Well, it looks like my wife is (rightly) fed up with the crap cans I seem to be dragging home and suggests that I might want to get a car that actually works for a change. We both like 911s but I'm thinking that something a little newer (and maybe with a working heater and a/c might be in order.
A poke around autotrader.com for Miatas and 911s up to 30k brought up a bunch of SCs, the odd 964 and a bunch of 996s, but no 993.
Are people just holding on to 993s or are they more expensive than 996s?
A 996 for around $25k with an engine that has 4k on it seems rather tempting though.
That said, has anybody got any experience with servicing costs on 993s and 996s? The earlier ones seem to be reasonably DIY friendly but the latter ones scare me and I have this mental image of $1k service bills for a basic service.
Yes, 993s are generally more expensive than 996s and 964s. Plus, remember, it was a relatively short model run.
People can talk all they want about the last of the air cooled engines, but what it comes down to is that 993s are really good looking and 996s aren't as good looking. 996s are probably better cars, but they haven't held their value as well as the earlier cars. They are a bit of a bargain these days.
A bargain to buy, but still expensive to maintain. The last Porsche mechanic I spoke with said that for his money, he'd take a Boxster S every time. On the other hand I still prefer the driving experience of the 996, despite the sheet metal and interior similarities between the two.
I think the 996 looks way better than the 993, but then again I think the 914 looks better than the original 911 and the 944 looks better than all of them, so what do I know?
I think 996's are the sports car bargain of the century right now.
Cotton
Dork
10/13/11 4:52 p.m.
IMO the 993 makes the 996 looks like E36 M3 stylewise. One of these days I'll pull the trigger on a riviera blue 993.
The GT3 aero kit definitely helps the 996, though.
The 993, as everybody knows... is the last, most powerful, best handling of the oil cooled models. Lots of people think they are the prettiest - I do not like the look at all. If you are a track junkie... it also can fit more tire and brake than the rest. There are lots of reasons to choose it - but none of them are because it's economical. The best is because someone else will buy it from you for pretty close to what you paid making it a free ownership if you don't ball it up.
The 964 still looks like a 911. It has 90% of the capacity for tire and brake and still handles pretty damn good. It also saves you a $10k premium on purchase price. They are cheaper but have been the same price for the last 7yrs so... same deal. Free to you as long as you sell it someday. 993 wheels and brakes are bolt-ons and all the 993 track junkies have them to sell for a song. Some parts can make your head explode if you price them - but there is always a cheap work-around. If you get one that has had all the early glitches addressed... hardy as an anvil.
They are both 911s though... you will pay a bit more for every little thing. Those sexy aluminum lug nuts are $5 each.
I would be all over the Boxster S.
For posterity.... my 964 (with 993 wheels, brakes):
996 was a far better car. Until the intermediate shafts started tearing themselves in half.
If you get a 996, get one post 2001 after the slight revamp for more reliability.
(the more I broadcast these claims, the more the prices on the early ones goes down...)
Well, the 964 had an even shorter production run and I seem to be able to find those for reasonable money, but I can see the reason why people want a 993 over a 996, especially given the engine issues with the latter.
I actually prefer the 911/964 look over the later ones which is why I started looking for anything between SC and 964 until it was pointed out to me that someone would prefer a newer car.
I'm aware of the parts and running cost of the Carrera 3.2 but my main concern was that the water cooled cars might be considerably more expensive to run/maintain compared to an earlier 911.
Not really a big fan of the Boxster (even though I know it's the best handling affordable Porsche and all that), I think if I'm going P-Car again I'd either want a 944 S2 or a 911/964 with a strong preference for the 911 types.
One of the big "scares" with the 996 seems to be the IMS failures. I'm not sure how real the problems are, or overblown.
For curiosities sake I was looking at a $16,000 996 with 60k miles: I couldn't believe the price, but I'm holding out for an aircooled variant - SC to 964. GPS: if you ever decide to part ways with that beautiful car.... ;)
Nathan
Why go 944 S2 when the 968 exists? Why pay money for the 968 when the Boxster S is cheaper and twice the car performance wise?
And water > oil, so I still say 996 is the bargain of the decade (after the C5 Z06 as the bargain of the century).
The Boxster S is a cheap, rattle trap of a car, built to be less than it could be to force people into a 911. A friend has one and it is a lot of fun, but it feels and sounds cheap on the inside for the money you pay for it. For a pure track car it would be fine since you could ditch the plastic interior bits.
For a car to drive daily? I'd choose a 968/944 S2 over a Boxster. If I wanted a 'vert, I'd buy an S2000 or a newer Miata and add a turbocharger. Even a MR2 would be a better mid-engine car to buy, IMHO. Of course a C5/C6 'vette wouldn't get kicked out of bed either ;)
I think it goes like this 944>968>Boxster dash.... The 944 flows well (For a porsche dashboard) with the 968 looks a little cheaper, even though it is probably put together better.. and the Boxster dash is just a mess of weird angles, bumps and bulges
Well, I just happen to like 944 S2s after having driven a couple No accounting for taste and all that.
TBH - and this might be sacrilegious - before I buy a Boxster (which would have to come with a hardtop and that's not that easy an option to find) I'd go looking for a Miata. For some reason I just don't warm to them that much, even though I like the Cayman and the Boxster Spyder. OTOH I saw one in Socal for 14k with a hardtop, that's a pretty good price.
The older a/c 911s seems to be reasonably DIY-able for basic maintenance and they seem to be getting more and more complex. Plus we don't have that much of an Porker infrastructure up here (dealer in Reno and I think one specialist worth considering and one not worth considering) so being able to do some basic work myself would be good.
oh my god the picture of that oxblood 993... I literally gasped when I scrolled down and saw it. I think I'm in love
Yeah, 993's command high prices. 964 Turbos are big money too.
