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964 Buyers Guide

911UK

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14 years since it's launch the 964 has not been the 911 of choice, with a significant proportion of buyers preferring the 3.2 Carrera, for the purer early 911 driving experience, or the later 993 with its improved handling and cheaper servicing costs.

The tales of early unreliability also do not increase the 964's status in the desirability stakes, however prices reflect this and the 964 can be a bargain 911 with prices starting in the £10k area (at time of article).

There are, however, always exceptions to the rule and the RS and Turbo models (particularly the 3.6) remain very popular with prices remaining strong and significantly higher than the Carrera models.

The Good, the bad and the ugly

Bad Examples

Although very cheap 964s are available mainly in Germany there are very few in the low end of the price range that can actually be described as nice. Many cars that at first glance seem fine can sometimes need many additional thousands spent on them to make a decent car, simply because the previous owners have not properly maintained it. Also you must be aware that a LHD car may have been crashed somewhere in Europe, then repaired (sometimes very badly) and shipped here to sell to willing and gullible British punters.

Running Costs

The 964, like many low priced supercars, may seem attractive when all you see is the 'cheaper than a new family saloon' purchase price. But always remember that this is, after all, a Porsche - and many of the parts (and most importantly the labour) needed to keep it up to scratch are not cheap. For example, whereas a new car may only need a small yearly service of £100 or so, the yearly cost of running a 964 can easily exceed £800-£1000 if a few non-service items need replacing.

What is it like to drive?

The 964 does have less driver involvement feel than earlier 911s, but there is no doubt that it is an easier car for those of normal skill levels to drive fast. With its torquey engine and predictable handling it inspires the driver with more confidence to push harder, and although you never forget where the engine is, it is more forgiving than the earlier torsion bar cars.

The Carrera 4 with its four wheel drive system is roughly 100kg heavier than its two wheel drive Carrera 2 brother and in comparison it is slightly slower and does display understeer if you push it hard. However, as an everyday car - and particularly on slippery wet winter roads that can be challenging for its two wheel drive brothers - the Carrera 4 is a safe, fast and reassuring drive.

Common 964 problems

The unreliability tales of the 964 are not totally unfounded and the model does have several commonly known problem areas that can be expensive to sort out.

Dual mass flywheel (DMF): This is probably the most legendary 964 problem, but in reality it only mainly affects early 964s that had the Freudenburg made item. In 1993, a version made by LUK replaced it and it is this item that is usually retro fitted to the earlier cars. The symptom of a DMF failure is vibration and a very lumpy, off balance feeling, most noticeable at low revs. The RS (other than the Touring) is not equipped with a DMF so does not suffer this problem.

Distributor belt: The non-turbo engine is equipped with twelve spark plugs fired by the twin distributors that are linked by a small rubber belt. This belt is prone to snap over time (ozone within the distributor housing erodes the rubber). This causes either (if you are lucky) simply a lack of power, but more serious engine damage can occur if the rotor arm stops in the 'wrong' place. Most Porsche specialists can replace the belt and usually a small vented tube from the 993 engine is retro fitted to stop the build up of ionised air.

Front suspension: The rubber bushes on the front wishbones usually perish over time and can give the front end of the car a vague sloppy feeling on the road. Re-bushing is the solution, which is considerably cheaper than replacing the entire wishbone, although at £200, the wishbones themselves are not overly expensive.

Brake Calliper corrosion: In common with many Porsches, the brake calipers are aluminium, while the backing plates of the brake pads are steel. This, along with the effects of the lovely European weather, can cause problems and make brake pad replacement very difficult. The problems can sometimes be solved without having to replace the calipers, but it is quite labour intensive and thus still not cheap.

Oil Pipe Leaks: The oil pipes between the dry sump oil tank in the right hand rear wing and the engine are often corroded, usually at the rigid pipe/flexible hose joint. The pipes are relatively inexpensive (about £350 the set) but occasionally the oil thermostat or the oil tank are unavoidably damaged in replacing the pipes and the bill thus can become quite expensive.

Oils leaks from Cylinder Joints: The first 964s didn't use a seal or gasket at the cylinder base, and heat distortion usually led to oil leaks from this area. Later cars used a larger seal area and a sealing ring which largely cured the problem at the time, although many later cars still suffer this problem.

Top end rebuilds: Like most 911s, the bottom end of the 964 engine is typically Porsche over engineered, practically bullet proof and usually good for 200,000 miles with regular servicing and quality oil. The top end of the engine (i.e. the cylinder heads & valves etc.) however, will usually require an overhaul at around the 80-100,000 mile mark. Beyond this mileage the engine is usually down on power with poor compression and usually high oil consumption. A top end rebuild comprises replacement valves, valve guides & piston rings. The cost is dependent on many factors but prices start from around £2500, although £4-5000 is not unusual if other components need replacing.

Special Variants

964 RS

Volumes have been written about the 964 RS which we are not about to reproduce here, however a brief rundown of the RS model is necessary due to its differences between the Carrera 2 & 4 models.

From the outside, the RS appears very similar to the regular Carrera 2 that it is based on, yet the RS is a very different car under the skin.

Three main variants were available - Basic, Touring & Clubsport.

Touring

The Touring is the rarest RS and the car basically combines the RS spec engine and rock hard suspension with regular Carrera comforts. It is a strange combination almost no lighter than a regular Carrera, but considerably more expensive.

Basic

The biggest selling RS was the basic version, which is usually called the lightweight as it is stripped of pretty much everything superfluous to a pure driving experience. For example, out went items such as the electric windows, power steering, sunroof, air con, underbody sealant and rear seats. Whilst in came a fully seam welded chassis, lightweight magnesium alloy wheels, Turbo brakes, a lightweight interior & thinner glass, different gear ratios and a limited slip differential.

Clubsport

The Clubsport went even further down the stripped out route with no interior carpet or rooflining, no engine sound deadening and a welded in rollcage.

All RS models used a 'blueprinted' version of the regular Carrera engine, and a different ECU raised the power to 260bhp. The suspension was much stiffer and lower (and had many other detail changes) over the Carrera, and was biased towards track driving.

Road tests of the era slated the RS due to its extra price over the regular Carrera and its rock hard ride. Due to its race designed suspension set up it is a far more unforgiving and tricky car to drive fast than the Carrera or even the Turbo models, especially in the wet because when the car does 'let go' it is very difficult to catch. The RS's tricky on the limit handling, coupled to its popularity as a track day car, means many have been either crashed and repaired, or have led a very hard life. Because of this it is essential that a prospective RS buyer obtains specialist advice before purchasing.

3.8 RS

Few 911s cause as much debate as the 1993 3.8 version of the RS. Production figures vary and it was only ever available in limited numbers, with few people in the UK having seen more than a couple of genuine examples. The road car used a 3.8 version of the RS engine with several modifications and produced 300bhp (with up to 375bhp from the race spec version the RSR). The bodywork came from the wide arched Turbo and used even wider wheels & tyres plus the brakes from the Turbo S. Despite the added weight the car actually weighed less than the 3.6RS, due mainly to the use of aluminium doors. No Touring version was produced and it was only available in standard & Clubsport versions.

Turbo Models

The 3.3 & 3.6 Turbos were the last incarnation of the Turbo on the 964 model. The combination of the on or off nature of the big single turbo, coupled to no traction control systems, mean the 320bhp 3.3 and particularly the more powerful 360bhp 3.6 model are often described as the last of the scary 911 Turbos.

The rare (circa 86 models) 3.3 Turbo S does not have the luxury of the standard cars, but combined 380bhp with a stripped interior and firmer suspension set up similar to the RS models, and was primarily the choice of sporting and track day drivers. The 3.6 Turbo S is even rarer and also made as a Flat Nose variant all by Porsche Exclusive division.

Performance modifications

More power for normally aspirated models

Simply by re-mapping the ECU and having exhaust modifications such as a cat bypass, the power can be raised easily to over 280bhp. Beyond this level power can be raised to almost 300bhp by using a 'hot film' system on the inlet system or around 320bhp by replacing the standard engine management and injectors with a Motec system.

Going beyond this bhp on a normally aspirated engine is possible, but expensive (cams, big bore kits, porting and polishing of the heads, special exhaust headers etc) and if you really want huge horsepower, forced induction i.e. turbocharging or supercharging is the obvious answer.

More power for Turbos

Large power increases are available for both the 320bhp 3.3 & 360bhp 3.6 engines and extracting it is relatively easy. The first step involves simple wastegate modifications and a different, less restrictive, exhaust system. These modifications can result in around 370bhp for the 3.3 with rather more for the 3.6 engine.

Getting over 400bhp is possible for both engines with different turbochargers & intercoolers (although the driving characteristics of the car can suffer with large, laggy turbos), while engine modifications such as performance camshafts can raise power outputs to well over 400bhp even on the standard injection systems.

With significant work, over 450bhp is available from both engines if you have an understanding bank manager. However, that amount of power coupled with two wheel drive and no traction control, means you will rapidly become your local tyre centre's favourite customer. If not best friends with the owner of the local body shop!

Suspension

From a purely aesthetic point of view, the non RS 964s sit far too high on standard suspension, particularly at the front. For the sporting driver the handling of the car can also be dramatically improved by suspension modifications. In common with most modern cars, the 964 is coil sprung, thus the easy way to achieve a lower stance is by using lowered springs. However, unless the dampers are in very good shape it is much better to replace the standard set up with a complete springs and dampers package. When installed (and importantly when the wheel alignment is set up properly), the results can be very impressive, making the car a far more interesting and sporty drive.

On Carrera 4 models understeer problems can also be much reduced with a sports suspension kit and accurate alignment.

Conclusion

Overall, the 964 represents something of a Porsche performance bargain, although maintenance is essential and sensible modification is recommended. Whilst being dynamically superior and more modern than the 3.2 model before it, the 964 (especially the earlier models) is not without its faults, and it was left to the 993 variant to finally perfect the last of the air cooled breed.

Therefore, a purchaser with a high 964 budget should really consider an entry price 993. Finally, the RS models have recently enjoyed a surge in popularity, with the uncompromising ride being perceived as less outrageous by the growing number of trackday converts.

Prices are firm, especially as there have only been a few later Porsche models that have managed to come close to capturing the 964 RS's raw excitement and purity of purpose.
 

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