Carnut

My whole life i've wanted a 911. Now, at the age of 36 i'm ready to go shopping!
I am planning on spending around $50,000 and hope to get a fun car with great reliability. I have spent a ton of time online, searching for information about problem areas, reliability and pricing. Here's the problem:
It seems to me that all 993s need engine rebuilds due to poor quality valve guards, and all 996s need engine replacements due to headgasket problems!!!!
Before I go out and buy a Lotus Elise or BMW M3, I would like the opinion of people who actually own 993s and 996s, is it true?

deltawedge

All valid points, but it's only money and life is short. Get what you want but there is no substitute for a 993. When needed, I'll get the valve guides replaced and continue the fun.

Phil

how do you figure "ALL" 993's and "ALL" 996's?

DJD

I considered both the M3 and the Elise, but ended up with a used (11,800 miles) 993 C2S. I know of two people that did the valve GUIDES at over 90K miles, thats not too bad in my opinion. Also keep in mind you will loose 5-10% on a new car as soon as you drive it off the lot. And the bottom line is buy what you really want, life is short and there is no car like a 993..... Porsche there is no substitute!!!

dsandfort

When I was about 36, all SCs blew up because of chain tensioners. I got one and drove it for years. I moved to a 964 which we all knew fell apart because of DMF issues. I moved to the 993 knowing that the valve guides were problematic. Thinking back on it, if I ran from the bad press, I would have missed nearly 20 years of Porsche ownership. Now that would have been the real tragedy. If my valve guides go south, so be it.
I'd find a good 993 and get it. Can't fault your other choices. Fine cars. Enjoy the search.
Del

jz993

Name me a car that is perfect. Most people here believe the pleasure is worth the pain in a 993. Happy hunting.

cabrio993

Once you hear the click-clack-thump of the door closing, the smell of a true German car, start the engine and hear the raspy exahust note and the mechanical sound of the air cooled engine coming alive, put it in gear and feel the clutch engaging you, the car and the road as one....the valve guides will be the last thing in your mind...believe me!

Just hang tight and enjoy the ride...

mike cap

IMO you should stay away from any car where ALL of them have poor quality valve 'guards'. Please do not buy a 993, I couldn't bear to read any more posts like this....

aof

Had an engine recall on my '03 E46 M3 (connecting rods) just before I sold it. Not missing it one bit.

mr_bock

Carnut - find a nice clean low mile 993 and just enjoy it. There are no gaurantees on anything, so even if there is no problem history, something could go wrong. Don't worry over the small stuff. Live life to the fullest.

Just my $0.02!

garychios

I think a rebuild would be fun in a 993. I bought mine to learn about 911's before my serious purchase of a TT. I plan to mod my TT and first want to know what I am getting into.

kdurg

$50k is going to get you a VERY nice 993...and probably a wide body to boot !! The 993 is the 911 of choice and there is a reason for that. IF ALL 993's required engine rebuilds I doubt they would be holding their value so well. Not sure how long you plan on keeping your car or how well you will take care of it but the 993 is rock solid if maintained properly and most importantly DRIVEN !!!!

Good Luck with your search !!

Jastx

Don't buy anything until you get a chance to drive them all. An M3, 993, and Elise will have dramatically different driving characteristics. One may match the "fantasy" ride you have been wanting better than the others.

I know exactly the postion you are in -- I was there. You can read and research all you want but you still won't know how that car will feel and all the nuances that go with it until you drive it. You may find the reality of your on-paper ultimate fantasy is less than you expected. That could apply to a 993 or 996 too.

Have a clear idea about what characteristics you want for that car you have waited so long for -- the look, perceived prestige, the way you expect it to accelerate or shift, how it feels as it accelerates in each gear, the way it turns into a corner, how nimble and responsive it feels, the touch and feel of the interior, whatever. Then when you evaluate a car, try to take the thrill of the hunt and the emotion of new experience out of it and honestly tell yourself if it is really doing the things you want. If it isn't, if there is a disappointment or unexpected characteristic "you can live with", drive something else. Otherwise when the thrill of the newness wears off, you'll be stuck with your fantasy expense, but not the fantasy car you wanted and won't have the joy you visualized.

Ran

Carnut,

...it all depends on your take on what type of statistic gives you an acceptable risk. For example, although I believe that there are indeed 993 and 996 cars with the issues you describe, I have also never seen a single 993 with any of the described problems in all these years of owning one and being at dealerships for service, etc. I finally saw my first 996 recently with a rear main seal issue but that car also had a supercharger and was generally described as a car with a lot of issues; it was also a relatively early 996 I think. I am not sure such a modified car counts in the population of examples that I have seen. In fact, if not for rennlist, I would only have heard of the rear main seal issue from my dealers since they do talk about it as affecting a few of the early 996s but they seem to think that later ones are not affected. As for the 993 issues that you bring up, indeed the dealers admit to hearing of instances but there are not that many and these are mechanics with over 10/20 yrs experience. Of course rennlist posts indicate that later 996 cars with problems do exist.

Now as for the alternatives you may consider, I do know that the latest E46 M3 has been the subject of a serious recall affecting MANY cars. In fact, if I am not mistaken, there were two major recalls since they probably did not get it right the first time and realised that more cars had slipped by. Does this make this car a poor car to own? Not if you love the performance or the engine specs. It is, from a technical standpoint, a great engine and I have been debating getting one especially in the latest Competition Package where they have addressed the softness of the suspension and feel issues somewhat (still heavy though compared to the E36 M3).

Basically, all these cars which aspire to be true performance cars are pushing the envelope. You do not win in the world by sticking to an old engine that is proven (hmmm., maybe I should not say that since I seem to have stuck to the same engine, for the most part) but by pushing the envelope and developing. The 993 was advanced in its day and some of those envelope pushing designs have drawbacks just as the latest 996 and M cars have issues to be worked out.

Good luck in your hunt for whatever car you decide to go with. The 993 is a great car, overall.

911XTC

Mike, play nice. Remember how you felt when one of the members said something "smart" to you in one of your posts?

"On a personal note, I don't appreciate being called a "numnuts too cheap to buy" a shop manual.
Is that the way a "Senior User" talks to a new member who has only owned his first Porsche for 6 mos? It's ******** like you that turn people off from owning these cars and wanting to participate in their enjoyment."