safulop

OK, we all know that 928s aren't often worth that much, but let's consider for a moment what a 928 "deserves" to be worth.

What is the cheapest new car that has the following:

300+ horsepower
eye-catching appearance (i.e. not dime-a-dozen everybody owns one)
leather seats
sports car handling
seating for 4 (-ish)

Whatever that car costs, is what my 928 should be worth. Give or take 150K miles of depreciation (oops, forgot that part).

Vilhuer

$170K, that's what it takes to have factory fully rebuild one.

SMTCapeCod

Surveys and polls are tough. Eye catching appearance- that cuts any number of ways and is totally subjective. Definitely one of the 928's appeals but its uniqueness in that way is difficult to find an analog for.

Sports car handling- again subjective, but I think there are many contemporary cars that can generate handling numbers (ie skidpad) that exceed whatever the 928's were, but my "ride"-- that subjective factor-- differently.

300HP? Well, I didn't go inter-check, but I'm pretty sure the six cylinder variants of contemporary pony cars Mustang/Camaro meet that mark...or a nissan sentra....it's pretty blase nowdays.

LEather? Also widely available- I think.

Like Vilhuer said, there isn't a 2015 928.

Cloase might be an Audi A5/S5, though the S5 carries the extra weight of the drivetrain.
Scion TC (Edit: oops, meant FRZ/BRZ, but accept the rebuttal below) is smaller, handles like crazy, don't know the HP.
As mentioned, base Mustang, camaro (non-GT, and non-SS, which are both 400HP out of the box IIRC) though they are pony cars and not GTs and the leather is probably an up charge.

There's the Caddy two door (CTS)...that's also eye catching, though not in a good way in my opinion...

I had another one that was closer in addition to the Audi, but darned if I can think of it this early.

BMW 6 series has some similar attributes in styling, but deviates in other ways. 4 series coupe is oriented differently still.

safulop

"eye-catching appearance" - that means, I took my two daughters to see Taylor Swift up in the Bay area, and when I pulled in to the stadium parking lot the first thing out of the attendant's mouth was "sir you have a beautiful car." Would she have said that if I were driving a Scion TC? Give me a break. I think Roget's Thesaurus lists "garbage" as a synonym for "Scion". I'd love to meet up with a Scion TC in 29 years.

curt_928

"Sports car handling" ? Is that what the 928 is supposed to have? Try GT. It doesn't toss around like the Boxster nor is is light and responsive like a miata. Sports car? Yeah the VW CC is just as sporty and responsive. 300 HP is close to Nissan Maxima. I'd love to say that the nearest modern analog is a Aston V8 vantage, but the vantage handles better and the interior has much higher quality. Used they're about what $50k so there you go.

I don't know why you guys constantly are trying to compare a 20 to 30 year old car to newer cars. It's not. Instead of trying to convince yourself why a 30 year old car is just as good as a newer car.. why not just go out and buy the newer car? It just seems 928 owners have such a chip on their shoulder about being in "the porsche nobody knows is a porsche"..

Ninespub

You forgot the Jaguar XK series, especially the supercharged 2005-06 XKR coupe (or roadster) now available on multiple auto sites for $12-20K. Almost got one myself instead of spending the same money for a full re-spray and new interior that's going on now.

pinballplanet

IMO there's not a simple answer.

Most of the OBs can be classified as antiques, and as such collector cars. And as collector cars, they are still under-appreciated when considering their relative low production numbers and exclusivity in their time. Certainly one would think that a fine example of a 928 would be worth more than a far more common lower tech car. It. seems ridiculous to me that a run of the mill muscle car can command higher dollars but the demand for most 928s isn't there, at least not yet. As for the newer 928 cars, though they have stopped depreciating, they are not yet at the point where they have begun to significantly appreciate. A lot of us do not seem to remember, or are perhaps too young to realize that a used Dino Ferrari or Jaguar XKE could be had for around $10,000 in the late seventies and early eighties.

On the other hand, many if not most of us drive our sharks. Some are even daily drivers and a well sorted 928 can still hold it's own on the roads with today's cars. However the modern cars have come a long way. There are many new cars that offer better comfort and better performance and it's apples and oranges to make the comparison to a new car with a 5 year bumper to bumper warranty.

From my perspective, aside from being the special car we here appreciate, the 928 is among the minority of collector cars that can comfortably and competently be driven anywhere, any day, and look good if not outright turn heads. You get to show it and you get to drive it. How many other collector cars would you want to drive on a weekend trip for a couple of hundred miles or a quick trip to the store? And what's that worth?

Steve
'83 928S Black/Pearl White - weekend driver
'15 Audi Q3 - daily driver
('69 Corvair Monza Convertible - sold to make room for the 928)

Wisconsin Joe

You are missing out on a couple things:

Cost of ownership/maintenance is the biggest.
Well above any modern 'sporty' car.

And the perception (often mistaken) is that they are more expensive and less reliable than they actually are.

Number of poor quality examples out there is another. Oddly enough, the worse the car, the more the owner wants for it (compared to it's actual value).

And even with those things factored in, the cost/value of these cars is lower than it "should be."

I would think that a good condition, mid miles (near, at or a bit above 100k) car should command $20k for a SOB, $25 for an S4. OBs, GTs & GTSs are special cases. It seems that S4 prices are starting to hit that range, but SOB prices are still well below (typical for the price curve of a collectible car).

But the market is what sets prices, and right now the market is saying that these cars aren't worth much. Which is fine with me. If I had to pay "what it's really worth", I wouldn't own one.

On a similar note, look how ridiculous the market has gotten for 911s. Part of me thinks it's a big bubble, that will burst rather badly. Leaving people who paid a couple hundred thousand for a car that's not worth 60. But I've been wrong about that sort of thing before.

Flip side is the Cayenne. Partly because of production numbers (never going to be "rare"), part due to costs (no cheaper to own than any other P-car), partly due to perceptions, they depreciate fast. And when they hit 10 years/100k miles, the value plummets. 20% of sticker isn't unusual. Again, good for me. If I had to pay "what it's worth" instead of what it's valued at, I wouldn't own one of those either.

Jetdriver69

Probably should be asking 3 questions.

How much do I have in the car? Too much...

How much is it really worth? Not as much as I have in it...

Finally, how much can I realistically get for the car if I sell it? Much less than the above two answers....

Sadly, these numbers will never meet unless the car is a special exception to the general rule.

No one appreciates your own 928 as much as you do.

Tom in Austin

I think rareness/uniqueness is the key - surely appreciated by all those people who come up to ask us about our cars, tell us about the one they owned, etc. - now the market needs to catch on as well.

Can you imagine driving a 3-series or a Boxster and seeing yourself everywhere you go?

hwyengr

Is that the Porsche Classic restore cost?

mark kibort

and what car can just be strippped, nothing reinforced, and become a race car thats club level competitive? not many can do what the 928 can , except maybe the newer vets that are at least 15 years newer. the 928 was amazing for sure!

murray928

Bang on the button !!

kmascotto

we rarely value what we already own...we value something we want. That said, its all about demographics. The cars made in the 30's, 40's & 50's are going out of popularity because the age group that wanted them, has moved on. The cars in the following years (60s, 70's & 80's are now becoming in vogue because of the demographics that identify with those types of cars (35 to 55 years olds) who now have the spending money to purchase them...and its a big demographic...my 2 cents, values are going up...

mark kibort

the new version of a 928, is a aston martin vantage. same weight, width, length, height, (near the same balance), much of the same innovative suspension designs, more power, but all the new goodies that you would expect from a car 20 years newer. it goes for $120k new, and $50k after 10 years old and maybe only 40k miles.
god only knows what a 30 year old 928 in mint condition would be worth. but most have 100k miles and it 20 years older.