Used car buying guide: Porsche 911 (993)

The Carrera 4 coupé and cabriolet, with four-wheel drive, landed in 1995. It’s a more complex machine, but while purists rate the C2 more, they’ll look on enviously as you speed away in the rain. These C2 and C4 coupés and cabrios, pre- and post-Varioram, are the bread and butter of the 993 range.

In 1995, things got more serious with the launch of the lightweight 296bhp 911 RS and the wide-bodied, four-wheel-drive Turbo. The latter’s twin blowers raised the 3.6-litre engine’s output to 402bhp (a later variant, badged the Turbo S, made 426bhp). The GT2 with rear-wheel drive made even more: 444bhp. Back to the real world, and in 1996 those who couldn’t stretch to the Turbo could have a four-wheel-drive Carrera 4S with the Turbo’s bodykit, brakes and suspension, or a rear-drive C2S with the bodykit alone.

Today, the Turbo, Turbo S, RS and GT2 prices are off the scale, but with values softening across the board, now might be a good time to bag a cheaper C2 or C4 cabrio Tiptronic or, at a pinch, a C2 coupé while folk are looking the other way.

How to get one in your garage

An expert's view

Paul O'Reilly, general manager, Ashgood: “We’ve sold six 993s in the past four weeks, from a £30,000 C2 Tiptronic to a £300,000 Turbo S. The prices of some versions have softened, though. We’ve just sold a left-hand-drive 3.8 RS for £200,000; a couple of years ago, we got 15% more for the same car. It’s all about numbers: the fewer there are, the more they’re worth. There were only 23 right-hand-drive Turbo Ss and some will have been written off. If you’ve got the money, there’s a 993 for you whether it’s a coupé, cabriolet, automatic, turbo or race-inspired.”

Buyer beware...

■ Engine: Oil must be kept at the right level and changed every 12,000 miles. Check after a test drive. Also, check the oil temp gauge: if the reading is too high, it may indicate issues with the oil cooler or temperature sensor. Look for leaks from the chain, valve and lower cam covers. Smell for leaking oil burning on the heat exchangers. If it’s over 100k miles, the engine may have been rebuilt; check by whom. With little-used cars, check for missed services, uneven running and perished hoses.

■ Exhaust: Check for rust on the heat shields and silencer welds, and if the system has been upgraded that it satisfies emissions and noise regs.

■ Gearbox: Manual gearbox thrives on scheduled oil changes. Clutch should be good for 70,000 miles. Regarding the Tiptronic, a noisy torque converter is bad news.

■ Brakes and suspension: Check discs faces for pitting and edges for lipping. Suspension bushes last 40k miles or so. New ones plus new dampers and ball joints tighten the car nicely.

■ Body: Rust takes hold around the headlights, front and rear screens, rear chassis legs, rear bumper support brackets, the scuttle and front wings. Check the door straps aren’t broken.

■ Interior: If the heating system is struggling, check the heat exchangers are working. Air-con problems may be a failed resistor but a new system is very expensive. Feel for damp carpets.