---
title: 'Porsche 911''s Explained! (964,993,996,997,991,992)'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=_zDqO_hsjac'
video_id: '_zDqO_hsjac'
date: 2026-07-01
duration_sec: 3957
---

# Porsche 911's Explained! (964,993,996,997,991,992)

> Source: [Porsche 911's Explained! (964,993,996,997,991,992)](https://youtube.com/watch?v=_zDqO_hsjac)

## Summary

This video provides a comprehensive guide to the Porsche 911, covering generations from the air-cooled 964 and 993 to the water-cooled 996, 997, 991, and 992. The presenter details the pros, cons, common issues, and market values for each model, offering practical buying advice for enthusiasts. The core message is that while each generation has unique characteristics, a well-chosen 911 can be a rewarding and financially sound investment.

### Key Points

- **Porsche 997 Overview** [01:18] — The 997 is considered the most 'Porsche-looking' modern 911, with a design that blends classic and modern elements. It is essentially a refined version of the 996, sharing the same structure but with improved styling, particularly the headlights.
- **997 Buying Guide: Oil Leaks and Under Trays** [03:06] — While 997s can leak oil, it's less severe than on air-cooled models. A missing under tray is a major red flag, as it can hide oil leaks, chassis dents, and overspray, indicating a lack of owner care.
- **997 Bore Scoring Reality Check** [04:05] — Bore scoring is rare on M96/M97 engines and often not a critical issue. Many cars with light bore scoring are driven for years without problems. A boroscope inspection is recommended, but a full engine rebuild is often unnecessary panic.
- **997.2 DFI Engine Tick** [05:52] — The direct fuel injection (DFI) engine in the 997.2 produces a normal ticking sound at idle. This is a characteristic of all DFI engines and is often mistaken for bore scoring. A louder exhaust can mask the sound.
- **997 Battery Drain and Warning Signs** [07:30] — 997s drain their batteries when parked. A battery tender is essential. A low battery can cause sensor errors and false warning lights, leading to unnecessary mechanic visits. The car should be started every two weeks.
- **997 OBD2 and Over-Rev Records** [08:24] — The 997's OBD2 system stores detailed data, including over-rev counts on the DME. A professional scanner is needed to read this. A pre-purchase inspection (PPI) is crucial as the car's history is fully recorded.
- **997 Resale Value and Condition** [09:55] — The 997's value is driven by condition and history, not just mileage. Buying the best example possible is smart, as prices are rising and the car will likely sell for more in a few years, making it less expensive than a depreciating new car.
- **Porsche 996 Market and Perception** [11:10] — The 996 is a victim of its own success, with 175,000 units sold, flooding the market and suppressing prices. Despite being a lighter, faster, and stiffer car than the 993, its 'fried egg' headlights and perceived lower interior quality keep prices low.
- **996 Interior Quality vs. Air-Cooled** [12:34] — The 996's plastic dashboard is more durable than the cracking dashboards of earlier air-cooled 911s. The perceived lower quality is due to more plastic surfaces, but the actual longevity of the materials is superior.
- **996 Body and Rust Resistance** [15:05] — Cars from the 996 generation and newer are largely rust-free unless improperly repaired after a crash. This is a significant advantage over earlier air-cooled models, reducing restoration costs and headaches.
- **Porsche 991 Reliability and Engine** [19:43] — The 991's 9A1 engine is proven to be rock-solid, shared with the highly-priced 997.2. It is considered the most trouble-free 911 engine ever made, with many examples exceeding 200,000 miles. Accessory issues like water pumps are minor maintenance.
- **991 Dual Nature: Comfort and Performance** [21:06] — The 991 is a dual-nature car: a comfortable cruiser on the highway and a sharp, hardcore sports car on back roads. It is more daily-drivable than any earlier 911, with a lighter and stiffer structure.
- **991 Interior Leather Quality** [22:38] — The 991's leather interiors are exceptionally durable because Porsche removed the plastic backing, bonding leather directly to foam. This prevents the shrinking and warping common in other luxury cars, making full leather interiors a worthwhile option.
- **991.2 Turbo vs. 991.1 Naturally Aspirated** [26:54] — The 991.2's turbo engine offers more usable torque and is easier to tune for extra power. However, it changes the exhaust note. The key advantage of the 991.2 is the optional rear-axle steering, which makes the car feel more agile.
- **Porsche 911 992 Resale and Options** [29:17] — The 992's resale value is heavily influenced by options. Limited editions and cars with unique, expensive options (like special colors and full leather) command a premium. A manual transmission is a no-cost way to guarantee higher resale value.
- **992 Long-Term Value and Demographics** [34:45] — The 992 is expected to appreciate long-term due to increasing global brand awareness. More people know what a 911 is than ever before, driving demand. The 911's consistent design and strong community also support its value.
- **Porsche 964 Overview and Popularity** [37:24] — The 964 is a favorite because it blends classic air-cooled character with modern conveniences like a good HVAC system, making it a usable daily driver. It draws a crowd and has a 'concentrated mass' feel that is unique.
- **964 Body Rust and Windshield Area** [40:56] — While the 964 body is galvanized, rust can form around the windshield due to shrinking seals. This is a common issue and not necessarily a sign of neglect, but it must be addressed. RS models are more prone to rust due to reduced rust-proofing.
- **964 Brake Caliper Seizing** [43:26] — If a 964 is parked for over 24 months, the brake calipers are likely to seize. This is a common issue from non-use, not neglect, and should be budgeted for in a purchase.
- **964 Records and Expert Inspection** [44:41] — Records for a 964 can be unreliable due to easily removable speedometers. An expert inspection is more valuable than a standard PPI. Hiring a Porsche specialist to fly and inspect the car is worth the cost to avoid a costly mistake.
- **964 Engine: Oil Leaks and Compression** [46:48] — The 964's air-cooled engine is robust but will leak oil. The key health check is a compression test on all cylinders. Loss of compression is a serious issue, while minor oil leaks are normal.
- **964 Dual Distributor Belt** [49:42] — The 964 has two distributors linked by a rubber belt. If this belt breaks, only one spark plug per cylinder fires, which can lead to predetonation. This is not obvious during a test drive and requires expert inspection.
- **964 Dual Mass Flywheel** [50:26] — The dual-mass flywheel on manual 964s can fail, causing clunking. Replacing it requires dropping the engine. Many owners switch to a lightweight RS flywheel for quicker revs.
- **964 Air Conditioning and R12** [54:01] — The 964's HVAC system was designed for R12 refrigerant. Converting to R134a significantly reduces cooling performance. R12 is still available and is recommended for optimal A/C in hot climates.
- **Porsche 993: The Last Air-Cooled 911** [56:45] — The 993 is the last of the air-cooled era and was never truly replaced. It is considered the most beautiful 911 and was overbuilt by Porsche, who was losing money on each car. This over-engineering makes it incredibly durable and desirable.
- **993 Value: Overbuilt and Underpriced (Historically)** [58:29] — The 993's value has risen because it was a money-losing product for Porsche, built with exceptional quality. Unlike other classic cars driven by pop culture, the 993's value is intrinsic to the car itself. It is a usable investment that can be daily driven.
- **993 Design and Daily Usability** [61:52] — The 993's design is timeless, and Porsche has tried to recapture its look with every subsequent generation. It is a practical daily driver with modern features like a good A/C and six-speed gearbox, while retaining the classic 911 character.

### Conclusion

Choosing the right Porsche 911 depends on your budget, desired driving experience, and tolerance for maintenance. While air-cooled models like the 993 and 964 offer classic character and strong investment potential, water-cooled generations like the 997 and 991 provide modern reliability and performance, with the 996 representing a potential bargain.

## Transcript

many say that you really haven't lived
until you've owned a Porsche 911 but
with so many of them on the road and so
many different Generations which one is
the best one for you I dig into most of
the Porsche 911s for sale today that
includes air cooled 91s and the water
cooled 911s including the Porsche 996
997 991 and finally the latest Porsche
992 I can tell you I love them all
however they each have their Pro and
cons and so owning a Porche 911 might be
your childhood dream but you need to
know exactly what you're getting into so
that it does not turn into your
childhood nightmare as an adult what we
do is if we need that extra push over
the cliff you know what we do put it up
to 11 exactly so if you think that only
a Porche 911 might be in your future
don't forget to like And subscribe
because we've got a lot more pors of
videos coming up really soon and so in
no particular order let's start with the
yes let's start with the 997 Come a
Little Closer ask anybody in the street
which one you think is newer and you're
going to get answers that you might not
expect let's just say the answers will
be way off and that's how you know that
Porsche did an incredible job with the
Porsche
997 in this video I'm going to cover the
Porsche 997 why it's so popular what to
look for and if it's worth the expense
and don't forget to do all the YouTube
stuff like subscribe and I forgot what
was the other one and share it really
does help out the channel let's go why
do so many people think the 997 is the
best modern 911 just look at it this is
the most porsa looking modern Porsche
that Porsche has ever made from every
single corner it screams Porsche it
looks like a 959 from the front and a
proper 911 from the rear now it's
interesting that this car is almost
exactly the same car as the Porsche 996
yet a lot of people love the 997 but
hate the 996 and it's essentially the
same car yes it's upgraded but those
headlights would truly have made this
car a favorite of so many it looks like
an older 911 and like a newer 911 so
driving down the street with this car
you really can't tell how old it is
whatsoever and I think that my favorite
part as far as looks is the rear slope
the rear slope on the 997 is a proper
911 you see how the slope goes all the
way down past the belt line into the
bumper that's exactly what a 911 sh
should be it just looks extra aggressive
extra 911 now when I talk about looks
it's interesting because you see this
car in pictures and it looks a lot
bigger than the earlier aircooled 911s
but this is one of the best things about
the Porsche 997 it is sports car size so
no extra fat just the perfect Dimensions
so this compact size adds to its driver
feel now remember that the newer ones
got a lot bigger in the outside but they
did not get a lot bigger in the inside
now when looking at Porsche 997 unlike
the earlier aircool 911s you actually
have have to be a lot more careful
because a lot of what to look for is
totally hidden so I'm going to go down
the list of the few things to look for
on a 997 and the ones that feel like red
flag but they're really not oil leaks
997s leak oil but the oil leaks are
nothing like they were with the earlier
air cooled cars the earlier air cooled
cars leaked so much oil that the smell
that they give is part of the car's
Essence which I kind of like that kind
of oil and rubber mixed smell I I love
it but on 997s on a hot engine cover
when you pull it up you should not smell
any oil whatsoever now what a lot of
people don't know is that when they look
under a 997 it usually looks perfect
because those plastic panels that are on
the car they hide a multiple of sins
they hide dents in the chassis overspray
from a repainted car and oil running
completely under the entire car a lot of
them actually don't have under trays
anymore a lot of people just leave them
off but if they're missing it's a huge
indication of how much the owner cares
about the car if he didn't bother to put
it back on it's a red flag and it means
that the car needs extra inspection
moving on to the next one one of the
ones that everybody loves to talk about
is bore scoring now bore scoring on the
m96 and m97 engines is very rare it's
also rare on the newer DFI motor but you
know how the internet is the first red
flag is a black and tail pipe usually on
the driver's side but if the car was
detailed by a dealer chances are that
you won't see it there the easiest way
to find out if the car has bore scoring
or anything that could be like that is
is to get a little Bard scope just like
this and it's so simple even a baby
could do it you pull out the spark plugs
and you stick the little camera down the
cylinder wall a lot of them you could
even see on your phone it's not a
complicated thing now a thing about
board scoring I've seen cars with board
scoring that they keep driving year
after year nothing happens the engine
hasn't blown up the owner is enjoying it
the owner's tracking it the owner's
going to events they just keep driving
it's not a big deal So eventually
something's going to happen to the motor
but
99.999% of the the rebuilds that I'm
seeing from board scoring are with board
scoring that are very light the car was
driving perfectly and the mechanic
recommended to have a full engine
rebuild to get it addressed now in most
cases the owner could have kept on
driving for years you will hear a
ticking sound if there's issues with the
board scoring you will hear it most
owners are rebuilding these engines in a
panic when the mechanic says listen your
engine's bad and you need to go ahead
and get it rebuilt it's a tough call
especially because I know a lot of
Porsche 997s that have b exporing and
they just they're dty drivers most
people are doing full engine rebuilds
when they see a little line in the
cylinder walls it's ridiculous moving on
to the next point with the Porsche 997
there's so much BS on the internet that
owners and would be owners are
constantly looking or hearing for any
little tick any little sound that could
be like the engine exploding or
something but there is something that
can cause concern on the
997.2 with the newer engine you see what
most people read is that that car does
not have have the IMs but that car is a
DFI motor direct fuel injection direct
injection which is really stupid because
it clogs up the intake so bad that you
have to pull it apart and clean it and
most people are surprised to learn that
direct fuel injection has like a tick at
idle like and it's not just the 997 it's
all direct fuel injected cars it's just
that a lot of cars have a lot of
insulation with the plastic covers to
quiet down that sound the 97 doesn't
have that so you can actually hear it
from the outside when the car is idling
it's completely normal that's just how
the fuel injection is in that car a lot
of owners worry that the car is ticking
because of boore scoring and it's just
the fuel injectors if the injectors on
that car are too loud a solid exhaust
system fixes most
[Music]
problems it's a nonissue on to the next
point one of the great things about the
Porsche 997s is that the owners baby
these cars so it's very rare that you're
going to find a Porsche 997s with Falcon
Tires or with mismatch tires all the way
around but that also means is that a lot
of owners are throwing too much money
into these cars what do I mean full body
paint protection films now I get it
these paint protection films can be good
if you're going to be daily driving the
car it kind of saves the paint only a
little bit by the way so I wouldn't pay
a premium for any car that's had paint
protection fil you want to keep your
paint perfect to keep the car in a
garage that does more than any paint
protection film ever will moving on to
the next one battery draining these cars
all drain battery now you can put a
battery cut off on it which a lot of
people don't the best thing you can do
is put a battery tender on it now what a
lot of people don't realize is that if
you don't put a battery tender on the
Porsche 997 if the car has been parked
for a month and the car starts so
basically the battery didn't drain the
battery is actually at a lower State and
you are going to get a lot of warning
signs because a lot of sensors are not
going to fully fire up and those error
codes stay in the computer and you're
chasing Gremlins that don't exist make
sure that that car gets started up every
2 weeks otherwise you might definitely
get warning signs and then the worst
thing that you could do it go take it to
a mechanic where for sure he's going to
help you find something and all it was
is just a battery that is going now this
is not 997 specifically the same thing
happens with the Porsche 928 perhaps
even more a lot of people just go ahead
and put battery cut offs on that just to
not deal with it moving on to the next
point one of the good things about the
Porsche 97 is that it's OBD2 now for
guys that like older Classics OBD2 is
like wo you just take a little scanner
it actually tells you what's wrong with
it so this is great for a lot of
different reasons but with the Porche 97
OBD2 is not a way to see what the codes
are in the car you actually have to take
it to a tech where they have a
professional scanner that can tell you
everything about the car there's a lot
of cars that are driving perfect but
they have been over revved 12 20 30
times and guess what all that
information is there recorded on the DME
which is great you actually find out
more on a PPI than than most earlier
Porsches just because they put it in the
scanner and you cannot hide anything
another great thing is that the miles
are recorded on there so unlike early
portions which in many cases the miles
are because it's so easy to change the
miles on those cars on the newer 96 and
97s everything is recorded in the
computer so in the Porsche 997
specifically a pre- purchase inspection
and a set of Records is super important
just because you can't tell on that car
just by looking at it the best bet is to
find a trusted mechanic that you know
develop a relationship before buying the
car because these cars are getting to
such an age now that even if it was
running perfect it's going to start
having maintenance things that need to
get done to it now why is that so
important because usually trouble cars
are always trouble Cars and Cars that
never give trouble usually never give
trouble so for example if a car doesn't
have board scoring at 90,000 Mi guess
what it's probably never going to have
board scoring if the car doesn't have
IMS issues at 90,000 Mi guess what it's
probably never going to have IMS issues
now as far as the deals I've learned
with 997s what you're really shopping
for is condition you're shopping for the
history of a car and if the car has been
abused or neglected one thing is 100%
sure with the 97 whatever you buy this
car for jump 3 4 years and you're going
to sell it for more so in a way is less
expensive than buying a new mini van
that drops half its value in 2 3 years
so that's why it's super important to
get a 997 in the best condition possible
because if you do happen to sell the car
and most people actually do eventually
because we're not on this planet forever
whatever money you put into that car you
pull it right back out so resale is a
huge part of the 997 appe it sells fast
and the prices keep going up they
haven't achieved 993 levels yet but a
lot of people are already saying that
the 997 is the next 993 and judging by
the way that the prices keep going up
it's entirely possible so it makes no
sense to try to get a deal on a Porche
97 because that deal is going to cost
you more when you go ahead and you
resell that car so on a Porche 997 it's
okay to splurge to spend just a little
bit more on the one that you really like
because at the end of the day you'll
always get your money back on that car
so are you really splurging or are you
being smart so that's the way that I
feel about the Porsche 97 Porsche 911
9996 let me start by saying that Porsche
would love to have another 996 now on
this video I'm going to explain the
market on this car and the prices why
they are what they are let's look at the
actual car versus the market first when
the 996 came out the 996 was bigger than
the 993 but it was lighter it wasn't
just bigger it was also faster lighter
and most importantly the structure was
stiffer a lot stiffer as a matter of
fact the handling advantages of the 996
versus the 993 come from the increased
wheelbase and most importantly the
stiffer structure the structure of the
996 is essentially the same one in the
997 they are essentially the same car
the 997 is a refined 996 you wouldn't
know that by looking at these huged car
prices let's see what's going on looking
at the car as far as the quality of the
car 996 versus a car replaced the the
Porsche 993 well I've got some thoughts
on it that are very different than
anything that you read online these cars
are all getting old now so basically
every single one of these used cars are
going to need some kind of restoration
unless you're buying them in low mile
unbelievable condition so the first
thought that comes up with any classic
car is restoration what are you going to
do to the car and most importantly how
has the car held up over time how has
the car held up has it disintegrated in
the elements in the weather or is it
holding up is a true test of the quality
of the car let's look at some specific
earlier air cooled 911s versus this new
996 let's start with the interiors that
seems to be the main complaint about the
Porsche 996 that the Interiors are very
plastically and just not up to the same
quality of the earlier aircool 911 that
is BS with a few asterids let me explain
this one the dashboard on the earlier
aircool 911s all crack eventually it
uses the same material that the Porsche
944 used and 968 and the Porsche 928
given enough time and parked outside in
the sun those dashboards crack 996s nope
those plastic dashboards on the 996s
even though the rake on the windshield
is far more so it gets more sun they do
not crack as a matter of fact if you
look up online comparing the price of a
996 dashboard versus a 993 dashboard
it's night and day and the only ones
that do go bad are the leather WRA ones
but every single other leather WRA
dashboard goes bad not a symptom of the
quality of the dashboard is just the
leather so as far as the Plastics in the
earlier 911s versus the later 96
Generations if we're going to measure
perceived versus actual actual quality
is actually higher in the 996 is
Plastics versus the earlier air cool 991
cars so why the outrage on the 996 is
interior well there's just more plastic
more plastic than there was in the
earlier cars plastic is not good at the
end of the day nobody wants plastic in
their cars which that all changed by the
way in the Porsche 996 turbo those came
with standard leather rep dashboard you
sit in a 996 turbo versus a standard
Carrera and you'll see the difference
but the standard ones are fantastic
because they last far better than the
earlier aircool 911 dashboards 928
dashboards 944 dashboards and 968
dashboards and of course the 924 let's
look at the rest of the Interior what it
would cost to restore a 996 versus an
earlier car the seats if you got to
replace worn leather on a por 996
interior you can pick from 996 seats
boxer seats and the newer generation 997
seats they bolt on another thing that
these cars suffered from as a matter of
fact a lot of BMWs too BMWs Ferraris
Austin Martin are sticky buttons on
radios like this this radio is a
standard radio that came in most 996s
and 986s the Becker unit what's the
biggest complain about these radios that
they're not up to the same quality of
the earlier ones the buttons you wipe
them down with alcohol and put them back
you don't have to worry about it again
yet when you sit inside the car you go
to turn on the radio your impression is
of a sticky interior just because you
touched this little thing ridiculous I
would be far more concerned about a
cracked dashboard or seats that are
super expensive to repair the little
plastic parts this is not the argument
that you're going to find find anywhere
when you talk about this car the first
thing you're going to hear is that the
interior is not up to the same level as
before let's move on to the body you
don't have to worry about rust with
anything from the 996 and up unless it's
been crashed and improperly repaired
rust is just not a big factor in the
body of these newer cars these cars are
not getting younger they're getting
older and rust it starts becoming a main
concern you don't have to worry about
any of that with the Porsche 96 and up
it's something less of a headache the
body is as good as it get and as as good
as Porsche has made the cost to restore
these cars are far less than the earlier
aircool 911s but the perception of lower
quality sticks around like it never goes
away it's ridiculous now living in Miami
has definitely affected how I feel about
cars in general what happened here is
very similar to what happened all over
the world when the pora 996 came out
remember that Porsche replaced the
freshly restyled 993 with the 996 the
993 was only about 3 years old when the
996 came out and the 996 completely
outsold that car for his entire
generation and that unbelievable amount
of success for Porsche is the 96's
biggest problem today let's see exactly
how successful that car was for
comparison purposes let's compare the
porsa 996 to other Porsches the Porsche
928 from 1977 to 1995 sold only 61,000
cars all over the world that was it the
other cross up that you would have is
the Porsche 993 well the Porsche 993
from 1993 to 98 they sold 68,000 cars
68,000 cars guess how many Porsche 996
is Porsche sold from 98 to to 2005 it
sold
175,000 cars that is even more cars than
the 944 sold from 1982 to 1991 they did
163,000 cars and that was supposed to be
the entry level Porsche this more
expensive 996 out sold all of those
controversial mm I don't think so if it
would have been so controversial it
would not have sold in the numbers that
have sold if Porscha was giving a
bargain if pora was giving a deal well
then perhaps that could be controversial
at out sold but no it didn't they were
charging full prices for these Cars Plus
on and so the market was flooded with
these cars now it's easy to forget how
many of these cars were sold if you look
at options like this you see a series of
996 cars a series of 993 997 cars right
next to it and you think why is the 996
so much less expensive if you see these
sales you're only seeing a static
picture of what has sold you're not
seeing the backlog a huge pool of cars
that are coming in and out of the market
all the time and bring a trailer in the
same amount of time that the 993 sold
about 500 cars almost 999 96 were sold
that doesn't even begin to give you an
entire picture of all the other cars
that are setting in the used car market
cuz remember bring a Trader is just a
very small Niche that is the biggest
reason that these cars prices are a deal
it is simple supply and demand the more
cars on the market the price goes down
it was Porsche's most successful Porsche
911 it is a victim of its own success
there is more these cars available now
to purchase then 993s 997s 928s 968 for
sure and so the prices hav climbed how
they have with these other cars got
nothing to do with the styling of these
cars with the headlights it's got
nothing to do with that if that were
true the 996 GT3 and 996 turbo will be
selling for peanuts they're not those
cars sell out a premium even with the
headlights these headlights are already
becoming cool the Simplicity it's pure
classic Porsche no one ever says a bad
word about these style headlights when
they're on a GT1 the good thing about
these cars is that the prices have
already stabilized as a matter of fact
the prices are actually going up high
quality condition 996 is are selling
already for more than higher mileage 997
these are essentially the same car the
engine cost about the same that it cost
air cooled 911s to rebuild the Interiors
are cheaper to redo and the body you
won't have to worry so much about rust
with these cars versus the earlier 911s
it's a win-win for these cars now if
you're looking to flip it for double or
triple like some other used car classic
you might be out of luck with this car
but if you're looking to buy and hold on
for a while enjoy it in the meantime
this definitely is the car for you
imagine a machine that Roars to life a
machine that completely defies limits
and a legacy that races Through Time all
encapsulated in the Ferocious Porsche
991 welcome ferow Thrill Seekers to the
world where curves and straightaways
become your canvas and the Porsche 991
is your paintbrush inside the cockpit
you're not just a driver you are a
warrior a commander of torque and
horsepower almost perfect well in this
video I'm going to cover the Porsche 911
991 years 2011 to 2019 if you are a
buyer or you already own a Porsche 911
this video is for you wo but first
enough with the windows shopping hit the
like And subscribe button it signals the
algorithm to push this video out to more
Porsche enthusiasts let's go most
Porsche 91's now are coming out a
warranty and so one of the biggest
questions that most people possibly have
to themselves is is it reliable well if
we're looking at the engine and
transmission they have already proven to
be a rock solid how Rock Solid the 9 A1
engine in the Porsche 991 is the same
engine that is in the Porsche 997.2 and
guess what the 997.2 go for a huge
premium and the main reason that they go
for a premium is because of that engine
knowing a lot of Porsche shop owners
here in Miami universally every single
one of them praises the Porsche 991 is
the most trouble-free 911 that Porsche
has ever made I know a lot of 997.2 with
over 200,000 mies and they are daily
driven and they are perfect so if that's
any indication of the Mechanicals of
these cars they are a go except for a
couple little things that are not really
engine related they're accessory related
for example the water pump can give
issues some people have had to replace
them at 30,000 Mi some at 40,000 Mi and
some never but I wouldn't consider that
engine related even those attached to
the engine those are accessories and
they're also maintenance items you're
going to have to replace a water pump
anyways eventually and they're not that
expensive the only thing bad about the
Porche 91's engine is that you can't see
it but you can definitely hear
it the Porsche 991 is a very very
different car than any earlier Porsche
911 it's far more comfortable and far
more daily drivable than earlier cars to
the point where on the highway with a
suspension softened up and the exhaust
toned down it's a cruiser you can
definitely do 5 600 m per day on a
Porche 991 which is very similar to the
Porche 928 by the way so I can see where
the comparisons come from but
longdistance Comfort is where the
similarities end the Porche 991 is as
hardcore as it gets and as a matter of
fact it's a lot sharper than virtually
every single earlier 911 except for the
GT cars so it is most definitely not a
grand tour so the Dual nature of the
Porche 991 means that more people are
looking at this Porsche 911 than
virtually any other Porsche 911 in its
history and it's been very popular for
Porsche but it's not just that the car
is more accessible it's not that at all
there are huge Advan ments in the
Porsche 991s that you do not see just by
looking at it the structure on the
Porsche 991 is completely different than
the 997s this structure is bigger but
also lighter and stiffer an ultra rare
thing in cars today where everything
keeps getting more and more bloated that
didn't happen with the 991 it actually
got lighter stiffer and yes a little bit
bigger mainly in the track for better
handling and stability so the structures
of these Porsche 991s are rock solid and
I can see the structure of these Porche
n1s outlasting the owners easily and
that's what you have in the Porche nn1 a
Porsche that's going to last several
decades Interiors this is something that
has been universally praised on the
Porche 91 the quality of the materials
in the interior now there is a big
difference between perceived quality and
actual quality because plastic is
plastic but what is far more impressive
in the Porsche 991 is the leather
interiors because usually leather
interiors are a a liability for the
second or third or fourth owner leather
interiors specifically leather
dashboards look great for a couple years
until inevitably the leather starts
shrinking it starts warping and the
interior starts looking like a mess and
this happens with most manufacturers
that have full leather interiors but
this is not happening with the Porsche
991 leather's leather right wait till
you see this usually when you have
leather bonded to plastic one of two
things happens the leather shrinks and
the adhesive that is connecting it to
the plastic is not strong enough to hold
the actual leather and so the leather
pulls away the other thing is the actual
adhesive itself the glue breaks down and
loses all its strength it's not just the
heat you see when the Plastics heat up
they gas out and those gases the new car
smell start breaking down the glue and
so every single manufacturer is bonding
their Leathers directly to that plastic
so what did Porsche do they remove all
the plastic on these 991 dashboards it
looks like like this there is just the
ever foam and the leather directly
mounted to the Top This is how custom
hot rods are built out in California and
it's usually not cheap so with the
portion 991 specifically full leather
interiors are totally worth it so this
new method of construction is the reason
that the leather dashboards on the
Porche n1's are holding up a whole lot
better than anything that came before it
now it's not all perfect the door panels
to warp in the heat now if you're coming
from a classic Porsche and you see this
you're like who cares but if you've
never done any kind of restoration once
you see the door panel separating it can
be a little bit alarming and it might
make you think that there's something
wrong with the car this can easily be
fixed with some glue a heat gun and a
couple clamps it's not a big deal it's
kind of like first world problems
considering what you're getting with the
Porsche 9n1 size versus the earlier
Porsche 911s another reason why Porsche
enthusiasts say that 991 is more of a
tour is because it's grown and it's so
much bigger than the earlier 911s hold
on just a second it's only a few inches
bigger it's still a very small car for
comparison I think that we all can agree
that the Porsche 993 is a tiny car not
that much bigger and we also can agree
that the Porsche 997 is also a very
small car you see the reason the Porche
911 looks bigger is mainly because of
the higher belt line that also spans
into the rear bumper makes it look a lot
bigger than what it really is so the
optical illusion of the raised Belt Line
and the lower roof does make it look a
lot bigger if it's by itself but the
moment that you park it next to any
other car you see the Porche 991 is
still the size of a real sports car
ceramic versus steel brakes when you
search ceramic brakes online you're
going to get two polar opposite opinions
some people say it's worth it and some
people say the breaking is worse in the
cold and some people have sold their
cars because of the ceramic brakes this
is crazy most of the ceramic brakes that
I've seen that drive not so good as in
the car really doesn't have brake Feld
when it's cold is because it doesn't
have the OEM pads usually somewhere
along the line the pads were changed and
the brakes don't feel quite right if the
pads are brand new it should have better
bite when it's cold and much better bite
when it's hot now there is this middle
in the modulation that they can feel
very different than the steel brakes
that's why the steel brakes are so
popular and so what a lot of people have
done is change the brake pads to a
different compound that is more drivable
on the street and that's exactly what I
would do if I had the Ceramics the
packed brake pads they're far easier to
drive on the streets especially if you
don't know what kind of brake pads are
even on your car instead of giving up on
them try these brake pad they should
help a lot and of course bleed the
brakes a lot of people forget that now
the other thing that I've heard is that
ceramic brakes can be a little bit noisy
and yes that's true it's just the
harmonics of the brakes there's nothing
wrong with them that's just the way that
they are they're basically racing brakes
for the streets so when the Porsche 991
came out it was an NA motor so naturally
aspirated motor with the 991.2 all 911s
became turbocharged now you would think
that that's a great thing because
throughout the history the Porsche 911
Turbo has been the king of the hill but
believe it or not there's actually mixed
opinions about turbos being standard on
all Porche 911s well it's very simple
the turbos act basically as a muffler
and it changes the sound of the Porsche
911s
engine but there are a lot of advantages
to the 991.2 specifically power on paper
it looks like you're getting only a
little bump in power but what you're
really getting is a lot of torque so the
engine is a lot more usable in Daily
driving the turbo spool up super fast
and there's a very little turbo lag and
if you need more power it's a lot less
expensive to tune a turbo engine than a
naturally aspirated
engine because you can easily up the
Boost with a simple tune and get an
extra 100 horsepower you don't even have
that option on the naturally aspirated
engine and the 991.1 and a version of
the engine keeps on living in the new
Porsche 992 carplay it's still kind of
laggy to be honest with you so I don't
even count that the real reason to get a
991.2 is the rear steering that rear
steering makes a 991 drive a lot smaller
than the earlier models that don't have
the rear steering what it essentially
does is make the car feel like it has a
shorter wheelbase that's what everybody
has always loved about the Porsche 911
it's short wheel base and not just
because it's smaller but because when
you have a short wheel basee Everything
feels more immediate and so by for of
doing this kind of Wizardry and creating
this rear wheel of steering the car
feels a lot more immediate when you're
turning on the highway when you're
hitting a bank or in a parking lot that
one thing has made the electronic
steering on the newer generation 991s a
pleasure to have it'll never have the
feel of a hydraulic steering but it's so
much more precise with the rear steering
that it makes it almost worth it almost
I still prefer the hydraulic steering on
the older porches the best thing is that
it is such an advanced car and it hides
it all on underneath is incredible
Bodywork nobody will suspect the amount
of engineering that has gone into a
portion one if they see it drive by you
only really start seeing the engineering
when you drive it and after 30 years
pass that the car is still ticking we've
got One Life to Live and it's too short
to drive boring cars find the nicest one
you can find and enjoy the extraordinary
the Porsche 9/11's 992s sculpted curves
and roaring engine is not just about
having fun in many cases it's also about
turning a profit or at the very least
not losing any money the Porsche 911 is
not a normal car and the values explain
this think of it as art with a Twist
since I've had Porche since I was 17
years old I've seen everything go up and
down I see so many videos online about
the depreciation curves the ups and
downs how the resale of the poros are it
kind of makes you think are these people
thinking in terms of days or weeks or
months it does not make any sense don't
get me wrong it might make sense for
dealers which are flipping cars but the
average Enthusiast is looking to buy and
hold if the prices go up and down a
couple percentage points in the span of
a year it does not affect most Porsche
owners that being said it's always good
to have an exit strategy and also what
could be funner than enjoying a car for
a period of time and then selling it for
more so in many ways it's a double the
fun but before we dive in make sure to
hit the Subscribe button and the
notification Bell drop a like and let's
Embark into this journey of fun and a
little bit of financial foresight you've
got to remember that everybody who's
ever purchased a Porsche 911 brand new
has wanted it ever since they were a
little kid it was not an Impulse buy
when they were growing up they had one
or two of these and if they were extra
cool they had a 928 so by the time that
they're looking to actually option out
the car they've already had the car in
their head for decades and they're going
to order exactly how they want it this
is one of the advantages of porsa not
changing the design the car you wanted
when you were 5 years old is still the
car that you're going to want when
you're 60 so this huge advantage that
Porsche has means that almost every kid
wants a Porsche 911 but they want it
just a little bit different and that's
where the options come in Porsche NOS
exactly like Ferrari which also puts the
options on a plaque in the car that in
the secondary Market the options are
what sell a car so obviously the limited
edition models are usually the ones that
automatically start going up and what I
mean by automatically as in the
depreciation curve really does not
affect them these cars are sold at the
dealership and usually stored away
because they immediately start going up
in value and the moment that any
specific model is discontinued if it's a
limited edition the prices in many cases
double you can option it out any color
you want and wrap every single piece of
plastic in that car with leather even
the buttons now it sounds extravagant
but fast for 20 years the cars that are
optioned out with a crazy colors and
crazy options are the ones that command
all the headlines and this trend is only
growing so you might spend an extra 30
or $40,000 on options but if you ever do
sell the car in 10 15 20 years you've
got something that is so special that
everybody's going to want and it's going
to be very easy to sell because there's
not another one like it on the used car
market and this is the trend that has
been happening with Porsche 911s ever
since the 80s it's just getting a lot
more now beyond the crazy option cars
the one thing that really doesn't cost
anything to guarantee that the Porsche
911 992 that you're purchasing maintains
its value far higher than all the other
ones is going with the manual
transmission and yes I know that the pdk
is a far superior than the manual it's
faster and in many cases far more
reliable because you really can't miss a
shift but better and faster does not
equate a higher resell now there's a lot
of theories on this why would a
technically Superior Car be worth less A
lot's got to do with the perception look
on the auto Trader cars.com everywhere
when you see pdk equipped cars it shows
as automatic it's so much so that
Porsche even changed the automatic lever
on his GT3 to make it look like if it
were a stick shift car this was the only
reason they changed it so if you don't
want to spend a lot on options but you
still want to guarantee that your
Porsche maintains a really high resale
value just get the manual it's really
easy to drive the clutch is super light
it's it's it's almost like it's not even
there believe me after the warrant's
expired on the Porche 992 how is it
going to behave well there's already a
lot of cars on the road that tell us
exactly how it is because the Porsche 92
has a version of the Porsche 91's engine
which has a version of the Porsche
997.2 engine those engin have been very
reliable if you keep them stock if you
start boosting them which is very easy
to do by the way and don't upgrade the
cooling system you're going to have
issues like this
and if you're the type of person that
likes to take it to the dealership to
get it fixed you're also going to have
issues like this
$883
25 to do this job now it's not as bad as
it sounds you got to remember that
theaters ships make their money with
parts and labor in their service
department so this price is what it is
it wouldn't be the real price to get a
Turbo fixed it's just a couple bolts and
a swap so don't let this scare you the
engines are rock solid and there are
many 997 do2s and 991s already with over
200,000 Mi running trouble-free you see
what I mean about the Porsche 992 being
on the road for a very long time you
can't do the depreciation math with 12
or 24 months it doesn't make any sense
as far as the life of the car the
Porsche 992 is going to be on the road a
long time many people say today the same
thing that they used to say even when
aircool 911s were new these cars will
not appreciate how the older generation
pora do this keeps happening over and
over again realistically the Porsche 911
992 is going to be on the streets for
the next 50 years and it's going to go
through a lot of up and downs regardless
of the economy because Styles and tastes
change you've got to think longterm 10
15 20 years on the line in the early
2000s the Porsche 964 was selling in the
teens and I remember that they were very
difficult to sell everybody saw them as
old and almost irrelevant look at it now
it has become to many the ultimate
Porsche to have and the prices totally
match it the Porsche 996 for many years
sold for below average because of its
headlights but now the headlights are
retr cool the Porsche 96 now is where
the Porsche 964 was in the early 2000s
under appreciated time to snap those up
can the Porsche 992 ever be collectible
considering that there are so many of
them being made it's a simple yes and
it's all about the demographics more
people know about the Porsche 9911 now
than they did when I was younger when
the Porsche 993 came out I knew about it
because I was obsessed with cars but
most people did not know what it was
even the kids in my high school didn't
know what it was and they had no way of
finding out what it was but today
everybody knows what a pora 911 is that
means your aunt your dad your brother
even your abolita knows what a Porche
911 is so the demand is increasing
relative to the cars being made that's
why Porsche has taken the 911 more up
Market because it can and the fact that
it stays relatively the same means that
brand awareness keeps going up so it's
got time on its side and this doesn't
happen with Ferraris and McLaren that
they're constantly changing the broader
Market really doesn't know what they're
looking at when they see one of them
they might think it's a Corvette so
Porsche charges superar money because
more people know there's also more
porsia events all around the world than
there are of any other make Ferrari
included this means that when you
purchase a Porche 911 992 you're
actually buying into a community of
really cool people that are down to
earth and just love cars and it's all
about branding they even built a tower
here in Miami too much well that
branding is what's going to guarantee
that any Porsche 911 992 that you
purchase will have an ultimate resale
value versus any other car that you can
purchase in this price range Porsche
really knows what they're doing
especially the past 20 years so will you
like the Porsche 992 in a year after
you've purchased it yes this is the last
of the old school Porsches this is the
ultimate air cool 911s for a lot of
people around the world this is the
Porsche 964 and this is the Porsche that
a lot of people still don't understand
why is it so popular why have the prices
escalated and will you get burned if you
buy one let's find out now this is one
of my favorite portions of all time just
enough of old air cooled field with
enough modern conveniences to be able to
drive it every single day so that it
doesn't collect dust in the garage and
maybe it's perfect for you too but first
don't forget to like And subscribe it
really does help push this video out to
more people around the world so that
more people can know about how good the
Porche 964 is growing up the Porche 964
to me was one of the coolest Porsches
that I ever saw on the road and is
incredible how much Porsches have
changed since the 964 before seeing a
Porsche on the road even here in Miami
was an event people will stop you at gas
stations to ask you about the car you
will get a lot of looks as you're
driving by now that was back in the day
when these cars were new now it's
Amplified even more let's just say if
you like driving Incognito stay away
from the Porsche 964 this car draws a
crowd wherever it goes and it's not just
about looks this is a bank fault on
Wheels and more than Bank fault because
there's a lot of cars that feel solid
but they're big the Porsche 964 being
one of the last old school porsa has a
level of concentrated mass that adds to
its specialness nothing feels like an
old School classic 911 but the Porsche
964 is not old school you see that car
was significantly changed from the
earlier year 911 but is more than just
extra comfort that this car has versus
the earlier one now if you're like me
you love Porsche 964 but are they worth
all this height how popular is the
Porsche 964 exactly I can give you an
example if a Porsche 964 is for sale
here in Miami it's not going to be a
local sale chances are that car is
leaving Miami and it's going to Dubai
somewhere in California or it's exotic
location all around the world so sales
of Porsche 964 are usually not local
sales the buyers for Porsche 964
typically don't shop around their area
and so this is driving up the prices in
ways that could not have been predicted
20 years ago the good thing about the
Porsche 964 is that if you're looking at
these prices and thinking to yourself
well I had a poster of this car as a kid
I'm scared if I buy it it's not going to
be as good as what I think is going to
be if you've never driven a Porsche 964
let me tell you that's not a concern
with these cars most people people are
incredibly surprised of the disconnect
about how they think the car is versus
how it actually is you see if you've
only seen this car on a poster on
pictures and never actually driven it
you're going to be really surprised it
feels and drives a lot better than what
you would imagine and of course if you
do you've got the air cooled 911 bug and
you know it's going to be expensive but
how expensive well there are some things
that you can't get away from the
purchase price luckily with the way the
market is on these cars and it's not
just a local market it's it's a
worldwide Market the chances of losing
your shirt on a Porche 964 it's very
rare so you can buy it enjoy it for a
couple years and then sell it for the
same or more what you don't want to do
is buy a car that you think it's perfect
but turns out that it needs a lot of
work a lot of expensive work cuz nothing
is cheap in this car so let's dig into
what to look for you're looking to
purchase a Porsche 964 or if you
actually have one parked in your
driveway there's no way around that you
need to know what you need to know about
this car so let's dive in now when
you're looking at at the Porsche 964
Market you're actually stepping into an
alternate reality you see no car that
I've seen is stripped apart faster and
over restored than a Porsche 964 so the
owners are very meticulous about
Restorations and originality not
counting of course the updates and the
back dat and all of these subcategories
so if the body happens to need
restoration believe me you can
definitely find somebody to do an entire
nut and bolt restoration on a 964 it's
done all the time however it's very
expensive and and timec consuming you
can easily spend 2 years getting it
right if that's not you then pay
attention to this the Porsche 964 body
is fully galvanized however that does
not guarantee that this car is rust free
since the Porche 964 begs to go to the
track a lot have been taken to the track
many times and many times I mean just
once a month or twice a month but you
add years to that and the possibility of
any 964 getting in a small Bender Bender
the odds are increased exponentially
this means that looking for rust or
bubbling of the paint is is hugely
important if you want to do an entire
restoration so you should see no rust
anywhere in the body except a few areas
that I give a pass to because it affects
a lot of them and they haven't been
crashed specifically around the
windshield since the glass is not bonded
to the chassis as the seal shrinks water
seeps in and just chills in the little
crevices around the outside rust starts
forming in these areas very quickly I
know cars that have had this repaired
two or three times already it's a
relatively straightforward fix however
it if you don't address it the rust most
definitely will spread so if you're
looking to buy a Porche 964 and you see
rust definitely budget that in but also
remember that if you see rust around
these areas that's usually not a sign of
neglect it just happens with these cars
now however there is one asteris to add
to this if you're looking to get a 964
RS that's a beast of a car right well
that car is special not just in the way
that it drives or that the body is seam
welded no the rust proofing was almost
completely eliminated from the factory
so these are far more likely to rust if
you don't baby them and what I mean baby
as in garage drive right back to garage
so much so that Porsche cut down the
corrosion warranty from 10 years down to
3 years on the RS models they obviously
know something that you should also be
very careful with the rs's check them
extra well and if you're fortunate
enough to have one of these beautiful
cars parked in your home don't even Park
in on wet grass for extended amount of
time the wet grasses mm- not good on to
the next point a lot of these cars live
parked now you think to yourself how can
anybody enjoy a parked car well let me
tell you that I do just looking at a
parked car for me is enjoyable so these
are not abandoned cars it's just cars
that are not as driven as much and what
happens when you don't really drive a
Porsche 964 I will say specifically
anything over 24 months the brake
calipers start seizing up with the
quickness and again this is not a sign
of neglect this is just a sign of nonuse
and if there's moisture in the air the
calibers can seize up so much that they
will need a full rebuild I wouldn't hold
this against any car because it's been
parked however you've got a budget that
in the calipers are aluminum the
stainless steel thrust plates collect
dust and road salt or air salt and that
can lead to some serious corrosion that
you don't immediately see 2 3 months
after you've driven the car it takes a
couple months for this to really start
seasoning up the calibers from my
experience 24 months a car parked here
in Miami I'm pulling Wheels check the
brakes because the brakes seizing is one
of the biggest things that happens with
these cars that are purchased and not
really driven that much the suspension
on the other hand they last a long time
100,000 Mi and you still won't get
clicks or clunks in this suspension so
that's a lot easier to diagnose a dragon
brake caliber is to be expected I
wouldn't hold it against the car I would
just budget it in on to next point when
you're looking to buy any por 64 the
most common advice that you usually hear
is check the record and I agree with
this I like to see a stack of Records
going all the way back when the car
first came out of the dealership however
the records on the 964 might not be 100%
% accurate what do I mean the
speedometer gauge pulls right out and so
yeah I'm not going so much for the mouse
I mean you can and it's good as far as
the history and the value of the car you
know you've got your Carfax you've got
all of that and so you want to have a
natural progression of Miles like for
example I've seen many cars with 30,000
mies and they have seats like this and I
could just tell by the side that that
car easily has over 150,000 Mi so you
actually have to go by the condition of
the car and since when you're looking to
buy a Porche 964 are it's not going to
be in your local area you might be 1,000
or 3,000 Mi away it gets really tricky
ideally you have a sack of Records you
have a phone number of the latest shop
that service the car you can call the
shop and if the shop remembers and knows
the car that's as good as gold remember
that however that's not always a
possibility so in cases like this where
you really don't know the car you really
don't know the seller there's actually
Services of Porsche Enthusiast that will
fly to the car inspect the car for you
for a fee and give you a report tag
somebody in the comments below if you
know anybody now this might seem extreme
but having a Porsche 964 expert look at
the car is worth more than 10 ppis let
me explain yes it might be a little bit
expensive relative to a regular
pre-purchase inspection but if you just
factor in the price of a headlight or
respraying a rear bumper or any little
thing on this car done right you've more
than covered Yourself by sending an
expert in there that really knows what
they're looking at to look at your
potential Porsche 964 believe me it's
worth it I've seen people buy perfect
Porsche 964 only to have them delivered
back to their home and the project start
don't do that get informed or find
somebody that really knows Porsche 964
and have them inspect the car for you
the records are nice however they're not
the end all and be all by a huge stretch
on to next Point engines the Porsche 964
is 3.6 L air cooled Flat 6 is an
unbelievable Symphony Of Sound now if
you're really picky about sound this car
is like the full meal especially with
exhaust however it's not perfect I
remember all the way back in the 1990s
when I got my first Porsche me and my
brother would go to local shops here in
Miami and dig the owner's brains about
these cars my brother's an engineer so a
lot of the things came naturally to him
not to me as much but there is one thing
that was an overwhelming response to the
Porsche 964 they drive great they're
really fun and they leak oil as a matter
of fact if it's not leaking oil chances
are it doesn't have oil and that's just
part of it a lot of the tiny microscopic
oil leaks are actually hidden by the
under trays these under trays hide a lot
of potential leaks so the only real way
to trace oil leaks is to put it on a
lift just like every single aircool 911
and on a lift you can really diagnose if
you have a potential oil leak however
this car is going to leak oil and it's
okay it's not a big deal the engines are
really robust and they take a pounding
now leaking oil and consuming oil are
two totally different things but guess
what these 3.6 engines also consume oil
as a matter of fact Porsche has in their
guidelines an allowable amount of oil
usage that the airod 3.6 engines are
allowed it being a flat 6 engine if a
car has been parked for a while when you
first turn around in the morning you
might get a beautiful plume of white
smoke that signifies oh no it's burning
oil it's not if you just get it on the
startup and it clears out that's natural
however if you keep getting that
beautiful white smoke then chances are
it needs a bit more looking into when
the Porsche 964 came out Porsche did not
use gaskets between the cylinders And
the cylinder head they instead used
metal to metal contact and when these
heads are torqued down you know
Distortion is going to happen and if
Distortion happens leaks happen and if
the Distortion is enough you're going to
lose compression the reduction of
compression is the one thing that I
would really watch out for even in 1990
pora put a larger seating surface and
seating rig to a lot of people cured the
problem however it did not go away a lot
of cars have been retrofitted but the
leaks are there it's just part of the
deal also it's important to know that
oil leaks can come from anywhere in the
engine and they often do but in most
cases they're relatively small the thing
is that they just add all up and if
you've got to pull the engine to fix a
little oil leak believe me you're not
looking at a bill of changing a small
oil leak because once the engine is out
you might as well do everything that
needs to be done to the 911 and usually
the list is long so a little bit of oil
leaking is normal however not to the
point where the car is actually losing
compression so checking the compression
on all cylinders is the first thing to
check on a Porsche 964 Flat 6 engine
that was will tell you the real health
of the engine so if you want to avoid
that situation make sure the car is
truly inspected by somebody that knows
air cool 911 otherwise the car is going
to be out of the road in the shop
getting refreshed for quite a while the
other thing that I would check for is
the Dual Distributors if they're both
firing you see because there are two
spark plugs per cylinder and it's got
two Distributors linked and th
synchronized by a tooth rubber belt this
belt can break leading to just one plug
per cylinder firing and you know what
you you can't always tell yes it can
make it feel uneven or have flat spots
in the RPM range but I know somebody
that was driving around with a broken
belt for over 2 years and did not notice
as far as they're concerned their car
was driving as good as new that's not
good this obviously can lead to
predetonation and that means blown
cylinder head SEALS or Worse that's also
an easy check that's not immediately
obvious from any test drive unless
somebody that really knows these cars is
driving it on to the next point the Dual
Mass flywheel on the manuals it actually
makes it really smooth think of it as
rubber in the flywheel and that's
exactly what it is so this time in
Porsche's history Porsche was trying to
make their cars smoother and quieter as
a matter of fact that's one of the
reasons that the 96 came out the CEO at
the time thought that nobody was going
to pay more money for cars that were
really loud and not as refined so in
this quest to really refine the Porsche
964 they added this dual Mass flywheel
with a rubber dampner and like anything
rubber it first starts getting hard it
starts cracking and then ironically
after not much abuse you actually have a
car that's clunking far more than a car
than it just had a normal flywheel if
you got to change the flywheel you can't
do it with the engine inside so that
means that if you can't do it yourself
you've got to pay for the labor to go
ahead and drop the engine to change out
the clutch and flywheel a lot of people
go with the lightweight RS flywheels
which I personally like because it makes
the engine rev a lot faster in a way a
lot smoother as you're accelerating
through the gears but not smooth as in
heavy smooth I mean smooth as in eager
smoothness and that's what the
lightweight flywheel gives you the
engine feels stronger and to me the
engine feels like it's picked up an easy
30 40 horsepower feel and feel at the
end of the day is all that matters at
least to me on to next point the
Tiptronic transmission now the Tiptronic
transmission is a torque converter
transmission so it's a conventional
transmission and guess what it's great
it really is it's not as engaging as the
manuals but if you would read the test
drives on this transmission back in the
day everyone was like wow this
transmission really takes a 964 to the
next level now of course the driving
enjoyment is not the same as the manuals
however just driving an aircool 911 is
enough for a lot of people believe me it
really is so the automatic transmissions
them being great they're also very
reliable and they don't sap that much
fun from the 964 so no bashing of the
automatic because you know what one day
every single one of us is going to get
to a point where we really can't be
shifting as much and just the fact you
have the option of getting an automatic
to enjoy an air cooled 911 is incredible
for a lot of lot of people it's the
automatic or nothing it's good and
nobody should knock it on to the next
Point buying modified cars now I
understand that modifying is half the
fun for a lot of people however when the
time comes to sell when somebody's
looking to buy a Porsche 964 they're
looking at the poster this is what they
have in their brain right here this is
it anything that deviates from this the
value you know I don't want to say the
value because there's always a buyer for
the car let's just say the pool of
buyers is far less because you could
have a really cool car but it might be
cool to some people but not other people
so this is something that most people
that have owned many porsa know that
whenever you even change the radio from
the original Porsche unit when you do
that you'll get better sound better
everything however when the time comes
to sell the buyer is not thinking wow
great music the buyer is thinking what
happened to the wiry what's going on
inside there thinking about the
liability of course so if you're looking
to sell original is a 100 times better
than modified if you're looking to buy
remember that what I'm saying here is
obvious to a lot of people and you're
always going to pay a premium for
originality however a lot of cars look
original but they're not they were
modified brought back to original and
modified yet again this means that you
really need to have an expert take a
look at the car because it might look
beautiful in pictures however in person
you can tell it's been fooled around
with and only the eye of somebody that
obsesses over these cars can really tell
in 10 seconds so if you can can find
somebody that really knows these cars to
take a look at them to see if they're
really original that's worth its price
and gold on to next one if you live in
hot places like Miami all you really
care about is the AC going to cool are
you going to be sweating your off or are
you actually going to be able to drive
it and not arrive drenched one of the
great things about Porsche 964 is that
those are actually the ones that you see
in Miami because it's hot and the air
conditioner work you rarely see any air
cooled 911s here in Miami unless they're
964 and up and the main reason reason is
AC AC down here is like uh yeah it's
like life support especially when it
gets really really hot in traffic when
there is no breeze so to get the benefit
of the 964 completely revised HVAC
system it needs to be R12 if you follow
advice from magazines like this and go
with the R134 it's just not going to
cool as good specifically the cool down
time you're going to be in there
sweating until it starts cooling down
little by little and you're just going
to be like m this is not good this
revised AC systems in the 964 was
designed to run R12 not R134 the cooling
is going to go way way down and this is
super important not just for hot weather
because the compressor should also be on
when you're turning on the heater
because the compressor dries the air
inside the cabin so whenever you see
conversion kits that say oh this kit
converts your R12 to 134 all that is is
just a little cap so you could put the
new gas in nothing's been converted it's
a r R12 system so if you want to have a
good time with your 964 take it on road
trips for thousands of miles and arrive
in comfort as it was designed to do in
the 964 R12 it's where it's at you can
still buy it the only thing with the R12
is that they just don't make it anymore
but guess what they made so much of it
that is still available to purchase on
to the next one so the Porsche 964 being
a really emotional car if you're going
into it clearheaded and knowing exactly
what you're getting you ensure that your
emotions with this car is 100% positive
as a matter of fact it might be the one
car that you really want to keep forever
however on the flip side if you have a
bad experience because you didn't do
your due diligence and had a solid pre-
purchase inspection it can turn sour
really quickly and from what I've seen
most of the bad experiences that people
have with pora 964 are from people that
have gotten cars that have been
neglected that have years of deferred
maintenance and they think it's going to
be perfect it's not it's going to have
issues this was an expensive car when it
was new and it's even more expensive now
but the good thing is that whatever you
spend on most aircool 911s usually when
the time comes to sell you're able to
get your money back if you do sell
because usually when people buy a
Porsche 964 it's the one they keep
because there are few cars that are
better in the driveway than in the
poster and the Porsche 964 is definitely
one of them that's the Porsche 964 used
993s regularly sell for over $100,000
more selling for more than they did when
they first came out into the showroom it
looks expensive to anybody who doesn't
understand what the air cooled 911
market is when Porsche finished making
the 993 they didn't replace that car the
993 is the last 911 so it's the last not
just air cold because when you say it
was the last Air Cold you're only
talking about the engine no the entire
car is the last of that era and it was
never replaced all that move from that
era to the new era is the badge and the
naming for marketing purposes there is
no a latest and greatest because that is
the latest and greatest so since the car
was never replaced everybody wants there
is no comparable and that's driving up
prices the 993 in particular is very
interesting when you say Market forces
drive up a car's price you can say that
just about any used car that has gone up
in value the air cooled 911s are
different in that the demand is a
recognition of the value that you get
with those cars let me explain whenever
you see Supply demand arguments used to
describe a car's astronomical price
going up is usually forces that are
external there are a lot of classic cars
that have gone up in value because of
external forces pop culture a movie or
several movies all of these external
forces can get the car and raise its
value regardless of the quality of the
car and that happens a lot you see that
everywhere in the used car market the
reason that the 993 and aircool 911s but
specifically the 993 are going up is
because there was no replacement for
that car that was the last the last of
the last there was no cool movie that
made his price go double no it has gone
up because of the car and only the car
now what do you mean the car well it's
very interesting with this car Porsche
in the early '90s was about to go
bankrupt building cars like the 993 and
the 928 so it cost them more money to
build the car and get it to the showroom
then what the car was actually selling
for they were counting on variations and
upsales in the options now a lot of
manufactures do this but the 911 Wass
Porsche's bread and butter by doing this
with your main car you are at the line
of Break Even or make profit and even
when you do make money on the turbos on
the higher end spec cars it's not a
breakout profit so this was pora's
situation all through the ' 80s and the
'90s so much so that they almost went
bankrupt building cars that are more
expensive to make than what you're
selling them for and that all changed
with the boxer the boxer came in at just
under 40,000 bucks in 1987 and the
profit margin in the boxer was over 50%
for Porsche now they're in business the
end user was getting a Porsche
experience experience for less money
than the 911 so you can't keep a running
company selling a product that you're
losing money on and so they came out
with the Boxster and it saved Porsche
from going bankrupt and when the new
9911 came out after the 993 it only cost
Porsha about 18% more to make a 911
versus the Boxster but they were selling
them at 9911 prices plus options of
course it doesn't take a rocket
scientist to tell you that you have two
CS the 993 that Porsche was losing money
on and the boxer which was a huge money
maker and the 99 six so Porche went from
almost being bankrupt to being the most
profitable car company in the world with
margins that are astronomical as a
matter of fact they still are but after
the dust has settled all that you're
left with is the cars the actual product
that was left by this switch from the
old to the new and when you hold the
product on itself one was a money maker
for Porsche and one lost money for
Porsche so now you can start seeing why
the 993 is going up so much in value you
get more for your money with that car
even if you're paying over as new over
sticker on a car that's almost 30 years
old you're still getting more for your
money than a newer 911 and you couldn't
tell this from the road test at the time
all the road test that came out at the
time were glowing Praises for the new
replacement a hair faster a little bit
quieter stops a little bit better so the
figures looked like if it was an upgrade
and all it takes is just opening the
door of a 993 I can do a 2our video
about the 911
store but there are also a whole bunch
of other little things that are not as
obvious as that bank fold door that that
car has little things like the carpet
the carpet on the 993 is sliver it from
the factory it's almost like a lamb's
wool and like that everything throughout
the car the sea structures you remove
the base of the seat on the 993 is the
same one as the 928 made by ricaro it is
overbuilt and expensive to make so how
does that hold up over time you get in a
993 that has 100,000 Mi and you cannot
tell that that car has that many miles
it could have 200,000 Mi and is still in
unbelievable condition because it holds
up because Porche was losing money in
that car bad for Porsche but it was
great for the customer now since that
car is gone they don't make it anymore
the good thing is that you can still buy
one and they're so overbuilt that it
doesn't matter if it's almost 30 years
old it's as good as new it is that
impressive now people know what those
cars are and they all want a little bit
of 993 and I can't blame them the 993 is
the most beautiful car that has ever
been made period it's so beautiful that
Porsche has been trying to get back to
that 993 look with every model starting
with the 997 The 997 looks more like a
993 the 991 even the new 992 has
standard wide body that you should have
to pay extra for very difficult in a new
car with crash regulations so the car
keeps getting bigger and bigger but not
quite as beautiful as the 93 now the car
is not only about build quality or looks
however it is a big factor what makes
the 993 so cool is that it's a 1960s car
and it ended in the 99 3 you can get a
door from a 1997 Porsche 993 and put it
on a 1975 Porsche 911 it bolts on
incredible so even though the structure
is the same it was stiffened refined the
suspension was completely redone several
times especially for the 993 up from the
964 the engine kept getting bigger and
bigger but it kept a lot of weird things
so if you got floor hinged pedals like
an old Beetle it's funny and since
you're driving a 1960s car with modern
Porsche performance you still have the
big rmo brakes you still have that Flat
6 engine you still have that six-speed
you have modern air conditioner so you
can actually drive it and hop places
like for example here in Miami you can
daily drive that car and be entertained
all the time that's part of the reason
why those cars are so expensive you can
use them every single day you don't have
to use them only on the weekends the
maintenance on that car is very low
especially compared to the earlier
aircooled 911s there's no Val
adjustments remember it's Decades of
refinement in that 993 engine and the
brakes are almost comical more than
sufficient for that car and it's got a
six speeed but six is actually an
acceleration gear because that car does
top end in sixth gear not fifth so six
is not an overdrive you have six usable
gears now since Porsche was counting on
making money on variations of the car
and selling them for more countless
variation of that car came out all-wheel
drive convertibles Target turbo ybody
add to that the list of options that you
could have had any color anything as
long as you paid for it that's how
Porsche stayed afloat with the 993 and
that's great for the the customer
because there's so many versions of the
993 that there's something for everybody
but the nicest ones you're going to pay
the most for 993 turbos you're going to
pay 993 wi bodies you're also going to
pay and the only deals that you can
possibly find on a 993 are going to be
the convertibles and some of the target
cuz the target are still super nice and
that's to be understood because that all
comes down to where you live if you live
in Miami having a 993 convertible is 365
day a year experience it's heaven but if
you have it in Michigan where it's snows
that heaven becomes a liability and it
limits the use of the car remember these
cars are daily drivers if you have to
store the car you're storing the fund
and of obviously the price goes down the
prices relative to other porchas have
stayed going up constantly except for
one initial dip when the boxer and the
996 came out when those cars came out
the marketing on the newer water cooled
cars was overwhelming and the used
prices especially on the basic 993s went
down and stayed lower for a couple years
I remember in the early 20
you can get a 993s in the teens that
doesn't exist today that was all the
marketing that Porsche was pushing out
with the newer cars a suppressed the
market but obviously the cream has to
rise to the top anyways and incept for
that initial dip that maybe lasted 3 4
years the prices started going up they
might stall for a couple years and then
back up again that's that car's market
and I don't see that changing the car is
not a marketing car the car is the real
deal whatever you spend on that car your
money secure so it's expensive but
relative to what you could spend $45
,000 bucks on a new Minivan and in 5
years you can't even give it away on a
993 you could spend $80 $100,000 enjoy
the car for a couple years and then set
it for the same or more and if anything
that trend is going to accelerate
because it's a usable investment not
only the most beautiful car ever made it
is the best investment regardless of
price because you get to enjoy it as it
stays or goes up in value and you can
say that about all air cooled 911s but
the 993 in particular now you know