Airccn and suspension

[markstevenson]

A couple of points regarding my 993C2, which I've had and very much enjoyed for just over a year:

Suspension: the car has done 115000 miles and has original suspension which is a tad rusty (as one would expect from a 25 year old car).
To me it feels fine, not especially stiff but not bouncy or unstable. I'm using the car for general driving and haven't taken it on the track yet, but hope to in the future. The question is is a £3000 upgrade really going to make a big difference..?

The other question regards putting money into the car in general, and whether one stands a chance of breaking even. I'm reluctant to throw 1000's at the car which might make it marginally better without a hope of getting my money back. And I'm not sure a standard C2 has great potential for appreciation (that's all taken place in the past few years), and with the current drive towards clean, electric cars who knows whether we'll be allowed to drive them on the roads soon!

I also have to keep in mind this car does not have aircon. How important is aircon to buyers of 993's... is it a real drawback, or are there people out there who actually prefer not to carry the additional weight?

Any views on suspension and aircon much appreciated.

Mark

 

[Gordon Attar]

It's one of the common upsides that the suspension on a 993 goes on for ever in a perfectly drivable condition for every day driving. If you are planning to track the car more than just a once off and would like to be reasonably enthusiastic when out and about then you will notice the difference with an upgrade, the ride will be smoother and noticeably flatter (less roll).
You should be able to get a full set of shocks and springs from Gert at Carnewal(Belgium) for about £1200 then you will need to allow for about 6 hours labour +vand a proper 4 wheel alignment c £150+v which should make the cost around £2000.

 

[clyde]

I’m not sure that you’re entering into classic (or just old, depending on your view) car ownership with the right attitude here Mark. They cost money to keep them on the road and sometimes you just need to grit your teeth and get on with it.

As for the lifespan of the suspension, popular opinion has it that it’s goosed after 20 to 60 thousand miles depending on which brand of shocks you have. I got way more than that out of mine but did notice a huge difference when I replaced it. Getting the suspension geometry properly set up is incredibly important and I find that it drifts out every year or two and needs re-done.

I’m not sure about the perceived importance of air con but there’s a buyer for everything

 

[PaulMcl]

I've only owned my 993 for one year and, on the basis that my local specialist hasn't raised an issue about my suspension, it's not something I can comment on. Regarding the aircon, my 993 has aircon which hasn't worked since I bought it. The independent dealer who sold it to me said aicon is notoriously poor on the 993 and failure was fairly standard on cars of this age. My local specialist said something similar and added it could also be very expensive to repair. If these comments are true you may be better off without the additional headache/weight of an air conditioning system? It would be interesting to hear other people's experiences on the matter

 

[Gordon Attar]

The independent dealer who sold it to me said aicon is notoriously poor on the 993 and failure was fairly standard on cars of this age. My local specialist said something similar and added it could also be very expensive to repair.

No self respecting Porsche specialist would sell a 993 with its aircon not working or should say it's to expensive to fix. You need to avoid these two so called specialists.

Its a fairly basic system and in my experience from having sold more than 30 of them its easy to identify the fault by gassing it up with dye. In my experience 8 out of 10 times it's the condenser £400 + vat, 2 out of 10 it's just been gas £50. Only once has it been an evaporator £1000+v. Occasionally I've had to do a small bit of pipework and never a comptessor.

 

[PaulMcl]

I appreciate your comments Gordon and sorry for cutting in on your post Mark. I just need to find someone local who knows the system

 

[Graham-S]

My AC on my Targa has had no issues in the 15 years I have had it. Just regassed as required
Roof open and AC on gets the best of both worlds in a Targa

Graham

 

[Gwsinclair]

The air con on my recently purchased 993 C2 isn't currently working, I had it gassed and within a week it was blowing warm again!

Slightly worrying as the previous owner spent thousands getting the condenser, evaporator and lots of pipework etc swapped out last year by Porsche. I tested the clutch in the compressor (bypass wire in relay) and it worked, so it was clear, with all the work that had already been done, it was just a simple leak rather than anything more sinister.

Luckily I've been able to trace the leak to the service valves, with the caps off you can see a very slight bubbling in the dye that had leaked out from the inside of the schrader valves, otherwise I cant see any leak at any pipe join, evaporator drain or a the condenser. I think these valves are 25 years old, and thankfully very cheap off-the-shelf items. Hopefully once they are replaced on Thursday all it will need is a regas to see me till the end of the summer (at least!!).