993 or 996 C4S or 997 - Which way to go?
Discussion
I apologise for another 'which car' thread and I know it is absolutely subjective but I can't quite decide. I've been reading through the posts in the Porsche section and there's obviously a lot of knowledge and experience here which I would appreciate sharing if possible.
I've got 18-25K to spend (preferably closer to low 20's) on a weekend car and the 911 is the obvious choice. I have been back and forth on the 996TT idea and at heart feel this might be the best car but have some concern about my skills not matching it's performance potential and ending up in real trouble on the very narrow and twisty roads in my part of the country (Rutland). I quite like the idea of being able to open the engine up a bit and at least feel like I'm using a decent amount of a cars potential.
The 993 to me is the best looking and might offer a more visceral experience than the others, the C4S is arguably the best all rounder(?)and is too an extremely handsome bottomed car, where as the 997 is the most modern is very fine looking and satisfies the urge to have the latest technology.
Is the 996 C4S the best car for my budget, would I be only able to consider lower quality 993's and 997's and does the 993 feel more like a 'classic' car in this much more modern company (not necessarily a problem).
I hope to test drive all three but we do live in the middle of nowhere and it would be nice to narrow my options down a bit first.
Final question, does anyone know of a Porsche specialist in my area (Stamford is my nearest town)?
I appreciate any time you have to help.
Peter
I've got 18-25K to spend (preferably closer to low 20's) on a weekend car and the 911 is the obvious choice. I have been back and forth on the 996TT idea and at heart feel this might be the best car but have some concern about my skills not matching it's performance potential and ending up in real trouble on the very narrow and twisty roads in my part of the country (Rutland). I quite like the idea of being able to open the engine up a bit and at least feel like I'm using a decent amount of a cars potential.
The 993 to me is the best looking and might offer a more visceral experience than the others, the C4S is arguably the best all rounder(?)and is too an extremely handsome bottomed car, where as the 997 is the most modern is very fine looking and satisfies the urge to have the latest technology.
Is the 996 C4S the best car for my budget, would I be only able to consider lower quality 993's and 997's and does the 993 feel more like a 'classic' car in this much more modern company (not necessarily a problem).
I hope to test drive all three but we do live in the middle of nowhere and it would be nice to narrow my options down a bit first.
Final question, does anyone know of a Porsche specialist in my area (Stamford is my nearest town)?
I appreciate any time you have to help.
Peter
I have driven a 993 and it was nice. Not classic but not modern, some way in between. I didn't get a chance to open it up, I was just pottering around the Porsche Experience test track at Silverstone. It was a very nice driving experience and felt nicely weighted etc.
The 996t that I have now is very fast and also provides good feedback from the road. It is a very capable car and to get a real buzz I do find I end up driving at speeds that are well in excess of what could be considered responsible. I wouldn't be concerned about your ability to drive the car. Your grandmother could drive it, its a very easy car to drive. Its got PSM and 4 wheel drive and I have never had any situation where I have been out of control or even near to.
The 996t that I have now is very fast and also provides good feedback from the road. It is a very capable car and to get a real buzz I do find I end up driving at speeds that are well in excess of what could be considered responsible. I wouldn't be concerned about your ability to drive the car. Your grandmother could drive it, its a very easy car to drive. Its got PSM and 4 wheel drive and I have never had any situation where I have been out of control or even near to.
Edited by sy247 on Wednesday 18th January 15:11
I love buying cars its a great place to be, personally id go for the turbo then the 993 your not going to loose money on them although you will spend keeping them up to scratch. the best advice is to go and test drive all the models you like you can then make an informed decision. good luck
Nobody can answer this question for you. But if you want to keep an eye on the budget, then I'd suggest looking at the 996 C4 as well (presuming you really want 4WD). From my recent experience of buying a 996 you'd have to be looking toward the top end of your budget for a really nice C4S, unless you don't mind one with highish mileage etc. There are lots of cheaper ones around too, but they can be expensive to run if you get one in need of consumables eg. clutch, brakes, rads, tyres etc. can soon add up to a good few grand on top of the purchase price. Other than being careful on inspection, you really need to drive all these cars, especially the 993 which is a fair bit different to the later cars.
I went for the 996 C4S as although the 993 looks great I felt it was a little dated (in terms of performance, handling and interior)and only high mileage available for around £20k.
The 997 is obviously the newer model (although not much different in technology/performance) but I go to many car meets/events and did not want to turn up in a standard 997.
The wide bodied 996 C4S is arguably the best looking and most desirable 996 and feels quite special. I have only had mine a month and have been very pleasantly surprised. Its just a case of spending some time finding a really good one with low miles and the required spec, even if you have to pay a little more.
Porsche Switchable Exhaust (PSE) is a must as it sounds glorious and I would recommend the sunroof so that you can hear it fully. Some pics follow -
The 997 is obviously the newer model (although not much different in technology/performance) but I go to many car meets/events and did not want to turn up in a standard 997.
The wide bodied 996 C4S is arguably the best looking and most desirable 996 and feels quite special. I have only had mine a month and have been very pleasantly surprised. Its just a case of spending some time finding a really good one with low miles and the required spec, even if you have to pay a little more.
Porsche Switchable Exhaust (PSE) is a must as it sounds glorious and I would recommend the sunroof so that you can hear it fully. Some pics follow -
tuscman said:
I went for the 996 C4S as although the 993 looks great I felt it was a little dated (in terms of performance, handling and interior)and only high mileage available for around £20k.
The 997 is obviously the newer model (although not much different in technology/performance) but I go to many car meets/events and did not want to turn up in a standard 997.
The wide bodied 996 C4S is arguably the best looking and most desirable 996 and feels quite special. I have only had mine a month and have been very pleasantly surprised. Its just a case of spending some time finding a really good one with low miles and the required spec, even if you have to pay a little more.
Porsche Switchable Exhaust (PSE) is a must as it sounds glorious and I would recommend the sunroof so that you can hear it fully. Some pics follow -
Pretty much the reasons I bought a C4s.The 997 is obviously the newer model (although not much different in technology/performance) but I go to many car meets/events and did not want to turn up in a standard 997.
The wide bodied 996 C4S is arguably the best looking and most desirable 996 and feels quite special. I have only had mine a month and have been very pleasantly surprised. Its just a case of spending some time finding a really good one with low miles and the required spec, even if you have to pay a little more.
Porsche Switchable Exhaust (PSE) is a must as it sounds glorious and I would recommend the sunroof so that you can hear it fully. Some pics follow -
A soundfile of my PSE to help get your point accross
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avLj-d_5PFg&fea...
Car looks great by the way!
Peter
You are not alone in this 18-25k budget 'dilemma'. Lots of very different Porsches are in this budget, and are all quite different.
If you havent got experience of air cooled vs water cooled, you need to resolve that first as it is classic vs modern. They are completely different cars with different characters and most people come down on one side or another. It really depends on what you want.
Even a ride in a 993 and a 996 will quite quickly reveal the difference.
Enjoy the search.
MTR
You are not alone in this 18-25k budget 'dilemma'. Lots of very different Porsches are in this budget, and are all quite different.
If you havent got experience of air cooled vs water cooled, you need to resolve that first as it is classic vs modern. They are completely different cars with different characters and most people come down on one side or another. It really depends on what you want.
Even a ride in a 993 and a 996 will quite quickly reveal the difference.
Enjoy the search.
MTR
993 for me, only going to go up in value as the years go by and I have far more faith in the build quality and lump in the boot. 996 4S one of the better looking 996 shapes but I would rather look at a Turbo for the engine and performance alone, buy the 4S and you will one day wish it was a turbo, all the looks of the Turbo but without the go!!
mollytherocker said:
TOENHEEL said:
buy the 4S and you will one day wish it was a turbo, all the looks of the Turbo but without the go!!
I had a turbo, modified it, didnt like it sold it.
I had a GT2, loved the rawness, still not 100% on the FI but kept it for 2.5 years and essentially loved it.
Now have a C4s and love it, IMO it has a purer driving experience than the turbo.
Having driven a 911 2.0t from 1968 up to a 997, I'd say go as modern as you can for everyday and get some warranty.
993's look and sound great but most comments seem to be about them holding value but not usually about the actual driving experience.
As said, drive them all and decide. 996 C4S looks great and has much better performance and handling than a 993. 997 even better and I imagine a 991 better still. Porsche don't bring out slower worse handling cars ;-).
993's look and sound great but most comments seem to be about them holding value but not usually about the actual driving experience.
As said, drive them all and decide. 996 C4S looks great and has much better performance and handling than a 993. 997 even better and I imagine a 991 better still. Porsche don't bring out slower worse handling cars ;-).
I looked at a 993 and test drove it against a 997 when I was looking last year. If its going to be a special sunny Sunday car I would probably say the best condition 993 you can find. If you want more of an everyday car I would go for something more modern which is what I eventually did. The 993 I drove was just so different to modern cars and did feel much older than a 996. I was also concerned as 993's seem so mileage sensitive, put too many miles on and it does seem to effect the value loads.
I do keep looking at 993's in the ads as in the right colour combination I think they look lovely, I think though I would need to keep it more as a garage queen though so I would then need another car.
Not an easy choice, you really have got to find somewhere that has all variants for sale so you can drive them back to back, I went to Shirleys garage who were very helpful with test driving the cars. I ended up buying the best 996 C4S I could find at 911 Virgin.
Like others have said 993 is very different to drive than 996/997 also the 993 looks and feels so much smaller which I found very noticeable when sat inside.
I do keep looking at 993's in the ads as in the right colour combination I think they look lovely, I think though I would need to keep it more as a garage queen though so I would then need another car.
Not an easy choice, you really have got to find somewhere that has all variants for sale so you can drive them back to back, I went to Shirleys garage who were very helpful with test driving the cars. I ended up buying the best 996 C4S I could find at 911 Virgin.
Like others have said 993 is very different to drive than 996/997 also the 993 looks and feels so much smaller which I found very noticeable when sat inside.
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