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Originally Posted by blue2000s
964s are great but...
The awd system on the 964 was maligned for the excessive understeer that it caused. It has also turned out to be somewhat trouble proned and expensive to repair. So much so that several owners even go to the effort of converting their cars to RWD. Joel Reiser wrote a very detailed 2 part article about this in panorama in 2007.
The 964 was also Porsche's biggest move up to that time to please the masses with increased weight (heavier than the 996 in fact), options, and standard power steering.
The 993 awd system returned the car's handling to more of the traditional oversteer bias and is much simpler, more reliable, and less expensive to maintain. Above that, the 993 had variable valve timing, modernized styling, a totally redesigned suspension, ect...
But in any case, the further you go back into years, the more fun these cars get.
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The case for the AWD system became somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophesy. It was much maligned by reviewers when it 1st came out as being very un-porsche like, complex, heavy and certainly prone to trouble.
Then, when a few did fail, the naysayers shouted AHA!... SEE..?? The truth is that very few of these fail, and if they do, it's not often catastrophic, usually the accelerometers which govern the power distribution.
Now, if it does fail catastrophically, it is very expensive to fix... as is the AWD of virtually any other AWD car - MB, BMW, Volvo, Jaguar. This is inherent in essentially having two drivetrains.
It is rear wheel biased intentionally allowing only a 31/69 F/R power distribution. Understeer is prevelent of most cars of the era, but can easily be dialed out with some suspension changes. This is mostly a preference and most complaining have little or no seat time in the car, or are just letting their own bias speak. Very few 964 owners complain of either of these things and most 964 owners who have previously owned earlier 911s (incl. me) praise the car as an improvement.
Power Steering is a porsche 1st on the 964, but it works well and retains significant driver feedback. This car has zero torque steer, and the power steering may act to mitigate this.
But, I'm not trying to convince anyone. All things being equal, I would more likely have looked at a Carrera or an SC. But all things were not equal. This car is in pristine condition and for less money than an '01 Boxster S - about 3/4 the money of a similar Carrera or SC. I'm actually glad it worked out the way it did, because I too felt the bias of all the negative press the 964 received in it's 1st 15 yrs. IMHO, I think the car is nicer and more drivable than the earlier models. I would prefer the 993's powerplant for lower maintenance, but the styling of that car never appealed to me, not to mention that because it's the last of the air-cooleds, it has commanded a higher price than I think it deserves.
I do agree with you that the fun quotient rises going back through previous generations, but creature comforts and daily driving ability are lessened. Good for me because I don't use it as a DD nor do I expect it to have the creature comforts I would demand in a car I regularly drive. This is a sports car and I have never expected it to be appointed like a Rolls, S-Class or 7 Series car.
Cheers!