Was looking for a 993 than a 996 caught my eye

Its been a while since I've been on the forum but researching 993 prices I came across 996's that where around $10k lower than the 993's. I am blown away how low a 2001 996 was going for. While I don't mind the shape or interior of the 996, and knowing the issues they have if not maintained to Porsche standards, is the 996 like the 2.7S of the 70s era? I am really tempted to pick one up.

If I had the option and could afford it, I would go for the very best 993 I could find in preference to the 996. If I could afford a 997 I would go there as well. If you want a great car (with a certain amount of worry attached) then go for the 996. It has to be the best deal on the market. When my 996 was bought we knew nothing about the so called 10% of all 996 engines that have exploded because of a certain bearing falling apart. Now I DO know I would give the 996 a miss because of the resale value alone. With or without the retro refit. The 996 looses value faster than any other Porsche.

All cars have their issues and some more than others. As a general rule I would also pick a 993 over a 996. The price difference between the two is the indication of market value. I would encourage you to drive both models of cars (as many as you can) to get a feel for which gives you more goosebumps. Then consider the issues with each one. Each model has its issues. The 993s have some issues with the emission control ports in the heads carbonizing and closing. This causes a CEL fault and will fail a smog test. The CEL fault can be reset, but returns again after a number of miles. Repair is a bit expensive as they need to tear down the top end of the engine. There may be other fixes that are less invasive now. YOu should check with the 993 forum. For the 996 there is the IMS issue. That will totally destroy an engine. There are fixes for this, I understand. More people here can advise you on this. The 996 climate control is better than the 993, if that matters. However, the long term value of the 993 will be better than the 996 and even the 997. Also, the overall build quality of the 993 seems better to me (I have had both). I find the interior of the 996 a little more cheesy compared to the 993, but a number of ergonomic improvements have been made along with side airbags. To be honest, there are times when I wish I had just kept the 993 instead of getting the GT3. This has more to do with the electronics in the 996 being more complex and prone to failure. So far I have had an issue with the climate control system that cost a lot of money to diagnose. The root cause was a cheap relay, but the dealer spent a week of labor chasing it down. We also replaced the actual climate control head, thinking that was the issue and it worked for a while. I am now having issues with the remote locking system that drive me nuts and a possible fault with the car's CPU where it sounds the Gong, Gong, Gong when the car exceeds 76 mph. Again, the more "features" you stick in a car, the more possibilities you have for failures. The point of all of this is that the more complex the system, the harder it gets to diagnose and more expensive it gets to fix. Lastly, when you zero in on a candidate, get a presale inspection at a known good dealer or independent shop. These cars can have a lot of hidden issues and a trained eye is an absolute must.

For a daily driver, I would get a 996. For a toy, I'd lean more towards a 993. A friend of mine who owns two 993s just took my 996 out for a drive. He was shocked at how much more modern it was than his 993s and how much more comfortable it was for a daily driver.

I have a friend who owns a 964 and a 997S. He think that my 996 is the best of both worlds. I have also driven both and the 964 feels ancient while the 997 feels bland like a Camry (sure they are fast as heck but they lost a lot of the immediacy of the air cooled cars). The 996 captured the right balance of that classic Porsche feel in a modern car.

I am looking for a daily drive....I came from a 1980 SC and when the engine failed on that...well I went through the Porsche pains lol....I thought of 964, 993 and than maybe going back to the 911 in 86-89, but it makes more sense to get into a 2002-2004 996? Yes values are down but to me $24k vs $36k is a no brainer for more daily drive for the $$.....Now just to find?the right one that has been well taken care of and maybe updated/

Quotes source post: 10623800

Go for it! Last year, I sold my air-cooled 911 (1983 SC) and picked up a pristine 2004 C2 coupe. I couldn't be happier with the car... I can't think of any other sports/performance car I could have bought for the same $26K that would give me the daily drivability, street enjoyment, track-day fun, and yes, value retention as the 996. Does it have as much 'investment potential' as a 993? Personally, I couldn't care less. The 996 is to drive. That extra $10K that could have gone into a 'collectible' Porsche went into another 'automotive investment'... TSLA (Tesla Automotive). Definitely more return than a 993 would have delivered while driving the better-in-every-way-but-nostalgic car.

Quotes source post: 10623966

Resale is subjective....I just lost on a car that had great resale value and low work needed....it wasn't true...This car ended up at the dealership more than my 1980 SC I had and lost about $3k on it...

Having owned a 993, I prefer the 996. The 993 is also a more expensive to repair and has its own maintenance & ergonomic issues. (How stupid is it to offset the steering wheel in a "driver's car"??) The 996 is a better buy (assuming it's been well taken care of....applies to any car). Don't buy the 996 if you want the adoration of other Porsche owners. (Which is a fairly lame reason to buy one model or another.) If you actually like the 993 better, then that's a reason for owning it.

As the owner of a 964 which is similar mechanically to the 993, I bought 996 as my daily driver. I love it. It has a better a/c and is quiter,better ride and is a much more modern car. I kept the 964 for top down weekend use. Much rawer car but still great fun. It was my daily driver for many years. Hands down 996 for everyday car.

Yikes the story of the guy that bought his 996 for $26k and did the update on the IMS and still his engine blew is beyond unreal? I know that all 911s have some sort of issue and updates that are needed, wondering if a extended warranty would be piece of mind if something did happen?

993 because you can drive it for a few years and sell it for the same amount you bought it for (or more).

Quotes source post: 10624682

I wouldn't bet on that.

Quotes source post: 10624561

That's a great idea. I took out an extended warranty for 30000miles or 3 years which ever came first on engine and gearbox. I am not really sure what it covers but I know it didn't cover electrical problems and there can be many if someone has been messing around with the car without your knowledge before buying it. These young guys like to mess with sounds and the likes. These cars are within financial reach of the young guys BTW and they mod them out and track them and that's the truth and are likely to f**k things up on them. Mine had an effed up gear box which I claimed via the extended warranty. So an extended cover might be a good idea coz if things go wrong with these cars it can cost an arm and a leg like it is doing right now with a recent poster, unfortunate guy.

Quotes source post: 10624780

If you lose money on a 993, you're doing it wrong.

Quotes source post: 10624780

Depends on the economic market, but side by side my money would be on the 993 returning a better price than a 996 over the years. The exception might be a 996 GT3.

I remember a time when the 964 was the redheaded child of Porsche and now even those cars are bringing in a prem...I could care less about resale value....its more about getting myself into the best 911 I can for a price that I feel is worth it and not what investor or crazy markets are at. 996 for the price is that car...

If you want a weekend toy, I'd go with a 993. If you want something for daily driver duties, I'd go with a 996. The 996 is a better car, but the 993 is a better Porsche.

As a former 993 owner (a '96 and then a '97) and current 996 owner, I kind of agree with what everyone above has said. But the bottom line? These are very different beasts, and the differences become ever more apparent if/when they are used on a daily or near daily basis. So 993 vs. 996...it depends on many factors. There is no consensus on this. relinuca

Test drove a 996.2 today.....Wow... I wanted to get a 993 before ....I wouldn't even go there anymore....The coupe I drove had punch and a precise feeling all in one but with a rough ride still....reving that engine is a different feel than my 80s SC and I could care less about the SC now...Im hooked...Have a test drive in a cab planned this weekend....Looking forward to it

Quotes source post: 10634283

I would not rule out a 997 if you have the funds available to stretch that far. There were a number of improvements made to each new model and as always, the general rule applies - get the newest car you can in good condition, of course.

Quotes source posts: 10624682, 10624780

drive it very little. my watching of 996 prices lately seems to indicate that the non-GT3/Turbo 996 are losing roughly $10-15K in value as they go from 50K miles to 90K miles. So a $30K 996 with moderate mileage will be a $14-$20K car by the time it its high mileage territory after 4 more years of driving. If the 996 has well north of 100K miles it's can be had for $10-$12K right now. The resurgent 993 pricing is simply a matter of too few cars for their particular market of interested buyers. They barely made 2,700 993 s in the whole U.S. in its final year. OTOH I'm not sure if 993's hold such stellar value if the owner actually uses it for what they were intended for (driving) and starts pushing the odometer nearer and nearer to 100K. If the 993 can still hold high value with that kind of six figure mileage, then that'll be something else. The market for second hand, out of warranty Porsches is not remotely large enough to asborb the number of 996 produced. Ditto for the 997. My last visit to Autotrader pulled up over 1,000 water-cooled Carreras, that's 100 on each page... times ten. insane.

Quotes source post: 10634800

That means I can get a very good deal and a great effin car!!!

and next year, you'll get an even better deal. It will be a buyer's market for water-cooled Porsches for the indefinite future. Add up all the Caymans, Boxsters, 996, 997 and 991's....we're talking so many cars its just getting to ridiculous levels of attrition that would be required to hold water-cooled Porsche values. Hopefully the 9A1 engines will plummet in reslae just like the 996 and 997.1. 987.2 and 997.2 are pretty high -- for now -- mass production will fix that in due time though. It seems to me that the new motors are going to be the 'go to' Porsche engine for years to come and based on what those who've torn them apart have noted, they are substantially better than what's found in the huge supply of 996 and 997.1 for sale. In other words you might want to sell your 996/997.1 now if you don't intend to keep it forever. Even the 996 Turbo's are dipping into $30K's with nothing near high mileage so even the Mezgers aren't all safe from the bargain bin. But as you say, this is a good thing for second-hand buyers...Porsches were meant to be driven and not meant to sit in a garage like a baseball card with four wheels.

Quotes source post: 10623966

where did you get this figure from ?

i'm very happy with my 996 C4S and i bought it as a fun toy because i it brings me LOTS of smiles every time i drive it, and that other than the ims/rms/clutch(which i just got done), it should bring me years of joy with less depreciation than a new honda accord(notice how i am not comparing it to 993, which has its own o2 sensor issues which can be quite expensive to repair). to me, the 993 is a collector car and i'd love to have one(and wished that i kept both my previous 928 and 89 carrera cab), but overall my investments have done waaay better than owning the 993. besides, collectors wouldn't do it to make money as much as they enjoy "owning" it. lastly, i do think we're close to a price floor for the 996s, especially clean and more rare ones, ie. C4S or some nice cabs and turbos - perhaps not quite there yet, it is especially close to bottom for the C4S, esp those who are buying them for around $25k. Patrick