Bins

As long as you understand that the low mileage car may mean that some bits have binded/frozen from lack of use, such as the a/c and the brake system including the calipers/handbrake cable.

jago

hi,
condition , color, options, and rarity all play a part. if those are in place, then the low mileage should have even more of an advantage.
if you plan to be a low mileage user yourself, then even moreso.
i , like a few others here i suspect, paid a premium for the car that was right for me.
i like to think that my targa, now at only 13k, will be a nice 20-25k mile car at the 10 year mark. not too shabby at all , and should be worth a premium to someone , right?
good luck!

Moto

Thanks for the responses everybody! BTW - signed up for my Rennlist Membership last night. I can't tell you how helpful the Rennlist community has been....but then you guys probably already know that!

Its a big help getting other opinions on this stuff. I feel I have developed a pretty good feel for the market for most 993s in "normal" mileage ranges. Super low miles like my example stump me on what would be fair offer.

I will probably drive this car about 8-10,000 miles per year. To me - there is not much difference between a pristine 15k car and a pristine 35k car. The super low miles are certainly attractive to me - but I don't see a $10k premium for it - at least not for my wants and desires in a car.

David - WOW - nice stable there! Those NSR's are sweet and the Hailwood Replica you have is one of the most beautiful bikes I have ever seen. In fact - I just saw my first one a few months ago. Nearly fell over walking down the street when I saw it. Of course - I just had to scramble over and check out all the cool bits....I am sure the owner is used to people crouching around his bike!

My RS250 is a true street legal unit so far as the State is concerned...the EPA may be a different story . It has a proper title and was professionally built with all OEM "street" RS250 components (lights, wiring harness, etc.) by an Aprilia mechanic. I had no problems with the title process - but I always could have titled it under "Special Construction" if my original title had been denied. Its a blast on the street but admittedly its true home is on a racetrack. I don't use it to cruise - its job is short intense blasts down my favorite rural B roads and some trackdays. Its funny to see other bikers turn and wonder ...is that thing a 2 stroke??!!?? As you know from your NSR - nothing handles like a lightweight 250cc 2 stroke racebike. The response and handling blew my mind when I first rode it. Do you race your NSR?

Randy M

I had a '92 RGV250 that I had imported from Australia. I had to sign EPA papers that it was for off road use only (read racetrack). With the right paperwork it was easy to register in Cali. That was over 12 years ago though. One day I was pulled over by the CHP. This guy knew everything about the bike and was livid !! He threatened me that he would impound the bike and lectured me about all the damage that 2 strokes do to the environment. He let me go with a speeding ticket as he could not find the penal code in his book. I was young maybe he didn't want to come down too hard on me so he used that excuse to save face. What a great bike though. I use to go with friends up around skyline and Alice's in the bay area. That bike was so flickable.

Moto

I am waiting for that exact scenario. A cop that knows bikes and takes a keen interest in my choice of motor.

Good story!

Randy M

By the way I really want one of these

JPL 993-C4S

Last time I checked (in March 2003), each extra mile on a 993 C4S is worth in the range of 20 to 25 cents... that is, comparing two C4S 993s with identical comparably desirable color, model year, options, interior condition, records, and so on but with one having 10000 additional miles, the price difference should be about $2250. This relationship holds well for pretty much any mileage car in the range from 15000 to 75000. Go to Porsche-Classified.com to collect price/miles data for your own regression on the 1995 993 C2.

ed devinney

Think of the possibilities! Porcelain of course is right out - too heavy, shatters on impact and that glaring white would match very few interiors. Carbon fiber might be an alternative, but I doubt it fits into Mr Linton's plans. In any case anyone running the smaller RS windshield washer bottle will probably be unable to properly equip this option for obvious reasons.

Pano has an article this month about Herr Sprenger (?) who started the Sonderwuench department - perhaps they can work something up...

Chris C.

JPL--that is very interesting info indeed.

I believe, though, that it's based on asking prices and is therefore not exactly conclusive (albeit empirical) as to the real market value--the selling price. Still, a cool approach to the pricing conondrum on our cars.

User 4621

Deciding what premium you are willing to pay for low mileage is very personal and should depend in part on how you plan to drive it. The relationship between mileage and price is a logarithmic scale.

For example, if you could find an excellent MSO C4S with delivery miles, you will probably pay at least sticker price, say 75K.
60K for the same car with 10k miles.
50K with 30k miles, and so on.

However, keep in mind that condition and mileage is NOT a simple relationship at all. There are 90k miles cars out there in far better shape than 10k mile cars, even cosmetically. I've seen them with my own eyes.

I approached the purchase of my car with a fixed budget. I then bought bought the best condition car I could afford within that budget regardless of mileage, knowing that the build quality of these cars ensures long lifespans if they are taken care of.

IMO, paying a premium for a very low miles car is worth it if you plan to maintain it as a garage queen and enjoy it on nice sunny days. Or else the money is not an issue and you simply want as new a car as you can find regardless of net value.

Fellow 'lister DC in Cape Cod is a perfect example of how to properly use and care for a low mileage car.

If you plan on driving it often and doing an occasional track day, the $10K more you spend all other things being equal, is better spent on mods.

Good luck,

Moto

Thanks Peter. You actually hit on something that enters the picture on this car - future mods.

I don't want to blow my budget for 20k less miles and then have to put more in for the mods I want.

An expensive '95 993 with 15k miles would certainly be nice.....but a reasonably priced '95 993 with 40k miles AND with money left for mods and improvements would be better IMHO.

Ice9

As I see it there is an "arbitrage" with German cars, particularly, Porsche's because the American car industry has the public hooked on the concept of "model years". As we know, Porsche does not really change its cars much from year to year with 95-96 being the most major change with the addition of Varioram. As a result, it is hard to distinguish between a 95 and a 98 on any other basis other than miles. On the other hand their values are driven by model years and the American car focused "blue book" as a valuation resource.

If you are value focused and dont intend to sell it anytime soon, go for the older car with fewer miles -- you pay less (in blue book model year terms) for a newer car (in Porsche terms). I would pay a small premium for the lower miles, however, if the premium starts to get above $6-$10K you could just as easily get a 96 for the same money (which will be worth more/depreciate less) if you ever want to resell it).

Thoughts?

User 4621

If that's the case then I definitely wouldn't pay much extra just for mileage. The kind of person that might buy your low mileage car someday will probably walk away if the car has any mods.

Low mileage in the Porsche world is skewed anyway. Mine had 29k miles over 7 years and isn't considered low mileage. ;-)

Jay Gratton

Doug,
I have never been worried about miles. Low or high! Anyways, as long as the car has always been cared for I would spend the $ on the C4S if it was me. I believe that the C4S will hold its value better over time. Just make sure you know its service history. Best of luck my friend. - Jay Gratton

JPL 993-C4S

Chris C... definitely true that the easily available data is the asking price.

What's remarkable is the difference in asking price between a 96 and a 97 C4S (with the same mileage and otherwise identical). I forgot the exact number, but I think it was $5000 more for essentially the same car with the same wear.