Archimedes

None of the Spyders will ever be collectible to the point where their value increases. They will always be neutral to depreciating. Even a mothballed delivery mile car will not ‘appreciate’.

DK7

thanks. Which cars collectible in your opinion ?

Schmed

Interesting prediction. How'd you come to that conclusion?

I thought the same thing when I bought my E30 M3 BMW. It's now worth triple what I paid.

n4v4nod

Thats what they said about the 914... look at it now. It’s all about time involved to appreciate. The fact that the right specced 987.2 Spyder in the right condition can currently draw 70-80k+ in the private scene says a lot. This is all happening right before the 982 Spyder debut. 981 on the other hand is a different story... it draws a slightly different customer... same one as the 982 Spyder. More performance... less about weight. As mentioned earlier, some are realizing the Porsche days of less is more is long gone! IIRC... not a single car since the Spyder has actually reduced in overall weight.

fast1

The 991.2 GT3 has done a great job in keeping the weight down. It's 3115 lbs with a MT which isn't bad for a car with 500 HP and an engine with a 9K red line. So its curb weight was reduced from the 991.1 GT3 's curb weight of 3153 lbs.

andy7777

I am a little skeptical about this private market pricing. I see low-mileage/right spec Spyders on public trading sites every day, the highest price asked is close to $70K, mostly they are in the $50s and $60's. The asks seem higher than the fetches on BAT, except for the one PTS yellow Spyder. So maybe someone somewhere paid too much, or did a no-hassle deal because he absolutely wanted just that car?

I myself did a private deal on the exact Cayman R I wanted a little over a year ago. Advertised what I was looking for, and a seller contacted me with exactly the spec I wanted (Peridot Green, 6sp, LWB's, low mileage). The deal we did was nowhere near $70s-$80s. It was for a good, fair market price, towards the upper end of asks. Since then there have been two sellers on CarGurus who had the same or similar spec listed, both for $70K. One sold, the other is still for sale. And Cayman R prices are generally a few thousand higher than Spyder prices.

None of which suggests to me that the Spyder isn't going to one day be trading at over sticker, but that day is very dependent on the state of the economy and other factors in the car world that no one can predict.

MidEngineRules

The 987 Spyder's value is determined by a couple of things. It's loan value is still much lower than its retail value, so dealers have artificially given the car more value. Dealers are still selling some for what they were 2-3 years ago. And those models are now with thousands of more miles for the most part, and much less in mint condition. I bought a CPO metallic black 2011 Spyder with full red leather and PDK w/2000 miles on it in 2016 for $60k. The car was like brand new. I bet that car would still command $60k today with much higher mileage as long as it's new owner has kept it clean. Mine was sold for a 2016 Spyder 6 months after buying it. Good examples are becoming harder to find.

I'm not exactly sure how well received the 2020 Spyder will be, and there better not be a 718 badge on it since it share's nothing with the 718's heritage. The reason I say not well received is unlike the 981 GT4, the 981 Spyder had the full gamut of creature comfort options. So nothing much to add there other than the typical newer PCM and Apple Car Play, and perhaps lane change assist (seriously??). The biggest functional change will be a PDK offering which you'll find more of than manuals since most today in the US prefer it. That dilutes it somewhat from a purists' perspective. Having a bigger motor will most likely make the car less manageable than it is now. The 981 Spyder has trouble handling its power compared to any 911 in terms of traction. Remember the idiot that wiped out a row on onlookers leaving a Cars & Coffee?? I owned mine at that time and really didn't want to admit the car has trouble hooking up at low speeds under full power. Of course the motor will be detuned but it remains to be seen how fun it is to drive. Honestly in retrospect I think the 987 Spyder was better balanced and more fun to drive than the 981 Spyder. The 981 is much more visceral and the top is loads better (easier and the face you can go full speed with it on makes it better, and that it seals better). But the 987 is too simple for many people. I loved the simplicity and minimalist aspect. I can't see many wanting a stripped 982 Spyder for 6 digits $$$.

MidEngineRules

Different times and a big difference in MSRPs. BMW successfully campaigned that car so it has a huge cult following unlike the Spyder which really was never hugely popular. Even with a 4 cylinder motor the M3 rocked. The M3 is practical too, but the Spyder can match the M3's driving fun after all it's more of a sports car than the M3. A 987 Spyder in mint condition will be worth something around $100k in current dollars once 20 years old I imagine. Same with the Cayman R. I don't see it ever being much more than that.

Marine Blue

I know of several private transactions that were in the low to high $60’s and one in the $70’s which was nicely optioned and like new. Most of these were purchased by a local buyer who was familiar with the car and the ownership history.

Condition plays a big role too and I’ve seen some Spyders that are in rough condition but truthfully not surprising since the owners have used them and enjoyed them. Nothing wrong with this but there would be some added cost if you want to bring these back to excellent condition cosmetically.

The point about bank loans is A good one, banks use NADA to establish values and we all know NADA values are way off what they’re actually selling for. So this means a potential buyer will need to pony up at least $20k if not more to buy a nice Spyder so this will exclude a portion of the market which may not have the immediate cash available. This applies to 997’s and several other cars that haven’t fallen into the “classic” car category. This also tells me that the Spyder is not currently a collector car as the truly wealthy that would buy and hold these as part of their Portfolio is not happening.

Again hard to predict but historically most Porsche’s that are “unique” tend to do well in the long run. YMMV

MidEngineRules

As I recall, last year Sothesby put the Spyder/Cayman R on the watch list for future appreciation.

ToasterThief

Since this is the current 987 Spyder thread, a quick question:

1. For a car that has the Universal Audio Option, but does NOT have PCM (ie, CDR-30 only), does the armrest have a 3.5mm port, cigarette charger, AND a USB port, or is the USB port not there?

placebo

My Spyder has these options and I only have the 3.5mm port and cigarette lighter. No USB.

Tom R.

There are people that collect bottle caps. That means they are collectible. Doesn't mean they are valuable. Lately the newer base model eclipes the performance of the older top of the line model. That and ease of financing a new model mean the older car needs to go to a collector who thinks it is valuable.

ToasterThief

Thanks! Getting prepped for this weekend.

Archimedes

Show me any 987 Spyder that sold north of its MSRP recently. Depreciation on these cars may slow, even halt from time to time, but these aren't collectible cars that are going to jump in value.

And the 914 is a very unique car that was last built over 40 years ago and only appreciated recently because the car market has been in a stupid bubble for the past 5-7 years. I don't think that's a good analogy, nor do I think the real return on investment over those 40 years was positive on those cars.

The Spyders are Boxsters with a few nice performance and styling bits. Great cars, but not collectible specials. Love mine, but I think it's just going to depreciate just like most every other Porsche out there.