great input. thanks alot...

Good discussion.

The key difference between the rear suspension is the 964 used semi-trailing arms and the 993 has a complex multi-link rear suspension. Here's a thread that gets into more detail here.

Thanks Don for the link on the rear suspension differences. I've hear that 993 owners feel their stock suspension is a little soft.

I'm trying to justify a PSS9 upgrade on my stock 964 suspension. The slippery slope!

That's more a product of the original shocks having a short life--certainly by 10 years, those shocks are shot, no matter what mileage they have on them.

OK... when I bought the car, it had original suspension...
it was SOFT to the point of being dangerous...
just ridiculous felt like I was driving a 76 Cutlass.

So, I dropped $2600 for Bilstein HDs, HRE springs, lowered
cornerbalanced and aligned by one of the top shops in LA.

The result was much better at lower speeds....
it absolutely kicks ass and is a lot of fun...
but honestly...at high speeds 80 mph or more...
I prefer my old 86 Carrera because it was so wound tight
that I knew exactly what was happening...
I dont know if I can explain it well enough except to say
that its about connection between the driver, the car and the
road... the 86 was more "connected" but the 993 gives me
the illusion of a partial disconnect at very high speeds only..
I chalk that up to the multlink suspension... its probably much
safer than the 86, but feels looser..

so there it is, I give you an honest opinion and unbiased...
still the 993 is a much much better car overall than the 911 was
and if you can deal with the suspension, its better than the 964 as well.

hello i have owned both cars i had a mint 91 c4 coupe great car but the problem that so far nobody has mentioned is porsche used dilivar head studds on the 964 and they break which will force you into doing a complete motor teardown and studd replacement at very least please have a pre purchase inspection at a porsche shop and stress the inspection of the head bolts remove the valve covers and lightly check the bolts for tightness do not torque these bolts as they require a angle torque i would opt for the 993 less magor problems alex..

head studs an issue on 964's? why is this the first i think i've read of that?

I haven't heard of 964's having head stud issues. Anyone else know about that?

i know magnesium-engined middies used to 'pull' head studs (dilavars) and aluminum-engined sc's would break them, but i'd not read about this being an issue when i researched 964's.

One other thing that I do miss about my old 86 911 was the simplicity that I could DIY just about any repair in my little spot of the apartment community garage. The valve adjustments sucked due to the lack of light in my space...so I farmed that out to a local garage....but the rest of it was CAKE. Easy access, very logical engineering... standard metric tools etc...

Then came the 993... ha ha... Well... Access....GONE! lol
Special tools: a plenty (though one trip to the hardware store finds them all)..... Space: extremely tight...you have to remove a bunch of items just to do normal maintanance issues such as oil, plugs, belts etc.

Now...that having been said... if you have wrenched on an older 911...the 993 will make perfect sense to you and you will be able to figure it out... just plan on a lot more time, and more skin off of your knuckles. :)

i am looking at a 92 American Roadster vs a 96 Targa. I really like the wide body of the Roadster, and the fact that its unique. But i also like the 993 targa. Seems like both are selling for a premuim tho? Are 993 targas really in that much demand? i can see the premium price for the roadster...

wow..i'd want the '92 roadster. more unique car. :)

Yeah.
When you check one out...be careful to check the targa roof carefully for signs of rust. There have been some issues...one guy over at Rennlist had this problem big time. Water gets trapped under the seals in some cases.

I can't speak to a 964, but I have a 95 993 cab that has been a great daily driver. Still turns heads, and is as close to the new 997's as you will find.

or get a 964 and put a 993TT in it and be all the way down the slope to start with.

There's a thread on Rennlist, under 964, "Hot Rod 964", has exactly that.

I see you already posted there Steve!

He does have one nice car, like the sleeper look; white and a duck tail...

I am looking at a high mileage (105k) 993 1995 Cab. Looks like i could get if for around $23k. I am planning on having a full PPI done prior to purchasing it.

Does high mileage mean high repairs? valve guides?

Any opinions?

thanks

i checked into one located in dallas, asking that very amount. i was concerned it might have been a 'katrina flood car'..lots of 'em 'floating around' on the market apparently. the more questions i asked the dealer, the uneasier they seemed to become. 23k sounds low for even a 105k mile '95 cab.

It is 35 peak horsepower. 35 horsepower is a significant difference. And that's not even the point. The point of the VR is to give you more power under the curve - torque that is.

See above. The varioram is not there at first order to make more horsepower. And the chip argument is baloney, as you can chip the 993 as well, and you are ahead again.

I have driven a 91 964 and was underwhelmed by the power. It was not even close to my (hopped up) 81 SC. Throttle response was really bad. The 5 gears weren't fun either. It would only come alive on the interstate at high speed / rpm. The 993 has much better throttle response and the gearing is better on the 6 speed - even though it still isn't what I'd call ideal. It is more fun as a daily driver, no question. I started looking at the 964 but just could not do it.

The 993 is more money, but if you ever sell, it will still be more money than the 964. What I am saying is that you will recover that premium you paid at a later date - no question. In my eyes it is a nicer way to hide 10 grand than to put in in a mutual fund. :D

Cheers, George

I don't know where you guys are getting your #s from but a 993 vram is factory rated at 285hp @ 6100, a '95 993 non vram 272@6100. I realize that I am an old far* but back in my school days that used to be a 13hp difference.

one of the worst features about the US 993 is the gearing, it is atrocious and designed only to keep the DoT/EPA mandated mpg #s up. The 964 actually had more usable gearing.

Not all 993 can be chipped, '96 in particular needs to have the entire DME swapped out w/ a '97 up unit