I would take a 993TT over a 996TT any day. The 993 is the last of the old school Porsches, air cooled baby! Than again I woujld take a built 930 and 965 over either, I like the rawness of the older Porsche

Christian

 

Martin - I'm w/ Tom .... have a friend w/ 993tt and the same TechArt mods as my 996tt (Ok not exactly the same but for our discussion they are the same) he has 520 hp I've got 550hp (air vs H2O)- we are both good drivers (I'm better-HAHA) and use the cars on the track and as dailey drivers. He has had all kinds of maintenance issues w/ brake and oil systems - now has to replace the turbos. I've not had a single probem. BTW his blonde thinks my car is so much sweeter too !!!! Anyway, just some food for thought - air cooled was fun (and I've had a lot of 'em) but there are some issues vs newer "water cooled". Anyone here old enough to remember all the crap back in 1964 about a 356 vs that "new" 901 ??? Oh yea - I smoke him at Sebring....

 

Here is a pic of mine. Love the 996 but have to stick with the 993 e

 

Hey man, nothing wrong with the car at all, was just telling Alex you know he got one right?? I think they are cool, honestly!


Michael : Thanks for the info man, sucks to hear about your friends issues

RSS : Car is looking GREAT

 

RSS,
Love the car and the 993TT lines. Any pics of the car at less than 120mph?

 

Thanks Dave - here you go

 

Definatly the 993TT, looks amazing and they are so much fun to drive... not to mention sound GREAT

 

I am arriving late here on this thread, but I think I can give you an experienced opinion. I have had a 993tt, a GT2 EVO factory race car, a 934 and 993 & 964 cup. I have spent time on the track with each one. If it's daily driving, straight line acceleration, and the comfort of 4wheel drive you are looking for, then the 996tt wins. I think the 993 body style is dated, but will always be my favorite. The 964 requires a lot of driver input to drive fast on the track, the 993 2WD cars are easily to drive than the 964 fast, but you will have the ability to drive these cars with the throttle. Once you gradulate to 4WD, things change, these cars are great, but don't allow you to drive the same way on a track the way 2WD cars do. If you wanted an a car that was the best of both for the track and acceleration, you have to look at a 996 GT2. Those cars are great, but to drive those fast, you must have a lot of confidence.

Just an opinion from a racer.

 

The cars under question: 993tt, 993gt2, 996tt, 996gt2/3, and probably 997tt, 997gt3/2.
All these cars are awesome in their own way, question is what suits you. Over time I've debated; should I have gone 996 or 997 gt3, maybe hold out for the 996gt2, etc.... For the looks, acceleration, and driving experience in retrospect I'm still glad for having chosen the 993tt, hotrodded it, 2wd conversion etc.
Any GT car is gonna be sweet, esp. on the track. Doubt this will be my last Porsche but for now the ride is sweet!

 

Clubrcr : Hey looks like you sure do have experience in all of these cars, owned and even raced, that is awesome and I appreciate your info. I strictly posted this really out of sheer curiousity, as to which one people preffered given the chance, or if anyone made the switch. And yes that yellow 993tt really caught my eye. Now, I love the 996tt, but it took a lot of changes and mods for that, although I appreciated an awd turbo A LOT, it just wasn't what I was looking for, and even now I'm wanting something more in your face. GT2 is prob the move!

Acropora : Nice man glad you like the 993tt, you sound exactly like me and your situation, you had to mod the 993tt t rwd and power, you like where it is now same with my car, but still want something more extreme or different out of the box or with little work. Glad I'm also now the only one who goes through this every day, thought's of switching it up lol. Just don't want anyone to get the wrong impression, I appreciate my car and the 996tt to the fullest, and especially love Porsche's in general, its just some people move on faster then others Martin

 

http://media.putfile.com/993-Protomotive-on-board

Maybe this helps understanding the aircooled phenomena. Poor quality but the sound should be ok.

 

MY GOODNESS What did that have done to it, that thing was FAST, sounded amazing too!

 

Had a stage II 996tt and replaced it with a 1997 993tt. Couldn't be happier with the move. Was looking for something new and more exciting. Love the rawness, sound, performance, looks, etc. Depending on the car some maintenance may be needed given these models are approaching 10 years, but mine has been perfect and overall cost of ownership will hopefully be low given minimal depreciation.

Kevin

 

Kevin thanks for the impressions and congrats, your car is beautiful! What kind of maintenance might be needed on the 993tt's, and price wise as well or common problem's? I really need to drive one, bottom line!

 

iLLM3,
It is definately worth driving one. not sure where you're located, but anywhere near SF bay and i'd be happy to aquaint you with mine. So much different than a 996tt. For me, it was all about the passion. Just didn't feel it as much with the 996tt although an amazing car no doubt. I've always loved the look and feel of the 993tt and while it maybe a tick slower than the watercooled cars stock for stock and not quite as easy to extract huge hp/torque figures like the watercooled cars, these are pretty easy to modify and I've driven some that are much faster than my stage II 996tt. 500hp is pretty easy to acheive with these cars, which is plenty for a non-track star like myself. I knew it was a car I needed to have even before I drove one!

With regards to maintenance, the first step is obviously finding the right car. BE PATIENT. It took me months to find the right one (although I was specifically looking for guards red/black). PPI is a must with these as is a compression test and full leakdown. Check out rennlist forum for a full list of check points, but common replacement items are clutch and turbos. new suspension is also a must since the factory set up is terrible. My car had a new clutch, Pss9's, diverter valves, fabspeed muffler bypass, new lifters and was pretty much ready to go. Hard to tell when the turbos will go and really varies depending on how the car has been driven, hot shutdowns, etc., but I think average is around 50-75k. I've heard of some going as early as 30K and others lasting 100K. I basically factored in new turbos to the cost of the car. other than that, not sure the maintenance is much different than the 996tt at least yet. So far this car has been perfect. loves to be driven and very good in traffic/as a daily driver.

Nice to have something a bit different too. My figures may be totally off, but I recall hearing that porsche sold only 3,000 993tt's here in the states (either per year in 96 and 97 or total - can't recall). This compares to something like 6,000 in the peak year for 996tt's and these cars were sold in 01, 02, 03, 04 and 05. have only seen 2 other 993tt's on the road since I picked mine up and strange enough this car gets 2x the looks and comments that my 996 did, which was lowered, painted, aftermarket spoilers, HRE 542's etc.

With regards to price, I think these cars have held their value pretty well over the last several years. the 3 993tt cars that I was seriously looking at were all purchased for less than their current asking price. I've seen some cars with +40K miles in the mid 60's and others with lower miles in the $80's. pays to look around. Also depends on maintenance records, aftermarket parts, new components, etc.

Hope this helps!

K