The following was posted on Rennlist yesterday by eclou. I am reprinting it here with permission from the author. I thought this was a nice, short comparison of two iconic cars and the fact that the 993 won out makes it all the better.

Having had the 993tt for a couple of weeks now and the 997tt for a year, I have had a chance to formulate some opinions of the differences/similarities between the 2 cars.

Body - the 993tt is a visual treat. Very sensual lines in a tidy package that is not overly garish. The shape of the car itself is pleasing to the eye and needs no tacky add-ons to make it a stunner. The 997tt is larger and more modern appearing, but has lost some of the distinctive lines. The 997tt looks like it needs some additional “flair” to catch the eye.

Interior - the 993tt has a nice “cockpit” feel, with the more upright windshield allowing the best visibility possible in a sportscar. Switchwork while not as ergonomic certainly still has a quality tactile feel. The materials are high in quality and the interior has held up very well to time. The 997tt interior has a better layout for the driver to reach all the controls, quality is high save for the annoying volcano-grey plastic trim paint.

Suspension - the 993tt HD/M030 setup is extremely compliant and great for a daily driver. It gives up very little comfort to a Mercedes, yet is amazingly free of waddle in cornering. This combo outshines any of the comfort/performance duality that BMW is so famous for in its sports sedans. The 997tt suspension feels tighter and more edgy. Turn-in is much crisper with less softness to the handling. Some of this may be attributable to the 19″ roadwheels and short profile tires, but still the 997 setup is the sharper tool.

Engine - the 993tt motor is smooth, competent but not shocking anymore. There is mild lag and smooth firm torque thru the gears. The 997tt motor is much stronger and has more perceptible off-throttle lag, most likely since it is boosting to 1.2bar.

Overall the 993tt is a delight. I find myself reaching for these keys more than the 997tt. The car feels tight even at 75k miles. It does not rattle (I fixed the squeaking windshield trim with caulk filler foam), and the appearance is simply classic and majestic in a way that could never be dated (at the same time it could never be called garish). It is the “favorite blue jeans” vs the “chic European slacks” of the 997tt. I love this combo far more than the 997gt3/tt combo.

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Rennlist #040131-4711

I’m really interested in continuing this category of comparison rides. If any of you out there would like to contribute and have done a comparison of your 993 to anything else, let me know. You can either contact me directly at paulacirving@gmail.com or by leaving comments right on the blog. My intent is to continue to give you my comparisons, as the opportunity allows. However, living in the NorthEast, my cars are away for the winter as are most of the cars of my friends that I would compare it too.

One of the guys in my office recently purchased a used BMW M3 (it’s a 2001 so an E46 model) and he hasn’t stopped bragging about it and talking about how fast the car is and how well it handles, etc. etc. So, as a dedicated Porsche guy I challenged him to a little comparison testing.

The results were surprising:

Acceleration - To my surprise, the M3 was/is faster than my 993, I guess after seeing the spec I shouldn’t have been so surprised. The BMW has 333 HP which takes you from zero to sixty in 4.8 seconds vs. 4.9 for my 97 C4S with a M64/21 engine producing 285hp. So, while it’s not getting blown away, it is still a touch faster in a straight-line.

Top Speed - Very close call here. The BMW has a published top speed of 155 mhp while the 97 C4S has published top speed of 157 mph (on a side note, the C2S has top speed of 160 mph).

Transmission - To the best of my knowledge the 993C4S was not available with Tiptronic (which is a good thing). The 6 speed, close ratio transmission is easy to use and has nice, quick, short throws for fast gear changes. My friend’s BMW has the SMG Drivelogic tranny or SMG II. This is a Formula 1-style electrohydraulic manual gearbox with no clutch pedal. Basically, it is an F1 style paddle shifter on the steering wheel. From a coolness factor, I think this wins, but I still prefer the feel of the clutch and a short-throw shifter.

Handling - This is purely subjective. I think the Porsche 993 C4S is the winner hands down. It basically sticks to the road and with the all-wheel drive and is much more forgiving than most other Porsches. I also think you have a better “road-feel” in the 993 than in the BMW.

Brakes - The Porsche is the clear winner here! I mean come on we’re talking about the “Big Red Brakes” from the Turbo series. This car stops when you want it to and where you want it to. That’s all there is to it.

Consumables and Maintenance - Both cars have their pros and cons in this area. While I don’t have exact numbers on costs of ownership, the Porsche seems to have a slight advantage for a few reasons. 1. The Porsche 911 model has been around much longer and as a result has a larger number of service techs and shops available to choose from. 2. I personally know of at least four (4) 993s being driven as daily drivers with an excess of 100,000 miles each. I can’t say the same for any M3 (I’m sure they exist, I just don’t know of them). 3. The 993 C4S if driven lightly can receive well in excess of 24 miles per gallon; while the BMW is known to consume gas at a much higher rate.

Interior - Again, this is a subjective choice. The BMW has a more modern feel to it with a more conspicuous amount of electronics and computers. I personally like the big dials of the Porsche and that same look and feel that is uniquely Porsche from the 1960s on (my aluminum gauges don’t hurt either from an aesthetic point of view). The BMW has more interior space and more trunk space, but most likely you’re not buying either of these cars to store luggage or tote around a family. From a driver’s perspective, the 993 is more driver friendly with the gauge layout and has more legroom than the BMW.

Appearance - The 993 is the clear winner here. Many say that the Porsche 993 C4S is the culmination of 40 years of design. The Turbo-wide body look, the aggressive stance, etc. I can’t even tell you how many nights I walk out to my garage just to look at my car. It looks fast just sitting there. Recently, the MOFA in Boston did a show on some of Ralph Lauren’s car collection. While the show did not include a 993 it did include a 959 (which we all know is just another 911 derivative from a styling standpoint). There wasn’t an M3 to be seen within a mile of the place.

I’m interested in knowing if we have any BMW readers and your thoughts on this comparison. My opinion is biased, obviously, but I still think I fairly described things.

My cousin is a big Subaru WRX fan and has been busting my chops about how good these “tuner” cars are. I’ll probably work on a little comparison of that next.

I’ve seen a lot of conversations lately on which is a better car, the Carrera 2 or the Carrera 4. What’s not always clear in these discussion is exactly which model(s) are they discussing? Are all non Carrera 4′s (excluding Turbo’s) considered a Carrera 2? It’s tough to say, and it may depend on who you talk to. So, for the sake of this discussion let’s separate them based on two-wheel/rear wheel drive versus all-wheel/four-wheel driver.

I’m biased as I own a C4S. I bought this car not only for the look (wide body Turbo look) but for the all wheel drive as well. I’ve driven quite a few Porsches and while I enjoy the “driving spirit” of the rear-engine two wheel drive versions, there is some comfort in knowing that with an all-wheel drive version the idea of going “ass over teakettle” has basically been taken out of the equation.

So, what are the major differences between the two and which one is a better car?

Major Differences:

• Options - The Carrera 4 has certain standard equipment that is only available as options on the Carrera
  • Braking System. The Carrera 4 has the ABD or Automatic Braking Differential
  • Differential. The Carrera 4 has a mechanical 22 – 40% lock limited slip.
  • 18″ Wheels
  • Big Red Brakes/Turbo Brakes
  • MacPherson Struts (same as option code MO33)
  • Turbo look wide body
• Weight -
  • The Carrera weighs in roughly at 3014 lbs (1370 kilos) vs. 3120 lbs (1420 kilos)
• Performance -
  • The Carrera has a slight edge due to lower weight. However, this edge is only noticeable on the track as top speed is only 3mph more and doesn’t become really noticeable until you get to quarter mile times.
  • As a note, any performance advantages are lost if weather conditions are anything less than dry. At this point the Carrera 4 takes over with a marked difference.
• Resale -
  • This remains to be seen. I’ve been thinking of starting a thread on this to track pricing and sales, but I’m still undecided.
  • Based on my research and tracking of pricing the C4S carries a premium over everything but Turbo’s and other limited editions (such as the GTs, RS’s, etc.).

So, who’s the winner? I don’t think there is a clear one here. Again, as I’m biased, I would say the Carrera 4, specifically the C4S coupe wins each time, I know others would say different. Let me know what you think?

WARNING!!!! The following is outright blatant advertising. However, I am hoping that I can provide enough decent content that makes it worthwhile for people to read my blog. So, in an effort to help pay for my hosting costs, I’ll occasionaly provide links to things that I think are worthwhile with regard to Porsche 993(s).

In this instance, some of the information provided above came from “Porsche 993 The Essential Companion” written by Adrian Streather. I’ve done my best to make sure that the things I advertise or “recommend” are useful and are things that I use myself or have used in the past. In this case, Adrian’s book has been a constant companion and helped immensly in the purchase of my 993.

What’s with the batteries in the 993 anyway?  Is it just me or do these cars seems to eat up batteries more than normal?  I know my car is not a daily driver, but it still gets fairly regular use.  However, if it sits for more than two weeks without a start, then the engine tends to turn over very, very slowly and may even refuse to start.  My Mercedes E500 doesn’t do this.  Does anyone else have this issue?  Obviously, over time (and after replacing a few batteries) I’ve learned to keep a Battery Tender on my 993 and highly recommend you do the same. 

Over time, I’ve noticed the following:

1. If I leave the car sitting for a couple of weeks, but don’t engage the alarm, the battery will be fine.  I think between the LED light on the door and whatever the alarm has engaged internally, this provides some type of drain on the battery.  The result is, when the car is in my garage (which has it’s own alarm) I no longer engage the factory 993 alarm.  This has help tremendously in saving the battery.

2. In the event that the battery does discharge fully or gets disconnected, the data for the engine electronics (which is stored in the control unit) will be erased.  So, when you recharge and or reconnect the battery the engine needs to run for about 10 minutes in order for the control unit to reprogram and re-acquire the proper data.  While this is happening, it’s possible for the engine to idle fast and uneven.

3. If you use a regular lead-acid battery vs. the new sealed or gel batteries, you need to maintain the water level properly (especially in hot climates).  Loss of electrolyte (which the water is part of) is said to be the cause of more than half of early battery failures and this happens through simple evaporation during the summer and in hot weather.  If you keep a close watch, ensuring that all the plates in the battery are covered, you effectively extend the life of your battery.  Make sure you only use distilled water when you replenish your battery cells.

Lastly, don’t forget that if your battery discharges or you disconnect it, you will have to re-active your stereo with a code (this assumes you have the stock radio installed by Porsche).  When the battery comes back to life, or you reconnect it, the display will ready “CODE”, with a flashing letter “C”.  At this point you need to enter you code, which if you’re anything like me is highly unlikely as you won’t remember it and you lost the radio code card long ago.  Hopefully, your sales person or dealer was kind enough to write in down somewhere on one of your manuals or put a copy somewhere in your glovebox.  After desperately searching, if you still can’t find the code, try calling the dealer with your VIN#; if you can convince them that you are the true owner of the 993 in question, they should be able to give you the code.

I get a lot of strange looks sometimes when I step out of my Porsche 993. You see, I’m about 6’4″ tall (1.93 meters) and 275lbs (125 kilos). People see me getting out of the car and they wonder if I’ve used a shoe-horn to wedge myself in. The truth is, the Porsche 993 has lots of room for big and tall men (even with the sunroof closed).

My very first Porsche was a 1973 911T. As some of you may know, the older 911′s didn’t have the big, bulky console in the middle. In fact, up until 1973, the driver’s area was open to the passenger area (with only the stick shift in the way) giving even more room to spread your legs and get comfortable. However, even with the advent of the console, there is still plenty of room for big and tall men in the Porsche 993.

I find that I fit quite comfortably with the seat adjusted properly. In fact, this summer my wife and I took a long road trip from Maine to Prince Edward Island in our 1997 Carrera 4S. We put about 1500 miles on the car over the course of four (4) days. Toward the end of one 500 mile stretch my legs were starting to get a bit cramped, but for the most part we were very comfortable.

So, if you’re thinking of purchasing a 993 and are concerned that you may not fit, I wouldn’t worry. Even if you are very tall (I’m talking professional basketball height) there are plenty of places available that can help with a tall man conversion.

I would love to see some pictures from any of you showing how you fit into your 993. Let me know.