Last and best handling (HJ says) of the air cooled 911s.
Fabulous motor if it's a good one and it suits you. Contrary to AB's assertion wasted on the Autobahn, thoroughly satisfactory on proper roads with twisties... Expensive to buy and run but everlasting if maintained and worth every penny if you've got it.
Try one properly first though if you haven't yet. They aren't everyone's cup of tea.
|
AB is wrong, the whole point of Porsche ownership is through the twisty bits not high speed.
Not everyone can get to grips with the 993 & earlier 911 types. The offset driving position, floor hinged pedals etc. One of my members tried both & ended up with a 996 because of this.
Come over too www.tipec.net & talk pork over there. Pork of any sort needn't be expensive to run but you do need to buy wisely, get it checked by a specialist not a.n. other garage that knows a bit about cars. All Porsche are significantly different enough to have pitfalls for the unwary.
|
Magnificent cars, very dated interior & ugly in convertible form. Must be properly checked out in advance. For the money of a good one you could get a new shape Boxster S which might be easier to live with and handles very well indeed. You should test drive the 996 model too as someone else pointed out as it is a very different car, more comfy for long drives & the 993 is quite hardcore. But the 993 is undeniably the best ever 911. (followed by 997, 996, orig 911 & then 964 IMO)
|
Thanks for all the replies. Food for thought there. I have a 911 specialist a few miles away in Horncastle and have been looking at Hartech in Bolton's website too. If I bought one it'd probably be from a decent specialist.
The pro's of a 993 for me are (not in any order):
probably the best 911;
nicely over-engineered, have that 'hewn from solid' feel like an old Mercedes;
drop-dead gorgeous without being in your face, especially as a coupe;
affordable;
low depreciation;
a bit cheaper to look after compared to a 996 (so I've read);
fully galvanised;
available with airbags and climate control;
hopefully old enough to be out of the radar for any future punitive VED increases.
The cons:
can the wife drive it? (could be a positive, I suppose);
liable to envy key scratching etc, I?d worry if I ever had to leave it in a car park;
er? that?s it. There must be some more surely?
Running costs aren?t too much of an issue. Whatever I drive is likely to be sub 30mpg and high insurance/maintenance. I have a couple of small classics for popping down to the shops so it?ll only be used on longish runs and just for fun, although my wife may occasionally have to use it, so not over 10k miles pa.
I currently have an 06 Legacy Spec B, which I love. I was planning to change it next spring, possibly for an Impreza Sti. But I couldn?t live with the looks of the old one, and the new one doesn?t fill me with enthusiasm. Perhaps a Prodrive model would, if they ever do one. But new cars are going to be hammered more and more with VED unless the government bite the bullet and put all the tax on fuel so the polluter pays, rather than just taxing possession. So an older car (and I like old cars) would be ideal but I can?t think of much that is fast, superbly built, reliable, safe and most importantly, I like. A Porsche does fit the bill, there must be something else but I can't think of it. I?ll either change soon while the Legacy still has some value or keep the Legacy for a long while and just hope VED doesn?t go through the roof.
Time for deep thought.
|
Whatever you do don't buy a 996 - serious problems with engines trashing themselves (18% of 996s have done this apparently)
Guy I work with has a £10k bill for a six year old car with low miles...
MVP
|
|
Not everyone can get to grips with the 993 & earlier 911 types. The offset driving position floor hinged pedals etc. One of my members tried both & ended up with a 996 because of this.
This was exactly my experience. I couldn't get on with the 993 at all because of the driving position and pedals - maybe over a longer term I would gel with it? I bought a 996 and found that far more user friendly if a bit less characterful. But it was a disappointment after my Boxster S and so I didn't keep it for long.
Forget what the 'purists' say - in my book the best Porsche is a Boxster S.
|
|
|