a 964.

Richard
The ladies are definately looking at the car and are you missing your 964! as the last comment can not be true!

 

[cobalt911]

Hmmmm...

Fabulous advice.....and worthy of an FAQ on the merits of each

Of course, my other option is fitting a PSE to the 996.....

I have decided to go on holiday for 2 weeks to deliberate - will post the decision but I value all your comments - thanks!

- Mark

 

[RichardF]

[ (Scottish roads are blessed with sun this evening)

Sorry, I don't quite understand this last bit. Sun? What is this "sun" that you speak of? Is it a new type of road surface or road marking system? Can you explain please?

 

[dr fletch]

How it's possible to resist the air-cooled joy of a 993 is beyond me. IMO, the 996 is a 911 aimed at a different type of user. It's a comfy, quiet diversion from the original purity of 911. That dashboard is a bit sad too. I have no doubts it's a wonderful piece of machinery but drive the 993 and it's end of story as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Dylan1]

some people say the last "proper"porsche was the carrera 3.2 of 1989 and that the 964 and 993 are modern new fangled rubbish[][][]
luckily this forum is rather more broadminded!!

 

[zrcg1]

On the flip side can anybody help me with this quandry .................

Currently 993 C2 Tip owner just hit 130k miles (personally clocked up 60k in 3 years), upwards of 400 miles per week in it, mixed driving, m'ways and twistys, seriously thinking about buying a 997 C2S Cab .......

I wont be selling the 993 as the 997 cant replace it like for like....... I can see the downside to be depreciation on the 997 with that sort of mileage, but has anybody else made this transition? ..... more to the point, am I doing the right thing?

 

[dr fletch]

ORIGINAL: dyllan

some people say the last "proper"porsche was the carrera 3.2 of 1989 and that the 964 and 993 are modern new fangled rubbish[][][]
luckily this forum is rather more broadminded!!

There is that viewpoint of course and in some ways I can't disagree but that new fangled rubbish (ie. my old 964) saved my bacon one wet day when I had to brake from 90mph to avoid unexpected traffic queue (you know that lovely sweeping bend as you go from the M25 Northbound onto the M4 Eastbound, BEFORE they ruined it with cameras and wot-not) With the ABS working full tilt, I didn't expect it to stay nose-first but remarkably it did. There was a lot less traffic around ten years ago.

I had the immense pleasure of racing a 3.2 from 1988 at Snetterton a few years back. I don't think I've ever had so much fun. Lovely car.