Can anyone more experienced then me explain the differentiation in prices of the 993s? I have read the threads on the issue here, as well as the comments on other p-car web sites. I am still rather confused though. For example, I read in Excellence magazine that a top price for a '97 C4s is around $50k with a 10% increase for low milage, yet I have seen plenty of dealers/private sellers advertising these low mile cars in the high $60's (with light options). The same seems to be true of the C2s. I even see plenty of c2 with 30k - 40k miles selling in the very high $40k. Are people actually getting those high prices or is Fall the time for highly unmotivated sellers to come out of the woodwork and throw prices "against the wall to see if they will stick"?

 

Hi, akolodesh. Are you interested in buying right now, or just shopping prices? The reason I ask is, the market may look different if you are actually buying, because you have to find a car actually available for purchase when you want to buy it, in the color you want, where you can see it, test drive it, and drive it home (or else deal with a long-distance buy and pay for shipping), and by the time you consider all the variables, the price you are willing to pay may change. I just purchased a 1996 C4S blk/blk with 23K miles, extremely clean and well cared for, for 58K, near where I live. I was/am very happy with the deal. I could have bought a higher-mileage model, or one less perfect, for less money. I may have been able to buy an equivalent specimen for less money if I were willing to wait, shop over a broader geographic area, etc., but I wasn't willing. I also could have purchased an absolutely perfect low-mileage car (8 to 10K miles) from Ray Joseph in Houston, for example, for 8 to 10K more than I paid for my car, plus shipping. Hope this helps--and I hope you buy a C4S if that is your goal--I am delighted with mine.

 

ALex, there are alot of sellers thinking they are going to get
top dollar for their beauties. Probably wishfull thinking. You as
the buyer have the power. There are not a whole lot of people
walking around with 65K in their pockets to throw at a 6,7 or 8 year
old car. Shop around, enjoy the view, have fun and find one you
like and offer what it is worth to you. If you are in Ohio you
should be able to get one for less that if you were in SoCal or
Palm Beach Florida. You should be able to get a nice low mile 20-30K
C4S 96 97 in the 50K range, but you gotta do some leg work
Realize a dealer is going to be asking 10K more than a seller normally
and some Private sellers ask what dealers are asking. I think this
is where theprices get a little bit out of whack.
Learn the market, Become an expert then do your deal.

 

Actually, there are plenty of people that can spend that kind of money (or a lot more) on a car. Choosing to spend it on a 993 is a different story altogether.

There are two types of buyers....those that search by price and then look at quality and those that search for the perfect car and then look at the price.

I searched for the best 1998 C2S that I could find.....then I bought it. I would never have been happy if I saved $10K and had a car that was at 90%+. I wanted to find a car at 99%+ and I was willing to pay for it.

Others are looking for a clean car at a reasonable price and would be happy with a 90%+ car.

Neither is better than the other...it is simply a question of what your priorities are. You are buying it and you have to live with it.

I wouldn't spend $60K+ on a car that you plan on driving 20K miles per year......nor would I spend $35K on a car that you planned on holding forever. You want a daily driver....buy a clean car with good records. You want a toy car that you drive for fun when the weather is nice and you will be able to give to your son in 20 years...buy the best car you can find.

Simply my opinion....YMMV.

 

JohnT53, I'm glad you recently got the dream car. I am surprised about the $58k price tag though, even if you lived out here in the inflated West. But what the heck, it's just a number.

 

Thanks, hddude. DC in Cape Cod, couldn't have said it better--it is all about priorities--no two are the same. At these prices, we might as well have what we want.

 

In the near future, I might buy a 993 C4S too.

There are a few low-mile 993's for sale locally for $65k and up. Personally I think they are nuts, but maybe they hope that if enough people offer the '97s and '98s at those prices people will think that's the going rate. Keep in mind that these are low mileage in the sub-10 thousands, not sub-thousand mile museum pieces. If you've got that kind of money and you absolutely must have a 993, fine, but I have a feeling that in most cases an offer of cold hard cash will knock five figures off the asking price. Porsches reach a minimum resale price like Mercs and BMWs, so I'm looking for one that is in the thirties, lightly optioned with reasonable mileage. I see a few every now and then that seem to fit the bill but it doesn't really matter until I am ready to buy and I start making offers.

Sometimes the really good deals turn out to be bad ones, and the bad sounding deals can turn good. Keep your eyes open and never be afraid to make a low offer to someone that seems to have his head in the clouds. Sometimes they are on the ropes and want to get rid of the car.

 

Like it or not, the price for a low mile, well optioned, clean car is doing quite well. I am convinced at this point, that Porsche's change in direction with the 996 has put an "air of collectibility" around these cars. I do not think this will diminish, quite the contrary I believe as time goes by (and fewer and fewer good examples of the cars exist) it will only make the pristine, low mile car more desirable.

There are two different markets for these cars at this point- those that have been driven and those that have been pampered. You can't look at the price of one and draw any conclusions about the price of the other.

 

Exactly.....and there will ALWAYS be people that want a 993 in perfect condition with low miles...and are willing to pay top dollar for it.

The bell curve for prices, like the bell curve for the cars themselves, is quite wide and still extends up into the $60K's.

Anyone else notice that Turbos are dropping like crazy but regular widebodies are doing pretty well?

 

Yes, evidenced by the most recent sale of my 993 C4S. I think the drops in the 996 Turbo prices are driving the 993 Turbo prices down while the drop in standard 996 prices are driving the prices of the naturally aspirated 993's up.

 

Anyone want to do an even trade: my 993 c4s for a 993 tt?

 

Prices on the higher mileage cars seem to be falling fast and hard. As most of you know, I paid $40500 for my 58k mi 96 C4S 11 months ago, but it needed a new clutch, tires, and a couple of smaller things. I'm happy that I paid kind of low for my car, as I drive it alot, and have recently scraped the front bumper while exiting the garage, necesitating a repaint on the front bumper (aaaarghhh). If I had spent the $53k for the 29k mi pristine car I first looked at, I think I would have been a tad more bummed. As it is, I kind of look at my car as an expensive "beater", as it has so many miles and isn't totally perfect (the rear bumper has a slight crease in it from another car edging into it by the previous owner). I don't want to spend $500 to fix this - I'm just waiting till the next careless moron backs up into it and then I'll send it off to be repainted back there!

Good luck with your search. I see the occasional 96 C4S come to market at around $40-43k. I even got mine from a stealer, but I DID contact the PO about his car through the receipts before buying it, and of course I had a thorough PPI (duh), and had 3 Rennlisters check it out too!

Peace
Steve

 

I'll sell you my 1997.
http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=19rxn36...&x=0&y=-84oo0e

I want a Noble M12 GTO3. I can't help it! I've always loved and driven Porsches, but I think this Noble may be too hot to pass up. 0-60 in 3.6; 1.15 G's on the pad. The company just sent me the info, including a full scale test against the Porsche GT2 on the race track. The Noble outperforms the GT2 in EVERY area. If only I could find a way to have both!

 

For the most part, DC and I have agreed on these issues when they come up.

I would say that there is no problem getting a low miles beauty (because that's what you want) and then driving it daily. Take good care of it, etc. It will still depreciate less than most new cars, and it is the car you want. Hell, keep it original, and high miles or not, it still commnads a reasonable price.

Now the swap for a tt is the thing I'm wondering about , too. Viken is talking me out of it, and it actually might work. I see the same thing .. tts seem to be dropping in price more than nice S NA cars, and it still seems hard to fathom how to use all that power in my area (of course, on a track, but even there, I am not anywhere good enough not to get bitten by it, I think).

Ah! They're all nice. My wife, as much a non-car person as anyone can be (though an industrial and graphic designer) does call it a work of art. That sounds pretty good to me!

 

Why is everyone trying to get a low milage 993? I have been told by several mechanics that these cars are bullet proof. They said it is not uncommon for theses cars to go 250k miles. I know that you'll have to replace a clutch or altenator if you keep it that long.