Price appreciation of 16k miles SC in the next 5 years

[Denis54]

I am the original owner of a like new 79 SC with only 16,000 miles. Obviously I do not use the car much but have always enjoyed taking it for a drive from time to time.

In the past I had space available to store the car. Unfortunately, in the future I will not have access to that space will have to pay to store it somewhere else. I thus have to decide wether I will keep the car (my first choice) or sell it (my wife's first choice).

I would like to know by how much I can expect my car to appreciate over the next 5 years? If I keep the car I will probably drive it for another 4-5,000 miles in that period of time.

[nostatic]

I don't know about how much it would appreciate in 5 years...in 15 maybe. At this point there are still tons of SCs out there, but the low miles cars are limited (but not shrinking I think). I think it is probably worth $20-25K as it stands, with the buyer being somewhat that wanted a GQ. But you might also get someone that wants a "new" old car as a driver. I bought my '79 with 40K on it, but I'm driving the heck out of it. I'm sure it has depreciated a bit, but who cares.

I think if you view the car from a monetary standpoint, you should probably sell it now...if you drive it you are depreciating it and if you let it sit it is kind of a waste.

If you view the car as a time machine and therapy, then by all means keep it and start putting some miles on.

[Mike Kast]

My 79 has 230,000 miles on it. And my oil tank is cleaner than your pitiful little under driven oil tank... lol
I was talking to a guy yesterday who has a 69 camaro with 6000 miles on it. He can't drive it. It has original everything and lives in a climate controled environment. Its a musium piece. He said it was the first one produced which is why it stoped being driven at 6000 miles. A z28 I think???? I don't know... He has an old corvette that has really low miles too. He enjoys them, but he sure doesn't drive them. I don't understand it but I don't understand a lot of things.
The guy is a house painter.

[Bones]

Drive it SC's are lovely cars (I have one too) but they are not museum pieces . Go to a Porsche concours and you will see SC's that will make your car look like a wreck , but even these cars are not incredibly valuable compared to the really classic 911's . If you don't have the time to drive it sell it to a good home , it's a waste sat in a garage.

[sundaypunch]

Nice car, but there's nothing staying it will even appreciate. No telling what the hot model will be at that time plus there is a lot that can happen to hurt the value in 5000 miles of driving. You can likely get a much better return from most other conventional investments.

[North Coast Cab]

I'd say for the most part it would retain it's value. The SC's and Carrera seem to be pretty stable, entry level p-cars. There will continue to be a market for cars of those era's in the near future. Down the road, I'd expect the value to increase as the numbers on the road decrease. Mileage is a contributing factor, but certainly not the only one. If the car has almost no miles it has added value. A low mileage car offers some incentives but not always a tremendous amount. If you want the car, keep it. If you're looking for an investment, sell and put the $$ elsewhere.

JG

[walt]

The Porsche market update I have from Excellence (8/01) shows the value of a 79 Coupe in excellent condition increasing in value by $2,500 between 97 and 01. Always hard to say what the future will bring.

[Denis54]

Having own this car for 24 years, I already know for sure it is not a good investment. I do not think in term of investment.

My intention has always been to keep the car for ever. The problem is that it uses space in my garage that we have other needs for. This is why my wife thinks I should sell it. Garage space is the only reason why I might sell it. Of course, money would be nice be not a deciding factor.


It will probably cost me $600 per year for the next 5 years to garage it. I just want your opinion as to wether or nor I can expect to recover a good portion of those costs.

[Hetmann]

Well it certainly has depreciated all that it will barring a wreck or some other malady. But, I don't think this car is an investment because of everything that everyone's already mentioned. If you like the car take the time and enjoy it. If you can't for whatever reason, sell it now and use the proceeds for something that adds more to your life.

[tight as a bull's ass]

if it's investment you want, get into some ocean side real esate in Florida while the prices are still low.

i say enjoy your 911 by driving it.....it's a blast!

[Jeff964]

Why do you want to seek monetary appreciation of your car when your personal and emotional appreciation/value of driving your own Porsche is priceless. Not everyone in this world is as lucky you are to own such a prestigious model. So, be thankful and drive the damn car

Don't let superficial market value affect your enjoyment and good fortune in owning a Porsche.

[makaio]

I wouldn't pay to store it somewhere else. Build a second garage next to your house if you can.

[Emission]

It may appreciate slightly in value, but any appreciation will be offset by the cost to keep the car in the "same" condition. Assume you spend a very conservative $50/month to maintain the car ($600/year). After five years, you will have dropped $3000 into the car - and erased your appreciation.

Worst case, you are on a Sunday drive in five years and some idiot plows into your rear end at a light. Now your car is worth LESS than it is now, and you've still put the $3000 into it! This is why those "collectible" cars are never driven.

Cars are not an investment unless they are very rare, not driven (or heavily insured), and properly maintained.

[speeder]

From an investment standpoint, cars suck. I do not fully understand your concern; if $50.00 a month makes a difference in your life, by all means sell the car now. It will probably not appreciate at all, and how would you ever know unless you advertise it and sell it now, then someone else does the same w/ it in 5 years, in exact same condition.

I blow ~$150.00 @ month at Starbucks, for Pete's sake, I'll never see that $$ again, but the espresso drinks taste good. We'll probably both gak tomorrow from a heart attack, so live while alive! Drive the car, or don't, but do whatever YOU want.

[island911]

Originally posted by speeder
. . I blow ~$150.00 @ month at Starbucks, for Pete's sake, I'll never see that $$ again, but the espresso drinks taste good. . . .

Heh-heh. Good point.
The way I see it, most guys here put most the value of the 911 in the driving usage. A few here, myself included, get as much out of the engineering art of a 911. . . certainly enough to justify the storage cost; even if it's a garage-queen stored on a pedestal. (it's better than coffee)

So, Denis54, figure out (if you haven't already) why you're keeping or selling. Let us know if it's a coupe or targa, color, pictures, yadda yadda . . .

[Emission]

Oh, my personal philosophy says my car will not appreciate, but it will not depreciate either. My car cost me $22,000 when I bought it. Most likely, if I ever do sell it, I can get $22,000 for it again. However, my car is costing me about $2,500 a year to keep in prestine condition (I drive it about 4,000 miles a year). I will lose that no matter what I do (I call it the cost of ownership).

On the other hand, I promise my 930 brings me $10,000 worth of driving pleasure every year!

[914/6now911]

Check out the '81 SC on the PCA website with 5200 miles at $32k.
http://www.pca.org/index.asp

My uninformed guess as far as appreciation: It won't be worth more than it is now. I think SC prices are pretty stable, but will trend down a bit before stabilizing, like the early non-S cars did. Your SC is kind of a later equivalent of a '72 911T, but more plentiful. The value of your car, no matter how few miles are on it, will be tied to the overall SC market value. While very cool cars, they're not considered particularly collectible (other than by knuckleheads like us), so I don't think they will appreciate over time. Having said that, I have no idea what my point was.

[Hellgate]

You must live in Phoenix and be 95 years old.

[TopsailBeach]

A 911 is like a trophy wife: if you are just looking, you're missing the real fun!

[Rob McKibbon]

Pay the $600/year, but for heavensake drive her more!
Give your wife $600/year to blow and that'll keep her happy, works everytime for me....... new kitchen this summer thanks to my Porsche habit!