some impartial advice please

Rodders · 31 Jul 2005

hopefully in the next few months i'll have a decent size wedge of cash to spend on a Porsche of my choice..........however i'm at sixes an sevens deciding what route to go down as here is my dilema(s)

a friend of my in-laws' has a damn nice looking midnite blue FPSH'd 95 993 C4 with aero-kit and low-ish miles(sub60k)..........he's wanting approx £27-28k for this.........how does this sound for a non-varioram 993???.....if i go for this it leaves me with a fair bit of cash to invest wisely in the bank and so keep the missus happy

or

are the 996 3.4's(Carrera 4 specifically) really as bad as ppl seem to say...on paper they seem rather rapid(even tiptronic seems quick----prefer to have manual most seem to be auto)......but they don't seem to be too far away price-wise from the 993............i'd be looking at paying upto£7-£8k over the 993's price so again this would leave a decent amount to invest wisely

thanks in advance

Roddy

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Porsche · 31 Jul 2005

27-28k.. would buy you a 96 varioram....... that is very much top money for a pre-vario car... but again that would depend on the spec of the car, etc

although low miles = less than 50k

nothing wrong with 996's but the early ones are priced are quite close to vario 993's although the late 3.4's are somewhat of supercar bargains now days

the range is very wide........ but worth finding a good one even if it is more £££ !

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poon · 1 Aug 2005

there's not much difference between vario and non vario! not that you'd notice anyway.

Price is of the 993 you refer to is there or there abouts, maybe £1-£2k over, but if it hasd FPSH and an aerokit maybe it will sell for abit over the norm.

in terms of unbiased advice, I can definately say with no bias that the 993 is the only 911 (short of a 996 turbo or GT3) to get :wink:

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Martyn1 · 1 Aug 2005

I guess it really comes down to presonal preference.

The 993 is the last of the air-cooled and to many this is the key point, its also seen by many to be the best looking style wise as the 996 looked a bit bulky and has similarities (from the front) as the inferior Boxster.

The 996 is however a more modern car to live with, the interior is certainly more in line with modern machinery, with many of the home comforts you might expect of a car costing you £28K.

Id suggest you try both on test drives and then start looking for what meets your budget, as Sundeep says £28k should be buying you a 993 Varioram, whilst £28k and LHD buys a nice C4 996. Would you consider LHD??

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Rodders · 1 Aug 2005

thanks for the replies folks............i was thinking it was top dollar he was wanting for his non-varioram.........though to be fair it is a stunner especially with its aerokit......as for miles its had a new speedo (shows 18k now) but seemingly this was replaced by an OPC at approx 40k miles.....by the way it was bought from Autobahn approx 18-24 months ago.......so in a way its got a decent pedigree from what i hear of them......however i'm not a great fan of the pre-996 dash design and i prefer the hunkier looks of the 996 its just i keep hearing about how the 993 is better built and more the driver's(not that i'm a full on driver mind

) car than the 996.....BTW LHD is out of the question too as my wife will also be on the Insurance to drive and tbh i'd prefer RHD............is there any potential problems with tiptronic on the early 996's especially C4's??????

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David Rose · 3 Aug 2005

I sort of went down a similar route and loved the 993's aggressive looks etc. Then I looked at the 996 and it is a more up to date car.

now you hit personal preference and headaches. I tend to agree with the general advice of try them both out.

look around carefully though as I have spent months and months trolling through Autotrader looking for that "perfect" car.

There are now lots and lots of them out there. My worry was I was coffing up £30-£35K and although a private purchase loked a cheaper way of doing it how could I guarantee it would be a very painful mistake on the way home as it all went horribly wrong with a car that hadn't been owned by an enthusiast but by someone as a general runaround. Company car, etc.

Then think as was pointed out to me but is true in 2,3 years time how much will it be worth?!?!

Back to theres lots out there and you don't really want to loose your shirt....or your wife possibly :wink:

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Bubble · 3 Aug 2005

I was in the same place too. Spent months looking at the choices out there, drove some (996 and 993), read a lot..... I kept coming back to what I wanted and why I wanted it. I was after "THE classic sportscar", with the pedigree, the history, the build and the drive...and the engineering.

I concluded, in the end, that that was the 993, even with some of its shortcomings. The classic shape, the awesome sound, the brilliant drive (with the tamed rear-end) and the air-cooled engine.

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Robertb · 4 Aug 2005

If you are looking at tiptronics, bear in mind that the 993 has only 4 speeds compared to the manual which has six and this seriously blunts the performance, whereas the 996 at least has a 5 speed tip.

You have to drive both and make your mind up. The 996 does the GT daily driver thing better, but if you want a sportscar to really use and enjoy then a 993 is great, plus I suspect will hold its value better.

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Rodders · 4 Aug 2005

still ain't got a clue what to go for :?

they certainly both appeal to me in differing ways

993..........classic last of the air-cooled models

996.........more up to date muscular looks,modern interior enviroment and cheaper running costs(well according to my local OPC its cheaper)

just to clarify too........i'd be looking at Tiptronic and manual on the 996's and only manual on the 993

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David Rose · 4 Aug 2005

He he he I say somewhat playfully as I have been there .. but no longer.. more on that later!

depending on your driving the 996 with the tiptronic on the steering wheel gives you a 5 speed manual ish drive if thats any help?!?!

well Roddy my only advice is enjoy the experiance. I did then got a bit fed up with the whole thing. Its not everyday I spend that much money and I wanted to make sure my dream car was a dream as it were!

.... I even had to write out a second cheque to squeeze the amount in properly!

hey ho

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Charlie heeley · 4 Aug 2005

Get a 993 and be done with it. Modern classic that will serve you well. Less gadgets and more input from you the driver=more fun=big smile, even if you are just going to get the newspaper. Go and buy yourself a piece of history and be proud of it and as long as you get the right car it will be a sound investment as far as cars go.

Best of luck

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Bubble · 4 Aug 2005

Hear hear !!!

<== my big smile.

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Simon A · 10 Aug 2005

Totally agree.

Simon

Recent (very proud) 993 C4S owner

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David Rose · 10 Aug 2005

wellllllllllllllllllllllllll as I have just bought a 996 I thought I better say that I am still smiling from just the drive home yesterday!!!

Also even in auto the kickdown hits refdline so when I'll need the tiptronic I'll let you know! Corners and changing up/down perhaps..........more on that one!!

I do love the raw/aggressive looks of the 993 as opposed to the ummm softer?!?! lines of the 996.

However the newer car with interior, size, lighter steering, etc as an everyday car was the determining factor.

it kind of depends what fits in with your lifestlye.

if I could have had the looks of the 993 and I guess the air cooled bit would be nice!! Not sure why....guess its just something that says "Porsche" and then the up to date bits from the 996..............but ahhhh well it ain't gonna happen.

Wellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll I could go on but the sun is shining so best go "potter" around in the new car!!!

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Hendo · 10 Aug 2005

Hi Roddy

From someone who's just changed 'up' to 996. (Admittedly C4s wider body). Tip on the 996 is great and certainly a huge improvement over tip on the 993. If you're gonna be stuck in traffic ever its a real boon. Mrs H drives it mostly in Auto mode but has livened me up in the passenger seat with the kickdown more than once. You say that LHD wont work but for me, they're the very reasons that LHD did. With a tip box, Mrs H is very comfortable driving it, and getting her on the Insurance actually reduced the premium as one or two of us have found. LHD will possibly get you a post facelift car with a decent spec and low miles. The post facelift models are supposed to suffer less from the dreaded RMS etc.

The main differences, 993 definitely more involved (I would'nt go tip again tho on the 993), aurally gorgeous with a sports airbox, and visually I dont think they'll ever ever better it ever. The 996 I think is smoother, needs the sports exhaust (I'm saving for mine) and the cabin now is like a luxury (read expensive) sports car should be. It still looks great.

I've no regrets about changing and enjoyed both immensely for slightly different reasons. For me, I dont think that the driving experience is compromised, but the journey experience is definitely better. They're both cracking cars, so as above, drive both more than once and then choose. If you're gonna keep it for a while, have a look at LHD 996, if for no other reason than to get as good an example as possible for the same budget.

Happy choosing

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some impartial advice please

Rodders

Magny-Cours

Porsche

Donnington

poon

Magny-Cours

Martyn1

Barcelona

Rodders

Magny-Cours

David Rose

Hockenheim

Bubble

Trainee

Robertb

Yas Marina

Rodders

Magny-Cours

David Rose

Hockenheim

Charlie heeley

Spa-Francorchamps

Bubble

Trainee

Simon A

Spa-Francorchamps

David Rose

Hockenheim

Hendo

Suzuka

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