I agree with Dennis. I drive all winter in a C2 on Blizzacks. And the 996 vs. 997 is partly a personal taste thing. I prefer the comparative simplicity of the early 996s, and am a little frightened of the Panamera virus infecting the 911 line. Porsche has to be careful not to go down the road Mercedes went down over the last 50 years.

 

991 will push down all water-cooled prices. No one is going to pass up 997 engineering improvements unless the savings of the 996 really justifies skipping it. That will make it harder for a 996 seller to get a buyer's attention. I think if you're not planning to keep your 996 forever you'd be smart to sell asap.
The 991 could be a sleeper hit since these cars are only becoming more reliable, also did the 997 S best the 996 GT3 right out of the gate like this? The engine and overall performance curve seems to be on a sharp curve upwards which will be an inverse resale curve for anything water-cooled that isn't a 991.

 

Just as likely that the 991 has a Halo effect, pulling up prices of nice, used 911's that are a little less car for a lot less money - Have you seen the List Price on the 991. Nosebleed!

 

The 991 pricing could lift 997 prices but unless there are more buyers to court both 996 and 997 (there is substantial inventory of both) someone is going to lose. In other words I don't think those 2nd hand buyers are going to split evenly. I'd wager that they (turn over buyers) will pereceive that the 997 will depreciate a slower rate than the 996 before eventually getting into a 991 five years down the road. So your argument could result in people crowding into the 997 segment.

 

The 991 will hit the 997 prices the hardest IMHO. 996 prices are already pretty low and will take a hit, but not to the same degree as the outgoing 997.

 

Update...
Made a conditional offer (subject to successful PPI & CPO) to the dealer for the 2004 C2 at below asking price to see whether they would bite. Dealer claims it will cost 5k to "re-condition' the car for CPO. I'm gonna give them the weekend to think about it

 

If the car needs 5k worth of reconditioning, are you sure you still want it?

A car that is of CPO quality has to have brakes/tires at 80% or better.
There is a whole checklist that they must complete but I seriously doubt it will take $5k unless the car is in "questionable" shape. Sounds like a sales tactic to me.

 

Strange.....they let you walk away? Your offer wasn't enough.

Expect the "Phone Call" in a day or two unless you did a Kijiji Lowball.

Good Luck

 

Phone call never came from the dealer. I don't think my offer was low-ball. I expected them to at least negotiate. There are cars that have been sitting on their lot for months. They obviously know what they need to do to make it CPO. The search continues...

 

You can see '02 C2's in CA with 50-60K miles for <$30K list. An '04 with 40-50Km is probably a good deal around $35K. Do a quick search on Cragislist. I'd be concerned with such low mileage - if these cars have not been driven - they seem to be more susceptible to IMS issues.CPO would give you peace of mind for short time. If you can afford a 997 - go for it. - but again these can still still have IMS until 997.2 - so avoid very low milers. An '06 997 around here is going for around mid $40's (higher at dealer with CPO).

 

I guess 991 is having more impact than I thought .. look at this one

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/ctd/2830519763.html

 

That craiglist car is one basic car.

 

it is low mileage, looks clean. a thorough PPI, maintenance history, good test drive, check paint and between fenders, body fitment, doors/hinges, DME scan, undercarriage at an indi shop. If does not show signs of odo rollback or accident history, I think it would be a great deal if "buyer" shows up with $35K cash deal.

 

In negotiations with a dealer for the 2004 C2 with CPO. I was upfront from the beginning that I would require a PPI. The indy I spoke to said the car would need to be in their workshop in order to do the PPI. The dealer is now refusing to allow that to happen. What a headache this search!

 

Sorry to hear.

Not sure how a PPi can be done with leaving there dealership?

Is a PPi really needed when you buy a CPO car?

I would say a quick check of the computer for over-revs would be my Big concern.

Good luck.