Buying a 993 for 25k? Good deal?

[Hans H]

Hi everyone,

So I am not a Porsche expert but learning...there is a lot to know.

I am writing to get some advice on a car that recently became available to me. It is a 1996 c4 911 manual coupe w/ about 92,000 miles, original as far as I know. The color is an odd teal green like color, not sure of the official name (sorry I don't have any pics). It's in very nice shape cosmetically, garage keep as a weekend cruiser, one owner I believe. Seems to run well,
Shift smooth with no smoke or obviousness issues. I will get a reputable PPI if the price is right according to your feedback.

So that is where I need some help. As I understand it this is the last air cooled 911 model and from what I can tell in my hasty research it's becoming rather valuable as a collectors car.

I think the value is in the 35 to 55k range maybe even higher? I have a chance to get the car for closer to 25k, is this price low enough to pull the trigger. I plan to keep the car and add it to my garage however it does need to make financial sense as an investment or I'll never convince the wife......

Any advice is appreciated, please be honest, if there is any risk (assuming the car is clean and PPI is positive) please speak up.

Thanks,
Hans

[jg291446]

We need more info on the car.25k$ seems very low and a good deal. However, expenses can go very fast. If shocks are old, maybe 3k$.will ne required, new disk and rotors 1.2 k$, etc.

Manual and coupe (not cab) have à higher value. An "s" will sell much higher.

Tell your wife it's a double investment.

1- the value does not really depreciate. If never accidented, the value is there.
2- this car will make you happy and proud every time you drive it. Your wife needs an happy man!

Keep in mind, for any info, rennlist and pelican are very valuable sources (but don't ask if the price is worth it on rennlist). For any parts, pelican and sunset Porsche are unbeatable. And many parts are available in the classifieds.

Send us more details (color inside, mods, recent maintenance, what needs to be done on the car, rust (around windshield), suspension, wheels size, respray, carfax etc, etc etc)

Search the web for "what to look for" when buying. And make sure the PPI is done by someone who knows theses cars.

Good luck!

[KNS]

Tell your wife that these particular models are increasing in value (fast). If the car checks out mechanically and has a clean title - get it. I own a 993 and I absolutely love it.

[RacerX1166]

As mentioned, you haven't shared enough detail to truly provide guidance. That disclaimer out of the way, I'm with the others who have responded. If the car checks out mechanically, $25k is a smoking deal. The green (Wimbledon?) makes the car slightly less desirable but the low price more than makes up for that aspect.

If it checks out, grab it!

[Hans H]

Thanks all for the info. I'll work on getting more details. The car is about 1200 miles from me near my father in law who found it and let me know about it. I'll report anything more I can find out.

Cheers,
Hans

[jg291446]

And here's an article to convice your wife...

911 Values: Porsche Parts & Porsche Accessories - Wholesale Porsche Parts & Tequipment

Why air-cooled 911s continue to skyrocket, and the best Porsches to snatch while they're still cheap

Porsche’s now-iconic 911 will be one of the star models at a variety of auctions unfolding during Pebble Beach’s annual Concours d’Elegance week, Aug. 13-17. A glance at Mecum’s catalog alone reveals glossy photos of candy-colored gems from the early ‘70s, including two Carrera RS Tourings and a few late ‘70s 935 IMSA standouts.

Expect the bidding to be fierce and healthy six-figures high, reflecting this air-cooled car’s growing status as a must-have collectible.

“These cars have been undervalued for decades,” says Bruce Canepa, an ex-Porsche racer whose eponymous restoration and sales shop in Scotts Valley, Calif., traffics heavily in pristine air-cooled Porsches. “Even a few years back, you’d show up with a 911 race car at auctions and things might take a bit to heat up. But now it’s Katie-bar-the door time.”

Canepa has a few explanations for the uptick in 911 values, which extend even to the latest air-cooled iteration of the model, the 1995-1998 993. “Many of them were driven hard and used up, so now if you see one that has modest miles, it’s worth quite a bit,” he says, noting that rarer models such as 993 Turbos, early ‘90s RS Americas and now-legendary late ‘60s 911S are particularly sought after by collectors.

“I recently sold an RS America for $145,000,” says Canepa, astonishment seeping into his voice. No kidding, considering that the same car could have been snapped up a decade back for considerably less than half that amount. “What’s the appeal? Well, Ferraris still live on another planet. But I like to say that 911s are still the best driving real sports cars on the planet.”

Longtime Porsche magazine editor and enthusiast Pete Stout recently declared himself “astonished” at the creep in 911 prices, pointing out not just how early 911s - which leaped to life out of Porsche’s groundbreaking 356 in 1964 - with the right pedigree have gone up tenfold in value in recent years, but specifically how a 1973 Carrera RS 2.7 fetched $1.4 million at Gooding & Company’s Amelia Island auction this year.

“Are these 911s worth more than a million dollars?” Stout wrote in his editor’s note in the May issue of Panorama, the magazine of the Porsche Club of America. “Is this the sign of a bubble about to burst? While the early 911 market feels like a bubble to me, it has felt like one for years. Yet prices keep climbing.”
Stout goes on to say that he is “shocked by 911 and 964 Speedsters priced at $200,000, (and) clean 930 Turbos selling for $35,000 to $50,000 a year or two ago are moving toward and exceeding six figures.”

Keith Martin, longtime publisher of Portland, Ore.-based Sports Car Market newsletter, counsels collectors with a yen and wallet for an early air-cooled car to “skip the early S model, and look for a 911 (E or T) from 1969 to 1973, which will be half the price (of a $200,000 S) but offer 95% of the driving pleasure.”

Martin is particularly keen on the early and mid-’80s 911 SC, which represented Porsche “becoming a real car; they were comfortable, lasted forever and can still be had for $20,000 to $35,000. After that, the 911 started getting very complicated, with all-wheel-drive and turbos. Those are magnificent cars, but what they can do completely outstrips what you can do with them on the street.”

Martin’s view of the continuing air-cooled 911 frenzy is that “it is good for the marque, because more people will restore these cars, so there will be more mechanics dedicated to them and more parts. But it’ll be bad for most enthusiasts, because they just won’t be able to afford many of the cars the way they used to.”

Canepa echoes that dual sentiment. “I think it’s great these cars are being appreciated,” he says, pausing. “But, honestly, some days I wish it wasn’t happening. They’re amazing cars, and I’d hate to see them just turn into show queens.” Editor Stout laments the possibility that “fewer (911s) will be exercised as intended, and many will disappear into collections.”

Ultimately, Stout’s advice for admirers of the marque is to take a harder look at the company’s more recent water-cooled models, which can offer plenty of fun without the now-exclusive pricing of air-cooled 911s. “Early Boxsters go for as little as $8,000,” he says. “As early 911 prices continue to rise, Porsche’s water-cooled sports cars look even better than ever.”

[TMc993]

Just remember that the cost of a top-end job, a clutch/flywheel replacement, and a few incidentals will put you in for an additional $10K+ if you use a shop. Get a PPI and pay attention to the results. There is no such thing as a cheap Porsche.

[bazar01]

Originally Posted by Hans H

Hi everyone,

So I am not a Porsche expert but learning...there is a lot to know.

I am writing to get some advice on a car that recently became available to me. It is a 1996 c4 911 manual coupe w/ about 92,000 miles, original as far as I know. The color is an odd teal green like color, not sure of the official name (sorry I don't have any pics). It's in very nice shape cosmetically, garage keep as a weekend cruiser, one owner I believe. Seems to run well,
Shift smooth with no smoke or obviousness issues. I will get a reputable PPI if the price is right according to your feedback.

Thanks,
Hans

92k miles is nothing on the 3.6L if it does not smoke on start up.
However plan on a oil leak fix, clutch job, brake job and suspension refresh at this mileage. Even if the discs are fine, the cross shaft bearings sieze and hydraulics will need refreshing.
Still, 25k is a very good deal.

I will jump on that without a PPI just by performing an early morning start up, long city and interstate test drive, A/C perforamnce test and an under chassis inspection.

[Merle]

For $25k I'd snatch it up even if it needed a top end rebuild if everything else is in good shape.

[bri450sl]

I would be very tempted to buy ASAP. Especially in that color.

[johnsjmc]

I have a 1995 993 C2 coupe , polar silver/black int..I bought 4 yrs ago with 105000 on it for $19. It has full Bilstein PSS9 suspension but otherwise stock. I have only driven it about 5000 mi since. I turned down 25 last year needing a clutch.
I did the clutch myself over the winter and was surprized to find it was the original clutch(ink stamped 1994). These are very durable cars but not without some maintainance.
Parts for a clutch and valve cover gaskets and plug wires while the engine was out was about $1000. A shop gets about $3k including parts for just the clutch.
The original shocks are short lived and expensive and other work done by a previous owner included new brakes and a replacement steering rack.
If records are available look for expensive parts already replaced.
Now with a new clutch, tires and no(fewer) oil leaks I would ask $30-35 for mine(but it,s NOT for sale).

[jhg41977]

at 25k it is hard to go wrong. BUT, as others have said, it may need work that will push the total cost up to the typical range.

[NYNick]

There was a color called "Dark Teal Metallic" I had on an 03, 996. It changed hue as you walked around the car, much like a duck's neck. It was the most beautiful Porsche color I've ever owned.