of interest is that the residual value (%) of a gt3 on a lease appears to be a lower percentage then a tt. the banks seem to think that a gt3 will depreciate more aggressively then a tt. interesting market statement.

 

Or is it that the realities of Porsche depreciation have caught up, and the 04 residuals might be more"realistic"? Were you comparing 03 to 04, or 04 to 04?

They (residuals) were awfully good value for a long time.

Have you noticed whether the MF has also increased?

 

i compared an 03 tt and an 04 gt3-this would obviously weight it in favor of the gt3, as the residual on the new should be stronger, but here, it is not. i did not check the mf. it also appears that the total lease price on a gt3, which is a less expensive car, is higher then on a tt. i would just use all this as a meesage of caution to all those who are paying msrp on their gt3's-it looks like the banks are having real doubts as to the ability of the gt3 to hold its price.

 

To draw any conclusions from your observation, we need to compare the 04 TT to the 04 GT 3. The 04 residual for the TT might also reflect the new market realities, but the observation and warning is a good one.

 

doc,

Some of us might not care if the GT3 holds its price, as long as it holds its fun factor. :-)

 

Colm, will there be an 04 TT? And will it be a 996 or a 997. If the latter it might make comparing residuals like comparing apples and oranges?

 

There is an 04 TT and they are already on the dealer inventory lists, but how many will there be? Some say less than 200.

The 997 turbo will not be an 04 car, the 997 may come as an 05 car by May/June 04 (according to a little birdie who must remain nameless).

 

http://leasecompare.com/# gives the 4 year residual of the GT3 at 48%. The '03 TT is 52%. Money factors are .00175. For a money factor of .00289 you can get a 4 year residual of 52% on the GT3.

 

steve in florida, you are correct, but that is not my point. if you are wealthy enough, you can have one of everything, and not worry. my only point is that the gt3, no matter how much you love it, looks like a car that might be worth 50% of what you paid for it 4 years later. when you buy a gt3, you are buying a great car, but a poor investment. to those of you who think that this car will hold it's value and retain high demand, you might be wrong.

 

A reminder!

When I bought my RS America in 93, Porsche couldn't give them away...now the RS has the highest % resale value (to MSRP) of any Porsche in recent memory.

The lesson!

Predictions of the GT3s inability to retain it's value over time might be premature

The GT2 will probably beat it (RS) and the GT 3 will come close. Opinion...don't you love it!

 

colm, i'm wondering-approximately how many rs americas did they make? and what did they cost?

 

I think investment is the wrong term to use when talking about cars, especially new cars. With a new car, the only thing to talk about is how fast it will depreciate.

Now if you were smart or lucky enough to buy a new 427 Cobra, an L-88 Corvette, or a Mercedes Gullwing Coupe and then sat on it for 20+ years while it actually becomes collectable, now you're talking about an investment that shows some appreciation and ROI.

So let's just go drive 'em and enjoy 'em because we're not going to get rich buying and reselling 'em.

Karl

 

karl, i agree. the only reason that i brought this up was the surprisingly low residual. the banks seem to think that the gt3 will depreciate more rapidly, percentage wise, then a tt. and the tt's are selling for deep discounts. maybe the point to make is that with the new 04 tt's being produced in limited quantities, that an uncommon chance occured over the last 7 or 8 months to get a tt at an unusually low price. possibly, the same could be said for 03 gt2's. maybe, that is the take home message. with tt's being made in limited quantities in 04, does anyone think that they will be discounted?

 

Karl,

You've got the formula...however, nobody likes to take (or think about) a huge hit in a short time.

docjackson1

The MSRP on the RS was about $61K in 93 dollars, not that far from a GT 3 today ,in equivalent currencies (the opportunity cost of money).

I think they made about 200 of the RS Americas, in 93 and 94 combined, but it could have been as high as 300, though I doubt it. Similar to the GT2; and the GT3 is forecast at about 500-750, depending upon whom you believe.

Given the increased affluence in the US, interest in Autosports, etc. the numbers are OK. However, 500 is certainly better than 750 for the GT3.

And on a different subject, 1500 is way too many for the C-GT. That is the depreciation I'm really concerned about

 

colm-you a right on the money. with 1500 forcast, they will have to discount the hell out of the car. even then, the supply will well outstrip demand on resales-they will fall like a rock.