Was talking with someone recently that saved for a long time to purchase a new 911 in 1987. This despite not really being able to afford it, if considered from the perspective of a regular car buyer. Since then it has remained his pride and joy, DD, and track toy, and only recently has been relegated to weekend-only duty.

For him and others through the decades, gas, as a fuel, was never a doubt. But, for a similar buyer today the likelihood exists that other fuels will gain preference and/or be mandated.

Would you buy a new 997 for the long-term, as a daily-driver and pride & joy, to entertain your passion even though you can just afford it?

By "long-term" I mean decades. Guys have kept 356s and 1960s 911s as nearly daily drivers. They love their Pcars.

 

I have often pondered the possibility that gasoline may eventually become an unpopular fuel and become available for special purposes only, not everywhere up and down the street. It is unlikely that gasoline would ever disappear altogether but it will eventually have to be replaced as everyday transportation fuel due to dwindling supply. So, when that happens I figure my 911 will become a collectible car that I drive occasionally for pleasure. My daily driver will be powered by hydrogen, electricity, solar, or something. We're probably 20+ years away from that. So I have 20 years to enjoy the daily ride.

 

"Collectible car." And that's the dilemma. Twenty years from now, I personally would skip the 996s altogether and go straight for a 997, but I have to throw the 993s in the mix and then I'm stuck. So, at present value I would consider, pay half, or 2/3rds, the price for a decent 993 that might appreciate more despite it's mechanical inferiority. Or pay full price for a 997 that could be just as enjoyable, if not more so because of it's ergonomics and refinement, but not hold it's value as well.

That last statement opens a can of worms. Nevermind, just thinking out loud. Drive what you like and damn the value.

 

I hear you. I almost bought a 993 before deciding to pony up for the 997. In 20 years I will have long forgotten about the cost differential I paid when I acquired the car and will be enjoying the better mechanicals, ergonomics, and technology. Which will surely be way outdated and seemingly archaic by then.

 

Exactly...that's why I prefer to lease I want the newest, bestest, mostest, coolest (insert adjective) technology available Why drive a dinosaur just b/c it was once considered "cool." yes, manufacturers keep upping the anty in terms of gadgets / performance to get more money out of us consumers, but so what...that is how the game is played. Lukily, you usually get what you pay for with a Porsche.

 

Not always true. Look at the modern engines, and compare those to what was in the engine bays of the 80's and early 90's. With those earlier cars, you could still do your own work. My 94 VW Golf still has a cable throttle and clutch cable. I can still see all the parts and get in there without removing major body panels. Its easy to mod, if I ever choose to, being OBD1.

The only things that bug me about the car are at this age all of the synthetic parts like the foam seals in the vents, on the wire bundles (for vibration noise control) and the like are failing and need to be replaced, and I would like a more modern center console with modern toys. The toys I can custom install a bit, replacing the foam, especially behind the dash, is more problematic.

But I don't have to play the game of constant cash flow to the car manufacturers. I refuse to play that game.

 

Gasoline will always be available - 50, even 100 years from now. Plug in electric hybrids are the only practical alternative, but for them to penetrate the market in any significant percentage, US electricity capacity would have to expand by 30%. Where is that additional electricity going to come from? From coal? From nuclear? Given the election results, no way. Solar and wind for large scale electricity generation is a fantasy.

 

The 997 is GREAT for now and for the foreseeable future. Alois Ruf has introduced an electric version of the 997.

 

Thing do not change as quickly as they might seem. When I was a kid visiting the NY World's Fair in the 60s, GM would have us believe that cars today wold be floating on air. Battery technology has a long way to go before the range wojld be acceptable. Also, we would need to do something about those coal fired electricity plants. If not, the air is going to get really polluted if there were a big trend toward electric cars.
Gasoline will get more expensive in the future and this will have an impact on auto design and the habits of consumers. There will plenty of fuel avalable for decades. We simply will be using less and paying more for it. So for a car that might be used only on weekends.....I would not worry about it.

 

Gasoline will be more expensive - only if rampant taxation and artificial intrusion stopping exploration is put in place. If left to market forces, gasoline would be plentiful and prices would be fair. The recent run-up had nothing to do with supply and demand, it was a speculative bubble - in just a few months, oil is now trading at $59/bbl tonight.

 

Who said anything about driving it on the the weekends? I love that any year of the Pcars can be daily-drivers with reasonable care.

I do agree with Minok, as a point to earlier cars. The 993 is pretty easy to work on with fewer sensors to replace.

So, it seems so far the consensus is gasoline will remain for many decades of enjoyment of a 997. Therefore, one can view a 997 as a "legacy" car, if one also appreciates its enjoyable handling, looks, design, etc. despite its current buy-in price. I say that because of course that's is an altogether different debate.

Anyone else want to comment on the longevity of gasoline, or potential for updating the 997s, a la the RUF electric cars or that guy in the Midwest that is converting Porsches to full electrics?

 

bottom line:

- don't worry about gasoline availability, you'll be long dead before anything changes with that.

- delay your purchase as long as you can, the economy is only getting worse, the demographic that buys these cars in the US is going to be slammed by taxes, and that will only depress sales and make the deals better.