doublecabmel

Would you rather have a "piece of paper," or a 400+ hp super car? At least you can drive the car. Just my .02

993TurboS

100% agree, but that is consumption, not investment
It is the reason i own my money -losing car.

osugasman

Think in terms of 2011. I wish I had a monetary problem of this nature in 1957, but I wasn't born yet. Now I'm faced with sticking it into an investment and losing 1-10% within a year (or worse with the debt crisis), camping it in a savings account at 0.1% rate of return over a year or maybe, just maybe, buying a fun to drive car that will hold its own through the crisis and may provide some hedge in an inflationary period.

Quadcammer

perhaps your investment strategy needs work.

buying a car as an investment is just as risky as buying a decent security. But you have to pay tax, insurance, and repairs on the car and you can't drive it much.

If you want the car to drive, and I'd say thats its best purpose, then fine. As an investment, there are better options.

Turbodan

once again if you want an investment in 2011 buy gold bars. if you want a fun car to drive and not lose too much on buy a 993tt.

fineito

When the DJIA bottomed in the Spring 2009, my wife urged me to cash out of the market and purchase an F-car. She said, "at least it is tangible and you can touch it and drive it." Well, I would have lost $100k+ on the F-car. Lesson #1: it is rare for any modern day car to be a worthy investment. Lesson #2: I would miss my 1996 993 too much to sell it. Lesson #3: I have a great wife.

993MAN

Re lesson 3.....same here.
I could never think of a car as an investment, it's just not me. Not unless it was an F40 or something equally as rare and exotic. But even then I would have to drive it and then it would get stone chips etc, especially on our mainly third world roads. It's just the way I am.
IMO cars are made to be driven and enjoyed, and that's an investment in life.
Life is for fun. If I had money to invest it would be in gold or Rolex watches.
Even then I would probably use my new butinol gun to melt it down just to see what happened.
I know, I'm an idiot, but an idiot with a car I love every time I come within an inch of.

ClaesM

I wish I had the money to buy the McLaren F1 when it came out, now they are 4 - 5 times more expensive...
I dont think the 993 TT will ever go down in price, in Europe they are now 75-80K USD minimum... Every Porsche RS model is now fetching prices in crazy brackets...

ronnie993tt

............993tt's are even higher in the UK. The few ads (asking prices) in the Brit mags are 40% to 60% over USA asking. Who knows what they go for. How about some of the early '60's Ferrari's that were originally $10k and now go for $3 to $16 million.....oh well, tomorrow looks like another driving day.

BrandonH

I'm a longtime observer and sometime participant in the collector car market. Cars that are truly 'investments' are few and far between. Take the price new of a 1930 Duesenberg J, a Mercedes 300SL, a Jag E-type, apply a relevant rate of return, say 7%, then compare to current auction results. The very cream of the collector market sometimes beats a median market return but most do not. Furthermore, keeping a car in 'investment grade' shape is expensive. When a pristine car sells for an eyebrow-raising price, remember that a full blown professional restoration is $200K and up.
You have to value the 'non-financial' returns, eg the enjoyment of driving/showing the car, then write off everything you spend to store/maintain. If what is left breaks even, congratulate yourself on finding a nice hedge against inflation like any other real asset...

osugasman

Just to clarify since this has opened up a fun debate, my version of a garage queen is a non daily driver being driven 2-3K per year. I realize there are expenses involved but would like to plant 55-60K somewhere that would be pretty to look at/take care of, be fun to drive/enjoy and maybe even hold its value after 10+ years. You guys would know better than me, but I have to believe that when the economy turns around, these will be selling for >10K over current prices. I realize there is insurance, maintenance, gas/upkeep to consider and just wanted to get a feel from you guys. Further, since I would like to enter the 911 ownership group, it seems that 993 drivers are the most pleased, and 993tt drivers even more so. Sound about right?

Ish993

For an investment that looks pretty, buy gold and use the ingots as paperweights around your home office !
or buy a young Russian bride and turn her into a supermodel !

But for cars, you never know.........I made 5k on a 1990 964 Cab after 8 years....... but it was roll of the dice


I paid +/-55k for my low mile 1997 C4s, good luck hunting for the right car !

BrandonH

The McLaren F1 is totally unique though. No other modern car has had this kind of appreciation, to the contrary, if you bought an F40/F50 new you'd still be underwater, despite an uptick in recent years.

The only other 'new' car I can think of that has appreciated in recent times is the Ford GT, most of which still sell for more than they cost new. Looking back a bit further, you might also point to the 288 GTO.

An interesting bellwether for the 993tt is the 959. They are mysteriously very cheap (~$250K) on the auction market despite their important place in Porsche history, and relative scarcity. Just haven't captured collectors' imaginations.


Honestly I don't see why the 993tt values would be expected to fare much differently from prior turbos. Maybe it gets a premium someday from collectors as the final and most developed of the aircooled cars, but normally when collectors look back they want the model that epitomizes the era, and I'd tend to think that is more the 930...

pstoppani

I don't think the prices changed, went down, when the economy crashed...

Really, buy a 993TT from the heart, not by rationalizing... It's a crappy investment even compared to the market.

rcg412

I believe the 993TT 20-30 years from now will of appreciated substantially (leaving it vague).