I had an 87 and redid the AC, never wb the same as 964 or the better 993 systems @ 90-100 degrees

Here's a couple of head scratching examples:

Cars for Sale: 1983 Porsche 911 SC in Canyon Country, CA 91387: Coupe Details - 392993526 - AutoTrader.com


or:

TheSamba.com :: VW Classifieds - 1987 Restored G50 Carrera

Can a refreshed/rebuilt car really be worth the same/more than a low miler original?

Who would spend this vs a sorted 993 for 40-45k??

Am I missing something?

Interesting . . . I've never driven, or ridden in, a 964 or 993, but have been able to get bowel freezing vent temps and rapid, heat soak recovery, even in hot azz TexASS with the mods I've done to my 1987 Turbo's a/c (as Eric knows all too well given all of my crowing about it :D). I would love to make a comparison someday . . .

I really think it depends on how far you go. You can do a basic refresh and do OK. Not SoCal OK, but NorCal OK. Then you can spend a bit more, and do OK for all of CA and NV. A little bit more, and you're good for all the SW.

Go whole hog, and you are good in the SE, all summer long. But that requires some serious $$$$.

Like this?!?!

http://www.tocadacotia.com/wp-conten...stragada-2.jpg

Buy the best of whichever series comes up in your timeframe and budget. All three types have jumped in value over the last 3-4 years, and you could be buying at the top of the market. Or not.

I think what Matt was implying is that you're asking for future predictions when we are in a market that nobody predicted 4 years ago.

There's a massive difference between me bring funny and you being outright hostile to members because they want to sell a car for a profit.

The underlying point of my comment is that we can all give our justifications for our guesses but they are still just guesses. My genuine advice to the op is buy the car you like the most as all 3 listed will likely appreciate similarly.

Great look on the 87, but $55k?

The 230k mile SC is just mystifying. Pipe dream price.

Hey I wish I was long more than one right now. There was a time back 15 years ago when I was sitting on several cars. The prices make me laugh these days. 230k mile SC's for $40 grand? There was a time in the late 90's when I went from the 94 Speedster ( which got stolen ) to an RS America (sold), to a 97 993 C2S (sold). Then I bought an 87 Granite Green Targa and an 89 Ruf Modded 930 and had them both at the same time. UGH... that groupe right there is easily $6 or $7 hundred grand in todays market. oh well.

The consensus here is right. Drive the three types you're interested in and buy the one you like the most. You're splitting hairs on which will hold value better, there is no right answer on that question unless you can see the future with clarity. If you can then forget the cars lets talk about the options and futures markets.

Buy a car because you have the disposable income and you like/want that car. If you're not in the biz of flipping cars and you think you're buying because its a savvy investment its probably the wrong reason to buy.

Look at them all. BUY the one that makes you tingle. Over the years the $ diff. will be negligible. None of these is a "collector" car. That being said, think T-U-R-B-O.

I guess you don't read too good.

If you actually think that, then you are just plain wrong.

Probably true.

Buying a car as an investment is probably not the best way to go. All of those muscle cars that sold for all those huge dollars haven't climbed back up to their high point. Remember the Ferrari bubble? Those prices have come back, but there for a while, it looked pretty grim. The folks that are picking up these cars just to hold them as collector items might tire of them when The Next Cool Thing comes along. When will that be? Who knows? :)

These cars are fun to drive. They are very reliable and pretty cheap to keep, considering their peers. The turbo cars will probably retain their value better, but they are more expensive to keep on the road. Choices...

I guess it is never clear what the "next cool thing" will be. If you were positive and right, there would be money to be made. All 80s and early 90s Ferraris are appreciating, paced by 308s. Mondials and 412 sedans still lag (though manual 412s are picking up).

There is not a lot to choose from among 80s and 90s cars to be the thing that will drive a nostalgia frenzy.

- Fox body mustangs (a grillion made)
- E30 BMWs; already popular for low-budget enthusiast. Only the M3 will likely command much money. See 2002s for future trends
- Acura NSX; already gaining steam, but a niche car
- Last gen Supras
- Last gen RX-7
- Mercedes E320 Cabs (93-96) -- especially if you can find a E36 AMG

There just isn't a lot to love in those years.

W124 500e

I totally agree. Right now the market for early P cars is being flooded with cars that the owners are only selling because the price is high. Whether it's to finance a home improvement project or to get into a more refined 997 at the same price is beside the point. There will soon be many more cars than there are buyers. Are there really that many newbies out there? What happens to prices once cars are sitting with no sales in great volumes. The cream rises to the top.

The theory most widely quoted is that values rise because the kids that idolized these cars are now in a position to buy them. That same theory was used with muscle cars, and now those buyers are dying off and the market is suffering. It's a very questionable investment to purchase any car because of the current price with the assumption that it will continue to rise in value.

Many factors come into play when looking for the next "hot item". 3 yrs ago you could have had your choice of many late 80's Ferrari Testarossa's for under $50k. Today they're over $100k for any of them. Same thing with 348's. It's not that they all the sudden became better cars, but because they became the only affordable Ferrari's for folks on a budget. Once the prices rise, those budget conscience buyers drop out and the buyer pool shrinks. Then cars start to sit on the market longer and the seller has to drop the price to move the car. Values drop. Many cars fit this scenario. Acura NSX, Viper, etc. When the new NSX comes out this year, I'm sure the value of the older cars will also rise.

Those who have followed my other post know that I am very sensitive to Speedster prices right now. Lots of those are hitting the market and the prices have dropped recently. Certainly down from a year ago. A lot of factors go into being a Speedster buyer. Money, desire, and certainly an eye on investment potential, but they are rare cars, not SC's.

I'm an old fart, so I still lust after posters of Bo Derrick, Demi Moore, and the like......but.....my wife is great to look at, dependable, comfortable, reliable, and affordable. And she always puts a big smile on my face. Same things apply to my cars and so should yours. Forget future value and enjoy life.

Nicely said, but does SHE know you call her dependable and comfortable? ;)

Do you like working on the car as well as driving it? If so, the 3.2 might be your best bet, as it is the simplest and easiest for a shadetree mechanic to keep tip-top, of the 3 you listed. This is the reason I went with a 3.2 instead of a 964 -- the cost of entry is roughly the same, but wrenching is half the fun for me, and I thought a 3.2 would be more fun (easier and cheaper) to wrench on.

If you're more of a pay-the-mechanic kind of guy, I think the 3.2 will still be the cheapest simply because there's less stuff to break (abs, sensors and electronics), but not by enough to matter, probably.

That's one of the many reasons I chose a 3.2. I had quite a few parameters that I was going for, and the 3.2 ticked almost every box.

Good question. Actually that description comes from her. Apparently women have a different way to express their feelings about relationships. The first time she said our relationship was very comfortable I thought, "what, just comfortable?" Not sure what I was expecting. Maybe AWESOME or Out of this world. Then she explained herself saying that it was all she had ever hoped for. Secure, stable, exciting, feeling complete, and on and on. In girl speak, that means comfortable. I'm comfortable with that.