993 - Buying Tips
Discussion
AndrewD said:
phib said:
That car just sold through collectingcars - to me 
Very pleased with it, first 993.
https://www.fullyloadedcars.com/
Anyone wanting their rusted 993 windscreen scuttles sorted could do worse than visit Fully Loaded cars. They did an excellent job of my 993- I had paint bubbles around the windscreen corners and sure enough the scuttles were rusty as hell. Fully Loaded cars use the well known ‘Glassman ‘ to re install the windscreen - they do a good job .....
Anyone wanting their rusted 993 windscreen scuttles sorted could do worse than visit Fully Loaded cars. They did an excellent job of my 993- I had paint bubbles around the windscreen corners and sure enough the scuttles were rusty as hell. Fully Loaded cars use the well known ‘Glassman ‘ to re install the windscreen - they do a good job .....
kingroon said:
.... The only issue that can present on Normal Mileage Cars itself irrespective of how well the car has been maintained is the Rear Chassis/Coffin Legs; a design/manufacturing fault...
Having spoken to various specialists I trust who work on 993 all the time this is somewhat of a forum scare story. As a 993 owner who has been around the classic Porsche scene for 20 years I was interested in knowing the real story on this. Yes the occasional car has had it but you would think it was very common if reading some forums. If a car is pretty scabby body wise it might come into play but a decent condition car is not going to have this in isolation. Flakey engine mounts and rear bumper mounts also tend to be somewhat over egged according to those who service these cars every day 
I realise it may be stating the obvious but 993s whilst great, are an expensive car to own. Mine has in the last 18 months and 1500 miles has had:-
a rebuilt gearbox
new clutch and flywheel
new drive shaft
suspension "refresh"
2 new windscreens
routine servicing including discs and pads all round
All in all about £15000 ( can't bring myself to add it up!)
This is in a car that's done 83000 miles and has a full service history going back to day 1, that was bought with care from a very reputable and well known independent.
a rebuilt gearbox
new clutch and flywheel
new drive shaft
suspension "refresh"
2 new windscreens
routine servicing including discs and pads all round
All in all about £15000 ( can't bring myself to add it up!)
This is in a car that's done 83000 miles and has a full service history going back to day 1, that was bought with care from a very reputable and well known independent.
malcolm-coqci said:
I realise it may be stating the obvious but 993s whilst great, are an expensive car to own.
..
This is in a car that's done 83000 miles and has a full service history going back to day 1, that was bought with care from a very reputable and well known independent.
That can be said of many 25yo Cars, but yes I agree.. Porsche AG have unfortunately seen a Market for 993 restoration / Parts replacement and are taking full advantage of it [they are a Business after all].. There are non Porsche parts out there that sometimes do the job, but that is seen as sacrilegious by some....
This is in a car that's done 83000 miles and has a full service history going back to day 1, that was bought with care from a very reputable and well known independent.
993s are suffering more now than most because their dip in price during the 00s / early 10s meant they fell into the hands of owners who could afford to buy them but not afford to maintain them "properly"..
The Checklist I suggested in the previous page is born out of experience and conversation, and whilst Ragatha christie points out that it's a checklist for a poorly maintained car, surely that's what a Checklist is for..? To avoid the 993s that fail all/most of the points on that Checklist..
All sensible advice. A/C can be a nightmare and takes several goes to fix.
As an aside, I was at Bruce Canepa's shop in Scotts Valley near San Jose, CA on Monday (yes, I know). He is the main man for all the celebrities (Carolla, Seinfeld etc) and his work is unbelievable. He does special 'Canepa 959s' and restores 917s, 935s and 934s. He had two standard 993 C2s in there for work - which says something. Or eases the pain of running costs.
(I would upload a pic of his workshop but the photo upload on PH is absolute cr@p.)
As an aside, I was at Bruce Canepa's shop in Scotts Valley near San Jose, CA on Monday (yes, I know). He is the main man for all the celebrities (Carolla, Seinfeld etc) and his work is unbelievable. He does special 'Canepa 959s' and restores 917s, 935s and 934s. He had two standard 993 C2s in there for work - which says something. Or eases the pain of running costs.
(I would upload a pic of his workshop but the photo upload on PH is absolute cr@p.)
Edited by stevewak on Wednesday 21st August 22:48
Lots can be saved by doing stuff yourself though. My next investment will be a set of Quickjacks that will allow me to do wheel-off work more easily.
There’s lots to be said for building up a decent set of tools, the simplicity and ease of access of the 993 was one of my reasons for swapping my Cayman for it.
There’s lots to be said for building up a decent set of tools, the simplicity and ease of access of the 993 was one of my reasons for swapping my Cayman for it.
Some of the costs given above fall into the once in ten years category and some into the unusual and unlucky category so skew the perception of the cost of running a 993. The 993 is no more expensive than any other 911 to run long term and the adage of £1K to £2K a year equally applies to the 993. No they are not a cheap car to run but neither is any 911 and the 993 is probably the cheapest of all the air-cooled cars to maintain. They are very well engineered.
Over 15 years and 50K miles; for major items my 993 had a new clutch and flywheel (at 74K and should last another 70K), some shock absorbers, a windscreen due to a crack from a large stone (done on insurance), some bumper brackets (at 22 years old), brake hoses, and a snapped exhaust strap. I had the wheels refurbished once. Then it has had the usual consumables of tires, pads, disks, wiper blades as required plus servicing.
My 964 over 5 years and 40K miles was also very good. Mainly just the usual consumables plus the steering rack needed attention at 100K miles as did the front A-arms. More expensive to service than the 993 as the tappets should be manually adjusted every 12K miles.
I have always relied on my Porsche indie to guide me on any work that needs doing (from his annual look at the car) so they have never been skimped on but neither have they been over pampered. In those 15 years I consider the 90K miles driven to be good value for money IMO. Petrol has actually been the biggest part of the running costs.
Over 15 years and 50K miles; for major items my 993 had a new clutch and flywheel (at 74K and should last another 70K), some shock absorbers, a windscreen due to a crack from a large stone (done on insurance), some bumper brackets (at 22 years old), brake hoses, and a snapped exhaust strap. I had the wheels refurbished once. Then it has had the usual consumables of tires, pads, disks, wiper blades as required plus servicing.
My 964 over 5 years and 40K miles was also very good. Mainly just the usual consumables plus the steering rack needed attention at 100K miles as did the front A-arms. More expensive to service than the 993 as the tappets should be manually adjusted every 12K miles.
I have always relied on my Porsche indie to guide me on any work that needs doing (from his annual look at the car) so they have never been skimped on but neither have they been over pampered. In those 15 years I consider the 90K miles driven to be good value for money IMO. Petrol has actually been the biggest part of the running costs.
Edited by C4ME on Thursday 22 August 15:27
Just to add a bit of context, I've just bought a Cat D Tiptronic Targa with 130k miles which has been laid up since 2012. Possibly the least desirable sounding 993 in the world but it was only 17k privately so possibly also the cheapest.
Jobs so far: oil service, MOT, upper and lower cam cover gaskets, plugs and leads, exhaust brackets, new rear engine undertray (how much?!), unblocked roof drain subes. Still to do: gearbox oil, blind pull clips, drivers door seal. For later: a bit of paint correction, refurb wheels, get air con working (that old chestnut).
I've had lots of 911s from SCs to a 996 GT2 (currently for sale at 911 Virgin for a great deal more than I sold it for in 2012 - ho hum!). 993s really do feel old school now, rather like SCs and 3.2s did to me 10+ years ago so the fact that it's not a manual isn't worrying me so much and as an auto it actually makes a nice GT car.
Fully appreciate there may be some pain around the corner, but you only live once.
Jobs so far: oil service, MOT, upper and lower cam cover gaskets, plugs and leads, exhaust brackets, new rear engine undertray (how much?!), unblocked roof drain subes. Still to do: gearbox oil, blind pull clips, drivers door seal. For later: a bit of paint correction, refurb wheels, get air con working (that old chestnut).
I've had lots of 911s from SCs to a 996 GT2 (currently for sale at 911 Virgin for a great deal more than I sold it for in 2012 - ho hum!). 993s really do feel old school now, rather like SCs and 3.2s did to me 10+ years ago so the fact that it's not a manual isn't worrying me so much and as an auto it actually makes a nice GT car.
Fully appreciate there may be some pain around the corner, but you only live once.
stevewak said:
All sensible advice. A/C can be a nightmare and takes several goes to fix.
As an aside, I was at Bruce Canepa's shop in Scotts Valley near San Jose, CA on Monday (yes, I know). He is the main man for all the celebrities (Carolla, Seinfeld etc) and his work is unbelievable. He does special 'Canepa 959s' and restores 917s, 935s and 934s. He had two standard 993 C2s in there for work - which says something. Or eases the pain of running costs.
(I would upload a pic of his workshop but the photo upload on PH is absolute cr@p.)
Pearl White on a 959 would be my perfect colour. Cool place and my favourite of his cars is the buggy he built for the 1980 Pikes Peak with a 450HP 911 turbo engine in the back As an aside, I was at Bruce Canepa's shop in Scotts Valley near San Jose, CA on Monday (yes, I know). He is the main man for all the celebrities (Carolla, Seinfeld etc) and his work is unbelievable. He does special 'Canepa 959s' and restores 917s, 935s and 934s. He had two standard 993 C2s in there for work - which says something. Or eases the pain of running costs.
(I would upload a pic of his workshop but the photo upload on PH is absolute cr@p.)
C4ME said:
kingroon said:
.... The only issue that can present on Normal Mileage Cars itself irrespective of how well the car has been maintained is the Rear Chassis/Coffin Legs; a design/manufacturing fault...
Having spoken to various specialists I trust who work on 993 all the time this is somewhat of a forum scare story. As a 993 owner who has been around the classic Porsche scene for 20 years I was interested in knowing the real story on this. Yes the occasional car has had it but you would think it was very common if reading some forums. If a car is pretty scabby body wise it might come into play but a decent condition car is not going to have this in isolation. Flakey engine mounts and rear bumper mounts also tend to be somewhat over egged according to those who service these cars every day It does effect some cars ..... but even so it wouldn’t put me off owning a 993, it’s a simple repair and whatever rust issues a 993 can have it pales into insignificance compared to the rot issues are of the 964 and earlier models.
OP get out there and buy one ...... they are blooody brilliant and step up imo to the earlier models. Of which I have owned three.
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