LooseMarble

Just registered myself for rennlist but have been shopping around the web for a 993TT which would be my first Porsche. I have much to learn about the Porsche world but I have owned, serviced, modified, and tracked other European cars. My current car is a highly modified Audi station wagon which is fun but the 993TT was something that caught my attention back in the mid 90s when was in the military in Germany. Basically this lust has been brewing for 17 years and I have decided that I need to start my mid-life crisis so to hell with the family sports car, I want the Porsche that I have been thinking about for all these years.

Here are the problems:

1. 993 Turbos are expen$ive! Unlike 17 years ago I have myself in a financial position that I can put together the cash for one but DAMN you need wheelbarrows of money for a 993TT. I could swing it but you can't help but look at what you can get for the same money in a 996 or even 997. Are the prices going out of whack because the 993TT is more of a collectors item at this point? I don't want a collector car. I will drive and track the car and although I will have another vehicle I would like to use it year round.

2. They say that you should never meet your heroes. I have yet to test drive anything and I'm actually nervous about doing so. What if it just feels old and dated and just doesn't live up to my expectations. Am I guaranteed to be blow away with this quintessential Porsche or might I come away disappointed and have to ruin a perfectly good fantasy about the perfect sports car for me.

I just thought I would chime in and may lurk and ask questions during my search and perhaps one day soon I'll be a new owner posting about my car.

I'm in Maryland by the way. I wonder if anyone else is local with a 993TT?

bbs993tt

1. While 993s are the last of the air cooled cars, etc. they remain higher than the cars the followed it in large part because of the comparably low build numbers. It will always IMO be more collectable than a 996 or 997.

2. It will feel a bit old and dated but that's part of the allure of the 993. Drive any 993 and you won't be disappointed. Especially if you get a turbo.

keithgreer

I had a 997S but went back to a 9934S. They have more character and are simply more fun to drive. I also think the design is better. One other benefit is that they will hold their value better, in particular with the turbos and S models as so few were built. In the end, beauty is in the eye of the beholder so drive them all

ryano

there is a reason the 993s are still bringing that kind of money. Its the last of the aircooled and the pinacle of a design and classic shape that then changed with the 996 and beyond. Unfortunately if you are concerned that it is outdated than maybe its not the right car for you. It is outdated but us that love the cars find that as part of its charm. Take a test drive and see what you think. I would love to get a TT someday but until then my C2 is great. Have you ever thought of getting a narrowbody for 1/2 the price of a turbo? The RS cars were NA afterall......

Academictech

If you're looking at 993 TT's you could probably afford just about any decent new high end sports car.

It's not really the price you pay for admission that matters, it's the experiences that count.

Good luck...and we expect pictures when you find that right one.

Robert Collins - 96 993TT

LooseMarble, I currently own a 1996 993TT that I have had for 6 years. I owned a 1996 993 C2 cabriolet before this car. I will share my thoughts with you in hopes that it helps you.

I owned by 993 cab for 5 years and absolutely loved the car. As far as cars go, I wish I would have had the money then to keep it and buy the TT, but as funds go I had to sell it to afford the TT. The cab was awesome in every way and many others on here will agree. There's just nothing like a 993...any 993.

Having said that, I was in awe of the power of a 993TT and was dying to have the pinnacle of 993 power. I decided to make the jump, found a buyer for mine, found the right car and made the move. I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. I get offers to buy mine on a regular basis but I'm just not interested. Mine is low mileage and has never been tracked, so I guess you could say it's collector status, but I still drive the absolute $hit out of it every time I get in it. The TT makes me smile just walking out to the garage. I grin even more when I drive it. I feel like I'm driving a piece of history every time I get in it, knowing that much of the technology and R&D from the 959 was what went into the design of the 993TT (except the water cooling). The twin vs. single turbo technology, the four wheel drive, the power...it's all there and I love it. I have put 14,000 miles on it since I bought it and it's probably worth more than I paid for it. You may make or lose a little, but a 993 is a nice car to own knowing that if you have it for a year or two and want to move on you probably didn't cost yourself anything.

Dated? Sure...but that's what I like about it. The A/C is average, the factory stereo is average, the back seat is suitable for only children. The dashboard could be considered a design from the 60's. However...

It's the last air cooled 911 there will ever be. It's the last car that actually has that sewing machine sound in my opinion, it is the last Porsche that had the "classic" 911 dashboard with the 5 round gauges. Ever since Porsche left that design with the 996 they have been slowly trying to recreate it again, just in a more technologically advanced design. If you get in a 911 from the 60's and then get in a 993, it looks very similar. That's what people love about it...there was thirty years of experience, racing, R&D, enhancements, displacement increases, Turbo enhancements, etc...that went into the 993 and the 993 TT. Then they changed the game.

There is nothing wrong with a 996, 997 or 991. THey all have their own unique qualities and I have considered buying all three of them as a daily driver. If you trace the bloodlines of the 911 history, though, there is break in the chain that forever changed the 911 after 1998. You should drive 993's, 996's, 997's and even the 991 and decide if you like the more modern cars with better A/C, better technology etc...or if you like the last of the true 911's.

If you ever have occasion to be in Nashville, let me know and we'll go for a ride. You will exit the car with a grin wider than a Cheshire cat!! I can also get my 993 buddies to take you for a ride in a NA 993.

Good luck figuring this out, and happy hunting.

Robert Collins - 96 993TT

Here's a couple of pics the day I sold the cab and bought the TT. Just to entice you a little!!!

LooseMarble

Robert - Thank you for the post. I assume that I would share all these feelings and sentiments. I have always wanted a 993TT since I first saw one tearing up the autobahn in the mid 90s. I think I'll continue my search. I just wish I didn't have to travel a couple hundred miles to look at one for sale.

Parnelli

Holy crap are those 2 red 993's nose to nose ever a SEXY lookn picture !

TRINITONY

there are 2 turbos in MD I know of that's on here..bugle96 on the TT forum, and recently solomonchris...

911Dave

If you're not completely comfortable with the price, I would suggest you abandon the idea. The fact that you made it a discussion point reflects that you are not completely comfortable.

The time to meet your hero is BEFORE you empty your bank account, not AFTER. Emotion is your enemy. Put your heart in your pocket and use your tightened-up marble. The 993 Turbo is a great car but there are other 993 models that will cost you HALF as much. Drive them all and THEN decide if the turbo is worth double the cost.

lumpy

That looks like Wicky's garage in nashville...I just dropped my car off there a week ago. Beautiful pic of two very red 993s!