- Doors and Seats
2 doors, 4 seats
- Engine
3.6i, 6 cyl.
- Engine Power
210kW, 340Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 11.4L/100KM
- Manufacturer
RWD
- Transmission
Manual
- Warranty
2 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
1994 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet Tiptronic review
I always feel that the cars you love most are the cars you lusted after when you were a late teenager. The Porsche 911 993 variant was released when I was 17, and I immediately thought it was the most beautiful car I had ever seen.
- Looks
- Noise
- Performance
- Convertible roof
- Four seats
- Maintenance
- Scared of damage
For most of my life, I have had more chance of flying to the moon than buying a Porsche. Children and a mortgage will do that. However, I kept plugging away, and last year (after getting the all-clear from my very understanding wife) I purchased a 1994 993 Cabriolet. It was one of the better days of my life.
I specifically wanted a Midnight Blue Cabriolet. Most Porsche purists think the Cab’ is lame, but I don’t really care. There’s nothing better than driving home after a day at work with the roof down. All your problems disappear. I also love that it has little seats at the back, as it allows us to take my 10-year-old daughter in the car.
Driving is a different experience. It has a sound unique to air-cooled engines. It also has a funny smell – a mixture of oil, fuel and leather! The pedals are very offset to the left. It would be easy to accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brake. Thankfully I haven’t done that. Performance is good, but I reckon a Golf R would smash it. It’s over 4000rpm where it starts to sing.
Unlike many with old Porsches, I endeavour to drive mine most days. There’s no point having a nice car, only to see it just sit there in the garage. I think that defeats the purpose of owning a car. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Mirage or an Aventador, cars were built to be driven.
Mine has the Tiptronic gearbox. I’m fine with this, as I bought it to cruise along in, not to go on a track. It is a decent gearbox for the time, but a manual would certainly be better.
It hasn’t been all roses. Maintenance is very expensive. Fixing things like oil leaks means the engine has to come out, resulting in a bill that takes your breath away.
Sometimes I go to the garage just to look at it. My wife asks “what are you doing?”. After 12 months, I still shake my head in disbelief that my dream car is in my garage.