I'm unaware of any such contest, but in case there is, I nominate BigJake111 for MVP of the last 2 years!

In refreshing contrast to the usual drop in for a couple weeks to ask the same old troubleshoot my salvage/auction/beater Boxster I just found to flip for profit. Too lazy to search for the info that's been repeated adnauseum for years.

BigJake has a unprecedented number of unique but relevant threads & posts. I am thankful for the variety Big Jake contributes to this forum. I find myself logging on less & posting even less due to the endless posts on topics that have been covered multiple times with zero new info in the last 5 years. Big Jake actually has bought & sold a 986 in 2014, giving him actual experience in this threads topic. A few "contributers" decided to derail the thread by highlighting small errors in BigJake's post. Maybe you would be happier on 6-speedonline.com where you will have more chances to "contribute".

+1 for Jake.

And he has a really nice looking S car. :cheers:

@byprodriver the way I see it this sure beats gossiping about "Jenny in chemistry" on Twitter or facebook!

If anyone has popcorn left over there is plenty of entertainment in this thread - http://986forum.com/forums/boxster-parts-sale-wanted/54949-porsche-engines-sale.html

I know, its almost like it was about a small furry house pet

Someone got their Smart Car tipped...

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.

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

$13,900
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=84111&endYear=2005&modelC ode1=911&showcaseOwnerId=0&startYear=1999&makeCode 1=POR&listingType=used&listingTypes=used&searchRad ius=25&mmt=[POR[911[]][]]&listingId=381599276&Log=0

$16,900
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=84111&endYear=2005&modelC ode1=911&showcaseOwnerId=0&startYear=1999&makeCode 1=POR&listingType=used&listingTypes=used&searchRad ius=25&mmt=[POR[911[]][]]&listingId=381599272&Log=0

$18,750
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=84111&endYear=2005&modelC ode1=911&showcaseOwnerId=0&startYear=1999&makeCode 1=POR&listingType=used&listingTypes=used&searchRad ius=25&mmt=[POR[911[]][]]&listingId=387330536&Log=0

Yes they will still be looked at as cool Porsches... but with fewer trips to the shop. :D

We live in this Porsche bubble. But in the real world all Porsches are desirable and if yours is in good running order with shiny paint and nice leather someone will want to pay up for it.

Does it recoup and exceed its original sticker price (adjusted for inflation and purchasing power)? That's an exclusive club but most people don't care about that unless they hang out near Pebble Beach.


p.s.
Timco, there are 4,000 water-cooled Carreras on AutoTrader right now! No way can the current pool of German sports car bidders absorb that much supply and still maintain high resale prices.
Just sit back and wait for the prices to come down to whatever you'd like to spend. And that's not including all the Boxsters/Caymans and Panas.

What I am wondering is, what is the next 993. Was it the 997 or is it the 991, or has it yet to come. With future porsches being all turbo charged with possible 4 cylinders and electric drives, they will be great cars as always, but what's the cut off. Is it the last NA manual, possibly the current GTS? Is it the 997 gt3 with its manual and preferable steering?

Regardless of when the current porsche era ends. We know what started it. The 1997 boxster quickly followed by the the 996.

Hold on to your porsches, somehow the company makes them all special in their own way.

To my knowledge the only water cooled 911 experiencing substantial appreciation are the 997 GT3's and RS's with manual transmissions. 911 production numbers by year:

Porsche 911 Production volumes

Sorry. It was an affirmation of your post that referenced to "Team America: World Police" -- and their... "theme" song.

'Merica F*ck yEaH!

996 GT3s are way up and will most likely stay there . 996 GT2s are up also . Turbos seem to be holding steady and the wide body C4S also . The C4S would be my pick as the gem of the 996 era cars but a real good one costing around 35k is hard to swallow .

996 mk1 cars are certainly hitting the rock bottom and now i am seeing the 996 mk2 cars starting to drop down well below 30K where they have been for the past few years . The 996 mk2 cars are real nice as well . a big improvement over the mk1 , if you can find one with full leather they are down right luxurious . 997s are still holding well . 997 mk1 cars are over priced in my opinion and i actually prefer the 996 with all its quirks .

Holy excrement :confused:

whooo...Jake Raby is fixing a RUF Boxster. I'd like to hear more about that!

The way I see it....it will take some time but the 996 may recoup somewhat. These older air cooled 911s that lasted this long had to be maintained at some level. That means many dollars keeping up the service etc. Somewhere down the line, some (maybe us) will value these cars and pay a little to own one. With all the recent updates like electronic steering, pdk, etc, I cant see why.

I saw a air cooled 911 on fire a while back here in Tx. Every Texan knows it gets hot here but they still drive these cars here with no ac. Coolant is a step fotward!. But that is Passion I tell you.

By the way, who are the bottom dwellers? Smh

There's a thread over on Rennlist where a 996 owner is trying to trade his car for a 993, some real asshat responses but several that do make some interesting points. One linked an ad for a 996 for sale that seemed to border on desperation imo, maybe it would be of interest to someone here considering the jump.

99 Porsche 996 911 Carrera C2 6 Speed $15k - Pelican Parts Technical BBS

There's an 01 for 13,900 in the link I posted above.

Either 996 prices are rebounding or there are a lot of cars sitting around with no bids. Granted AutoTrader tends to be on the high side generally for Porsches because so many listings are from dealers. But 1999-01 Carreras north of 50K miles in private seller listings were going for some real bargains. I've emailed more than a few Ebay and craigslist cars to interested friends sold in the $11-13k range. At the end of the day water-cooled cars are only worth their engines and second hand 3.4's just aren't that much more expensive than 2.7's or 3.2's.

They have "Branded" titles, very different valuation as a result.