mstolo

My father has a classic Corvette - all original. Classic car collectors seem to gravitate towards all original with no mods, and that seems to drive a higher price in the auctions. The 993's are still pretty young, but most owners seem to be pretty quick to make modifications - most of which overall improve the performance and looks of the cars.

So does the tide ever turn the other direction and everyone starts restoring these cars back to all original and undo all the mods, and we start to climb back up the slippery slope everyone has slid down?

Would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this.

Ten Years

Interesting question. I'd imagine "special" cars (e.g. Euro 993 RS, 993 TT S, 997 GT3 RS, etc.) would definitely be better off as close to stock as possible in the long run - when speaking of market value, etc. I can't imagine a deeply modded '73 Carrera RS being worth more than a factory specced car.

My guess is that most 993s will be considered too common to be true collectibles (in the sense that they would be kept as investments). They will be really, really cool "classics" that will always have an ardent fan base.

Making modifications, within limits, and when done with restraint, adds to my enjoyment of my vehicles. That alone is worth more, to me, than any additional value my car might retain/attain from remaining completely stock. Having said that, whenever I make a mod on a car, I try and keep the factory parts, even if I never plan to reverse the mod. It just makes me feel better knowing all its original parts are still around.

Oh, and lastly, there used to be a beautiful orange '67 911S in my college town that I'd see almost every day. I remember admiring most the owner's decision to keep it completely factory. It looked like a time-capsule car. I guess I'd say I enjoy personalizing my cars, but I can respect the "keep it factory" mindset as well....

Mark in Baltimore

The enjoyment I get out of modding (and racing) my car will far outweigh any potential appreciation of this mass-produced sports car in 2040, although I do think it's an interesting question.

JPP

I've owned 11 Porsches over the years since 1971, a few of which I still have. Most of the early cars were produced in numbers that are equivalent to the ratios of production numbers for 993's v.s. cars built for the masses during the same period. Pristine, original, un-restored cars are the most valuable. The parts needed to bring cars back to this condition are even more valuable and very hard to find since most people threw them away after removing them. If history is any indicator, take a lesson and hedge your bets by saving your original parts. Selling American-spec bumperettes and headlight washers could be the basis of a lucrative business in a couple of decades...

TheOtherEric

If you have a pristine super-low-mileage 993, then keeping it original will score you some points at a concours or perhaps an auction.

But if you're actually going to drive it (like all of us) then there's no point sticking with inferior/bland stock parts when you could easily improve them.

jimhsu

Agreed. And most of our mods can be reversed and the 993 restored to original condition.

But some mods are perfectly OK, even expected. With the car at 12-3 years old, I don't think any of my future buyers (IF I ever decide to sell) would mind if I didn't keep the original Monroe shocks and put on Bilstein PSS10s.

NP993

+993

I don't know why people obsess over this kind of stuff. If you want to make an investment, buy bonds. If you want to increase the joy in your life by driving a fun sports car that's easy on the eyes, a 993 fits the bill quite nicely. If you keep your 993 under a cover in the garage, what's the point of owning it? And don't kid yourself into thinking that you're "preserving its value." We're talking about a car that isn't worth what a new Honda Accord costs. Spare us the melodrama. And if you drive it regularly (I drive mine as much as I possibly can) it will depreciate as it ages and wears. But so what? We're not talking about a $5 million Ferrari. It's a car that's barely worth $30K. Drive and enjoy. Death lasts a long time.

Arena993

Very well said for a regular 993.

Mike

Canyon56

I agree. And I don't consider these classics in the collector's sense (unless you have some rarity.) They are bought to be driven and used (but cared for, of course.)

Maybe in another 20-25 years, it'll be more about collecting. And as long as the car hasn't been butchered, it can easily be returned to original.

But if you're wealthy enough then buy a few pristine stock versions and stash them away.

dcdude

I'm trying to think of any irreverseable mods I've done. I threw away my stock U.S. springs. I guess those could still be found again in the future, but why? I can't see how if a car confirms to either U.S. or ROW spec it can be faulted at an auction in 2040. Maybe a concours, but I'll let an expert weigh in or that. In reality, many of us have cars that are a mixture of U.S. and ROW. I could see how that could be frowned upon...but they can bite me

95 NC 993

Condition and maintenance history are key to any classic or potential classic. The mileage is a PLUS but an excellent condition 993 in 10-12 years (approaching the 25 year mark) will probably command about the same money with 40k or 80k on the odometer if both examples meet the stated criteria. Maybe $5k difference (no big deal) but pretty close I would think. Moderate improvements (mods) will not hurt the value but radical mods might. I have owned GM F-bodies for 13 years and some of the convertible production numbers are amazingly low (collectable). Owners that have added cams and major mods will not get the value out of these F-bodies in future years but the mostly stock or slightly modded cars will have no issues when selling. The same should be true for 993 models. Definitely drive them and enjoy them while keeping them as perfect as possible. If you must use the car as a DD then you can't expect value with 180k-200k on the odometer but I don't think the OP is asking about these type cars.

NP993

I'm just wondering, but is a 993 an important part of anyone's investment portfolio here? People keep talking about them like they're a mutual fund...I don't get it.

Safemoney

Do people turn 95 yrs old and go ask the doctors to...

- Put their old hip back in?
- Please replace their clogged arteries?
- I kept these originals - could you put my teeth back in doc?
- The market for these bone on bone knees has to be going up. Few people have this problem anymore. Could you take out my good ones?

I want a collectible car too, but you're committing a felony in 46 states if you don't drive your 993 like you stole it.

Any other questions?...

nedsky

Maybe yours will be capable of this around 2035 or thereabouts; be it stock or otherwise. That'd be worth it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc6L5omPRW4

JPP

I've never bought a car for an investment. Not even my Speedster.

I think the ones to buy today are the well-maintained, higher mileage cars (70K+) with rare options like sports seats and those crazy-spendy burl-wood and aluminum packages for low 20K dollars. Heck, you could get two of those for the price of some low-mileage garage queen. How about a coupe and a cabriolet, one for winter, one for summer