USMC_DS1

I purchased my '08 C2S with 45K miles for $49K cash 2.5 yrs ago. It still had near 2 yrs of original warranty plus CPO. I intend to keep it for 10 yrs and may pass it down to one of my boys afterwards. We DIY so the maintenance cost has been reasonable(cheap compared to my prior BMW's)... mods on the other hand are ridiculous. Should I sell my car after ten years for $20K... I would be looking at ~$2.9K/yr or $241.67/month of depreciated value. Who cares at that price... it's certainly giving me more smiles/miles then say a new Mustang V8 with leather which would depreciate to near nothing after 10 yrs... There's much more driving appreciation then financial depreciation in that equation. Drive and enjoy I say...

BTW, I kept my E36 M3 for 10 yrs and I still have my '92 4Runner as the airport/hunting vehicle. The same depreciated value theory applied to these vehicles... the longer you keep it the less the depreciated effect. Strangely my 4Runner is saving me $900/yr in insurance premiums as we have our youngest son assigned to it. Or I should say that it's making me $900/yr sitting on my driveway... and it's great for those drives it to the airport.

Always911

A 911 SC in good nick holds better value than a non-IMS shaft refurbished 996, and it's prettier.

Redline911

This is what I love about the 911. As long as you keep it in good running order it does seem to bottom out at $20k where most other cars will drop to virtually no value after 10 years. And I think it's cool to have an older 911. The 3.2L cars turn my head every time I see them on the road.

Mark Harris

Man...I hope they are right.

There were 2,616 993's imported to the US in 1998 but whose counting......and we 993 owners are used to the sour grape statements.

pissedpuppy

True, just don't race the 996 for pink slips!

perfectlap

If I had an empty hangar, I'd be buying 993's by the dozens. Sour grapes would imply that the values have hit their maximum. Far from it, they will continue to rise even if you're late to the party. It's always a good day to get on a stock that is rising due to supply issues -- supply isn't going to be increasing ever.

However it seems that these cars are increasing in value, beyond what their performance and reliability would normally bring, for reasons other than the actual driving experience. If you want more feedback, there are way better air-cooled choices. If you want more speed and better handling, water-cooled is as big a no-brainer as you will find.
Perhaps in retrospect the 996's biggest sin was not having round lights and pretty fenders like the 993. Ironic, because it nailed the performance/feedback tradeoff that comes with a modern sports car perfectly, 996 GT3 best of all.
I have to wonder: had the 996 come with round lights and high fenders, produced in the same tens of thousands like it was, would the 993 be remarkable in any way? The 996 would have had the same looks, while being a drastic improvement in speed, handling, reliablity and routine maintenance costs.

jumper5836

Not sure why 50's era head lights give everyone a boner . I prefer the new Cayman, Boxster models and even 996.2 head lights. They are more modern and functional. Also don't have to have all the other lights sticking out of the bumper.

D1coach

Depreciation is not a concern for me - I bought my 05 C2 in excellent condition last year with 38,000 mi. from the original owner, who paid over $85,000. I bought it for 45% of its original cost. At some point I plan on giving the car to my son, that may be in five years, maybe even ten. My goal is to maintain it such that it will also give him many years of enjoyment.

perfectlap

I think if you grew into adulthood in the 70's and 80's you grew up with a very idealized and rigid view of what a Porsche was. It had to be a round light, high fender, rear-engine car. Anything that wasn't all of these things was sacrileage or part of some 'weird' 928, 944 sect.
So when the modern era of Porsche arrived first with the Boxster concept car and then the 996 years later, it was like taking a dump right in front of Kensington Palace. The much older folks who still saw the 911 as the new kid on the Porsche block didn't hold it to such saintly standards. And these older folks, usually the ones who have two nickels to rub together, bought a ton of 996's -- which solidified the recovery from near bankruptcy. Today, the folks who grew up in the 70's and 80's are making some money now so they're buying up these limited number of 70's, 80's and 90's Carreras.

CarreraX

I don't think there is any way the 997's will drop like 996's. Many reasons why the 996 drop so bad, no need to repeat them here. The 997 especially the 997.2 is much better in every way although 996 owners like to think they are basically the same. Yes, there are a ton of all the 996/997 cars and that certainly wont help, but the fact that they (997's) are much more well liked means the depreciation will be much less. 993's don't depreciate as much because there are much fewer of them and they are the last real Porsche....I mean air cooled Porsche

perfectlap

^ 996's also had the unfortunate timing of being the most plentiful Carrera when the global credit crisis hit the economy. In 2008, their over-supply, the shortage of loans, and shortage of people looking for an expensive out-of-warranty German car from a brand with a reputation of high maintenance and repair costs (partly thanks to the 993) meant massive single year drops in resale for the 996.
At least the 997.1 in the second hand market still had some warranty left for buyers in 2008 and 2009, even though it was only marginally better than the 996's on performance and reliability. 997.2 different story.

SARGEPUG

I for one, was brought up in the 80's, since I was born in 1970. The most iconic Porsche to me of all time and many other people from different generations is the 3.2. That's why I have one in my stable!
I wonder what the potential collectability of my 997.2 will be in the future, since it's the last under the Porsche helm. I bought it brand spanking new for my 40th and only have 6k on the clock. I was going to sell it next year for a 458 Italia or a 991 TT, but if funds allow, I might hold onto it and keep it in the stable!

Para82

As for depreciation yes MOST mustangs don't hold value like a Porsche. However a few models like a new Shelby or Boss with limited production and high demand hold value very well. For instance the Laguna Seca has been available for 1 year now, stickers at 49,465. Last week I saw a pre-owned Boss LS with over 2,000 miles on it had a final bid up to 49,100. That's pretty good for a car out the lot and in someone elses garage for a year with miles. Other than a new model GT3 or 458 I don't know of many cars that can hold like that.

Now if I could keep only one I would probably keep my 911 over the Boss. The 911 is a jack of all trades where as with a high performance Mustang you got to be in the mood for that. The 911 is awesome from commuter to racer, untouchable.

perfectlap

wait until the McLarens come down on resale. And they will. People are afraid to buy them.

No car is more docile on the street while peforming at such a high level on the track.
There is a subsitute it appears.

sebis

This got me thinking that instead of spending 50k for a 997.1 C2S I can spend mid-40K on a 996 turbo with under 50,000 miles just couple of years older.