# Which is the best Porsche 911? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 21, 2013, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-best-porsche-911/669388 "2013-09-21T17:44:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-best-porsche-911/669388/41 "2013-09-25T01:45:06Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I don’t see anything about US market models only in your OP. Well, it’s a U.S.-centric board. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-best-porsche-911/669388/42 "2013-09-25T02:01:09Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Nope. The 959 was never imported to the U.S. during its production run. It was never certified in the U.S. It’s 25 years old now, so you’re free to import it to your heart’s content.\* \*Assuming ample cash. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-best-porsche-911/669388/43 "2013-09-25T02:04:12Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > It’s 25 years old now, so you’re free to import it to your heart’s content.\* Yes, the rules changed over a decade ago. But they were out of production by then. EDIT: Also, they only made like 300 of them. They needed to make a minimum number for homologation as a rally car. So it’s not really a ‘production model’ in the sense that the others are. . ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-best-porsche-911/669388/44 "2013-09-25T02:20:21Z")
[Further clarification.](https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/289/~/importing-a-non-u.s.-version-%2F-non-conforming-vehicle-or-car-into-the-u.s.) > [@](#): > > Cars that are more than 25 years old are exempt from EPA and DOT requirements. For more information about antique vehicles visit “Importing classic or antique vehicles/cars for personal use”. eta: Quite making excuses, you owe it to the dope now to buy a 959 and start a thread about it. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-best-porsche-911/669388/45 "2013-09-25T02:44:17Z")
Have you got the number for Bill Gates, Paul Allen or Jerry Seinfeld? I seem to have misplaced them. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-best-porsche-911/669388/46 "2013-09-25T03:11:24Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > eta: Quite making excuses, you owe it to the dope now to buy a 959 and start a thread about it. Not in the market. If I had the money to buy one, I wouldn’t. Maybe someday. Or just be satisfied I had a 911 once. But there are higher priorities. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-best-porsche-911/669388/47 "2013-09-25T13:35:32Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > EDIT: Also, they only made like 300 of them. They needed to make a minimum number for homologation as a rally car. So it’s not really a ‘production model’ in the sense that the others are. They only made 1000 or so of the ducktail Carrera RS, which is widely acknowledged to be the best 911 of all time. The 959 was the most advanced road car ever built in its day, not to mention the fastest. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-best-porsche-911/669388/48 "2013-09-25T14:53:03Z")
> [@ducati](#): > > And if you like 964s, [don’t watch this clip!](http://jalopnik.com/watch-this-insane-crash-in-a-vintage-porsche-1365978804) OK, so what do they say about “old Porsches and murder?” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-best-porsche-911/669388/49 "2013-09-25T20:19:33Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > They only made 1000 or so of the ducktail Carrera RS, which is widely acknowledged to be the best 911 of all time. The 959 was the most advanced road car ever built in its day, not to mention the fastest. The RS was excluded in the OP, and they only made one-third the number of 959s. The 959 was only a ‘production model’ so that they could get around the rally rules. > [@Me](#): > > In 50 years of production there have been coupés and Targas and convertibles. There have been different engine options in given years. There are turbos and non-turbos, and RWD and AWD. There have been models specifically produced for racing. I’d like to simplify things by excluding race cars like the GT1, 911S vs. 911RS, and turbocharging options. What I’m curious about is which general model people think is the best of the series. That is, original 911 (1964 year-model to 1968), the lengthened ones (1969 to 1973), the big-bumper ones (1974 to 1977), the 911SC that had the flared rear fenders as standard, the 1984-1993 Carrera with its larger engine, the 993, the 996, or the 991. I’m asking about the model and not the sub-models within those models. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2013, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-best-porsche-911/669388/50 "2013-11-02T23:55:33Z")
[An article on Yahoo today](http://autos.yahoo.com/photos/5-favorite-porsche-911s-of-all-time-slideshow/1965-66-porsche-911-photo-1383340973537.html). ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2013, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-best-porsche-911/669388/51 "2013-11-03T13:05:49Z")
How about a [Singer 911](http://singervehicledesign.com/)? They are pricey, but the concepts are true to the original 911. They start with a type 911 (not 964, 993, etc) and flare the fenders a little for the “right” look. The later models have just grown the car to be big, with a longer wheelbase to increase the polar moment and avoid the older problem of swapping ends when lifting throttle in a curve. The Singer cars are pretty, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say. And pricey maybe doesn’t come close to describing the cost. Prohibitive might be more accurate. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2013, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-best-porsche-911/669388/52 "2013-11-03T13:09:31Z")
Singer has a gallery page but [here are some quick, other images of Singer 911s](http://goo.gl/GCTFWT). ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2013, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-best-porsche-911/669388/53 "2013-11-03T13:18:49Z")
It’s a hell of a thing, that Singer. Wow. Thanks for sharing that, **echo7tango**. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2013, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-best-porsche-911/669388/54 "2013-11-03T19:05:10Z")
> [@echo7tango](#): > > How about a [Singer 911](http://singervehicledesign.com/)? They are pricey, but the concepts are true to the original 911. They start with a type 911 (not 964, 993, etc) and flare the fenders a little for the “right” look. From an appearance persepective, the Singers take an early 911 and flare the fenders a bit. In reality, they pretty much use the chassis to make a 911-shaped exotic - they replace the body panels with carbon fiber, the interior with modern materials and electrics, and the engine and suspension of modern bits, some Porsche, some custom. It’s a vintage axe with the head and handle replaced. As an exercise, they’re impressive. As vintage 911s, they’re a joke. Long before I shelled out for a Singer, I’d get a 911 2.7RS and/or 1967 911S SWB. ---
**Author:** ![phxjcc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phxjcc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phxjcc)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-best-porsche-911/669388/55 "2013-11-04T20:13:55Z")
FYI–the latest issue of Car and Driver did a complete history of the 911 models including problems with each generation. If you are an air cooled zealot–the 997 is the way to go; if not, go later. ---
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-best-porsche-911/669388/56 "2013-11-04T21:28:27Z")
> [@phxjcc](#): > > If you are an air cooled zealot–the 997 is the way to go; if not, go later. You mean the 993? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-best-porsche-911/669388.md?page=2)