This might be a question a car guy gets asked a lot of times. And the answer isn't that simple at all as most of the non-car-guys think. It is indeed quite complex to choose just one single car out of your mind where instantly pop up a dozen of very great rides after hearing that popular question.
There can be so many aspects to make a car great, or even perfect. But does the best car need to be the perfect one? I guess we can discuss this for a decade.
So I'm concentrating myself for my own opinion to head on.
I'm an ambitious Porsche fan since a few years. It kinda started when the Porsche 911 997 Sport Classic had it's debut at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show in Germany. It turned out to be a real purists Porsche in every single way. It is equipped with a non-metallic paint job, Fuchs wheels, duck tail, dark brown leather interior and a manual gearbox. I really appreciated what Porsche had done to this exclusive edition. And that's where it started. A passion for a car which you don't need at all, but really want to own someday. So sad Ferry Porsche to describe the 911 generation. And it definitely turned out to be 100% true. At least to me.
Already one year ago, Auto Kauth handed me over the keys to a real widow maker's successor: The 993 Turbo. The third generation 911 Turbo after the G-model and the 964.
It was the first Porsche 911 with a bi-turbo engine and the first Turbo generation with four wheel drive which makes the car a lot safer to drive compared to it's predecessors.
The signboard
The Flat-Six engine has a power output of 408hp! I mean... think about it: The 993 series was developed in the mid 90's. Such an amount of power wasn't everyday business like it is today. The more fun thing is that I showed some photos of this exact 993 Turbo to some of my friends and asked them to guess it's power. No-one was even close to 400hp. So I think that kind of understatement makes the 993 to an underdog.
Maybe that's the whole thing about the Porsche 911. It is kind of a tasteful understatement but with a lot of appreciation. Even pedestrians gave me some thumbs up while driving past them. That really surprised me.
Back to power. The car has definitely its's own character. You can propperly feel the Turbo lag in the lower gears. And then there's this moment when the turbo starts to kick in and the needle of the tachometer is moving fast towards the rev limiter. It's the moment you start to realize that a 993 Turbo can be fast. Faster than you might have thought. Continuing what I wanted to say: The Turbo as able to do every kind of job very well. From having a blast on some twisty roads, driving up a mountain pass to a ski resort (obviously I wouldn't do it), appearing in style at a gala dinner or just as your daily grocery getter. That's what makes him so special too.
Beside the power, it is equipped with some other new technologies out of the Nineties. That includes an on-board phone or electric seats, sun roof and windows. It's the second Porsche after the 959 which has got aluminium twin-wall-rims (Hohlkammerfelgen). A revolutionary invention for weight reduction. And of course, the engine is air-cooled. The 993 series marks the last Porsche 911 air-cooled generation which makes the 993 Turbo even more special.
To the look
Without the huge wing at the rear, the 993 Turbo might look a bit too well-behaved. But when walking around that beauty, the rear feels very wide compared to the front of the car. The lines feel sleek and gentlemen-like. Just tasty. I truly don't know how to describe it better, I apologize about that. Maybe it's because the car still uses the old body form which was invented with the 901 generation, the first 911. It just looks more modern and in time. It's a balancing act between decades which turn out to be combined harmonically. Of course, that's my own opinion.
The colour the car is wearing is called "Tannengrün-Metallic" / "Forest Green Metallic" with the colour code 22E and was originally used for the Porsche 911 964. It's a rarely chosen colour for the 993 Series. This paintjob appeared as well for the 996 Series and the first Porsche Boxster generation.
Some negatives:
Despite that the 993 series is a very solid build, there are a few issues coming with owning a car like this. For sure the insurance isn't cheap and the running costs aren't either. Replacement parts do cost a lot. For example: The wear of the brakes can be pretty high depending to your driving style. There can be a defective clutch transmitter or some oil leeks from the engine or gearbox. And the timing change tensioner, as well the timing chain needs to be replaced before hitting the 150'000km mileage. Maybe there's some rust around the window frames, the front wheelhouses, around the doors or the exhaust system. You should definitely check these aspects before buying one of the 993 Porsches.
Otherwise there aren't a lot of known issues. A lot of websites claim that the 993 is a long life built car and very sturdy.
Summary
To sum it all up, the 993 Turbo is a very charming and beautifully looking car. Not too big, not too small and it's a true drivers car which should rest in garages for decades. Even though it's expensive, I think people tend to like it more as older it gets. So you don't have a lot of haters what I really appreciate. It is an overall solid built car with a few issues which cost a lot to repair. But I guess it's worth the money because I think the Turbo won't loose a lot of worth. At least, you just need to save up a bargain of money for it to buy it. Luckily the prizes came down again after the peak around 2017/2018 where sellers wanted to have close to a quarter million bucks for a good example.
So I definitely can't wait to end my studies to start save up money for making my dream of owning a 993 come to reality. Someday.
