Why are 996s so cheap?

[jryerson]

I've had several 911s including a 930,the 996 seems like it would be a good driver car and the a/c probably works, you can get these cars in the low $20Ks, I have driven one and yes they are not like older 911s in quality with the solid feeling and driving experience but are they that bad since they are so cheap?

Or were older air cooled 911s made in fewer numbers and Porsche was a sports car company only then so resale was much higher

[EarlyPorsche]

[the]

[olstyn]

My understanding is that, in addition to people who prefer the old-school 911 look disliking the look of the headlights, they were produced in much greater numbers, thus increasing the supply end of the supply/demand equation. I wasn't aware they were down in the $20k range now though. I assume that's for high mileage examples?

[Maxx1]

Originally Posted by the

[Bobboloo]

Supply vs. demand. Period.

More 996's on the market than there are buyers. Compare that to an early 911 in good condition for sale compared with the number of buyers out there and you see why early cars are going up in price.

[Elombard]

There is some issues with the RMS on some cars that has given them a bit of a rep. Are you familiar with this? I dont think that is the driver on the price.

I am sort of in the market. I think that with many new cars they are so complex and expensive to fix that people are scared when they are out of warranty. The average DIY guy cant really do much to them and they are bargain shoppers so they dont appeal....there in a no mans land.

There is several threads on this in the 996 forum and the market place discussion where very learned and experienced folks chime in.

[450knotOffice]

(Oh man. Here we go again)

The main reason why some high mileage 996's are relatively cheap is the sheer numbers that were produced. Obviously this drives the price down.

As for the cars not being like the older 911's in quality with the solid feeling, I have to disagree. Most people feel the older 911's are built like tanks, but I think that's mostly due to the door closing like a bank vault. It feels like a mercedes door. The car's skin is also a bit thicker so will feel more robust. However, I can tell you that the rest of the components of the old 911's that give us that feeling of robustness are no more so than the 996's components. I've got both types of cars, an '84 Carrera and a 2000 Carrera. To be honest, with the exception of the feeling of the door closing (due to the frameless construction around the window), the 996 has a much better, more robust interior than the older 911's. Now granted, I have the full leather interior in mine and the standard plasticy materials used in the earliest 996's ('98-'99) left something to be desired in terms of appearance, but if you were to look at the interior of a '00 and beyond 996 with full leather, I think you'd be impressed.

The cars itself is very well built. Very robust, very strong, no rattles or buzzes anywhere. My car has been a daily driver for the 13 months I've owned it and it's been absolutely rock solid reliable (with the exception of an alternator failure, but that can happen to any car anytime). It's been through four DE's in the last nine months at the big track at Willow Springs and has felt at home there, with absolutely no issues at all.

It handles so amazingly well that it makes the driver (me) look better than he really is. I can drive more quickly through any given twisty bit with more confidence than I ever could in my '84 - and that car has had a complete suspension refurb and upgrading within the past two years. Porsche has just moved the game on a bit, which is to be expected. They should have.

The front headlights admittedly are not the car's strong point aesthetically, but they actually grow on many people over time. I'm starting to appreciate their design more every day. It's very unique.

If you were anywhere near me, I'd let you drive mine in anger for a while. Most people, after having driven one for a while, begin to realize that Porsche built a great sports car in the 996 after all. Like I said, the resale values are down mostly due to the sheer number built. But, the flip side to that coin is that you can now get a hell of a car for 1/3 of what it cost the original buyer. They are a heck of a value right now and more and more of us (the air cooled faithful) are beginning to see that.

Track day:


Just polished. Very bright and clean.



One of the best views of these cars and the one many drivers see.


Leather, leather just about everywhere you look. The dash, side panels, etc. Full leather optioned cars are not too hard to find and give the interior a much more inviting, high quality feel.

[livi]

That is a lovely car, Scott!

I very much like the combination of a newer model and the rock solid traditional red color.

[75'930cab]

Why does the gold 996 look weird? Is it photochopped or something?

[450knotOffice]

That's because it's something like a Camry with a 996 "bodykit" on it. It's NOT a Porsche! Yuck. That car was talked about a few months ago.

And thank you Markus. I agree. I like the fact that the old style more basic colors are starting to make a comeback, as opposed to the somewhat boring metallic silvers, blues and greys.

[tcar]

The 'bumper bra' doesn't help much... or the color...

[4flyboy]

I'll bet a muffler costs 1700 bucks and a tune up 2700 bucks. And the specialized tools and equipment (computer analysis) necessary to to do anything, available only at the dealer? Just a guess. Why else would an $80,000.00 car cost $20,000.00 after a few years. At least I can change my own oil and plugs.
I don't think I'd drive a car like that even if I could afford it.

S.

[450knotOffice]

Well, no. Most of the Porsche repair facilities that deal with these cars would have the equipment required to do anything on and for them. Parts are actually cheaper than on our air cooled cars by quite a margin and they don't need tuneups in the traditional sense. The spark plugs are easy to change, as is the oil (the easiest car I've ever changed oil on actually). The brake pads and rotors are also incredibly easy to replace, much more so than on our air cooled cars - and they're fairly inexpensive too.

Also, the 20K examples are the ones with the high mileage. Normal price for one of these in the '99 to '01 year range in good condition would be around 29K to 35K, depending on condition.

[pwd72s]

...

[qlander]

Ok guys. Enough 996 bashing. Having had two examples of the 996 ( a C4S and the turboS) and two air (oil) cooled p-cars (a C4 993 and 930 turbo cab), I can say that the 996 is an amazing machine. The 99's didn't really turn me on but definitely from 02 on they are sexy an handle like a dream. Yes, I love the rush of the turbo spooling on my 930 but the 996 feels like a knife slicing through the air. The sound of the wastegate in action is pure music to my ears and my hand is not fast enough to keep up with the tach.

The beauty of the 930 is that it feels fast going 30 vs. the 996 doesn't feel like your doing anything until about 100. Dangerous. So, I get most of my thrills in the 930 without breaking the law (too often, that is).

Q.

[FenderGuy]

Originally Posted by 4flyboy

I'll bet a muffler costs 1700 bucks and a tune up 2700 bucks. And the specialized tools and equipment (computer analysis) necessary to to do anything, available only at the dealer? Just a guess. Why else would an $80,000.00 car cost $20,000.00 after a few years. At least I can change my own oil and plugs.
I don't think I'd drive a car like that even if I could afford it.

S.

Your comparing a newer porsche model to yours? wait in 20 years and the tools will be cheap.

I'd rather daily drive a 996 or a 997 then my SC, I love my SC to death but the car is not really a daily driver for me....

I respect all Porsche models regardless of what year it was made

[4flyboy]

O.K. I admit that I was commenting for utter ignorance........then back to the original question why does a 996 cost incrementally more than my 22 year old 911 coupe. Seems to me that any kid lined up for a new Z or Audi etc. would swap his knees for a real Porsche 996. What am I missing?

Scott

[450knotOffice]

It's all about supply and demand, really. The air cooled cars are classics now and were never built in the numbers that todays Porsches are. Factor in the number of cars that have been destroyed over the years, some way or another, and you're looking at a pretty small number of cars available. At the same time, these cars are still desirable for those of us who lusted after them as kids and young adults, and we have shown a willingness to pay good money for them. So the supply is fairly low and the demand is still pretty high, which is what keeps the values up on these cars.

The 996, on the other hand, as good as it is, is a victim of it's own success. It sold in such numbers that even though most of them are still in pretty good shape, there are so many of them available to the second hand market that the values are being driven downward. This does not diminish the quality of the car one bit, however. It simply makes the car more readily available to those of us who are willing to spend new car money on a quality used car.

[the]

The 996 is mostly a victim of its lackluster exterior and interior styling.