So in case you haven’t noticed, the Porsche 996 appears to be gaining in popularity and thus also gaining in appreciation (financially). Over the past six months a number of dealers have started acquiring these for inventory rather aggressively (with astronomical asks). Turbos for $80/$90K, C4S’s for $40/$50K+ and Carreras for $30/$40K. Bringatrailer action is picking up and in general it seems we are seeing a lot more coverage of the 996 in general across all platforms (social media, youtube, magazines etc). Yesterday’s $90K Plain Jane Speed Yellow Turbo has officially moved the 996 into Collector Car status. If you want to cry, go back to some of our early posts from 2018/2019 and see what the asks on some of these cars were. Hindsight is 20/20.
That being said, a funny thing has come to our attention as a result. The 997.1, the car that is almost always the “de-facto” recommendation for a “real” first 997 because it has the “right headlights” is now trading in the same space as the 996. We have legitimate pricing overlap. Now I am not talking, apples to apples turbos to turbos, but with some minor compromises the better 996’s are now priced in the same space as a similar 997.
For example, this Clean Fax 2002 Carrera Coupe 6sp with 21K Miles…
Or this…Clean Fax 2006 Carrera S Coupe 6sp with 38K Miles
So again, not exactly apples to apples being that the 997.1 has almost double the mileage, but at similar price points, we can see a buyer being conflicted.
The point we’re trying to make here, is you ask, we listen. “You should post 997’s” and “You should post Boxsters” are our two biggest suggestions. So today, we’re announcing that we will begin to feature/cover the 997.1. These things are still depreciating, and are now beginning to present good values. So spread the word, tag your snobby friends who don’t think the 996 is a “real 911” or that it didn’t have “real headlights”. We’ll mix them together with the 996’s as we find them. Remember, we like to post cars that present good “value”.
So let us know, are you excited? Are you bummed? We’re not selling our Speed Yellow 996 (unless you want to give me $45K :), so we promise we’re going to keep the great 996 (and now 997) content coming!
#FirstFlatSix
$45K for yours?? Be careful what you ask for, because that is now a steal.
I’m a realest, if someone offered me that today, I’d sell. And move on to the next one. For me they hunt is like 80% of the fun lol
Curious what your thoughts are between the 996 and the 997 in the long run. When I first started looking for a 911 the 997.1 was the car I wanted and the 996 felt like a compromise, but after looking at so many of them I think I actually prefer the 996 over the 997, interior, headlights and all. I think the 996 looks and feels much more old school and that the 997 is a little bloated. I know a lot of people say they prefer the 997 interior but I actually think it will look more awkward down the road compared to the 996.
No crystal ball Michael. Here is what I know…996 feels/drives like an air cooled car. 996 was the first water cooled car, 996 had the non standard headlights. From an appreciation point of view, those are all things that collectors of anything appreciate. 997’s are still depreciating. They aren’t bad cars, but the price points are converging.
You can ask whatever you want, but if people will pay that is the question. These crackpipe 996 prices are IMO a bubble, and they will come back to reality rather quickly once the pandemic buying spree ends and people realize how much better the 997 is for the money. I see a lot of people selling these cars in a couple years at steep losses because they bought in a hype frenzy.
That said, prices for all cars right now are crazy high. There’s going to be a big bubble burst once car inventory improves and there’s more for sale
Mike, we’ll revisit this in 6 months to see where we’re at :). Thanks for the comment and following!
On an apples to apples basis (mileage, features, etc.) the 997 should have more value than a 996 due to Newer technology, headlights, etc.
So if the 996 prices are starting to overlap with 997, does that not suggest that the 996 is reaching a ceiling? or does that suggest hte 997 is underpriced?
What am i missing?
For the most part it means that the 997 is still depreciating as a used car, and the 996 is currently appreciating. It has been for 2 years now. So we are square in the overlap range.