Drisump

JC buddy, you have a much deeper 911 resume than I will ever have. In the context of a time where "value" threads have become much too common, and people insist on trying to measure what is unmeasurable (what is fun vs. the measurable criteria of decibels, lap times, 0-60 times, G's, HP, etc?). I just wanted to throw in my 0.02 worth as an owner and common user/admirer of these cars. IMHO the cars that are built today ARE superior in every MEASURABLE way but it seems to me that to generate some real fun on public roads, the speeds have to be well and truly outside the law. Realistically, the road systems speed limits haven't changed in any meaningful way since before I was born, but the cars have gotten much faster and capable....at what point does driving become so uninteresting that no true enthusiast buys the up to date fancy road rockets. The only buyers are the people that are making a status statement.....maybe we're there now.
My wife and I are taking a 2500 mile drive in our 993 to northern coastal California next month and honestly, at that time of the year I can't think of another car that I'd rather take the trip in (never mind that it is 19 years old). I'm anticipating that every mile will entertain....instead of simply setting the cruise and relying on the great sound system that's in my wife's Bimmer. We have driven the coast road in both the Bimmer and the 85 (twice) but never in the 993, so it should be interesting. I'll now relinquish my soapbox....Cheers

FrenchToast

All you're really buying is the "RSA" nameplate, and a handful of light modifications (like the manual rack), cloth sport seats, and sometimes a group of rare options: no A/C, no radio, no sunroof, and LSD if the car is so equipped.

But it's nothing you can't build from a 964 C2, and, I would assume, save quite a bit of cost.

I can't give any input of what a good RSA would be worth, but it does seem prices have just about tripled in the past three or four years IIRC. Also, a lot of RSAs have been driven hard on the track. Nothing wrong with that, but inspect accordingly.

Unless you really want cloth sport seats, no radio, no sunroof, and no A/C, I would get a C2 coupe. Some have sport seats but comfort seats are still not bad. Cloth was probably an option on the C2 but surely very rare.

Added benefit of the C2 is they came in many more colors!

Maybe not the answer you were looking for?

Yard Dog

Actually, it is the answer I was looking for. From the posts here, the RSA is not the right car for me, and I appreciate the knowledge and insight that led me to that conclusion.

As must be pretty obvious, I am new to the Porsche discovery process, but everyone has to start somewhere. I have read the books and driven a bunch of them, but I have a lot to learn. Not so much that I can be talked into a 996 or a 914, but thanks anyway.

What I have learned led me to the air cooled 911s for the reasons stated by Drisump and others. The new 911s are more capable in almost every way, but the fun factor has been engineered out of them. It didn't take long to find that out. The constraint to buying a vintage air-cooled car now is the surprising jump in price these cars have made recently, especially the 993. After driving several, I found one I liked a lot, but it was $70K plus and it was going to take at least another $20K to bring it around to clean stock. That's where the market has gone to so if I want one bad enough, that's what it's going to take, but that strikes me as a lot. I knew the RSA was going to be even more expensive--the one I was looking at was, I thought, way overpriced at $180K--but I thought its relative rarity might justify a premium at a price of $90K-$100K.

The market for these cars is moving so quickly that it’s difficult to know what to pay for them, and if you do buy one for a big price, do you drive it or seal it away in a heated garage? That’s a question that even those of you who bought your car at a reasonable price must ask yourself. I’m not a collector and I want to drive any car I buy, but if the car becomes an investment, I don’t want to agonize that every mile the car spends on the road is sucking value out of it.

I guess I will keep my car and look for an air-cooled project in need at a reasonable price that I can work into something worthwhile.

Thanks again.

theiceman

SCs are still reasonable. If you want one to drive and have fun with, this would be the one to go for , lots of fun , easy to work on and can be had for reasonable money.

KaiB

But they're not seam welded and don't have the crinkled under-hood paint....

JCP911S

Remember, back in the day the US Spec RSA was a badge engineered "price leader" model as the C2 was considered over-priced, the C4 4WD got mediocre reviews. 964 sales were underwhelming and PCNA needed a boost.

Also remember that the Speedster was the same, a price-lead "stripper" commissioned by Max Hoffman to boost US sales, but today, a Speedster might sell at a 50-100% premium over a comparable 356 Cab.

Once cars move to "collector" status, all rationality goes out the window, and cars become valuable because people believe they are valuable.

Now, even in these crazy times, a basic 993 is not a $100K car.... they are still available in the $40-50K range, but likely to appreciate. IMHO, they are the best combination of styling, comfort and driving fun, and I'd recommend one to anybody looking for a usable collector car.