What 911 derivatives are at the bottom of their price/value curve?
 

I've been thinking about picking up another 911 sort of car, as a companion not a replacement to the 930. Maybe something a little more modern. NA or turbo.

What 911's are at the bottom of their price/value curve right now? Early mid-2000's cars? Turbos?

996 are still pretty cheap but, they have a fair amount of issues. If you're willing to preemptively fix some of those problems, they're alright. The 996 Turbo is a bit more reliable but, more expensive and more costly to own. A nice turbo can still be had for between 60 and 80k. Working on them is a pain and labor times are pretty high for a seemingly "simple" repair. Breather unit or PCV is a common maintenance thing and can be a six hour job at a shop, for example. There are some great examples of 996 cars out there though, and I bet if you look hard enough you'll find a well maintained one.

996 generation. I'd opt for a TT if the budget allows. Those things will triple in price over the next 10-15 years.

If I had the money I'd probably find a nice 996 gt3. I've never driven one, but it got rave reviews at its debuts and the positive commentary has stayed with it. It also is the last car without traction control so I could see it really gaining a reputation as being the last totally drivers car Porsche made. It also has the gt1 based mezger engine. I can't predict whether or not it'll increase in value but at roughly 60k it's where I'd roll the dice.

If it's anything close to the 997 gt3 RS I drove, it's worth every penny.

theres a 996? TT for around 50-60k for sale now. don't know the value of these but that seems pretty cheap.
I have seen some 993's for a good price too.

I think it comes down to how much you are willing to spend

boxter would be rock bottom......its a chick car

Those seemed to have bottomed at around 45-50K, and now they're rising to the 60+ range. I think it's a little beyond "rock bottom" on the depreciation curve. But an excellent choice for the driving experience you mentioned, and for future appreciation potential--those will certainly shoot up in price in the future as well.

I think that 993 comment is pretty good, too, but with a caveat. Maybe not rock bottom, as those went down to the low- to mid-30s, but while 993 coupes have gotten pricey (50-70), I still see 993 cabs for sale for surprisingly low amounts (as in $40K or a little less). Convertibles traditionally command higher prices than coupes in the car world, so I would imagine that there's a lot of financial upside to having "the last of the air-cooled" status in a 911 cab.

True. I was looking at around $40k. There are some ok DB9's and XK's in that range but for some reason they don't excite me ;-)

Look hard and you'll find a 996tt for $35K. They exist. Reason is maintenance can be horrifically expensive at dealership rates. PPI is a given.

dealership smealership

How are they for a moderately decent home/shade tree mechanic to maintain?

Assuming one buys a decent example of course.

A shade tree mechanic is best not fooling with these. Everyone has different skills but the skills required to dissect the 996tt engine/drivetrain/chassis/computer system is more than I would consider shade tree mechanic.

I'm on my second 996tt. Maintenance is easy for the most part. Plugs are a pain since you have to pull the bumper and intercoolers, but otherwise its pretty straightforward. Unfortunately, the days of 35k 996tts are kind of gone. Decent ones pull 40s easily now. Still a good deal even at that price though.

Well, I guess I was calling myself a shade tree. I can rebuild a motor, I've done a couple aircooled including one 911. I'm good with electronics, and not afraid to get my hands dirty. I'm probably advanced shade tree lol. Anyway, not that put off my the cost if its labor costs.

I've found a couple in that price range....

as far as the shade tree mechaninc stuff goes on the newer cars. I did my own valve body unit on the cayenne. Went into the computer and cleared the error codes it drove great for about 6 months and then whole transmission burned up. The reason I didnt reflash the computer and with the porsche porprietary software that only dealers and transmission shops have. So saving 1500 dollars cost me 13k. Also know a friend who has a porsche shop had a wiring issue on a 996 couldnt find it right away so he recomended the owner take it to the dealer. So 6 months and many thousands of dollars at the dealer later still doesnt run and no end in sight. So think long and hard before you decide and get a really good PPI.

I have see a few 997 turbos in the mid $50k range lately. They are tiptronic cars, but with the variable vein turbos(or whatever they are called) the Tiptronic is a faster car than the manual transmissions. I used to have an 02 911 turbo 6 yrs ago. I only paid $33k for it... gone are those days I guess. I did all of my own maintenance on it, and it was not overly hard to work on. Even swapping the plugs weren't horrible. The bumper comes off in about 10 minutes. Intercooler removal wasn't horrible either.

What are you looking for in a "derivative"? If you want a car that is most like a 993 for less money, get a Cayman for $20k. If you want the bang-for-buck GT, get a 996 for $20k. If you're looking for a monster GT, get a 996tt for $40-50k. The 997s are still falling in price, perhaps, but they'll never fall below their 996 counterparts.

Any 911 equipped with the Metzger engine, air-cooled or water-cooled, will be an attractive "derivative". A relatively high percentage of 996's were TT's, so finding the right one will be easier than air cooled 911's.

I would buy this car if I was in the market.

https://greenville.craigslist.org/cto/6078360250.html

My guess would be, if you are an advanced shadetree mechanic,the 996 tt would be hard to beat. I have a friend with one (and driven it on the track). He is not a shadetree mechanic - and it has had serious issues and two crankcase teardowns - by the P dealership (main bearing issue). But since you can do most stuff yourself, is prob the car to own. Not being a shadetree mechanic - prob a good car to sell. Otherwise, have to be a GT3 if the price worked.
Not sure exactly what you are looking for - but 'down under' here the Cayenne pricing is on the floor. Serious devaluation. Pity the early owners.
Alan