Definitely not correct. Mine feels like a rifle bolt dipped in hot butter. Best shifter of any car I've driven.
I would agree with that... I had a stock 86 930 and was astonished what an understeering pig it was despite decades of writing of the tail happiness which more or less happens when u let off mid bend or plant your foot in it without unwinding type driving errors. The anti dive geometry on the 930 which the standard 911 don't have take a bit more to rotate. I when it rained I used to take the car out and have a blast in it. You can drift the car forever in the 3rd gear since the gearing was comically long. I recently driven my buddy's 930 with 500lbs removed along with full EPR suspension rolling on R compound 315's. He is an Pcar instructor an has dialed in his car beautifully. Transformation is truly amazing from the stock marshmallow set up. I've driven the 348 and a pair of 355. Chucked one around the canyons and imho the 355 is sharp, good turn, in decent brakes but a pretty nervous rear end that stepped out blindingly fast. The 95 car felt better than the later OBII car. The car seemed to get slower as it heated up. As always, there isn't a clear winner but you will be had press to find anything as visceral as 355 or 930 in today's machines. It would be hard to choose between the two fantastic machines.
I liked the sounds of a purple 355 at FCA Laguna Seca better than all the rest, even my beloved Sp333's. I have some time in a 930. I'm thinking of trading it for a 308. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Here is someone that knows what they're talking about! I've spent a lot of time in everything from 930's to 951's to 996 tt's, to 964s. The 930 reminds me of a turbo dodge Omni except it's rear wheel drive and has triple the power. There is nothing good about the 930, it even looks like crap. This is just my opinion guys, the hype on old 911s is real. The 355 is so much better of a car in every way!
Ride the 930 appreciation wave, sell it and get something that will not be looking to kill you when your guard drops.
That's why we have more than one car for everyone. It doesn't hurt my feelings that you dislike the car for any reason. Don't apologize for your own taste.
The 1995 355 is superior to the 930 in every sense of the word and in every category. Sorry to the 930 guys... but the clutch, gearbox, power, and handling are not comparable. Ad in terms of driveability, one simply cannot compare the two: remember - the 355 has arguably the best gearbox of any manual transmission car that has ever been produced; the clutch is outstanding with a light or light-medium feel. Drive the 930 and then the 355 and it would be impossible to state it any differently. The 930 is in a class of its own, and I don't think it can or should be compared to a car that emerged 19 years after its original introduction. No disrespect whatsoever to the 930.
Dave, So true, the cars are very different, but somewhat similar in that they both rank as supercar status in most opinions. By starting the thread I was looking for perspectives from the board members, which is what was received. We will be keeping our 930 cab for the long term and hopefully adding a 355 soon. thanks again to all who spent the time to respond, the information is quite valuable.
Well all i can say is that i am fortunate to have both the 355 and 930. There is no comparison between the two. The 930 has 500+ bhp and in a straight line the poor old 355 would not have a chance,that said the 355 would have a hard time of it against some hot hatches of today..... However speed and handling are not what either of these two are about. They both are just so special in their own ways and to be honest they are both stunning to look at especially when the both of them are pristine and in my shed!! With a hungry guard dog sitting next to them at all times!!
yes in many respects the 355 is superior... given that the 930 came out 20 years earlier its should be. the thing that bothers me with the 355 is the throttle and clutch pedal along with the over assist power steering makes if feel like a Ford Taurus. 348 feel more right
The 930 would be the car I sold last... The 930 is pure driving pleasure... The turbo boost kicking in is totally addicting... Its damn near impossible to break... Its skyrocketing in value, wheras the 355 isn't A major service is $500, not $10,000 You can get parts... You can get used parts... Gawd I love the view from the rear... pure sex. I don't own a 355, but have a testarossa. Its an event to drive, but I worry each time I take it out that something $$$$ will break. Last time I took it out the alternator belt broke. Cheap to fix, but a pain in the azz...
I've owned a 79 930 and have a modified 95 F355 for 15 years. I think a big difference is it is easy and relatively cheap in Ferrari terms to modify a 930 in handling and engine. My 930 stock was ok and the F355 was better performer all around. But with some mods as far as intercooler, bigger turbo , new wastegate and some new struts, the 930 will easily out do a F355 in everything. I've spent $30,000 in mods on my 355 and spent $9000 on the 930 and ended up with much more performance in the 930 than the 355. I love the F355 and that is why I still have it after 15 years, but a modified 930 is much more car.
Bob, Well put comparison . Another board member noted " date Italian, marry German" I did the opposite and has worked well for us. Generally I will be leaving all our machines stock, with the possible addition of a Tubi or similar exhaust for increased performance in seat and sound.
What we really need to think of is that the 930 was first made in model year 1976 (based off a platform that pre-dated it). The 355 was made in model year 1995 (based off a platform that pre-dated it). Both of course have motors that were considerably updated vs. their predecessor, but it's almost 20 years of technology difference! What is perhaps more important, given that these are both "old cars" now, is (a) how the car did in its day (i.e. how much it was "lusted" after), (b) what bucket list category the buyer is trying to tick off and (c) of course, the sort of driving experience the driver wants with the car today. Here are my thoughts: (a) in their respective days, both cars were very highly coveted and performed very very well. The F355 arguably made Ferrari's road cars relevant again and reinvigorated the brand (thanks Luca!) Between the two cars though, I'd have to say the 930 had the bigger impact in its day. The world was imploding- economy/inflation, Carter, and from a car standpoint, strangulating emission controls, lower power, bad build quality for almost all cars (Porsche and Mercedes maybe being one of the few exceptions)...in 1976 my dad had a new buick Lesabre with a 105HP v6 for a 2 ton car and that was progress! (it ran after he shut it off- the emissions settings were so bad it actually "dieseled" until he'd get back into the car and hit the gas pedal to kill the motor). Somewhere I have a 1978 car magazine- the best american car was the Corvette- 0-60 in ~9 seconds. A 1978 911 was 6.7 seconds, a 930 nearer to 5-5.3 seconds. There was nothing remotely close to the 930s acceleration, top speed in the US and the wide body/whale tail was amazing. (b) With that said, I can imagine someone being in their teens or 20's or 30's in the 1970s and 1980s and really really wanting a 930. Now maybe they have more money for a toy, or more time for a hobby and that is the car they want. Same with the F355- for me, in the 1990s there was no car I wanted more than a 355 spider. It was on my "bucket list"...I went with a 360 first, but now own a F355 (wish I could have kept the 360 too- both very different cars) (c) I have to use myself as an example on this category- the 360 coupe I had was a "better car" than a 355 spider, but for my use, the F355 has just enough power, sounds amazing (tubi/hyperflow + flat crank V8/individual throttle bodies = not much better sound around) and I don't feel the desire to go the crazy speeds the 360 (and more so for the 430 and 458) temps you with. At some point I may want to change it up again- maybe go back to a stick 360 but a spider, but for now I am getting a lot of satisfaction & fun with the 355. Maybe someone else would want to feel the turbo surge of the 930 and experience the vault like build quality of the 930 that as someone else mentioned is no longer available from porsche or most other manufacturers (more plastics to lower weight, decrease costs to build cars, etc) I guess my point is there is no easy answer to "which is better"- people buy classic sports cars all the time- yet a new miata is a "better" light weight sports car, and a new Corvette is a "better" fast sports car than many of the older cars. You can mod a 355 or a 930 for more power, but a ZR1 will still blow it away. Kind of missing the point to me though of experiencing a 930 or 355...which is why we bought them vs. a vette By the way, lots of 930's are modded, which in my opinion is OK given that the car has an outrageous power delivery even stock so it keeps with the "personality" of the original design, but for the 355 I prefer cars that are strictly stock (with the exception of the exhaust)
If the suspension felt strange on the F355 you tested, it might be a good idea to check the tyre pressures. David
David, thanks, It could be as simple as that. What concerns me more is the "stiff" gearbox and an apparent lack of power. I am looking for a local shop to perform a PPI including compression and leakdown tests. Andrew, Many good points, I love the rawness of our 930 and am hoping for some of the same by adding a 355 to the stable.
I´ve had few 930´s over the years but only one Ferrari (355). At the moment i have early 911 turbo and my 355 is an early too (MY95). Comparison between these two is not easy. They are just so much different. Driving feeling with 355 is like taking a gocart for a spin compared to 930. 930 feels like a panzerwagen. There is a need of doing much more driving with 930. 355 is quite easy to drive. When you put few dollars in performance tuning of 930 it turns in to a real beast. With NA car power tuning is not just worth it. After changing turbo, intake, exhaust and few other supporting mods 930 is brilliantly fast. At this point you need to be a good driver to be able to use all the speed there are available (which I´m not). Whenever taken 930 to my limits it feels very rewarding. Maybe even better than good beer+pizza combo. Personally I don´t get quite the same feeling with 355. Maybe it is due to lack of torque which I love. Both are very fun cars to drive. Could not decide if I only had to choose one. 930 has been my daily driver during the summer and 355 for the weekend. After heavy duty driving with 930 for 5 days it feels like reward to take it easy with 355 for few days.
Impressive that you drive a 930 every day (even if just in the summer) must be a treat for other car enthusiasts to see it on the road during commuting! I know I love seeing interesting cars driving in the middle of the week/during rush hour...quite entertaining and great to see them being used
I have a 88 930S and a 98 F355. I agree with what most people said but want to emphasize the importance of buying a car that's in great shape, both inside and out. 930s may be cheaper to maintain once everything has been sorted but these cars are over 30 years old and they tend to break from time to time. Finding a good mechanic can be difficult to find and trying to diagnose a problem can be even more difficult. They can get expensive in a hurry. Not trying to push you away from 930s, as I would never sell mine, but just be informed. Does 930s cost more to maintain than a 355, probably not, but it depends on what you have. Keep in mind: Buying the wrong 930 or 355 will be one of the worst experience you will ever have. If you're like me, I like horses. I didn't take long for me to modify my 930. To me, a 930 is a bit boring in stock form, but add some bolt on parts and you can go from 280 horses to over 400 horses for about 10 -12K, as others have said as well. Just don't expect much power below 3k rpm in first gear. I believe an old Camry can beat me off the line. But once the turbo kicks in, it rockets forward. My 0-60 is about 4 seconds but it takes me about 3 seconds to get to 20 mph. Comparing a 930 to a 355 is not fair, IMHO. They are very different cars, which is why i have both. 930s are more straight line torque monster that's constantly trying to kill you whereas the 355 is a great all around sports car. The 930 is crude with little creature comforts and the 355 is more refined and civil. My wife refuses to drive in the 930 as she thinks it's too loud and smelly but she loves the 355. People take notice of 355 more than the 930 slant but I really don't care. I wish both gets less attention, gets old after a while. My recommendation: Get Both! You can't go wrong.
Today I attempted to buy from the auction but wasn't succesful. The prices on the Porsche is nothing short of crazy. 1987 911 salvage need advice on the value - Rennlist Discussion Forums
My first drive after purchasing my 355 was 1 1/2 hours is L.A. commute traffic. I could not have had a better manual box. After getting out of the traffic, the power was "right there". It sounds as though there are two things, AT LEAST, wrong with the car.
I just skimmed this thread and while I have zero experience in a 355, I have been on the track with them and they are clearly quite capable. I have had many Porsches, and still have 930s (76 and 78) and 993s (Carrera, tt, and cup car) As many have pointed out, the comparison is apples and oranges from a technology standpoint, but a nuance that has not been voiced is that the 993 design ('95 until the watercooled 996) was a very different car than the classic 911 with it's swing arm, transverse torsion rear axle. The 993 cup cars a poster observed whipping Ferrari Challenge cars (I have one that ran the the FIA circuit for 95-96) have a sophisticated multi-link rear suspension that transformed the Porsche driving experience. That suspension (which was even designed to accomodate rear-wheel steering) persists at Porsche to this day. I also race an '82 911SC so I know whereof I speak: completely different cars.
That true Ersatz....however the thread is discussing the 930 which ended with model year 1989 (before even the suspension upgrades of the 964). But your point is noted- I worked with a guy that drove the 993 cup back in the day and he misses the car- even today he has a picture of it in a race in his work office.
