Hi, I'm in the market for an interesting, fun to drive, reliable convertible. Budget of up to $100k range, but obviously lower is always better. I don't own cars to "show off brand" or anything like that, so a cheaper car that I love is just as valuable to me as a 10x more expensive car that I love. So...I've owned a 996 and a Boxster, but that's it for my Porsche knowledge. The idea of getting a 993 cab for $50-90k range has my interest. It would be a second car that is driven only "A to A" in the mild "winter" in Scottsdale. My last spider literally had the top down for months at a time, so its just a fun car (not a DD). It will sit for 9 months of the year while I'm not living in Scottsdale (I'm only there 3 months in Jan, Feb, Mar). So any "special" considerations for these cars if they sit? I got rid of my Maserati spider because, while I loved the car, it scared me with its clunky F1 transmission and stupid expensive repairs. I'm selling my Challenge Stradale because I never get to enjoy it and also because of even more stupidly expensive repairs/service costs. So, this next car needs to be reliable, "relatively" easy and cheap to have service/repaired. No five figure "out of nowhere" repairs (I've had 2 of those on the Ferrari). Any insights on the 993 cab are appreciated. As are references to places to research... Reliability? Fun to drive? Scary to drive? (you know, solely from hearing the rumors of "older" 911s and snap over steer) Practicality (does the AC work for example). And anything else you want to share as I'm likely forgetting a few things. Fwiw, the other cars I'm considering are "maybe" a 2009 Turbo Cab (maybe, sound means a lot to me in my cars, so...) and "maybe" a 991 era cab (which would come certified and thus warranty for a few years).
I myself love rare air Porsches and have owned several and will always continue to do so. In answer to your questions: Reliability? - I've never had a problem. If you get a 96 or newer with the vram, make sure you drive the car to redline or hard at least every time you drive it. This will avoid the costly CEL aka secondary air injection plugged up which leads to engie rebuild of $8-$12,000 Fun to drive? Absolutely! A real analogue drivers car, make sure you get the stick Scary to drive? - not for me. A balanced car that you can push all the way and still be safe, not like the older turbos who get tail happy (which I enjoy as well) Practicality (does the AC work for example). Ac, stereo, power seats, comfortable And anything else you want to share as I'm likely forgetting a few things. - Let's not forget it's the last 911! Air cooled, pedals hinged at the floor, that classic shape from 1964, and doors that go clink. Definitely an appreciating asset that you can drive and enjoy Fwiw, the other cars I'm considering are "maybe" a 2009 Turbo Cab (maybe, sound means a lot to me in my cars, so...) and "maybe" a 991 era cab (which would come certified and thus warranty for a few years). - All great cars, but a little too Mercedes-esque for me. They all seem to feel the same, vs the 993 that has more character
Had a CS for 5 years and have owned my 993 21 years. The 993 is a fantastic, fun and well made car that would make a great fair weather driver. It has a mechanical feel newer Porsche's don't. It is easy to drive but requires more driver input than newer cars. While much cheaper than Ferrari's to own, it is not cheap. Things don't break often, so nothing overall should surprise you. I recommend it.
I have a 96 C4S and was thinking about getting a C2 cab. They are great cars. Fun to drive, and no tricky handling thanks to the LSA (light, stable agile) double wishbone rear suspension. The cabs have power tops. If they ever become a problem, some owners simply remove the power mechanism. It's not that big of a roof, and many people (as you mentioned) leave it down most of the time. I have the FisterD Stage II exhaust: FD Motorsports » Fister Exhaust ? 993 Would be about perfect for a cab. If you do it, I think you'd really enjoy it! Matt
I had a '97 arena red cab...to this day I am pissed at myself for selling it..what a dumbass! Fantastic car, so visceral, so "alive." If you are used to high torque cars you might be slightly underwhelmed by the "punch" (or lack thereof). Great car...I am thinking of getting another some day...or a 964 turbo look...
Does it have to be a cab? If you can spend up to $100k, id recommend a C2S/C4S. They are the most beautiful versions of the 993 range.
Agree the S models look the best. But, "yes" it's gotta be a cab. I've seen a cab with some sort of body kit option. Not sure if that is the same as the wide body on the S models?
My dad has a 1997 Porsche 993 Carrera Cabriolet Tiptronic in Arena Red, and it's an excellent car to drive. It feels mechanical, visceral, and altogether more fun than his more refined Porsche Cayenne S. The Tiptronic does reduce acceleration and top speed in comparison to a manual 993, but the differences are slight (0.8 second difference to 60mph, 1.5 second difference to 100mph) and it's still a very engaging car to drive. Let's face it, you're not going to be hammering an old cabriolet around a track and comparing lap times to other cars, so you're not going to notice the time/speed difference, it's all about the driving experience. If you have any joint/knee issues (as my mom does) then you'll really appreciate the Tiptronic feature, making changing gears with the stick or steering wheel buttons a pain-free experience. I generally prefer manual transmissions, but the Tiptronic in the 993 is decent. When you get the revs up, the engine has a pleasing amount of punch and sound (Varioram! ) and actually feels faster than the Cayenne S, even though it isn't. In a car that small and light, 285bhp feels like plenty. Handling is very predictable and sharp, although took me a little getting used to, coming from front-engined front-wheel-drive hatchbacks. Because the front end is light compared to other cars I've driven, I originally thought it felt like it might not grip if I took a sharp turn but, in fact, it grips very well. It is a joy to drive. As for sitting for extended periods, I don't think they're any worse than any other car of the era. Until I moved back to the States from the United Kingdom, my dad's car had been infrequently driven due to my his interests shifting from sports cars to aircraft. He spent more time at the hanger or flying than he did thinking about his 911, which caused a couple of issues with the car that had to be rectified: Dead battery. The battery tender gave up without anyone noticing and Porsches really don't like to sit without one - they are notorious for draining batteries if not started and driven every two weeks or so. Even the Cayenne S goes dead if not driven for a couple of weeks. I suspect it's the immobilizer on both cars that does it. The tires didn't lose a huge amount of pressure but were flat-spotted by the lack of driving. This caused vibrations for the first couple of weeks taking it driving, but this has settled down now. I think this would affect any car regardless of type or year if not driven for an extended period. In terms of reliability, they seem pretty solid - especially now that my wife and I are keeping it exercised. He bought his a couple of years ago and has 70k miles on the clock now, so there have been little things to do here and there throughout ownership. As for "big" stuff I'm aware of (and helped with)... An alternator went bad on us, but it's easy to source new ones online. It took a bit of testing with a voltmeter while pulling fuses to eliminate everything else that could be draining the battery and thus diagnose the alternator. We think the one we took out was the original that was installed during the build in 1997, so 20 years isn't a bad lifespan for an alternator. It was difficult to remove and refit because of the tight packaging. The blower motor for the HVAC system had some problems and we replaced that with one ordered online - again, we think the removed part was the original from the car's production. This was an easier job than replacing the alternator, albeit still time-consuming. The AC is not as powerful as the current production Porsche, but it copes reasonably well even in Alabama - although the car is garaged and has rarely been parked outside for very long in direct sunlight, so I couldn't yet comment on how well it'll cool it down if it was really hot inside to start with. It does require the car to be moving to blow really cold though, so sitting in a traffic jam in summer is a warm experience. Both of the above jobs took about a day each, although my dad is very mechanically proficient (structural engineer, PhD). It's a simple car to diagnose and work on (even for me, a biologist, to understand), but it is awkward because it's a small package and there's not a lot of room to get your tools in there. So while it's not immensely difficult to work on yourself, it is time consuming to do things carefully. My dad's 993 is a fair-weather car only, purchased from California, and we live in Alabama, so there are no issues with rust to deal with - on a 20 year old car, rusting connections would be a big complication if you had to work around that. Dad's 993 is a driver's car with miles of enjoyment on it and he has enjoyed doing the maintenance himself, it is not in collectible/investment condition with perfect paint and a fully stamped authorized dealer history. I would say his is typical of a ~$40k current price point, with no deferred maintenance, so you really don't need to spend at the top end of your proposed budget to enjoy yourself in a solid 993... unless you want perfect paint. All the best, Andrew. PS: Here's a few pictures my dad took of me "stealing" it for a fun drive back in 2011.
I had a 993 tt for many years, and it was a great daily driver. I did sell it a few years back as it wasn't vintage feeling enough to interest me on weekends (compared to a 356 or a 250gt for example) yet not modern enough that I would pick it over a more practical car. Having said that, it was so tight and planted it was awesome - far better than the bloated stuff that Porsche now sells as 911's.
