Would Like An Opinion On Future Value Of 84-89 Carreras

[coollx]

I'm getting close to purchasing my first 911. It will probably be a 100,000+ mile 1985 or 1986 Targa. I expect to spend around $13,000-$15,000 for a car with good paint and interior as well as good mechanicals.

My question is do you think the car I described, if maintained well and kept cosmetically nice, will ever be worth less?

I believe these cars are at the bottom of the depreciation and price curve but since I'm totally new to 911's I wanted to ask the experienced people here what you think.

Your thoughts and opinions are appreciated.

Thanks

Dom

[morganb]

Dom,

I think and hope you are right. But the owners will need to stay on top of maintenance to ensure the value stays constant. At 20+ years there are a lot of things that start to go wrong.

[the]

IMO, very good to excellent, original, decent mile examples bottomed out and are beginning their rise as "old" cars.

Mediocre and bad cars will continue to depreciate. It just costs so much money to take a ragged one and make it right.

[SandyI]

First off, if you're already worried about resale, you're buying a Porsche for all the wrong reasons. Second, it's not like you're spending $110,000 on a new car that's going to be worth $60 four years from now. If you buy the car today for $15,000 and four years from now it's worth $9,000, you don't think you've had $6,000 worth of fun? Fourth, if you drive the car hard and far, you're going to be putting money into it above and beyond oil change and tune-ups. These are twenty-two year old cars. Stuff breaks. In fact, lots of stuff breaks. Ask me how I know. But that's part of the fun.

In So Cal, these cars have not hit bottom yet. With a big difference between the '85 with the 915 and the '86 with the G50. I think the entire line of 915 cars from 1974-1985 will always be considered less valuable than the cars built before and after. But again, I'm talking So Cal values. You have to remember that during the Go-Go '80's, more Porsches were sold here than anywhere in the world. (All guards red. Yuck.) So it's simple supply and demand here. Doesn't take much hunting to find a quality '84-85 Carrera Coupe for sale at $16,000 that you can grab for $14,000. Targas are worth less. I've heard of SC's now going for under $10,000. And as more and more used Boxsters hit the market, which have basically the same performance as a Carrera, but handle better, and the top comes down, well, I can't see why the values of Carreras will rise any time soon.

So, f*** resale. Buy the car. You won't be sorry. You can't have more fun!

[JasonF]

Originally Posted by SandyI

If you buy the car today for $15,000 and four years from now it's worth $9,000, you don't think you've had $6,000 worth of fun?

This is how I look at P-car ownership, and it pretty much works for me. Don't view it in terms of depreciation, view it in terms of fun as you're cruising down the road. Remember, you'll be dead a long time!

[aigel]

Keeping it up and modifying it will cost more than any possible depreciation. That said, likely you will be able to sell it for what you paid for it. That does not include inflation though. It's a better buy than a new car, but it will be far from an "investment". Only buy a 911 with spare cash - no loans, is my advice.

George

[DanielDudley]

Originally Posted by aigel

Keeping it up and modifying it will cost more than any possible depreciation. That said, likely you will be able to sell it for what you paid for it. That does not include inflation though. It's a better buy than a new car, but it will be far from an "investment". Only buy a 911 with spare cash - no loans, is my advice.

George

Yup. Pay cash. Keep it up, and if you need to sell, you will get a decent amount of money back. If you want an appreciating 911, get a low miles G50, and keep it pristine and low miles. Barring a major recession, or if you keep it long enough, it will be worth more.

Just don't drive it very much. Sounds fun huh ?

[trader220]

Originally Posted by SandyI

With a big difference between the '85 with the 915 and the '86 with the G50.

The g-50 didnt come along until 1987, but I agree the 87-89 will always be worth more not just because of the MY but because of the g-50 too.

These cars are NOT investments and they will not yield significant gains in value for decades, especially if you drive them. On the other hand they can be inexpensive to own, notice I didn’t say cheap. You can buy and drive one for a very low cost over a couple years if you do your homework when buying and some of your own maintenance.