What is going on with 986 and 996 prices?

[southernstar]

Perfectlap, I agree with all of that except your time-line of another 20 to 30 years before they become collectible (in 30 years the early 986's will be almost 50 years old)! While I agree that by then the remaining 986's that have been kept clean and original will have dramatically increased values over the present, history has shown that collectible status is not like turning on a switch. In the intervening years, there will come a point when used values for clean, well-maintained examples will start to hold and then, gradually over the passage of time, start to increase. I suspect that we are getting close to that point now and that the supply of clean, well-maintained examples will fall dramatically over the next several years. As I have said before, the low cost of admission now is bringing in purchasers who will be unable to afford to maintain their cars. The end result is that most of the 986's will end up as basket cases/parts cars once the cost of required repairs apporaches the value of the car. The beater that is now selling for $7-8,000.00 is already at that point if there is engine failure; even having to replace such typical items as a clutch, AOS, coolant expansion tank, waterpump and suspension components would likely match, or exceed the purchase price.

One should also remember that even vehicles such as the VW Beetle - produced in greater numbers than any single model of car, have been considered collectible for a number of years. Remember, while they stopped sales in the United States in 1979, they were produced in Mexico until 1998. It is impossible today to find a clean, original, well-maintained example for anywhere near the original purchase price. Why? What was originally a huge supply of good cars fell rapidly in a very short period of time - and this was in spite of the fact that parts were very cheap.