1993 Porsche 968

“I purchased the car in April 1997 from an official Porsche dealer, Carr’s of Exeter, and have owned it ever since,” explains Christopher. “There is a full Porsche service history for my 26 years of ownership, comprising annual Service/Maintenance, together with details of occasional extra repairs and replacement of items.”

Christopher has supplied The Market with a comprehensive 9-page Microsoft Word document detailing dates and mileages when all services and MOT tests were completed, as well as all maintenance works (both minor and major) – the latter, noted in terms of exactly what was carried out and matched against both dates and mileages. All can be doublechecked against the huge number of invoices in the 968’s history file (and which can be seen in the Photographic Gallery, below).

It's worth noting some of the most recent works carried out, although it must be said that this is merely a snapshot of the parts replaced, and work completed, over the years. These include:

• Reconditioned front brake calipers, brake pads, replacement n/s/r drive shaft bolts (Dec, 2022); new water pump, thermostat, timing belt kit and pulleys (March, 2022)
• Cambelt replacement (May, 2021)
• 4 x Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 tyres, cambelt replacement, new balance shaft belts, PAS and alternator belt tensioners, undertrays, cam cover gaskets, oil seals, and PAS pipe (Oct, 2020)
• New ABS relay, fan relay (Aug, 2017), new alternator and fan relay (Dec, 2017)

“Throughout my years of ownership, I have essentially undertaken all works as advised by Porsche to keep the car mechanically sound and in good driving condition. AFN (now Porsche West London) and then, in Devon, Carr’s of Exeter (now Porsche Exeter) have carried out most of the work on the car, with a couple of visits to Northway Porsche in the 1990's and just the last remedial works and MOT's undertaken at a local independent”.

Christopher has used the car almost entirely for private leisure use, with most of it being long-distance weekend motorway/A-road driving between his homes in London and Devon. “There have been other long-distance holiday journeys to the west and north of England, Wales and Scotland. The car has not been used for any sporting, track-day, Club or other organised driving events, not has it ever been driven outside of the UK”.

He also indicates that the 968 has not been modified in any way and is, “exactly a 1993-year 968 Coupe as maintained and repaired, as required, over 30 years of life”.

With his mileage much reduced in recent years, due to a combination of the Covid pandemic and changes in his own lifestyle and circumstances, he is no longer making regular long journeys. “I bought a second car a year ago for routine errand-based driving, planning to keep the Porsche 968 purely for Sunday pleasure, but I am not driving it enough for its own good. It deserves a new owner who will drive it regularly and give it the time it deserves, so it’s reluctantly up for sale.”

There’s no doubt that the 968’s lines have mellowed supremely well, so that today it provides a striking profile. And yet one that is still unmistakably Porsche.

This example has been very well looked after, but also enjoyed regularly. Generally, paintwork is good, but as you would expect it does wear some battle-scars.

“The paint is showing some signs of age since much of it is original. There are some places where minor areas of corrosion have been dealt with in the past and new paint blended in (such as around the wheel arches). Some spots above the windscreen have emerged recently, which the new owner would probably want to address soon. I would have continued to drive the car without a major repainting, but the next owner may decide that the time is right to smarten the car up all over.”

There are other minor bits of exterior fettling to do, such as replacement of the windscreen seal which has lifted along its top edge.

The alloy wheels are original Porsche 16” rims. “The 16” wheels allow for deeper tyres, which make for a better ride on today’s poor road surfaces. The tyres are Porsche-rated Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 items, fitted in October 2020, and which retain good tread and condition since my mileage has been limited since then.”

Again, the alloys could be used as is, or refurbished to work towards an overall sharper exterior aesthetic.

“The majority of the interior is in good condition. For most of the last 26 years, I have been the only occupant of the car, so the passenger and rear seats are original leather and in very good condition. I had the “wings” and headrest sections of the driver’s seat retrimmed a few years ago in matching leather to the original Porsche colour, and the centre-seat and centre-back driver’s seat leather is original Porsche leather in good condition”.

The steering wheel leather and gear-lever leather are 30-years old; as such, the top of the steering wheel is cracking with age and the gear-lever a touch worn. Christopher again would have continued driving as is, but the good news for prospective bidders is that he purchased a full leather hide when he retrimmed the driver’s seat. “Over half of this is left on the roll, so if any new owner wishes to attend to either, or both, then they can do so with matching replacement leather.”

The Grey vinyl interior roof-lining material is original. It has tightened with heat and age and has split in a few places above the door frames. A non-Porsche CD/Cassette/Radio is also fitted.

In the boot you’ll find a space-saver spare wheel with electronic pump and wheel-changing accessories. The former replaced with an official new spare wheel in September 2018.

“The hatchback boot and fold-down rear seats provide amazingly flexible luggage space, when required. You can drive to the airport with a set of skis in the boot!”

Over to Christopher for a description of how the car drives:

“In my subjective opinion, the car continues to drive in much the same way as it always has done. Being an older Porsche, it retains a reassuringly solid feel in build and that translates to the feeling on the road where it sits firmly down on the surface, holds speed well and provides a solid yet communicative steering feel,” he says.

“The large 4-cylinder engine (nearly 3-litres) provides plenty of flexibility within the gears; the changes themselves are swift and positive. In everyday A- and B-road driving the car can do nearly everything with ease in 3rd and 4th gears; on motorways and dual carriageways it moves easily along in 5th and 6th gears and can achieve a very respectable 30mpg!”

“It goes without saying that the handling of the 968 is superb, with brilliant balance. The feeling of cornering it via a light touch of the accelerator to sink it into the corner as the power comes in from the rear wheels is great fun and as sure-footed as anything else I have experienced; yet the 968 has also proved itself a great long-range vehicle with plenty of luggage and the occasional passenger.”

A comprehensive description and one, when matched with the superlative service and maintenance history, that you can be assured is spot on.

One thing to note is that the odometer became stuck at 196,607 miles when a small cog behind the dashboard broke. “This can happen on older 944/968 models and I didn’t get round to fixing it in the short term. The precise dates are in the schedule that I’ve included, but I estimate the total mileage at no more than 203,000. I have however suggested an advertised mileage of 205,000 miles to give a margin of error and to be as transparent as possible about it”.

The engine bay presents very well (indicative of its excellent maintenance), and the underside too looks to be in good health.

The 968 comes with a bespoke Car Covers UK all-weather waterproof/breathable 4-layer cover.

The included V5c document indicates that the 968 has had a total of 3 owners from new. There is no service history prior to 34,722 miles, however what there is after that, is reams and reams of invoices from Porsche main dealers detailing the first-class maintenance schedule that this example has followed.

It really is worth your time flicking through them in our photographic Gallery below, to get an accurate picture of just how well cared for this 968 has been.

We have had a quick flick through the included invoices and estimate the total spend on preventative maintenance to be in the region of £45k and upwards… in fact, that’s conservative in the extreme as it’s likely much higher. One thing is certain and that is that this is one Porsche that has not been run on a budget. A couple of invoices show work to have been done by Porsche specialist Northway including minor engine work, new brake disks, new handbreak shoes & brake pads amounting to around £1.5k.

The current MOT test certificate is also included (as are almost all others from Christopher’s ownership) and runs until 11/12/2023.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of the paperwork to support our claim that this car has maintained to an excellent standard.

Enthusiast owned (not for a couple of years, but for 26!), this Porsche 968 has been subject to a cost-no-barrier maintenance schedule, carried out by Porsche main dealers, for the duration of that time. As such, its owner says it remains in excellent driving condition.

Yes, if the next owner wishes to have it looking supremely shiny, then there is some exterior titillation to be completed. Equally however, they could continue to drive and enjoy it as is – just as the vendor has done.

The interior remains in remarkably nice condition and there’s even half a hide of matching leather thrown in, should you wish the interior hide to all be tip top.

Given the 968’s good condition, excellent service/maintenance history and how well it drives, we think it will achieve somewhere between £10,000 and £15,000. Remember, it’s worth noting that other examples with no history whatsoever can also be had for such money; surely, it’s better to buy one that you know has been subject to a money-no-object outlook?

That’s a rhetorical question, of course – and for us, a no brainer to boot.

High-speed, four-cylinder engine, sublime handling, Porsche thrills await.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car is located at The Market’s Abingdon HQ, in the United Kingdom; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.