WindingRoad 993 road review: (for clyde)

[lemming]

http://www.windingroad.com/reviews-page/porsche-993-carrera/

[Plaz]

That's the sort of reading that's going to get me into trouble. :eeps:

[clyde]

eh

[lemming]

the author sort of glossed over how expensive certain things can cost on the higher mileage cars. not out of character for a car that expensive, but still.

[John V]

I'd still rather have my car.

[Theo]

One of my good friends and coworker drives a black/black 97 993 with an aftermarket exhaust. Very nice car and fun to be in.

[FC]

I LOVE that car. I always said I'd own one as soon as I could afford one. I really wanted to buy one too (some old 'fest threads I'm sure back this up), but prices started to hold abnormally high and coupled with the expensive upkeep I just could not justify it.

At this point, I rather pony up the difference for a stripped, discounted Cayman S with a nice, fat 4 year warranty, etc. Or as JV pointed out, for the same/lesser money, get a used 986S/987S.

[lemming]

I LOVE that car. I always said I'd own one as soon as I could afford one. I really wanted to buy one too (some old 'fest threads I'm sure back this up), but prices started to hold abnormally high and coupled with the expensive upkeep I just could not justify it.

At this point, I rather pony up the difference for a stripped, discounted Cayman S with a nice, fat 4 year warranty, etc. Or as JV pointed out, for the same/lesser money, get a used 986S/987S.

my own experience with a CPO 993 is that the ones with abnormally low miles are bad. but then you're in a conundrum because ones with mileage that is too high means you get socked with the maintenance costs sooner.

and that engine really needs not only primary owner knowledge, but a nice relationship with a Porsche specialist who knows aircooled engines inside out.

[stuka]

That's the sort of reading that's going to get me into trouble. :eeps:

Just do it.:D

Oh, and if you are ever in town, you are welcome to check out the GT2.:)

The 993's have a similar feel and noise, only louder and smaller on the inside.

[stuka]

my own experience with a CPO 993 is that the ones with abnormally low miles are bad. but then you're in a conundrum because ones with mileage that is too high means you get socked with the maintenance costs sooner.

and that engine really needs not only primary owner knowledge, but a nice relationship with a Porsche specialist who knows aircooled engines inside out.

Here's the thing, with used cars you are paying for the sins of the previous owners, that is why they don't cost the full MRSP.

Most people would think my GT2 is pristine, but my Turbo was taken care of way better by me, because I have had it since day one. Of course I am happy to have it, but there are nagging little things that I know that if I was the first owner, that I would have done better. Things like shitty clearbra job, never using sunshade and warping all CF bits on the dash (warranty, so I am fine with it), etc...

[stuka]

the author sort of glossed over how expensive certain things can cost on the higher mileage cars. not out of character for a car that expensive, but still.

Like you said, 993's you are really in a connundrum. High mileage cars generally aren't well cared for, while low mileage cars have their own problems.

In generally, I am more inclined to get a higher mileage car than a lower one. There is a 2002 GT2 with 600 miles that I could have gotten, but chose not to.

Why? because in 4 and a half years the car has been sitting there not driven, this cannot be good for all the rubber parts in the engine and driveline.

[lupinsea]

Ok, here's a question the article just brushed past: Porsche Durability?

It mentioned in an off hand comment how the Porsches are durable cars? Is this the case, am I missing something? My co-worker's Boxster has been in the shop an incredible number of times with all sorts of odd little things. It's never broken down on him so I guess the basic engine / drivetrain is pretty stout, but everything else seems to go wrong on it.

Perhaps he got a crappy example . . . but it also seems like the repair costs on these cars are frigg'n expensive, too. I suppose that's just par for the course but I'd hope that if one was spending mucho $$$ to get these cars that they'd need to go into the shop a whole lot less.

This is also a concern of mine with the BMW I got. My research suggested that they're just as reliable as other cars but when you do have to take them in for service they cost a whole lot more (due to better/more expensive parts, more complex vehicle, or whatever).

Any comments on Porsche reliability or durability?

[stuka]

Coxster?:lol: :lol: :lol:

that's like saying the Hot Pepper is a Porsche.:ack:

The GT cars are Porsche, the M64 cars are Porsche.

The rest of pretender cars that Mr. Wide King ordered to be build to make the share holders happy.

"Integrated" "dry sump" my ass. It is no more a dry sump than the S54.

Oil service done at dealer for my GT2 is less than 300 bucks.

Major service is 1200 bucks at the dealer.

That is hardly expensive when you consider how much BMW inspection II costs at the dealer.

[John V]

Ok, here's a question the article just brushed past: Porsche Durability?

Haven't really owned mine long enough (about 10mo and 9,000 miles so far) to make a judgement, but going from the previous owner's records and what I've had to do (nothing) the car has been pretty good. It's got 34,000 miles on it and the only problem it's had was an oil leak from the camshaft seals. It was fixed under warranty before I bought the car.

The drivetrains are known to be very stout, the suspension bits (ball joints, tie-rod ends) are known to last quite a long time.

The early Boxsters were dismal in terms of reliability. Exploding coolant overflow tanks, lots of oil leaks and electrical gremlins, lots of CELs, leaking power steering hoses, stuff like that.

But I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

[FC]

For the past few years Boxsters have been a Consumer Report's Best Buy and received high reliability marks.

There is a difference to me between durability and reliability. The way I see it, my old Benz was very durable. The majority of core mechanical parts lasted forever. It just needed a few electrical things here and there.

OTOH, my sister's old corolla was reliable but the chassis fell apart. Door handles broke, panels came off, plastics warped and discolored, paint went to hell, etc.

If I had chosen to spend 5K on my old Benz, I bet I could have driven it to 300K+ miles looking and feeling great. That is not something you can say of traditionally "reliable" japanese cars. They may run at 300K miles, but won't do so gracefully.

[lemming]

my experience with a 993: it's really built to be durable. but, for example, all of the electrical stuff is a complete nightmare.

when they run well, they run very, very well. the issue is if that it's a car that needs to be driven, and driven hard after the PROPER warmup. if it's used as a putter about car, the 993s are notorious for running hot (in a bad way), fouling air intake passages and cooking the oil.

it's a car that needs an open road and lots of good airflow and proper warmup.

no doubt the early M96 block cars had tons of coolant overflowing and cracked heads from overheating. but if you get a chance to look at Porsche Tech Docs for Service Advisors, the PCA people will tell you that there are more tech books on the M96 engine alone in its first 3 years than the entire run of the aircooled M64 engines. they keep refining it, replacing faulty parts and so forth.

so the later cars are finally better. my advice to people is to skip the M96 first generation if they can swing it financially because the 2nd generation motors have ironed a lot of the plumbing and cooling issues out.