Personally, I would, especially if I am able to afford something that expensive, then I should be able to afford maintaining it. And more importantly, I want my money's worth. I don't really like the idea of a car sitting around collecting dust instead of miles. I wouldn't be buying it for its potential collector's value, I'd buy it because I want to drive it.

But that's just me... :rolleyes:

I'm sure there are some who do...

Cheers!

Jim, your incorrect here. The 993 motor has a double dist., 12 plug engine. The 993 Turbo is single dist., and 6 plugs. Also the Turbo engine does not have a belt driven dist. like the n/a 993 engine (with 2 belts).

Yes, the SAI issue can happen. It may take $1k to repair (by cleaning, piano wire and solvents) or an entire top end overhaul for north of $10K. Can happen at <50k miles, while others have gone over 200k miles with no issues. Still, a very-very robust car and motor. If this is a concern, a potential owner can either buy a 1995 or a 96-98 with a fresh top-end.

A quality PPI (leakdown & compression) can also give assurances against this SAI issue. The issue will throw CEL codes.

Yes, Chuck has an awesome 993 Turbo and is a very knowledgable 993 owner. A great fellow Rennlister, too!:)

Thank you for the compliments, ddb. Very kind.

Here I am at a PCA DE at Road America in late May:

Haaaaaaaaa..... small world. If you look on Rennlist there are several of us that have 993s and Boxsters.

My dad has a '97 993 TT, and he absolutely hates it for some unknown reason. I think it's his age. He complains about the low driving position, the "horrible" HVAC and stereo and the ride.

It's also been a PITA to maintain from the start. I don't know all of the details about every single repair, but I do know that it has a rebuilt engine (under warranty) and the air bag was one dash cover from deploying.

So, for those reasons, he doesn't drive it much, and it surely isn't his DD.

Personally, I LOVE that car. It's quite different from the 986, but it is most definitely a Porsche. In fact, concentrate and amplify the essence of the 986 and that's the 993 (TT at least). The suspension is stiffer, a little noisier, a lot more stable, steering's a little tighter and it definitely accelerates faster. My only minor complaint is that the pedals are a little shifted to the right so you feel a little contorted after driving it for an extended period.

So, with the exception of my dad's I would really consider if this is a suitable DD, but it is definitely worth driving a few times a week.

Just sold my Boxster in favor of a 993, but both are/were non-daily drivers for me. If I had to pick one as a daily driver it would probably be the Boxster. More modern, creature comforts etc.

BTW, the 993 I bought is a Targa. They are pretty rare, but also like the cabs (at least at this point) don't command the premium that the widebody S model 993's do.

Good luck in your search.

I know a wealthy Italian guy with an F40 (one of many exotics in his collection), who showed up to a cars & coffee and wouldn't walk away from that car for more than 3 feet. He stood right next to it the whole night (3 hrs) and only left for 5 mins to take a leak.

People who owns those cars don't DD them trust me.

Hey Promark, please tell us more about your father's Turbo! Color combo, options, how many owners? I'd love to learn more.

There are some great air-cooled indy shops in the Atlanta area. Your father needs to find one. Don't go to the dealership. They don't know these cars very well. They are rare (less than 500 1997 Turbos in North America), and dealerships have not seen them in years, if ever.

Yes, the radio sucks, but with the windows down, sunroof open, and Fab Speed bypass, you can't hear it in my car anyways!:):)

The HVAC system is EXCELLENT! The little I've driven it in cold weather, the heat is almost "instant on", due to the heat exchangers on the exhaust system. As for the AC, I use mine less than 1% of the time, and it has been fine in +98 degree weather.

The pedals are great in the Turbo, but I also have a very custom set-up for my style, and performance clutch and LWFW.

Got some pics?



/

After living with the very slick Boxster top for the last 4 years I just couldn't bring myself to do a 993 cab. I actually like them, just knew I wouldn't want to consistently mess with the plastic rear window and boot cover all the time. The Targa certainly isn't a convertible, but I find it to be a decent compromise between a cab (I am generally a rag top guy) and going all the way back to just a couple with a sunroof. Plus, the Targa has the coupe lines which I favor vs. the 993 cab. To each his own there. The Targa's weren't widely produced in the 993 line. There were about the same number of them made 1996-1998 as there were the limited edition Boxster S models produced in 2004 (the car I sold).

I'm changing the suspension and wheels out next week along with lowering the car a little. It's sort of considered sacralige in the 993 community to change out the stock Targa 17" wheels, but I'm just not a big fan so I am going to an 18" offering. I'll post some additional pics once I finish.

Silver with gray interior, original owner, as for options...I don't really remember since I was all of 13 when he got it. You do the math ;-) To my knowledge, it's fairly standard, but I do know that he got the full leather interior and the 6 disc CD changer; it gets fuzzy after that. I'll have to take a good look at it next time I'm at the house. Every year he threatens to sell it to get an Audi R-8 or Lexus LFA, but I end up talking him out of it. At this point, I like it more than he does. I want him to keep it even though I never drive it because it's my brother's inheritance and that is, to him, the most perfect car he's ever driven.

I never remember it having a weak A/C, and as far as the audio goes...does it really matter? It doesn't to me. I have "just" a 986, and I've been known to turn off the audio for weeks at a time. It's my daily driver...in Atlanta's traffic.

He hasn't gone to a dealership since it was out of warranty because he found a good indie shop in Anniston, AL (Southern Star) ever since my stepmother's 2001 Mercedes S-500 started having issues that the dealership couldn't fix yet they did. Imagine that... It turns out that one of the technicians there is Porsche factory trained, so they took her 2000 Boxster (now my Boxster) there for maintenance.