That's because you live in Alsace. In my part of California, we will have LOTS of 100 F days. Bad A/C is pure misery. If I can avoid that by choosing a car wisely, I will.

If you want my 2 cents, the later the car, the better the A/C. Even though you can get cold vent temps on a pre-964 911 by upgrading the components, their systems still don't move much air, which is half the battle. Each generation of car got progressively better.

My advice would be to go find a few cars for sale on a used car lot somewhere and drive them. There's nothing like first hand experience when considering something like this.

JR

There is little doubt that the newer 911s have better everything, and LOT bigger price. I remember when the 996s models were introduced. Our dealer had a club event where we all could drive the same car. It was a HOT and humid day and that car was driven HARD by all the members. After a hour of that torture I hopped in for my turn. The engine temp was right at normal, the A/C was COLD. It was 100 degrees outside and the car was fast and fun. When I got out after a 10 minute drive the engine temp was right where it should be and the A/C was so cold my glasses fogged up like a cold bottle of beer when I got out of the car.

The 996 and 997s are great cars, but I still love my paid for 85 Carrera. It has the perfect body style that I love. I can work on it myself and that is tough to do with a 996 or 997

I have been participating in this forum for a few months, and this thread is the first time I realized that 993's are not so much welcome. I realize that the internal designation changed in '89, but come on, they are all really 911's, aren't they?

As long as I'm going to get some fire anyway, let me just say that 993's have wonderful air, at least mine does, and it is a stock '96, and has never even been recharged. I should also like to opine that 993's are really the best air-cooled cars to live with. I can use it as an everyday driver if I want to (when its not snowing). My law partner has a '83 SC, and I don't know if I could drive that every day. He does, but he's Albanian and accustomed to hardship.

If amenities like good air are important, buy a 993. Regarding maintance, I drive mine about 6k a year, and its annual maintenance is little more than a $290 oil change, and a set of rear tires.

993's get nothing but love around here. Fantastic cars.

Scheesh....AC? Mine doesn't even have heat.....

Anyone ever have a modern aftermarket AC installed in an SC or earlier 911?

Surely that must be a typo, you must have meant to type 996.

I think he was referring to my comment on a 'real' 911 being pre-964.

I guess I'm really not capable of correctly expressing what I think in this thread.

dondarnell, the 993 is the epitome of an air cooled 911. The most advanced everything: motor, suspension, tranny, hevac, and, IMO anyway, a body that is amongst the most gorgeous ever called a 911 - and that all goes for the bog standard model. I simply meant 'original' 911 as in the '65-'89's. Had I meant it in a derogatory sense, it would've been "a real 911" vs. " a 'real' 911". Sorry for the confusion.

Moses, I'm from D.C. - so trust me, I know what heat is ;) . What I tried to express with "I can't imagine buying a particular model based solely on its ac" was: if I've got my heart set on an early 911, I'll follow Kuehl's advice, make the AC work and live with the quirks. If its a 993 my heart tells me I need, all the better. Any car AC can be made to cool well (well maybe not any. An East German Trabi might stall when the compressor switches on:rolleyes:) The shop I worked at doing ACs, we had a customer with a 964 Cup car from Italy. When he left our shop, he had a race car (cage, no carpets, 2 Recaros and that's about it) with factory-like AC. Its all a question of $$. You could, theoretically, retrofit a 964/93 hevac to an earlier 911. I've got the parts laying around and considered doing this to my wife's 914 powered bug...