"1998" 993

rgdalacrity · 12-10-2007, 05:52 PM

If I were to buy a 98' 993, seeing that it was the last year, would I be better off seeing that Porsche had time to address recall issues etc. I would buy one with less than 30k on the odometer. It may cost 50k or so, but it should be worth it as far as reliability, no?

Oracle · 12-10-2007, 09:10 PM

I guess that's true with the latest one.. so it's fair to say that a 2008 ironed out all the wrinkles from the past models...
I don't think reliability is worth that much, that premium you're paying can pay A LOT of repair that may never occur.
With that much you can buy a 996 twin turbo... man, I wish I had that same issue.

rgdalacrity · 12-11-2007, 06:55 AM

Wait! I noticed that you own a 964. What can you tale me about owning one of those nice cars? I currently own an 87' 3.2 Targa. I just want another car and can't decide. I drove the new cars "2007 997" and did not like it. I think it's an issue of too much refinement. There may be a happy median between my 87' and the 993's and that may well be the 964.

rgdalacrity · 12-11-2007, 07:46 AM

Good point! I will consider 95-98 and just roll the dice. I didn’t know if one year was better or worse than the others.

tshih · tshih's Garage

Getting the last MY 993 is a great idea since the 1996 has some wire harness recall issues and the secondary air injection system may need cleaning (which also can afflict the 1997 and 1998 cars. The 1995 car doesn't have OBD2 so if the secondary air injection ports are clogged the CEL won't come on and make you fail emissions. Other than that there is little difference in a nice daily driver experience amongst the various model cars. I forgot that the suspension settings in the early model 1995 was more tire eating and probably can be updated to post 1996 specs ($500 alignment by someone who really knows Porsche setups). But I agree that $20K buffer is more than adequate to get a very nice and reliable car (which) may in the long run hold its value better than the water-cooled modern mass produced "911"s (996 and 997).

tshih · tshih's Garage

Yes about the recall still being free at the dealer. Just the inconvenience of finding one that didn't have it done yet and being stranded somewhere in convenient is my point.

24fps · 11:48 AM

rg~
my98 is nice b/c of the "s" cars being made & not the standard coupe (other than cabs)... but some actually believe my97 to be more desirable b/c the factory was not in a major change over mode. (i.e.: 993 to 996 production models).

tbh: the only thing i would consider re: the various years would be the hp gains of varioram my96+ -vs- obd I my95 (no cel issue).

bol & imho the type 993 is the most satisfying of the aircool's b/c it's a classic w/ just enough modern.

agree re: ppi too !

Groesbeck Hurricane · 12-15-2007, 10:28 AM

Well Sir,

Get a PPI done, have a full inspection with the valve covers off, car on the rack. Get the PPI checklist under the 911 section of this website. Read about the different models. They all have issues and concerns.

The 993 is a bit more refined than the 964. My wife ended up liking the 993 more so we went that route. I like the 964 better. I like my SC even better...

Find several good examples, put price aside. If you can get a good example with higher mileage for less money, why not? One that is a garage queen is going to have more issues than one that is driven. Look at my SC. It was a garage queen for a decade before I got it. It did the car no good, had to rebuild the engine right at the start because it had not been driven very much. I'd look for a car with more than 5K miles per year since model year.

Drive the 964 and 993. 996s can be cheaper to get into if I remember correctly.

Put money (10K or so) into the bank as a savings account if you are worried about repairs to the motor. Find it and love it!

But $50K for a 98 993 sounds a bit steep in my mind, but I could be wrong as I so often am... a good 95 or 96 can be had for around 30-35 with plenty of money left in your wallet for the what mods can I add bug.

Harlan Chinn · Harlan Chinn's Garage

I just recently took this exact plunge into 993 ownership.
Having read all of the postings by current 993 owners both here and on Rennlist, I've come to the conclusion since I was in the position to get a more modern car, what could I get within reason. Having driven an 07 997, plunking down over 100k once optioned out wasn't that appealing for a regular production car.

I've had my SC for almost ten years of trouble free enjoyment, having put the requisite SSI's and sport muffler as the only real upgrades. Reluctantly I sold my very nicely sorted 82SC to a eager 912 owner when I happened to find a 993 owner that was willing to part with his prized 98 CarreraS. He too was extremely reluctant to sell. Eventually things progressed, the car went in for a PPI, I made a trip to see the car and meet up with the owner and the deal went through. Finding a well kept, bone stock 993 CarreraS in the Arctic Silver/black color combination is just plain luck, as many owners just aren't willing to part with them for their small production number and perceived rarity unless they are looking to step up.

Hearing what my friends pay for scheduled maintenance on their Ferrari and Lamborgini, the cost of an upper end rebuild or any OBDII issue is fairly reasonable and something to invest in the future for as from what I've read will eventually come up over the length of ownership.

It's really a personal decision, but my criteria was to find an example with low to average mileage for it's age, so I wasn't looking for a "garage queen" but more importantly, I wanted a car that was as close to stock as possible so that I could maintain it in such a manner that the car's value would stay close to what I have into the car as time goes on.

Having had the car for only a couple of weeks, I can only say though I miss my SC, I haven't regret making the decision to buy this particular 993.