Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

After some tosser wrote of my poor 944 cab I had pretty much decided on a 3.2 boxster S.
I foolishly started looking at 911s in the same price bracket and a few 964s C4s and C2s showed up. Now I'm propperly confused. I like the idea of a 21st century car with all the fit and finish that comes with it and an interior that was designed after I was born but I'd also like to look at the engine and know what all the bits do. Are there any major pitfalls to a C2 or C4 ownership?

Look at the servicing costs, 964s are quite complex & that reflects in the bills they generate. So not sure you'd run for anything like Boxster money let alone 944.

I've never paid to have my car serviced, allthough I've never had anything flash enough for self servicing to effect the value. The boxster would probably be the first car I'd have to do this on because I dont have the porsche computer interface.
Are there any particular disasters on the 964, like the iffy castings and RMS problems on the boxster?

I do a fairly large chunk of my servicing. The Boxster is setup so a lot is done from below, AKA a ramp. Can it be done on a jack on the drive possibly?
Not sure how much of a 964 could be done at home but I know some jobs take a long while, like a plug change (all 12 of 'em).

Should be easy, 964s for boys, Boxsters for girls

Have you considered a very late model 944S2 again, or a 968, same engine as the 944S2, but more modern looking, more useful as it's a hatchback (unless you want the cabriolet), probably cheaper to run than a 964 - which by the way is the 911 type I'd go for (a targa one - each to his own eh).

Porscheworld (or one of the Porsche magazines) produced a buyers guide a few years ago, and I'm sure the 964C2 had had lots of changes that helped to make it more affordable and easier to maintain. You don't need a C4, I'm sure you know it's four wheel drive, which would probably use more fuel and make the tyres wear out faster - I stand to be corrected as I'm not an expert.

Nothing particularly wrong with the 964 all the issues would have been well sorted by now. The running costs will be double that of the Boxster, but you'll have a 911 so that's got to be worth it.

Most seem to have a top end rebuild around the 100k mark.

Why not consider a C2 cab and cover all your bases?

Hi BEN

928..proper car, engine in proper place....as long as you can afford the fuel....think 12 to 18 to the gallon as a daily driver...but can blow all your other choices away for speed

All the best Brett

Drive them both then decide.
There about as different as you can get.
Id rather have a 64, but i own a 64. The 911 will hold its value better a boxster.

i agree with previous post, boxster prices are still falling, 964's are pretty steady

Cheers. Russ has the best idea, take some out for a spin. I had i go in a Cayman round Thruxton and TBH i didn't like the feel of it that much but I'd probably get used to it. I had an old 2.7 911 and despite being a bit of a dog it was a whole lot of fun. I think I need a break from front-4s after a 924s a 944 lux and the S2.
There's a 964 c4 targa and a c2 targa within my price range so I might go have a look. It's just a shame they left the dash out of the 1970's 911 in there.

Always think the 4x4 is a bit of overkill on the natasp 911's ( says he as a happy 993 C2 driver ) and for sure the 964 would represent a better investment

Think I'd go for a cared for 951. Definatley drive them first. Good position to be in. Enjoy your self

So you need convincing....

I'll punch you in the face if you buy a boxster.

That work?

In all seriousness... I can get a boxster around a track quicker than a std 964....

BUT

i'd still have the 964 as its waaaaay cooler.

911's all the time for myself

I had my 964 for 2 years now. I am still smiling when I get in it!
I had it inspected professionally before I bought it - I think this is an absolute MUST for a car of that age (17-19 yrs old now).

I decided to take it to the "professionals" for the yearly service - on the grounds that I did not have a picture of the condition of the car, and I could do with some good advice.

The first yearly service was done by PARR for about £700.
The second yearly service was done by John Mitchel in B'mouth for about £500.
In addition, I have changed the rear disks (about £300 + the cost of the disks) and a full set of tyres.
No other costs apart from petrol (it averages about 23 m/g).

As others have said, the two known issues with these cars are the engines that might leak oil (so a top end rebuild at about 100K miles is normally expected) plus the double distributor ventilation kit,(cost : about £15, but if you do not have it you might get a broken distributor belt and then the worst case scenario is valves hitting the cylinder heads...)

On the plus side, you get the last air-cooled 911 with the classic shape, and a huge grin on your face every time you fire it up or go through a tunnel - plus all the kids at school want to befriend your kid, who has a cool dad:-)

Any specific questions - just ask.