Buying 993 Daily Driver. Need advice

Igor · Igor's Garage

I am buying my first 991 which must be 993. I can't have 2 cars so Lexus IS would have to go. I need a daily driver AND able to withstand New England weather and 2 my kids on the back.
My choice is 993 Coupe AWD. 60-80k mi with a good history. Any color except yellow, red or black. I see only a few from $29-$38k. Why are all of them convertibles??

My questions are:
1.What are the major repair cost? Valves, suspension, SEI for non 95s? I will put around $7k a year.
2. Can 993s be a good daily driver?
3. Any good sources for PPI in Boston area?

Thanks a lot in advance.

yelcab1 · 09-02-2008, 10:58 AM

If this is your only car, and you are relying on it for transportation of you and your family ... this is not a good idea.

kach22i · kach22i's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Igor

I need a daily driver AND able to withstand New England weather and 2 my kids on the back.

They don't salt the roads there do they? Would be a shame to put any Porsche thru that.

1995-1998, I think the first year was not VARIO-CAM and is sought out by many.

Do a search on the "Check Engine" issue. It's a really big deal (expensive - valve issues).

ALWAYS get a PPI (Pre-Purchase Inspection).

EDIT: You need to get a hold of some back issues of "Excellence" magazine, they cover many important issues.

Blanco · 09-02-2008, 01:31 PM

If and when you get the 911, do not, I repeat, DO NOT take it to Motor Meister (MM). See other thread.

ninesixfour · 09-02-2008, 01:55 PM

Igor- try doing a search in the 964/993 forum here and at Rennlist for just about everything you could ever want to know about 993s.
Do they have emissions testing in your city? If so you'll want to be sure any car you consider does not have problems with the check engine light (aka CEL) because it can cause you to fail the test and can be expensive to repair. This problem is far less common on the 95 models.

You may have to be prepared to search several hundred miles to find just the car you're looking for. As always do a PPI, be patient, and you'll find the right car. How old are your kids? They'll have to be pretty small to fit into the back of a 911!

Igor · Igor's Garage

Thank you for replies. I know all about 95s not having OBDIIs. I am just surprised why only a few coupes out there. I just want to drive every day and here music from the back engine.
I am looking over year now. Many good cars are going back to Europe.
I even considered 996 02' C4S for high 30s but that was a different animal.

Can anyone have pdf of some materials I could read? Like Porsche buyers books or Panoramas or something?

opticalfuel · opticalfuel's Garage

I also have been looking for a nice 993 for almost a year... but decided to do my own 911 Project car in the meanwhile... gave up looking! You'll want a solid '95 and wait for a nice coupe. I have a VERY good, (albeit quirky) guy who can find a 993 for you. I hesitate to hand over his info. He is good at finding cars, and only deals with the best ones but for a dirt cheap price.

If you're serious, and have $$ (about 25K - 30K) he will find your car in a few weeks to a month.

His name is Jason. Again, unless you are serious, have cash or money lined up, don't both him. He can execute, but needs a serious buyer. On the other hand... if you are super specific, like color, interior, and options to a tee... he may not be the right one. It's a b-with-an-itch finding a good one. everyone and their brother (and their pet monkey) has eyes on the last of the air-cooled 911 - the holy grail of Porsche ... so you may have to wait awhile.

Be patient. That esoteric pleasure is not going to be easy to own. I had to give it up... it was going to destroy me, and consume my life. It's just not in the cards for me right now.

Maybe someday... but not now. For now I'll keep my mind and hands busy working on my understated mean machine. I hope it'll be done soon. I have major Porschelessness angst.

If you want his contact info let me know. (Jason)

dmwallace · dmwallace's Garage

Here's the Pelican 964/993 forum:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-964-993-technical-forum/

If you are looking for a DD in New England you might want to consider a C4 or C4S to get all-wheel drive. I see in one of your posts you mention 996; a neighbor of mine bought a 2003 C4S as his first 911. He's been very pleased with it so far.

Re. 993 info to read -- one of the best books available is Porsche 993: Essential Companion by Adrian Streather. http://www.motorbooks.com/Store/ProductDetails_25969.ncm

Good luck on your search!

Regards,
David

kevin993 · 09-02-2008, 07:15 PM

Can't speak to the winter elements (benefits of being in SoCal), but I can easily see the 993 as a daily driver. Obviously, you need to weigh things like space needs, sensitivity to parking and leaving the car, etc. As far as reliability, you can count on expensive oil changes and brake jobs. The biggest issue with the ODBII cars is the CEL issues - carbon buildup, secondary air injector problems, and related items. These things can (and usually do) lead to a top end rebuild. This is expensive and is the one real weakpoint of the car. It usually crops up at 80K miles (give or take, YMMV, etc.). The other annoyance is the smog checks - I don't know what your rules are, but the ODBII codes end up being a pain in the California regime.

The Rennlist 993 Board is probably the best place for good info. There are lots of great past threads there that can answer questions about service, oil consumption, running costs, upgrades, etc. No question the car is a different animal than a 2008 luxury sedan (and a different animal than earlier and later 911 versions), but if the car speaks to you, you'll have a good time and enjoy the car for many miles.

Good luck!

aigel · aigel's Garage

Lots of bad info here i.e. on the "vario-cam" and the expensive oil changes

For starters: The later cars had a vario-ram engine. The oil changes may be more on a 993 but you also only need it every 10k+ and you can save yourself the valve adjustment. The brakes are more expensive to service because they are about twice the size of an SC. That's a good thing.

See you over on the 993 board.

George

SP2 · 09-02-2008, 07:44 PM

A 993 would be a bad car in the winters of New England. I have a 993 C4S and it slides around in Seattle even when the roads are just wet. I am really not trying to spoil your fun, but it isn't a practical family car. Buy one and keep another car for bad weather.

kevin993 · 09-02-2008, 08:17 PM

George - Apologies if I've misled - tried to summarize with high level comments. Certainly a lot more to the story on all aspects, so just trying to highlight some things for further inquiry.

aigel · aigel's Garage

If you put snow tires on a 993 awd it will be an excellent vehicle in the winter. These cars were sold all over Europe and I have seen many of them in the Alps (in person) with ski racks driving right through the snow on their way to a winter vacation in the high $ ski resorts.

George

aigel · aigel's Garage

Kevin, no sweat, my comment was aimed at the collection of information presented. I have not spent more money on my 993 than on my SC so far. Part the reason is that the 993 is a lot newer and considerably lower maintenance.

Cheers, George

Monza_dh · Monza_dh's Garage

Cant imagine driving a nice 993 all year around here. I'm in Boston and have a 330i as a DD and an '88 3.2 for fun (sometimes the 330 is more fun). With salt, pot holes and frost heaves etc driving around can really suck if you are driving every day within rte 128. Definitly get a pair of snows and another set since you'll bent a rim or two if you have low profile summer perf rated tires on 17 or 18" rims.

Depending on where you are there are plenty of options for a PPI: EPE Natick, Autobahn in Peabody, Autosport in Stow, Randolph Racing, Conway in Scituate etc, etc.

Others will chime in with thier personall favorite.