996 getting close to 986 prices ?

[Timco]

Originally Posted by BIGJake111

Now that's just wrong! These days half of it is autocorrect or my lack of attention when posting as I am usually multitasking. @timco don't get me wrong I know as well as the rest of you that my spelling and grammar is not great. I try to keep the delusions of grandeur to a minimum as well .

When I was a junior / senior in HS there was no internet, so any interaction with adults was really my parents, teachers, or the cops. No auto-correct or spell check on the typewriter either. There were no adults to read my writing outside of school, and my dad corrected my grammar to the best a drunk iron worker could. When I graduated, I knew the Velvet Creamery job was not going to fund a car, so there were two connections I had. Machinist, or carburetor repair tech, both starting positions and both good jobs. On both apps I did my best to sound mature and like I had experience, and both laughed me out of their companies for writing "buisness law" was a "coarse" I took blah, blah, blah. I didn't get those jobs even though I would have been an ideal candidate.

While this is no job application, many adults have very little tolerance for poor grammar, and it's interesting seeing the interaction. As for critiquing your post content, I can read them or skip them....it's up to me. Keep posting, friendo.

[particlewave]

I have to admit that I've been looking at 996's. The problem is trying to justify a second toy.
I'm not getting rid of the Boxster!

[Ckrikos]

Looks like a great car. I want a base 996 but my wife would kill me if I bought a second porsche and not a bigger house.

[Jake Raby]

But all the cars still cost the same to repair... I see people;e all the time that can afford to buy these cars, but they cannot afford to own them.

Approach with great care and understand that the cars are no cheaper to own than they were when they had tens of thousands of dollars higher selling prices. Honestly, today the cars are more expensive to own then they used to be.

Go in with both eyes open; expect the worst and always be prepared for it, while hoping for the best. Low mileage doesn't help, either.

[thstone]

Buying a low priced 996 is a great first experience in 911 ownership. And as a Boxster owner (or previous Boxster owner) you will already know 90% of what you need to know about the car and the financial commitment to ownership.

With that being said, I am seriously thinking of selling my 996. I have nothing bad to say about the car; 996's are an incredible deal right now and you'll never find another car with that level of performance, luxury, and panache for under $20K anywhere.

But now that I own the 78 911SC, I'd rather drive that car most of the time and the 996 is gathering a lot of dust...

[jacabean]

just think . the cost of ownership for a 996 is about the same as a 2.5 boxster . Ims , clutch , water pump almost exact. It just has to be a good one . 996 are really good deal in opinion . My next car car will be a 996 C4S for sure .

[coreseller]

Originally Posted by jacabean

just think . the cost of ownership for a 996 is about the same as a 2.5 boxster . Ims , clutch , water pump almost exact. It just has to be a good one . 996 are really good deal in opinion . My next car car will be a 996 C4S for sure .

Agreed. 996 C4S's are both beautiful and a performance bargain. Years back when I decided to sell my Boxster (Yep, I was the guy who wanted a 911 but could not afford it) it was to either upgrade to a 996 C4S or a 993 Air Cooled 911, BOTH wonderful choices.

P.S. As to some of the other responses.....no wonder JD doesn't bother coming around anymore..................

[TeamOxford]

Originally Posted by coreseller

P.S. As to some of the other responses.....no wonder JD doesn't bother coming around anymore..................

JD logs in to this forum almost every day. He just doesn't post.

I think his superiors at Strategic Command issued a gag order.

Just sayin'............

TO

[Jake Raby]

Originally Posted by jacabean

just think . the cost of ownership for a 996 is about the same as a 2.5 boxster . Ims , clutch , water pump almost exact. It just has to be a good one . 996 are really good deal in opinion . My next car car will be a 996 C4S for sure .

We charge the same for everything engine wise. Boxster or 996 doesn't matter, the internals all cost the same.

[fullthrottle52]

I have been on this forum for almost 4 years of which 3.5 years was with ownership of a 2000 Boxster. Loved the car. Sold it and bought a 1999 Carrera. Had it now for 3 months. Very different car and driving experience. Why buy a 99 Carerra? Horse power! Love the performance. My 99 Carerra will leave a 2004S wondering what happened. Porsche has always put the 911 ahead of everything in regard to performance. Now, my 99 would not be able to walk away from a 2013 BoxsterS, but it is a few years older. The Boxster is a better handeling car but the Carerra feels bigger and is a better long distance cruiser. Both are wonderful cars.

P.S. I bought my 99 for $20,000 and immediately put $2,500 in it with an IMS, rms and new rear tires. Beautiful car with only 27,000.

[Porsche9]

Nice 911fullthrottle52. For the same money you can buy a slightly used FRS. I know which one I'd buy. The 911.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by jacabean

just think . the cost of ownership for a 996 is about the same as a 2.5 boxster . Ims , clutch , water pump almost exact. It just has to be a good one . 996 are really good deal in opinion . My next car car will be a 996 C4S for sure .

I've been getting a lot emails and calls from non-Porsche people asking about buying a second hand 996 or Boxster/Cayman. I tell them all the same thing, pick the car you like driving not the one you think you can most afford to buy because in the end they are all going to cost you the same to maintain, save for the Turbos those always cost more.

As for the C4S, coming from a Boxster/S, that's a great car to compliment a Boxster but not really a good replacement for one.
To me at least, the latter 997 C4/s's feel a lot more nimble than the early 996 C4's. Overall, in my opinion the 996-->997.1 saw a much bigger jump in performance than the 986 --->987.1
Part of me thinks that the original 996/986 "simultaneous" design was a better fit for a midengine roadster (with lower COG) and shorter wheel base, than a much longer, heavier rear engine set up from the out-going 993.

And when it comes to water-cooled Carreras, there are just so many of them out for sale that if you're patient and look in the right places you'll land a 997.1 C4S for a great price.
Maybe with a bit more mileage but still on the manageable side. There always guys who bought on a whim and the car just barely saw any mileage and that same impluse for the next car causes them to go for a quick sale.
I would hold out for one of those rather than chasing after the perceived lower cost of a 996.

[BrokenLinkage]

The cost delta was just a few grand when I started looking 3-4 years ago. I looked at both boxster and 996 cabriolet models, and let a beautiful C4S slide by me without buying at just a little more than what I ultimately paid for my 986s. At some point, I realized that I didn't bite on the C4S because what I really wanted was the boxster.. The fact that this left a little cash in the toy budget for extras was nice, too.

I too am under the impression that prices for the BoxsterS may have rebounded just a bit, with 996 prices slowly hovering lower.
But dang, I just yesterday saw an 01 BoxS with mileage in the 90K range, equipped with PSC and PSE, plus an Aero1 kit (long tail/dynamic spoiler delete), sell for just under $9 thousand on ebay. So deals are still out there on the 986s. And for now at least, I would still choose the boxsterS over the 996.

Now a first generation well-kept CaymanS.... I might have to expand the stable if the right car for sale tried to run me over. Would probably have to trade in the boxster on a Miata if I also aquired a Cayman, because 2 Porsches in the motor pool just seems decadent (no offense to you heathens that can do this without guilt) and I'm not ready to give up roofless riding.

And you all leave Jake alone, he seems to be more mature than half the posters on this forum, and while I'm not partial to his fluff threads - the point of a forum is to promote dialogue, and his posts seem to achieve that goal, and without being offensive except to those seeking to take offense.
Furthermore, at the rate his grammar and spelling are improving since his first unintelligible posts, he will soon be teaching college English classes!

[JayG]

Back to the thread topic......

Yes, it does seem that the 996 pricing has dropped under $20k for some cars .

We just bought a beautiful 04 996 Targa for my wife. It was slightly above $20k, but did come with good service records and a stellar recommendation from one of the top indy's in So Cal that had been servicing it for the last 3 years

Now that I have had a chance to do a back road drive with the Targa, I do like it, a lot. That being said, I think I prefer my 986 S more for spirited twisty driving and general fun. The 996 is a blast with its extra power, but it does require more work to drive it. The Boxster is so frickin easy and fun to drive, period. On the twisties, the boxster is just as fast if not faster anyway. The big difference in on straight sections, the 996 just pulls away

Maybe I will change my opinion in the spring after I do the next PDS and really learn how to drive it.

As far as maintaince costs, they will be just about the same. Oil, brakes, filters, same cost. Tires, Well the Targa has bigger tires, so a little more $$. Convertible top vs Targa roof, well hopefully I won't have any problems with either, but the roof is far more $$ to repair

Is it decadent to have more than one Porsche? If it is, OH Welll......
Our long term plan is to hand them both down to our 2 boys anyway. Now they won't have to fight over who gets the Porsche, just which one

[BIGJake111]

What are thoughts on the price of turbos? Some Porsches are a great deal like a 5k boxster that's near as good as a 17k 04 S, while some deals are not so great, like paying more than what you would for a carrera gt to get a special edition 997 albeit a good one that will fetch a pretty penny but still.

[j.fro]

996 turbos seem to have bottomed out in the 35-40K range, although you might find a real beater or fire-sale car in the high 20's
While I think some of the special edition 997's are ridiculous (997 Speedster), I don't think they're in the CGT ballpark...those are still at 400+

[BIGJake111]

Originally Posted by j.fro

996 turbos seem to have bottomed out in the 35-40K range, although you might find a real beater or fire-sale car in the high 20's

While I think some of the special edition 997's are ridiculous (997 Speedster), I don't think they're in the CGT ballpark...those are still at 400+

I guess the gt3 rs 4.0 is the only thing in that price range.

993 are such great cars, anyone that got one a few years ago is very lucky! Look at the price diffrence between a low mileage 1997 c4s and a 996 in comparable condition. Both great cars but with a gigantic sum of money separating the two.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by BIGJake111

I guess the gt3 rs 4.0 is the only thing in that price range.

993 are such great cars, anyone that got one a few years ago is very lucky! Look at the price diffrence between a low mileage 1997 c4s and a 996 in comparable condition. Both great cars but with a gigantic sum of money separating the two.

Yes but neither have fully recouped their original sticker prices. So they're still firmly in the used car category. Also, this perceived notion that a better performing, easier to maintain 996 is less desirable is just that: perception.
If 993's were manufactured at the same levels as the 996 their resale prices wouldn't be nearly as good as they are now, ditto for the 964 and 911's.
You have to remember that in its final production year the 993 barely sold 1,600 units in all of North America during a bull market when fancy cars were bolting out of show rooms left and right. Meanwhile in its final production year the 996 was still one of the best selling Porsches since 356A1 was delivered to Mr. Porsche. There is supply and demand and that can't be escaped. But there is also expectation of demand vs. actual supply. It's important to know the difference, especially on discretionary spending items like second hand cars.


And going one step further, if the 996 had retained the body style and proportions of the 993 and the only thing that would have been different was the method of engine cooling (with some engine build improvements -- think Raby engine) 993 prices would again not be as high as they are now. Even more so if the 996 had instead been back-dated to the 964 body design which maintained the high fenders and round lights. A 964 and 996 parked next to each with the passerby unable to tell the two apart from the outside? Whole new ball game on resale of 996's, especially the GT's and Turbos. Did Porsche as a brand collapse after it went water-cooled? Negative. Did the average guy on the street look at 996 and say "pffftt... poor man's Porsche. I remember when those cars were the greatest!". Negative. They still look at and say "wow. nice Porsche mister".

20 years from now, well-kept 996's are going to surprise many on their "desirability" as Porsches that put weekend warriors within a couple of seconds of factory drivers, were easier to maintain, still had non-electric steering, a manual gear box (and not some impossibly expensive to service PDK), and an interior that didn't look like something on an Audi sedan. Which all adds up to a Porsche you can actually drive without treating it like a museum piece or watching $$$$ in resale go down the toilet because the odometer just ticked up another 10K.

[j.fro]

Yeah, I kinda wonder what will happen to 997s and 991s.... Will they share the same fate as the 928?

[Ckrikos]

A turbo in the 20's is likely going to be a money pit.