V

Once again it's time to choose.. I'm sorry I keep asking you guys' advice on buying cars, but it was such great advice last time so I figured I would give it a shot once more. Before I present the cars I have to choose from, I figured I would share a little bit about what my intentions are with the car:

-Weekend driver (Approx 3-5000miles/Year)

-Mostly street application but would like to get into DE's and then expand on that from there. My parents just bought a house in Italy which is 15mins from "Misano world circuit" and 40mins from the Imola Ferrari test track.. In Sweden there are tracks as well but nothing compared to those in Germany or Italy.

-Because I will do a fair amount of street driving, I would not want to have a car without mats for example. Anything that is too much "track" will most likely kill the deal for me.

-Moneywise, basically my private financials at the moment consists of 60% cash and 40% stock. The latter which are taking a total beating at the moment, but I try to be patient and don't sell anything. Car A and B are exactly the same money. Car C would mean that I would have to sell all my stock to be able to afford it. Whether that is a good move or not is written in the stars. Given that car C will most likely hold it's value best of the three alternatives doesn't make the decision any easier.. argghh

-I am looking to find a keeper. Or at least a keeper for as long as I can afford to keep it. I've grown tired of flipping cars, which I have done in the past to some extent, and I am more looking for a car to "grow into" e.g a few mods here and there when the budget allows.. Clearly all these cars (ABC) are keeper material for sure and definately "no issues" cars.

That's a little on the background, now to the cars:
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Car A

'97 C2S Vesuvius over gray. 8125 miles(!!!). Total GQ museum piece. The car is new. Options are few but include sunroof delete, alu guage faces, some alu pieces, SS door sills, A/C and the usual stuff. No Xenons or full leather or sportseats which all three would have been nice to have.. Here is a link to the ad. with pics:

http://www.blocket.se/vi/17114609.htm?ca=11_s

Pros: This is a smoking deal. Stunning color. Good value and will keep being so unless i really rack up the miles. Beautiful car in "as new" condition.

Cons: More street than track focus. I don't think I would feel bad driving it since it's a really good deal. Lacks lot's of options that I would like. Won't as much of a thrill to drive as the other two NB 3.8liter cars. It will hurt a little to modify a GQ like this but it's doable. Would have preferred black leather over gray.

Now you may ask me why are you buying a car identical to your two previous cars? You sold the other two so why wouldn't you sell thisone too?

It's a good question. As this is a total steal I will actually buy this for less than I sold my previous car for (with thrice the mileage). This is such a unique car that I think I will be able to keep and grow into .

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Car B

'96 993 C2 Speed Yellow over black. 24.XXXmiles. Total RS Clone in every respect: X51 3.8liter factory upgraded engine (300hp). Euro C2 trans. OEM Speedlines and OEM RSCS wing package. Sunroof delete. Rear wiper delete. GT3 buckets. Big Reds. White guage faces. Fire extinguisher. RS steering wheel. Full leather incl. dash etc. Hegio half rollbar. techart fully functional brakeducts. SS brakelines. OEM Big ovals. RSRs. Extra set of 996 GT3 wheels. Original seats also available. This looks exactly as an RS, except the headlight washers have to be shaved. Someone spent a fortune on thisone. Same money as car A.

Pros: Closer to what I want than car A. I can modify this little by little. Driving it on weekend and on the track without feeling guilty. Very many super nice mods already done. I am more than half way already . A bit of tweaking here (DACH X-pipes), LWF clutch Flywheel, a live ECU remap and this car will make 310-320 hp.. Serious track weapon. Affordable right away just as car A without having to sell stock.

Cons: Still a replica FWIW. Will not hold it's value as good as car A or C. Probably also more difficult to sell (if I ever have to?). Eventhough the mods are very nice, it's a lot of money for what is essentially - a heavily modded 993 C2.

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Car C

'96 993 RS Guards red over black. 37.XXXmiles. Comfort spec. with electric windows, A/C, speakers, hardback RS non-adjustable sport seats. No rollcage. Stunning car. All original, no mods (less is more??).

Pros: The real deal. Will hold it's value the best. No mods required (except for X-pipes ). Serious track weapong while still streetable (comfort spec.). Best of both worlds. Very similar to car B albeit the real deal. Moneywise it would mean I would have to sell all of the stock I have right now.

Cons: What comes with collector cars is the only negative thing really. Risking damage to the car, having to be selective on parking etc.. But that goes for the other two as well.

What I keep asking myself is: Is this a better investment (although I don't look at it as one) than the stock market on a 3-5year perspective. E.g in 5 yrs, will I look back at this decision in retrospect and tell myself it was a good thing that I bought the original RS and sold my stock? Or would I have been better off holding onto the stock and going with the RS replica (which essentially feels very very similar to drive) or the C2S?

Believe I have gone through this numerous times in my head. It's just, I can't make up my mind. I'm not going to tell you which alternative I am leaning towards because then it will be a bit biased.

So, A B or C?

Decisions, decisions..



TIA guys. You all know I really appreciate your input .
Sorry for the loong post. I will be gone tomorrow so will read through your posts when I get back on sunday. Have a great weekend

P.S It's not me in any of the pictures D.S

MarkD

A! Then drive it
I'm a sucker for Vesuvio. Though a real RS would be sweet... tough call!

You guys call it Vesuvius over there. Is it the translation?

V

Some say vesuvio some say vesuvius. I don't know whichone is more correct. It's a badass color regardless . Thanks for the input Mike, keep it coming . Anyways, I'm off for the weekend trip now, TTYL guys

goofballdeluxe

Also something to think about: you've already taken a hit on your stocks. Selling them now means selling at a low point, I presume. If you bought Car A or B, in time your stocks will come up again, possibly offsetting the purchase price of Car A or B somewhat. If you sell your stocks at a loss to buy Car C, that's not an option.

All the cars are nice. Also, are you such an experienced driver that you can wring that much more performance out of the RS than the other two? Since it's only going to have a small amount of mileage put on by you every year, I'd lean towards the GQ. If you only drive it 3K-5K a year, it will keep it's low mileage status and hold its value very well. Plus, you get to keep your stock.

Personally, I kinda frown on looking at these cars from an investment point of view. Life is short. Buy the car that moves you the most and enjoy it to it's fullest.

DAVISRILEY

Without knowing all the details(price, ppi results, etc) my gut says to go with b. A lot of the expensive mods are done, and you can drive it without feeling like you are putting a lot of miles on either a museum piece, or without worrying so much about damaging a collector. But any of them look good. And no sunroofs on any of them. Lucky.

Sooner

I'd go with B, especially if you are going to start doings DE's. That 3.8 would be sweet to have.

RodKnock

Option C. I like red and it's real.

V

Ok I think I left some important stuff out of the equation. I bought my portfolio 4 years ago. Every stock is currently at +. They are now worth roughly 30% more than when I bought them 4years ago. One year ago, they were worth 80% more.. . So by selling them I would have earned money. FWIW. Does that change anything in your opinion?

Am I such an experienced driver that I will be able to make use of the 3.8 vs. the 3.6? No. But I don't want the car to be the limiting factor, only to discover that after 2years when my driving skills have improved, that I should have gone the 3.8liter route.

You are totally right. Life is too short. Go buy what you want. I don't look at it as an investment, it's just that when facing these three alternatives, it becomes an alternative investment (in case of car C).


Let's just say that they are all attractively prices. A most attractive and then B and then C. Let's face it, everyone knows that an original 993RS is going to cost a ton of money, it's hard to argue against that. I havn't seen the real RS in person, but the other two are in super good condition. The non-sunroof is a must for being being so tall and to be able to fit a helmet in there without hitting the roof liner. Ans you are right about not having to worry, it seems car B is probably a good compromise between A and C (if that makes sense). Funny thing is that the RL people like us would chose B over A while I think the market would chose A over B (MV wise).

Definately. Another possible con with A would be regretting not going 3.8 in the first place. A possible con with B would be regretting not having gong the WB route.. Nothing is perfect is it?

ppashley

I'd go with B ... as I don't think now is the right time to be dissolving your equity portfolio ... to finance your toy. If that's cool with you then get C (that Guards Red looks awesome). Personally I'd go for B.

Good luck.

axl911

C. How many people said "I should have gotten that 1973 RS/964 RS/993 RS when I had the opportunity to do so"?

Cactus

C!!!!!! I bought a garage queen with low mileage at the top of the price scale and drive it! I put 5600 miles on it the first year but I do not use it as a DD. What is the point of not driving it and keeping the miles low for the next owner?

Robert993TT

I knew the stock market would fall as well as the real estate prices. It took a year longer than I anticipated. I rather take a hit on something I can have some fun with than a stock that's just a number, nothing you can really touch. Two years ago I bought a 993tt.

First I considered to buy one with low miles. In the end I bought one with higher miles. That way I may drive it without thinking about hurting the resale value to much.

Don´t forget that the cars with lower miles may need attention. In the end it may not be a good deal after all.

I would not spend all your money on a car even if its a 993RS if I where you. They are not to be considers an investment. Few cars are.

Hoppas att du hittar en bil du blir nöjd med tillslut. Kommer också från Sverige.

fast_freddy

Choice "C" as it will cause you to have more sex. Which is more important than any other reason. Think of it this way the more you get laid, the more relaxed you will be. The more relaxed you are the smoother you will be on the track. The smoother you are on the track the faster you will be. Pretty logical if you ask me.

RS man

Yes, I did regret not telling my brother to get the 993RSCS on my behalf.....I could have bought it for a price on par with my RS ie could have bought it, shipped it and taxed it for equivalent money whereas I will have to pay at least £20K extra now if I want a RSCS. The RS cars have become very expensive compared to what I paid for mine 5 years ago and I will say it has performed better than my pention by a million miles. Should have bought the 73RS when it was cheaper rather than pay into a ****ty pension fund. Difficult to know which way the RS will go with the credit crunch though.

Harry

Stealth 993

Car B, love Yellow!