1998 Porsche 911 Carrera 2 3.4 300HP from Belgium

Summary:

It's my black devil, its my virtue and my sin..

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

I've been dreaming about a sportscar since I was a child (am now 37). And Ferrari being my supercar for as long as I can remember.

Recently I found out I could actually OWN a pre owned dream car instead of a full-option Saab 9.3 I was looking for. So, with my budget in mind, there were two options for me: a 328GTS from the mid 80's or a 911 from late 90's. The 328 being the only Ferrari with regard to price and cost of maintenance that I could afford, and the late 90's 911 the only Porsche within my budget and a more modern interior (more important to me than older air-cooled models).

So, early 2006 I started to search and test-drive 328's. Found out that one has to be VERY careful with these cars, and that some owners couldn’t care less about maintenance and well care of the cars. Buyers beware. I also found out that this car was not for me. Too inconvenient. Although magnificent looks, it's not easy to drive and a quick stroll mostly ended in hard labor. The interior of the 80's looks very outdated in our times.

So, then Porsche came. And as soon I was close to one (been looking only to metallic black exterior and black leather interior) I was lost. Breathtaking performance, a sound that started me drooling right away, outside looks that can be recognized from miles away. The interior being much more modern and not so far away from interiors that can be found in cars today.

After checking approx. 10 cars in Belgium and Germany, I found this hidden gem. Although the car is 8 years old, it looks like new, only has 80.000 km, even the interior smells like (leather) new. The previous owner took great care in maintaining this car. It only needed 80K km maintenance (1000 euro) and I was ready for a year of fun.

3000km and two months further, I can say I don't regret buying this car for one single second. When I'm not driving it, it just stands in front of my garage so I can just look at it if I want. It's a dream come true. I can't say how reliable it is since I've only own it for 3 months. But I've have no complaints up until now.

Yes, maintenance is not cheap (relatively), and yes, running costs are high. But I keep in mind what my late grandfather said many years ago, "if you want to keep horses, you gotta feed them".. and I want to keep those horses. I don't care about running costs when I push the pedal and the engine revs up to 7000 rpm.. it's heaven.

I choose the 911 Tiptronic, because Porsche experts have told me they are a bit more reliable on the transmission, you never know how somebody has driven the car before you. Another (manual) car I was interested had some noise in the transmission after a checkup. Probably a broken bearing or so. Cost of changing the transmission is 7000 euro or 3500 for a revision. So, better start with a good transmission and save the money for gas :-).

I can recommend having a checkup on the car by an authorized Porsche dealer. For 250 euro they performed the same checkup as they do on cars for their own pre owned program. Worthwhile!

What else can I say?... well, it's June, the weather is nice and it's almost sunset. I'm going to take my black devil out for a ride on winding roads. That's the only reason I bought it for..

Have fun

(Sorry for the bad spelling :o)

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th June, 2006

15th Jun 2006, 03:48

Original Poster:

Running Costs (higher is cheaper) : 7/10.

It's the other way >> 3/10.

My mistake (as many other spelling mistakes if I reread the review now :-)

Sorry.

23rd Dec 2006, 03:04

Hey brother.

Enjoyed your comments and don't worry about spelling mistakes, I didn't even notice.

I just saw one in the store today and it was a 1998 model also and looks godly and I want it.

I'm concerned however that its the first of the new model in shape and was wondering if you are having any problems to date.

I read somewhere that the RMS on these have been issues with some people, but don't even know what that is.

Was wondering if you have had any problems to date and your feelings a little down the track now on this porsche.

Russ.

1998 Porsche 911 993 Twin Turbo 3.6 litre horizontally opposed, 6 cylinder from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Astonishing blend of performance and usability - the ultimate super-car you CAN drive every day

Faults:

It's an air-cooled 911, so mercifully nothing has gone wrong with it. It's my third 911 (993) and none of them have suffered any "failures".

This was the end of the breed, a mid 1998 993 turbo (arctic silver with black leather). Left hand drive, German sourced car. I prefer the pedals and steering in the left hand drive air cooled cars to the right hand drive air cooled cars.

General Comments:

Utterly standard power wise, with 408bhp and 398lb/ft. Wonderfully quiet engine (too quiet I think), responsive even when off boost and immense torque above 3k rpm. Slick 6 speed manual gearbox is a jewel, and the 4wd system retains a largely rear wheel drive bias, thus enabling power slides (given enough space) and yet maintaining some sense of security in wet conditions. It doesn't pay to use full boost in any gear short of 5th in the wet though, even in a straight line! Brakes utterly astonishing for feel and capability.

Comfortable heated and electrically adjusted seats are comfortable, though very heavy and do not provide enough lateral support for the cornering ability of the car. Unique (in the super-car world) visibility - yes, you can actually see the outside world in every direction! Makes parking easy. The car is not particularly big either, barely over 4 metres long i'd say (less than 14 feet).

Don't get it serviced at a main dealer, use a well respected independant instead. 12k miles means a £200 oil change, 24k miles means a more thorough £420 service. Tyres go at the rears every 6k miles (£400), all four at 12k miles (£650). I use either Continentals or Bridgestones, the Pirellis don't afford the appropriate grip and the Michelins are noisy.

I have put a GT3 clubsport seat in place of the driver's seat, retaining the diagonal belt for normal use (commuting, etc.) but I have also added a 6 point Willans harness for "spirited driving" and track days.

I even have a roof rack for those odd occasions when I need to carry something bigger, like my mountain bikes!

Autocar tested this version of the 911 back in May of 1998, and achieved 0-60mph in just 3.7 seconds. I haven't managed that myself (nor am I likely to try given their rather brutal methods), but I am capable of achieving 100mph in 10 seconds (with a relatively gentle start). Subsequently I can keep up with Fireblade/R1/GSXRthou riders without too much trouble in almost all situations. This car covers ground across country every bit as quickly as my Fireblade did (i have sold the bike now for personal reasons).

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th September, 2005

22nd Sep 2005, 03:16

You're a lucky man, you have a Very Sexy yet brutally fast car.

I DO Love the 993 turbo..

Nice review as well.

10th Oct 2005, 04:37

Great review, but just want to point out that a good hot hatch will keep up with a litre sportsbike on a suitably winding road. The reason being quite simply that bikes are crap around corners.

I have a ZX-7R which will not cover one of my favourite stretches of road any quicker than my old Peugeot 205GTI. This despite being over 50 mph quicker at one point!

24th Oct 2005, 17:48

Agree with 205/ZX7R comments, but I used to ride a '98 Blade so I know the bike side too.

This car is the only thing I've ever had that will keep up with the litre boys on a fast A road, where every corner on the bike is taken at 80mph or more - not many road cars can do that.

Thanks for the earlier comment too, yes it's a wonderful car and I do feel very lucky to own my dream car at 29. It's my 30th car in 12 years, and I can't think of anything else i'd rather have at any price. Went to look at a 550M a few weeks ago and was bitterly disappointed. Now if only I could find a sports exhaust I was happy with...

30th Mar 2006, 07:49

The 993 turbo is the holy grail of sports cars in my opinion.

The build quality will not be repeated. Too expensive for any manufacturer. Thus it will stand the test of time.

The new breed of porsches are great, but the 993's are king.

23rd May 2011, 15:42

The 993T is the last king in the Porsche Kingdom. There will never be a Porsche even close to the 993T.