tekkie

Hi all i just joined, i had the pleasure to drive a new gt3 on a race track a few months ago and since then i have been dying for a porsche. The GT3 is slightly out of my price range but a 996 is more in the range. i tried to find some info but so far nothing concrete but is the 996 pricing on the rise? i am wondering if i should wait or pull the trigger now? considering a 2004 4S at the moment

Noz1974

The wide body cars seem more desirable in the uk and hold their money better, I don't think you would ever lose on a 996 unless you are unlucky with a mechanical issue, try and buy with a good warranty and history on the car, even better if it has had the ims bearing done but check it was by a good garage that knows it's stuff !

TAGPorsche

I don't see the prices rising. Noticed some cars linger on for sale ads for months. If you buy a 966 in the mid teens and have the original engine budget $10-15k. So these cars are actually $30k. They've grown in popularity for their low upfront cost of entry but beware. This is why, I think, the air cooled 911 prices have jumped. They arguably have stouter engines and are arguably better looking with no resemblance to a smaller brother.

Hurdigurdiman

read up on the 1999 cars. That's the best deal on the market today.

Noz1974

Mines a 99 c2 coupe , only abs nothing else hoping the purists will want these as later cars have more electronics and not as pure to drive , I've heard it's going to be the 99 that's the most desirable along with the wide body cars, think prices are pretty level at the moment but you can go spend 15k on a normal car keep it five years and it's work 5k , the 996 will still be worth 15k possibly more so it's good if you look at it that way!

Montychristo128

I reckon eventually. As Hurdi and other suggest, early cars may be worth more due to "purity" of the experience, and as the 993 prices (and earlier) continue to skyrocket.

The "first Water cooled" 911's should get more desirable. But don't see that happening at the moment. Based on my personal experience (about to rebuild engine), buy a well loved and serviced car, with IMS Solution fitted and a warranty, it will be worth every penny.

tekkie

What warranties are there to get? The car I am thinking of is a private sale.

Jack-Porsche

I have been following the 996 market for quite a while. I was considering a 996, but eventually decided on a Cayman.
I still think the market is unbelievably low...the only 986 cars that seem to be rising are the GT3. The TT 986 is an unbelievable value as well, along with the regular NA models.
I have to think they are at the bottom of the depreciation curve and will eventually start to rise

Montychristo128

PPI is your friend. Get it checked out for all the usual things, pay extra for borscope and maybe get oil filter removed and checked. Service history is valuable.

If it has had an IMS get records and see when it was done elective swapping (before failure is good) but some cars have them replaced after a failure and don't last long, if the engine was not correctly cleaned out.

Check brakes, discs wear and will need replacing, make sure ignition switch is working properly, make sure keys and fobs work, engine mounts are ok.

All easy fixes but add up.

Eagleflt9

So after talking to a co-worker, I decide it is time to become an affordable Porsche owner. After searching for weeks I find a relatively low mile 99 C4 for sale at a large Domestic dealership in central Florida. Love the car, doesn't recognize corners, etc. (i.e. no slowing down for them). Over the last 8 months, new tires, fixed the leaking convertible top actuators, etc. Two days ago, I get this funny feeling. I jack up one front wheel and it turns easily. I check the throttle body and it has an actual operating cable instead of E-gas. It has TC instead of PSM. And from a quick look, no front differential and front drive shafts. Also, black calipers instead of titanium. But the VIN# says C4 and also does the engine cover badging. Any thoughts?

David993S

We wish. They have not yet hit bottom, unfortunately. Best value in a used 911 for sure.

WalterRohrl

The throttle cable, brake color, and TC are OK, nothing weird there. E-gas wasn't on '99's, brakes on narrow body cars are black, and PSM was an option.

It is possible that the car had its front diff and driveshafts removed, some people prefer to make their own C2 that way, there are a couple of people here that have done that, it's not difficult to do. The easiest "tell" is just to open the frunk. On a C2 the well goes all the way down with the spare being bolted in an upright position to the back of it (firewall). On a C4 it is much shallower, no spare bolted to the back. Look up some google images for both.

While I don't think it actually has much of an effect on value either way on a 996, it can certainly become a bargaining point for you, especially from a dealer than may not know much about the cars. On most other cars, AWD would add a fair chunk of value...

Eagleflt9

That's the other thing. It has the deep trunk with nice red spare, fastened upright to the rear trunk wall. I'm pretty sure it is a C2. At least it has a LSD (option code 220). Very clean car but ViN# and badging don't match. If that is the only problem with the car, I'm OK with it since I really wanted to experience the authentic RWD tail happy 911 as a first Porsche. My real concern is when we part ways and I need down payment money for my future 2004 911 Turbo. Don't know how to explain that one and get top dollar.

WalterRohrl

Actually I am 99% certain that the VIN does not differentiate between a C2 and a C4. The badge could have been applied by anyone for whatever reason.

I was wrong earlier about the brakes I think the C4 (but not C4S) has titanium colored calipers.

The door sills I believe say Carrera 4 on the C4 as well.

Going by the frunk and everything else it's a C2. Remove the badge and you're good to go when selling again.

I have a C2, it's be best if an early C4 owner chimed in though. Or post the link to the ad. I couldn't find an obvious match on autotrader.

KNS

Can one even get an aftermarket warranty on a 15+ year old car?