Porsche ownership? - nick
Anyone out there had any experience of a Porsche 911 933 coupe? I'm reading all the forums, guides etc. but any more personal experiences are welcome.
I'm very tempted by them. If I got one, it'd be in regular use, maybe 10-12k per year, mainly rural roads, no commuting.
Porsche ownership? - Collos25
Unless its got an Autobahn to look at it would be a waste of time .
Porsche ownership? - Lud
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.
Porsche ownership? - tr7v8
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.
Porsche ownership? - perleman
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)
Porsche ownership? - nick
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.
Porsche ownership? - MVP
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
Porsche ownership? - nick
Thanks for the warning!
Porsche ownership? - boxsterboy
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.
Porsche ownership? - Shaz {p}
Just to add to what MVP mentioned.

I have heard a guy have two engines fail on his 996 - so it seems there is a problem.
Porsche ownership? - Collos25
AB is wrong, the whole point of Porsche ownership is through the twisty bits not high speed

You mean going round corners at a dangerous speed or do you mean going at a quick safe speed something just about every car in existance will do.
Porsche ownership? - Lud
You just don't get it AB.

Console yourself with the thought that a Porsche would be wasted on you, so you don't have to wish you could afford one.
Porsche ownership? - Collos25
I have a Stroker Camaro for fun days believe you me its much more fun than a porshe will ever be but not in the UK.
Porsche ownership? - Lud
I'm sure it's lots of fun. But it won't keep up with a Porsche without 'going round corners at a dangerous speed'. Horses for courses.

My apologies AB for implying you were (like me) too poor to afford a Porsche.

:o}
Porsche ownership? - perleman
I just Google Imaged a Stroker Camaro, and can safely say that there are a number of Porsches that looks like more fun to me. I bet a 1.2 Vauxhall Corsa corners faster than that lardy tank
Porsche ownership? - tr7v8
You mean going round corners at a dangerous speed or do you mean going at
a quick safe speed something just about every car in existance will do.

Who is defining dangerous speed? I'll corner at whatever speed I can consistent with a good sightline. I was taught according to the Roadcraft book & drive accordingly.
Yup 944 is good fun, gives feedback & fun like nothing else I've ever owned. The nearest to it was an Alfa 75.
Don't know of many cars that give the level of involvement that Porsche ownership does.
Porsche ownership? - spikeyhead {p}
Allow a couple of k for maintenance each year.

As for comments about 996 engine failures, they are a lot less common that has been quoted in this thread. There's a sticky in the Porsche forum on pistonheads that indicates much better reliability levels than have been quoted here.

One reason that 993's don't tend to lunch engines anymore is that the specialists have learnt when they need a complete rebuild before they commit suicide. Prevention may be a little cheaper than cure but its still expensive.
Porsche ownership? - tr7v8
992 engines are just about bulletproof. Issues with the M96 engine have been liner collapse, Intermediate shaft failure & RMS leakage. Generally if it fails under Porsche warranty then you'll get a new engine with all the latest mods.
An extended warranty is available up to 9 years for around £900 per year, it's bombproof pretty much covering anything that'll possibly go wrong.
Specialist 12K service on a 993 is £360, 996 is £200. This reflects the work needed.
Porsche ownership? - perleman
Liner collaps was sorted by 1999, RMS leakage isn't a failure point and is a very minor oil leak that can usually be ignored untill the clutch needs doing, when it can be changed for free. IMS failure is very rare and almosyt unknown in cars over 50-60k miles. A recent poll on Boxa.net on IMS failure showed it to be really rare. 993's don't suffer these issues, but as someone else pointed out, they still need engine rebuilds as you'll see in their service history. Either way, if you can't live with a potential £5000-£10000 bill hanging over you these cars aren't for you - unless you get a new Boxster S (like 2005 on) and stick the OPC warranty on it for £890 a year which you can do up to 10 years old & 100k miles