996 getting close to 986 prices ?

[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.