callipygian 911

It is kind of crazy. I'd never pay that, and it seems near the top of the bell curve. I bought my high mileage 993 for $17.5k (clean title, well cared for) 3 years ago. This also happens to be the absolute lowest purchase price I've ever heard of for an all original, well-loved 993. I'm lucky sometimes!

Why'd you sell the 997?

Chris W. - '96 Targa

I was averaging 15k miles per year early on, then fewer miles/year in the last few years. So, new rear tires every year, new fronts every other year, on average. Oil changes 2-3 times/year, 15,000 mile services each year that were anywhere from $800-$1200 each depending on what had to be done, new clutch around 95k miles, several incidental oil leaks along the way (both valve covers and cylinders-to-crankcase) and problems with ignition system and fuel injectors for one-off multi-hundred-dollar expenses. Add it all up and divide by 10 years gave right at $3.5k per year.

Understand, I didn't (and still don't) think that expenditure was unreasonable for the car. It's just what I spent. YMMV. So far, at least, my annual expenditures on the 997 haven't approached what I spent on the 993. Again, not saying good or bad, just my own experience. As the 997 ages I'm sure it will have its share of things that need addressing.

-Chris

KJR50

callipygian, you're insanely lucky with good timing. I wanted a 964/993 for the longest time and end up with a 997 just before summer of this year.

Thedips

as someone who also spent years and years mulling it over between a 993 and 997 i finally decided upon a 997.1 because it was a newer car with better modern feel, but still had that true "Porsche styling" that i was looking for and its all dependent upon timing, i really wanted a clean stock speed yellow coupe manual with black leather and no frills and when the car finally was available i had to jump on it. do be afraid to make a wish list of your ideal car and when that car pops up be ready to strike.

callipygian 911

I think so. The seller (Dean Cuplin) was a retired pharma exec who sold everything he owned (house and car), bought a yacht, and decided to spend his remaining days sailing around the world. He unsuccessfully tried to sell the 993 by proxy through Black Forest for 8 months and gave up. I found out about the car the morning he was flying back into town to pick it up and drive cross-country to keep at his gf's place in North Carolina. It was so last minute it was crazy. I had to beg Black Forest for his number since "he decided to keep it after all." I got him on the horn and made a deal right there. I think he liked my story and the fact that I worked in pharma as a chemist (my 84 had been totaled by a drunk driver the previous week. I doubled my money on that car from the insurance claim, turned around and bought the 993). We had dinner that night at the yacht club, and he flew back to NC the next day, leaving me the car.

I imagine that, like MJBird993, Dean saw his 993 as an old, high mileage sports car, not necessarily something that would have any investment potential. It does fly in the face of conventional wisdom: most cars only depreciate. However, in some rare instances, certain models DO appreciate. It is difficult to predict, but there is undeniably something special about the 993. It got so many things right in addition to being the last of the evolutionary line that consisted of small, incremental tweaks to the original 60's chassis. The 996 was the first clean-slate redesign. This unbroken evolutionary quality is the most compelling to me, even more than the air-cooled mystique. All these little tweaks were improvements over a rigorously race-tested and proven design platform. The 993 is the final iteration of some very committed engineers over the course of four decades. No wonder it's special! Plus, the Mezger engine is a race platform that can be rebuilt countless times. The 993 was engineered to last forever. Newer 911s are not. They're not exactly disposable, but the engines are not meant or designed to be rebuilt. This shift in build philosophy makes me a little bit sad. Nevertheless, I do covet the 997 GT3. It is indeed one of these "special" cars.

Side note: KJR50, are you a wizard? I like your avatar. Fellow fantasy/SF nerd? If you live near SD, we should nerd out sometime.

goofballdeluxe

Ahhh....what a difference 18 months makes.

You're right. No one wants to pay $30K for a 16 year-old 993 with 180,000 miles on it.

But people are lining up to pay $40K for a 19 year old 993 with 180,000 miles on it. And it's not even a wide-body 993


https://rennlist.com/forums/vehicle-...3-rs-look.html

Falcondrivr

I do think my 993 was better maintained than the average. That being said, someone listed a bone-stock high-miler yesterday on pelican for $30k and it sold in a couple of hours...
I have a spreadsheet with every dollar that was spent on the 993 since new, other than gas. I also included all of the slippery slope stuff as much of it was done when replacing worn parts for upgraded ones. It averages out to right at $2k per year. I will be pleasantly surprised if the 997 costs less to properly maintain.
I loved my 993, and were I able, I would have both it and a 997. However, having about a month in on my 997, I'm loving it for how I need a car. I need a daily driver, and a weekend fun car, and an occasional DE car. The 993 is just so far behind in the daily driver category. I've not had the 997 on the track yet, but I've pushed it a little on some pretty good roads (tail of the dragon, Highlands, N.C. area) and I've not found any shortcomings.

Falcondrivr

I also was tracking all of the 993 6-speed coupes I could find for sale here in the US on a spreadsheet. Between June 1 and August 1 of this year, the average asking price increased 6%. That's 1% every 10 days. That fits with the last 2 years of 25% per year. Will it continue? Who knows. WW3 could start tomorrow, or another fiscal cliff could take the wind out of the market. But, barring something like that, I see the trend continuing.

callipygian 911

Delicious, delicious crow. Mmm-mmm.

Okay, let's not give him too hard of a time. Not everyone can predict the future with svangali-like ease (puts on wizard hat and robe, gives stink-eye)

callipygian 911

This is much closer to my experience as well.

9114Scab

I'm on my second 997 , I had a 08 and now I have a 2012 4S cab.

Neither of them ever cost 2000 dollars a year to maintain . Not even close.

Do you guys off road with your 911s ??????

Lol

Falcondrivr

Well, that $2K figure is averaged. Some years, i spent only oil change money. One year, I did suspension ($4K) Clutch ($2K) and oil changes... I'd bet a good 100K refresh on a 997 is going to cost $10K when it needs to be done. Although, parts ar cheaper for the 997 from what I've seen so far. I just bought the center radiator kit for $211!!!! Thats less than 1 brake pad for the 993.

callipygian 911

Only when drinking too much.

Seriously, older cars need to be maintained. If you drive any Porsche with gusto on the reg you're looking at new tires and brakes and a couple oil changes every year or two. This stuff ain't free.

goofballdeluxe

Yup. "Any" being the operative word here. New or old, all will require tires, brakes, oil, etc.

Sure, a 20 year old 993 is going to have more parts that wear with age than a 997 does, but from my 10 year 993 ownership, it's not that much more

cvazquez

I've struggled with this issue numerous times over... 964, 993, and now 997. I don't regret my decisions, however, OMG I wished my finances could support keeping the lot. I missed them ALL!