The market was bound to shift at some point. I help manage a retro video game store outside of my detailing business and that market has been insane. I've noticed over the last 3 months or so it finally starting to cool and from what we've heard from other retailers in town things have been cooling as well. I know it's not a 1 for-1 with the car industry but more spending as a whole. I constantly go back and forth on selling my 911 but then I think how I was able to score a 911 with 50k miles on it for $18,000 and I think those days are long gone. Pricing may not be as crazy but I think the days of cheap enthusiast cars are done unless we see a huge economic crash.

 

Meh, I would still agree with the conclusion of the email thread. The opportunity cost of that money can't be understated.

There are certainly less stupid car buys, but I think the only healthy outlook on this hobby is that you should just assume you're making a bad decision, but it's absolutely worth it.

 

Yep. Just enjoy it.

 

Sold for $44,500.

 

Glad to see this thread pop up. And right now its New Years. (It's Friday and I'm bored) So, how about a discussion of the future values? And what are the forces in effect? I haven’t studied all of this, interested in the views from you guys.

What is going to happen with 996 prices in 2024? (Assuming it is still important that they share headlights with the GT1).

California will allow only 0% emission vehicles for sale starting in 2035: I think that means mostly EVs for consumer use. Although the date may be extended, and probably will spread to other states at some level. How will that affect demand for our wonderful cars? (including Ferrari, BMW, Audi, Corvettes, Mustangs, -- all current or pending classics). BTW, Teslas are now very common here in San Diego.

The generations are changing. The future children will not have grown up with carbon-emissions vehicles. So they won't have the same understanding of a car with an engine (ICE), and what it means to have / own one. Not sure they'll even know or care how a motor works on an EV. Our cars may no longer be considered cool.

What about maintenance, repair shop costs, availability of skilled and experienced mechanics? If there are fewer ICE cars, then will there be less help for quality repairs? Hourly rates have skyrocketed in the last few years. Will we keep our 996s when the hourly rate for repairs approaches $500 and more?

If I am driving my 996 down the street 20 years from now, what will the neighbors think: oh there goes that awful idiot again with his ancient polluting car.

I don’t think mass transit is going to expand much, so some type of personal transport will probably continue.

Will cars even be sold anymore? Or in the future will we purchase monthly “transport services” (renting cars) rather than buying a car? Or will the roads mostly be filled with driver-less vehicles picking us up at home to go get groceries? Or will that become obsolete, because everything will be delivered?

 

Unless CA makes serious improvements in its electrical infrastructure that date will get pushed way back or eliminated. IMO

 

I just saw a video saying FoMoCo is cutting WAY back on EV's , they are laying off 1000's of workers, lost 4billion $$ , have 90K EV's sitting in a lot, nobody buying them even with $115k dollar price cut..lol.........I would say our ICE's are safe for now !!

 

All I am gathering here is how utterly stupid a majority of Californians are?

 

I like EVs, but really only from a convenience & NVH standpoint. I don't think they are really a solution to anything without a major pivot to nuclear energy.

That being said it is absolutely bonkers being next to a highway in an area that has basically gone all EV and basically only hearing tire & wind noise. It's such a quality of life improvement for anyone who has to be around cars.

Anyway, who cares. ICEs are going to be around a long-*** time. Don't sweat it.

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Now that’s a good way to end the year:

 

Well said.

BTW, you are already seeing the marketing message from Porsche shifting towards the next evolution of Hybrids. Used car EV prices are falling hard.

Porsche/Audi got F1 to embrace synthetic fuel for 2026, other racing series are begining to follow. As a result, all oil companies that partner with manufacturers and racing teams are now manufacturing this stuff.

By 2026, the marketing campaign from all of the car manufacturers will be about synthetic fuel powered hybrids with racing bred ICE/EV technology that leaves no footprint and with one tank of efuel that gets 1500+ miles in an environmentally sound manner.

With the next wave of technology, who the heck in their right mind that cares about the environment would want a monoline EV? Golf carts, yes. Warehouse forklifts and tools, yes. Cars, trucks, ships, airplanes, NO.

What this means is we all may be paying $10-20 a gallon to fill up our 996s, but we will be driving them. But the price of synthetic fuel really doesn't matter if you have to spend $150-$300 to fill up your new hybrid and you get 1500 miles for a tank of gas.

No more charging stations.
No more PITA mileage limitations
No more having to turn up your exhaust recordings to make believe you have exhaust sounds.

Monoline EV is dead. Long live efuel powered hybrids that combine the best of ICE and EV for clean emissions, more mileage and better overall technology.

If you don't own a 996. You better buy one soon.

 

Macan service costs are the number 1 factor pushing me to EV for next DD. I don’t like the golf cart front end and dashboard of Teslas, but know many who own them and they LOVE them without reservation. The #1 thing they love is never having to go to the gas station. Since they all can charge at home, some at work also, they almost never need to go to a supercharger (only on rare long trips). Operational costs are ridiculously low. Virtually no service required either (slightly shorter tire life is only expense).

The question for me is: Will Porsche EV’s cost nothing, or a small fortune, to maintain? The ICE Macan dealer service is nauseating.

Porsche synthetic fuel I think is targeted at working for any existing ICE. Should be a huge help to maintain access to our fun ICE cars forever.

 

This may be the saving grace of EVs for DD locally for affluent families. However, the majority of the US and world is not affluent. They are just getting by.

 

Continuing the topic drift. I think EV cars make a lot of sense in certain situations; I always have. I'd like to add an EV runabout to the fleet, and may do so soon. The fact that so many manufacturers are targeting ridiculous acceleration instead of practical power and range is disappointing, but I suspect also temporary. Hopefully the trend towards monster vehicles will also wane somewhat; nobody needs 3 ton behemoths in the hands of driver ed dropouts.

I think the technology has moved along far enough for EV trucks to be viable, and I also think the long haul trucking industry is a good fit for vehicles which need multi-hour recharges every so often. Delivery vehicles as well. Anything that comes back to a depot after its shift, or is required to stop for multiple hours by law.

All that said, the electrical infrastructure just isn't there. Even if it is just built out along interstate corridors, there is a heck of a long way to go. Electrify America is a sad joke, and there's nothing else on the horizon. And of course the juice still needs to generated and transited. So. To paraphrase Kevin Costner's muse, build the infrastructure and they will come.

 

Drive a Tycan, then come back and tell us what you think about EVs.

I'm not replacing my GT3 with a Tycan, but you just really need to drive one. If I had the loose cash and an extra garage space I'd do it in an instant.