Thinking of buying a 993
Discussion
Ray Northway would be a good place to speak to, he is a good honest bloke.
I had the non varioram 993, the vario ram feels a little more lively imo, having driven loads.
Buy on condition and history but do try a few.
The geometry is pretty key on these and needs to be well set up
One of the spark plugs is hard to get to and is often left off a service
Shocks, bushes etc should all be in good nick or it will not drive as it should
Personally the tip tropic should be avoided as it was quite dated but might make sense in London traffic.
Check for oil leaks
The Windscreen’s can freak a little if not properly fitted and can be annoying.
Make sure they have the correct tyres fitted, mine was quite sensitive to the wrong brands and could feel nervous.
Great cars but quite pricey now, unless it must be aircooled and that shape I would also try a good 997 as they came on a long way.
I had the non varioram 993, the vario ram feels a little more lively imo, having driven loads.
Buy on condition and history but do try a few.
The geometry is pretty key on these and needs to be well set up
One of the spark plugs is hard to get to and is often left off a service
Shocks, bushes etc should all be in good nick or it will not drive as it should
Personally the tip tropic should be avoided as it was quite dated but might make sense in London traffic.
Check for oil leaks
The Windscreen’s can freak a little if not properly fitted and can be annoying.
Make sure they have the correct tyres fitted, mine was quite sensitive to the wrong brands and could feel nervous.
Great cars but quite pricey now, unless it must be aircooled and that shape I would also try a good 997 as they came on a long way.
Buy from a reputable Indy and you’ll be fine. Lovely red car at 911virgin.com which I can’t believe is still for sale. It’s a peach of a car and looks lovely in red IMO
I don’t tend to worry about colour, pre or later varioram models. Rust is main issue. Other than that pretty solid cars. Arguably the most robust and well developed air cooled car.
Bought a modified car in the end via 911 Virgin but would have happily bought the red 993 C2 and made it a bit more focussed. In fact a red car lends itself really well to RS treatment but it’s in such good condition be a shame to mess with it.
I don’t tend to worry about colour, pre or later varioram models. Rust is main issue. Other than that pretty solid cars. Arguably the most robust and well developed air cooled car.
Bought a modified car in the end via 911 Virgin but would have happily bought the red 993 C2 and made it a bit more focussed. In fact a red car lends itself really well to RS treatment but it’s in such good condition be a shame to mess with it.
Check thoroughly all over the bodywork for rust or early signs of rust. UK cars with our damp climate are now reaching the age that 964s were at a few years back and lots of rust issues developing. Yes some changes to the bodywork around the kidneys were made at 993 model to decrease the risk of this from previous air-cooled but I'd still be mega careful.
Also look for a replaced steering rack (these have gone in both of my 100k+ miles 993s) and that there's no oil leaks from the engine.
Also look for a replaced steering rack (these have gone in both of my 100k+ miles 993s) and that there's no oil leaks from the engine.
Here's some 993 rusty bits - a blast from the past!
http://www.jackals-forge.com/lotus/993/chassisSupp...
Bert
http://www.jackals-forge.com/lotus/993/chassisSupp...
Bert
Head over to 911UK and fill your boots. But be warned, the more you read the more you'll spend perfecting/modifying.
Stating the obvious but go in with your eyes very wide, after 10 years of ownership I say this with some experience.
Overall though fantastic cars, and as time moves on and moderns become ever more competent but anodyne they seemingly become even better.
Stating the obvious but go in with your eyes very wide, after 10 years of ownership I say this with some experience.
Overall though fantastic cars, and as time moves on and moderns become ever more competent but anodyne they seemingly become even better.
Don’t buy a Targa....they’re very expensive to fix. A mate’s got one and wants to get a full body respray but the estimate he got to take the roof out and then replace all the rubber parts etc was eye watering....basically the respray and likely cost of parts for the Targe was 50% plus of the value of the car.
Cheib said:
Don’t buy a Targa....they’re very expensive to fix. A mate’s got one and wants to get a full body respray but the estimate he got to take the roof out and then replace all the rubber parts etc was eye watering....basically the respray and likely cost of parts for the Targe was 50% plus of the value of the car.
Might be worth exploring a wrap?https://www.cameronsportscars.com/used-vehicle-det... Found you a car.
Nothing wrong with a 993 Targa, they make a spectacular road car.
You need to make sure the roof is working and leak free, if it has to come off for whatever reason then yes you're into big bucks (there are VERY few garages that will even touch a 993Targa roof) unless you can spanner yourself. I removed mine and did the work myself, all seals replaced and the sliding mechanism repaired.
993's are a great choice but as mentioned above go into with your eyes open.
Trev
You need to make sure the roof is working and leak free, if it has to come off for whatever reason then yes you're into big bucks (there are VERY few garages that will even touch a 993Targa roof) unless you can spanner yourself. I removed mine and did the work myself, all seals replaced and the sliding mechanism repaired.
993's are a great choice but as mentioned above go into with your eyes open.
Trev
996GT3Trev said:
Nothing wrong with a 993 Targa, they make a spectacular road car.
You need to make sure the roof is working and leak free, if it has to come off for whatever reason then yes you're into big bucks (there are VERY few garages that will even touch a 993Targa roof) unless you can spanner yourself. I removed mine and did the work myself, all seals replaced and the sliding mechanism repaired.
993's are a great choice but as mentioned above go into with your eyes open.
Trev
You're a brave man! That's one epic job to tackle! Kudos to you You need to make sure the roof is working and leak free, if it has to come off for whatever reason then yes you're into big bucks (there are VERY few garages that will even touch a 993Targa roof) unless you can spanner yourself. I removed mine and did the work myself, all seals replaced and the sliding mechanism repaired.
993's are a great choice but as mentioned above go into with your eyes open.
Trev
I agree, the Targa is a very underrated car, I had one and for a road car it was brilliant. I doubt most people would tell the difference at sane speeds from a Carrera.
Gratuitous pic
MrVert said:
You're a brave man! That's one epic job to tackle! Kudos to you
I agree, the Targa is a very underrated car, I had one and for a road car it was brilliant. I doubt most people would tell the difference at sane speeds from a Carrera.
Gratuitous pic
MrVertI agree, the Targa is a very underrated car, I had one and for a road car it was brilliant. I doubt most people would tell the difference at sane speeds from a Carrera.
Gratuitous pic
Yes it did take a while, I mainly did it on a trestle whilst the main body of the car was out for re-spray.
Great pic of your old Targa, same as my original colour, it's now Mexico blue :-)
Trev
Gassing Station | Porsche Classics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff