911 (993)

"Practically only the roofline remained"

Porsche has said that with the 993, every part of the car was redesigned from the ground up, though it also conceded that only about 20 percent of parts carried over and that, visually, "practically only the roofline remained unchanged" from the 964. The new body, by Tony Hatter, traded the upright 964 look for flatter front wings (made possible by polyellipsoid headlights), integrated bumpers, flush windows, and dramatically flared rear arches.

The 993 went on sale in 1994 (1995 model year in the US), initially as Coupe and Cabriolet, both offered in rear-drive and all-wheel-drive form. The whole body shell was galvanized, which is a large part of why sound 993s are still common three decades later while contemporaries from other makers are not.

The chassis that changed the 911

The single biggest engineering story is the rear suspension. Porsche binned the long-running semi-trailing-arm layout and fitted an entirely new all-alloy multilink rear end, the "Weissach axle" mounted to a light-alloy subframe (the LSA chassis), a design derived from the stillborn 989 four-door project. Its self-steering geometry sharply reduced the snap-oversteer reputation of earlier 911s, improved ride and refinement, and is still regarded as the high point of that rear-axle concept. The all-wheel-drive system was also re-thought: out went the 964's heavier three-differential arrangement, replaced by a lighter viscous-coupling setup borrowed in concept from the 959.

VarioRam and the six-speed

At launch the 3.6-liter flat-six made 268 hp. For the 1996 model year Porsche added VarioRam, a variable-length intake system that changes runner length with rpm and load to fatten mid-range torque, lifting output to 281 hp. The 993 was also the first 911 to come standard with a six-speed manual; rear-drive cars could still be ordered with the now much-improved Tiptronic S automatic, which is the specification the collector market has since discounted hardest.

A broad family

For its short run the 993 spawned a deep lineup: the rear- and all-wheel-drive Carrera; the widebody Carrera 4S / Carrera S; the glass-roof Targa (new for 1996); the twin-turbocharged, AWD Turbo and its Exclusiv-built Turbo S; the rear-drive, widebody GT2 homologation special; the lightweight naturally aspirated Carrera RS 3.8 (and Clubsport); and pure-race RSR and Cup cars. The Carrera RS and the GT2 road car were never federalized for the United States, which is why US demand concentrates on the Carrera S, the Turbo and the Turbo S.

The end of the air-cooled era

The 993 was replaced in 1998 by the water-cooled 996. The very last air-cooled 911 built for the road, a Riviera Blue Carrera 4S, was completed on 31 March 1998 and is famously owned by Jerry Seinfeld. That closing date is the whole basis of the model's standing: 35 years of air cooling stop here, and no later 911 can claim it. It is also why the 993 has behaved differently from its neighbors in the market, holding a floor through the softer years after 2018 that the 964 and the early 996 did not.

Secondary air injection (SAI) clogging. The 993's secondary-air system injects air into the exhaust ports on cold start to cut emissions. Over time carbon deposits clog the small passages. On 1996+ OBD-II cars this trips a check-engine light and can mean an automatic smog-test fail in CEL-checking states such as California. There is a genuine debate about severity: many specialists treat clogged SAI ports as primarily an emissions and inspection nuisance with little effect on how the car drives, addressable by cleaning the ports; others have framed worst-case carbon-related work as very expensive. We flag this as disputed.

Oil leaks. Generally less troublesome than the 964's, but oil weeps (for example from the lower cam covers) are common and usually straightforward to address.

Door check straps. A well-known 993 failure point. The strap that holds the door open breaks; the repair is fiddly and can run up labor.

Targa roof mechanism. Complex, heavy, and prone to faults; repairs to the glass-roof system can be costly. It also adds weight high in the car.

Air conditioning. A/C compressors and associated plumbing can need attention, and the work is not a cheap afternoon at a specialist.

Turbo driveline (1996 cars). Early 993 Turbos used weaker transmission input shafts given the power and AWD loads; Porsche strengthened them for 1997-98.

General. Tired suspension bushings and dampers and deferred maintenance are the usual story on cheaper examples; budget accordingly.

Documentation and specialist history matter enormously. A sorted, fully documented car beats a "better-spec" neglected one. Receipts from a recognized air-cooled Porsche specialist are gold on these.

Secondary air injection (SAI). On 1996-on (OBD-II) cars, carbon clogs the small secondary-air passages and trips a check-engine light, which can fail emissions and smog testing in some US states. Ask whether the SAI ports have been cleaned and whether a CEL is present, but understand the debate over how much it actually matters (see Common Problems).

Rust. The 993 is galvanized and generally rust-resistant, but check door sills, the bottoms of the doors, wheel arches, and under the carpets. Neglect and poor repairs show up there.

Targa roof and seals. The glass "greenhouse" mechanism is complex and can be unreliable and expensive; check it operates smoothly and look for water ingress, cabin heat complaints, and rattles.

Turbo specifics. On Turbos, 1996 cars have weaker transmission input shafts and a non-flashable ECU; 1997-98 cars got stronger shafts and a modifiable ECU. Verify which you are looking at, because the market prices the later cars higher.

Transmission and body style drive the price. A Tiptronic Cabriolet and a manual coupe are not the same asset, and the gap runs to six figures on classic.com's September 2026 benchmarks. Confirm the gearbox is original to the car.

Common annoyances to budget for. Door check straps (a known 993 weak point, fiddly to fix), tired A/C compressors and plumbing, and lower cam-cover oil weeps. Confirm a real service history rather than assuming.

As of September 2026, classic.com's 993 market page puts the average recorded sale across the whole model line at $153,798, with a tracked high of $2,397,500 for a 1997 GT2 in December 2023 and a low of $12,930 for a 1995 Carrera project car in November 2025.

The variant benchmarks set out the hierarchy plainly, all as of September 2026: Carrera Cabriolet (manual) $70,406, Carrera coupe (manual) $99,206, Targa (manual) $103,959, Carrera 4S $167,482, Carrera S (manual) $188,884, Turbo $254,166, Carrera RS $394,442, Turbo S $641,970 and GT2 $1,455,014. Both the Carrera 4S and the Turbo pages carry an upward trend indicator: the 4S has run from a $60,000 low in April 2023 to $395,500 in August 2025, the Turbo from $86,000 in February 2022 to $614,200 in September 2024.

A durable pattern worth knowing: with most classics top down means price up, but 993s invert it. Coupes are worth meaningfully more than Cabriolets or Targas, and manual cars more than Tiptronics.

Sports Car Market, writing up the 2024 sale of the last customer-delivered air-cooled Turbo at $809,019, put comparable 993 Turbo results that year in a $290,000 to $665,000 band against an all-time high of $896,000 in 2023. Collector values move. Use the Fully Sorted Value Guide for live comps before buying or selling.