URG8RB8

Hoping to get some advice from you 968 guys! I will be moving back to Cali soon and want a convertible to drive while I adding major upgrades to my CA 951. I am a picky bastard, so difficult decision for me. I would love to jump up to 996 C4S, but can't justify the cost with the IMS issues. There is a beauty of a car in Danville, CA not far from me on E-bay right now. It is pretty damn rare from what I have read so far. It is triple black with 6-Speed and LSD. Also has nice sport seats. I honestly hate triple black, but in CA it is livable. Does anybody here know anything about this car? The price is high, but given the rarity maybe justified. Any opinions would be appreciated. Thanks!

tamathumper

The rarity of the 968 as a whole works against it, as these cars were never a market darling and parts and qualified service can especially be hard or impossible to find. The dealer's admit "We never see those in the shop" which is an indication of their familiarity with, and (in)ability to work on unique components like the VarioCam system. Jeff Coe can tell you how rare that particular car is, as he maintains the 968 Registry and could tell you how many triple blacks were made. But even if it's a one of one, I don't think triple black would be as desirable (marketwise) as some of the really rare colors. LSD is nice, but not "rare", and not enough to raise the price of the car to "high".

In gorgeous condition with no work necessary, you should plan to spend $15,000. If you buy one that's beat up some, you should plan to spend much less, then plan to spend more than enough to fix it up and you will exceed $15,000. If you can live with little things that don't work on a 20-year old car, you can of course spend and get away with less.

All IMHO.

URG8RB8

Thanks for the input! This one looks pretty well sorted but at $21K I think he is very high. It has very low mileage but I am sure almost everything need going over as it is not driven much. This guy has owned it a while, but says he has owned 14 968's. Kind of a weird statement. If like my 951's that is not a good thing. Is it possible to have sport seats, LSD, and no M030 on a 968?

odurandina

the Empire of Jeff strikes back.

the cars are all selling for stupid money these days.

docmirror

I bought a fixer coupe in rough shape for $1800 about a year ago. Doing most of my own work, I've got a nice driver quality car now for about $6k all in. Of course, I have the occasional glitch, like my current noisy TB drive but overall I'd say that's about as cheap as you're going to get.

At the other end of the spectrum is what you are looking for. If you HATE black like I do, no matter condition, no matter mileage, and upkeep it just wouldn't do for me to settle. There are more fish in the sea, just be patient. Expect to pay from $13-20 for a well sorted car, with no issues and medium mileage. Get what you want, otherwise everytime you go drive it you might be disappointed. I would pay $20k for a very nice car provided the colors were to my liking. I would pay nothing if I didn't get the stuff I wanted.

URG8RB8

It has been on EBay many times and not sold, but he asked even more before. I think it would sell pretty quick at $17K.

URG8RB8

Here is the link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1992-...item20d4b8ed9c

What do you experts think? I am starting to think for an extra $20K the 2003-5 996 4S cabriolet is looking better considering the resale value.

docmirror

I think I wouldn't ever buy a car where the engine has bearing issues, porosity issues, cyl sleeve issues, etc. But, that's just me. I looked at the Boxter family, and I guess they get better as you get the newer ones but I'm not going to take a chance.

URG8RB8

Well, I have now managed to locate a 2007 997 911 4S Cabriolet for $39K, this is quite appealing. It has 65K on it, but not a ton of mileage for almost 7 years. So far have not read about too many issues with the 997. I think the 968 might need quite a bit of money to bring up to snuff for daily driving if it has been sitting most of its life.

tamathumper

True. Rubber and plastic just get old, no matter the marque.

Dino V

Low mileage is great if properly maintained.

bzliteyear

i paid not much for than his asking price for my 03 C4S with many upgrades, and i think longer-term, the C4S will hold up much better for resale(not the least of which that it's faster and nicer than the 968, which i used to own also).

btw, this isn't to knock the 968, but rather at the right price it makes sense. however, given the high cost of maintaining ALL of the various components, if going to pay low $20k's, i think i'd rather get a 996...or at least a 03+ Boxster S.
PL

BikePilot

I would expect to pay ~$10k for a driver in decent but not perfect shape. $15k for a tidy, low milage, nothing-special 968 and ~$20k for a really nice one with particularly desirable options, aftermarket goodies (suspension) etc.

URG8RB8

Looking hard for a good C4S Cab now, I think you are correct about the resale and I just prefer the looks of the wide body. For not that much more money a lot more bang for your buck.

jeff968

Sorry, I just saw this thread now. All 968s are rare which, IMHO, is one of their best attributes. I don't think parts will be a problem. Porsche Classic was at the parade and had a list of types of parts per model line that they still offer. The 968 was rated one of the highest with 6500 types of parts still available.

As for this car, I have not seen if but the owner is a big 968 fan in CA and a register member. Of the 2,008 North American 968 cabs black was the second most popular color with 432 produced (red had 442). Of the 432, 190 were triple black. This is the third most Popular color combo on the NA 968 cab.

If you decide to get into the 968 cab market again I am often contacted with cars for sale. Matter a fact, a very nice and rare 968 cab just came on the market. PM me if interested.