comparison of 993 turbo to nsx....thinking about buying a 1997 993 turbo

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Hey guys..i have a 1998 X w/manual trans. and thinking about picking up a 993 turbo. Anyone in here ever driven one or owned one. What do you guys think of the 993 turbo.
 
I have a 996 and it looks too similar to the 997. In my opinion the 993 was the last beauty car that porsche made. Having both the nsx and a porsche I'll tell you that if you want to get noticed keep the X but if you want complete nirvana get the 993.
 
Greetings

You don't say what year the 993 is and how many miles it has on it. A 16 year old Porsche with high mileage is not the same as a 16 year old NSX with high mileage. The 993 will be faster on a straight away. Anchor a couple of bags of sand in the front end if you want to drive it on curvy roads. The front end will become light when the turbo boosts -- it will under-steer like crazy. It will have rattles and it will be quite expensive when things break (and they will break). It will be like the fast beautiful girl from high school who now has health issues since she turned 40.
Buy it if you like it. Just be aware of what you are getting.

Cheers,
Martin
 
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Greetings

You don't say what year the 993 is and how many miles it has on it. A 16 year old Porsche with high mileage is not the same as a 16 year old NSX with high mileage. The 993 will be faster on a straight away. Anchor a couple of bags of sand in the front end if you want to drive it on curvy roads. The front end will become light when the turbo boosts -- it will under-steer like crazy. It will have rattles and it will be quite expensive when things break (and they will break). It will be like the fast beautiful girl from high school who now has health issues since she turned 40.
Buy it if you like it. Just be aware of what you are getting.

Cheers,
Martin
Well, not really correct. You must be thinking about some other Turbo.
There are only the 1996-1997 993 Turbo. There MIGHT be 1998 but I have not seen one. By far the most competent air cooled 911 ever with 400 hp and AWD. 0 to 60 in 3.6 seconds with a top speed of 195 mph. Handling is superb and braking is simply the best in the industry. It can do better than any aspect of the NSX plus more. When it came out in 1996, it was simply the best "affordable" performing car with performance on par with the F50. Very very desirable Porsche and it keeps its value extremely strongly. The car is very well built and solid with NO rattle. If you find a good one with a good price, you should sell your kids to buy one. Then again, I doubt you will find a good one without paying a big chunk.
Steve
 
^^^^^FWIW I've seen low mileage 993 TT "S" models still pushing over 100 grand asking prices.:eek: That must be one special car.
 
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^^^^^FWIW I've seen low mileage 996 TT "S" models still pushing over 100 grand asking prices.:eek: That must be one special car.

He's talking about the 993, not the 996. There were only 182 993 turbo S models made (or is it 182 imported to the US?) and they are quite expensive.
 
Well, not really correct. You must be thinking about some other Turbo.
There are only the 1996-1997 993 Turbo. There MIGHT be 1998 but I have not seen one. By far the most competent air cooled 911 ever with 400 hp and AWD. 0 to 60 in 3.6 seconds with a top speed of 195 mph. Handling is superb and braking is simply the best in the industry. It can do better than any aspect of the NSX plus more. When it came out in 1996, it was simply the best "affordable" performing car with performance on par with the F50. Very very desirable Porsche and it keeps its value extremely strongly. The car is very well built and solid with NO rattle. If you find a good one with a good price, you should sell your kids to buy one. Then again, I doubt you will find a good one without paying a big chunk.
Steve

+1

They are still getting more for the 993TT than the 996TT in many cases.
 
the one i am thinking picking up is a 1997 993tt w/50k miles. Dealer want $65k for it. By no mean i am getting rid of the X, will never sell it--no way.
 
I am a newbie porschephile but IMHO the 993 Turbo is the greatest Turbo ever made!!!

Remember when the 959 came out- people were blown away. AWD - TT, 450 HP. Well the 993 Turbo came very to close to those #'s stock and could easily be modded for more HP than the 959. Plus IMHO it looks nicer! The last of the air cooled turbo's. Definetly a keeper. Get one while the market is soft!
 
I spent over a year and $10k looking for the perfect 993TT. I never found it and ended up with another NSX.

I love the 993TT. Just make sure to get a full PPI and compression test before buying one.

That being said these are VERY different cars. They drive completely different. I love both of them!
 
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I am a newbie porschephile but IMHO the 993 Turbo is the greatest Turbo ever made!!!

Remember when the 959 came out- people were blown away. AWD - TT, 450 HP. Well the 993 Turbo came very to close to those #'s stock and could easily be modded for more HP than the 959. Plus IMHO it looks nicer! The last of the air cooled turbo's. Definetly a keeper. Get one while the market is soft!
That was exactly my thought when the 993 Turbo came out.
Your GT3 is not too shabby either. When the 959 came out, all I had in mind was how I could get $250k for such an incredible car. I thought about robbing the bank but I got no gun/gut:tongue:. Gigolo? I didn't think even Rosanne Barr would buy. I had seen a few 959 in car shows and one on the road. Simply magnificent. It was the super car of all super cars. The F40 was a joke compared to the 959. 308 body with a wide body kit and turbos. It was a race car Ferrari desperately built for the road so that it could run with the 959. The F40 does not even have an interior other than some flimpsy paddings. Almost all road car equipment was deleted to save a few pounds. The 959 had everything.
993 Turbo saved my soul since it was affordable and I knew I could get one down the road. The prices were dropping, and then before you know it, the prices skyrocketted. Obviously, many Porschephiles want that car. Those curves and the Turbo whines are just sinful!
Steve
 
Price seems a bit ridiculous for a 1997 Porsche; even a 993 turbo.

Its an S model. They made like 164 of them. The best of the best of the air cooled turbo Pcars.

Pricey yes? Could you drive it? Not if you didn't want to lose the value.

They are museum pieces.
 
Hey Guys,

This is funny, I'm thinking of the NSX after having a 993 and now someone here is wanting the 993 TT but while still keeping his NSX! That's a good move.

My 993 was just a basic coupe but it was a great car. I don't know if they also have an issue with the secondary air injection (SAI) like the regular model does but I would think it does. Thats a carbon build up issue and when the CEL (chk engine light) comes on well you can't pass emissions. I was just at a Porsche event this past weekend and there was a guy there that had a C2S 993 and he had the issue around 80k miles or so, cost about 7k for new valve guides and machining the ports of the SAI. Now my 993 had that same issue at 23k miles - wow right- but the guy I bought it from had great relationship with Porsche and got it done under warranty. All this to say yep, they are great cars but reiterate when something goes it's gonna cost and it will eventually hit em all - no exceptions!

The 993 TT is the most sought after air cooler standard production Porsche of all time and that's why the prices are way up there. Usually a low miler will cost from 65 to 75K and for the real low milers a bunch more and they are out there Sloans always has a bunch of low miler 911s and he sells at rediculously high prices as does the website that the other guys sent in does. The one in Texas. I've looked at cars from him. Don't know if I would buy from them. They are out there and probably some on Evil Bay. Get a ppi and with a low miler that's been run hard when run and it'll be a good one.

The thing about 911s is that they are much better cars if driven and driven hard. They like that actually the more spirited the better, which is why my 96 993 had the SAI/carbon build up/CEL issue at 23k. It was owned by someone in south GA in a small town and made a bunch of poot around short hops which will kill an air cooler quicker than anything. You can't drive em like that. Now some of you may wonder why did they replace the valve guides in my 993 with only 23k miles on it - good question. The reason is that one school of thought that was quite prevelant at that time was that there was blow by the guides and premature wear and that contributed to the SAI problem. Mostly, as later discussed, it was driver style as in pooting around and short hops. It may be a case of both but whatever there is an issue of premature valve guide wear in the 993 and usually they can go around 60 to 70k before needing it unless your CEL comes on. Then when your machining the heads you might as well replace the guides and do so with stronger than OEM guide material. The material of choice is phosphorus bronze or magnesium bronze which is even harder and what mine had been replaced with. Now, that did another great thing, my 993 burned very little oil, like 3./4 of a quart in 3500 miles which by the way is SUPER good for an air cooler.

So the TT is a great car and really is a collectors item, not one you'd probably drive a lot. If you have the bucks and the garrage room, it would make a great addition to any collection and is a super performer. My advice as I believe is the standard advice here - keep the NSX too! Without a doubt.

That is also IMHO the most beautiful 911 ever made - the 993 and 993TT. It's got those beautful hips and SOUL!

I'm moving away from 911s to the NSX cause I want to drive - not just watch it, wax it and take it to the occassional Porsche club event. Porsches were still great cars back then .....I would take an NSX over the 996TT for everyday livability and the fact is the water coolers just aren't built to the same high standards that the old air coolers were.

Great to have this option isn't it guys, an NSX and a 993TT - wow! A ppi and the right selection and you'll have a great car. I wouldn't think it'd take 10k to find one either. But I wouldn't pay 168k for one - that's just nuts unless of course you're a collector.

More power to ya and good luck in the search,
Tim
Atlanta
 
A ppi and the right selection and you'll have a great car. I wouldn't think it'd take 10k to find one either.

A year ago you would probably be wrong. Today, its possible.

Im talking 10-15k mile cars (993TTs) here. Not a ton of them out there to start with.
 
10 to 13k mile cars have always been hard to find in the 993 no matter what the type, TT or othewise. They're still hard to find and reasonable, well, that takes it down to 0 I'd think as in reasonably priced. But, who would want one with that low of mileage if you weren't a collector. They aren't like NSXs. Those garrage queens are not the most desireable from a drivers perspective and never have been no matter what model in the air coolers. The ones that are driven have real maintenance history, the ones that sit, well what do they need - a brake flush, oil change? That's about all they'll get I'd think.

If I was looking for an older air cooler it would have at leat 35 to 40k on it to be a good one. At least, given that a person would want to drive it that is. If you buy an air cooler with 10k miles on it - the car hasn't been properly sorted. That's my opinion and most of the guys I talk with over the Renn list.

My 2 cents worth,
Tim
Atlanta
Soon to be an NSX owner for the first time!
 
Price seems a bit ridiculous for a 1997 Porsche; even a 993 turbo.

993 Turbo S has been fetching astronomic dollars. This one is low mile and "flawless". Judging from the pictures, it is not far from the descriptions and it also appears to have some exotic options. I don't have the desire nor the cash to buy such a car. But I can see that a Porschephile would pay that to get one. Afterall, there are probably just a handful left in the world in such condition. 993 Turbo S are the most badass "original" air-cooled 911s ever. Jerry Seinfeld had a blue one. You know how serious of a Porsche collector he is.
Steve
 
Before I purchased my NSX, I had a deal on a Porsche. The deal fell through as the seller changed his mind.

In my opinion everything about a Porsche is outstanding. The build quality is second to none. Top Quality rating on these cars for years!

My one and only dislike on the P cars is the seats. They are poor. The seats are very narrow and do not fit most. I actually found them uncomfortable. My first impressions were the seats were fine, then after 45 minutes or so, they seemed to become the worst car seats I have ever experienced.
I tried a 911, Cayman, and Turbo. Not much difference in the seats.

The rest of the P car is an outstanding automobile. Drive like none other in the market.
 
The F40 was a joke compared to the 959. 308 body with a wide body kit and turbos. It was a race car Ferrari desperately built for the road so that it could run with the 959. The F40 does not even have an interior other than some flimpsy paddings. Almost all road car equipment was deleted to save a few pounds. The 959 had everything.

Um.....Wrong. The 288 GTO was the car with a similar body to the 308. The F40 is a completely different car from the ground up. Prices now are still $450-$650K for a nice one.

An F40 is pictured below and you can see the 288 GTO here:

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=ferrari+288+GTO&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
 

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Um.....Wrong. The 288 GTO was the car with a similar body to the 308. The F40 is a completely different car from the ground up. Prices now are still $450-$650K for a nice one.

An F40 is pictured below and you can see the 288 GTO here:

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=ferrari+288+GTO&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Actually 308 was the foundation for both, the 288 GTO being a hyper souped up homoligation derived directly from the 308. The F40 was the successor to the 288, with a brand new body but engine and suspension derived from the 288. They all share more dna than you might think.
 
Um.....Wrong. The 288 GTO was the car with a similar body to the 308. The F40 is a completely different car from the ground up. Prices now are still $450-$650K for a nice one.

An F40 is pictured below and you can see the 288 GTO here:

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=ferrari+288+GTO&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
Wrong. The F40 body IS based on the 308 as well as the 288 GTO. The GTO is not even in the same league as the 959 and F40.
I had a Pocher 1/8 F40 and it sure had the 308 body with more bells and whistles.
Steve
 
I had a black 97 993CS in 1998 then moved up to an arena red 97 993TT back in 2000. Car is amazing in every aspect, reliable, comfortable, handles extremely well and oh very fast. agree with the comment above it loves to be driven hard. The only thing you must be careful with is documented miles since the speedo just pulls out and can be changed within minutes. Something for you to know before purchasing one. At the time my brother had the NSX i presently own so we would switch from time to time. The NSX was nice but i highly preferred the Porsche. One more thing you may want to look into, the sport seats are very comfortable and a nice touch. Be prepared to do oil changes of 12qts more often since they tend to burn oil but hey a Porsche that doesnt burn oil just isnt running right. :biggrin:
Some cosmetics to think about- chin spoiler from Turbo S and small halogen fogs give it an aggressive look
 
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