Why are 996s so cheap?

[f1nn]

Yeah, like everyone else has said, essentially supply and demand dictates the prices.

To my eyes they are a bargain, and I'm sure in years we will kick ourselves for not taking advantage of the low prices, but fears over reliability and them being arguably the least (at the moment) desirable 911 variant, means they are selling for peanuts.

[Impasse]

Seeing as how this is a Porsche thread, I feel as though the Lotus Evora should get a mention.

[Jurgen]

Not the best looking 911 ever, but still a very nice car. Would love to own on and it's even within budget. Can't think of much that's more desirable for the money. But Porsches in general are not cheap to maintain and that engine would make me very paranoid, even if the chance it will fail isn't that huge (although I do know 2 persons with a 996 and they both had an engine fail!)

[kambites]

They look a complete bargain to me, especially considering that I don't much like the way the 997 drives in comparison.

[steveo3002]

996TT02 said:

I wonder how a trashed bearing and wrecked engine can be sorted by adding oil!

HEHE yeah just put some more oil when the engine grenades , will be fine

[Durzel]

They may be cheap to buy, but don't expect running costs commensurate with the price. They were after all once worth several times that amount.

It is possible of course to run them on a budget, but the major components will still retain prices that'll make your eyes water.

If you buy cars like this you need to do it with your eyes open rather than just saying "ooh it's cheap to buy now"

[SEE YA]

stuckmojo said:

My 2p (996 owner).

The cars are incredibly cheap for what they are. As said above, engine issues (fairly easily resolved though) and big production numbers do not help the residual values.

Also, the headlights are not to everyone's taste. However, looking at older 991s, both the 964 and earlier cars dipped well below the 10k mark before climbing back up and become classics.

I recall that when I bought my 996 (early 3.4, Carrera 2 Manual) there were some 964 within budget.

Nobody can predict the future, and it may as well be that the 996 will join Boxsters and 944s at the bottom of the pile, but I don't believe it will be the case. Many cars will be scrapped/crashed et cetera, reducing the numbers. Just look at the difference in availability of 996 and 997 cars for sale.

It will be interesting to watch. Not that I have a personal stake in this as my car won't be for sale at any point.

Well as a owner of older 911 the A/C Porsche's are going up and holding well. The newer ones are not, e.g. Boxster now at under £5k 996's under £10k.
Since around 2007 the market has picked up on A/C cars. My one has shot up somehow, to double and more value wise.
There are so many worn out Porsche's up for sale, as many owners spend no money on there upkeep.

Edited by SEE YA on Tuesday 22 April 09:30

[anonymous-user]

I think the details on here sum up why they are cheap:

http://www.hartech.org/porsche_996_997_Boxster_eng...

[xRIEx]

northwest monkey said:

I actually think they are lovely cars. I prefer them to the older ones - there, I've said it

Me too. I used to prefer the 993/997 look of the headlights, but I've come round to the 996 (especially the .2), it's individual.

[Bloitus]

Having just bought a 996 for less than £10k (3.4 C2 Manual), i'm happy i could get so much car for the money. Personally having done the research, the RMS/IMS issue has been blown out of proportion given the number of failures that were reported and if you are worried about it there are cars out their in this price range that have had uprated or replaced bearings/seals. So long as you spend some time looking and go for a well maintained car with lots of history you should be ok.

The cars that tend to be less than £10k will probably be a bit rough round the edges and need suspension bushes, have a heavy clutch, brakes ...etc... so will need a bit of work, like any used car over 10 years old really.

I say to anyone on the fence about getting one, just do it, they're so much fun! Go into it with an open mind and be prepared to spend some additional money on those wearable parts in time.

[kambites]

Bloitus said:

the RMS/IMS issue has been blown out of proportion given the number of failures that were reported

"Common" failures on cars almost always are, unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately if you're willing to do your research). The problems certainly wouldn't stop me from buying a 996 if I wanted a sporty 2+2.

[SEE YA]

Bloitus said:

Having just bought a 996 for less than £10k (3.4 C2 Manual), i'm happy i could get so much car for the money. Personally having done the research, the RMS/IMS issue has been blown out of proportion given the number of failures that were reported and if you are worried about it there are cars out their in this price range that have had uprated or replaced bearings/seals. So long as you spend some time looking and go for a well maintained car with lots of history you should be ok.

The cars that tend to be less than £10k will probably be a bit rough round the edges and need suspension bushes, have a heavy clutch, brakes ...etc... so will need a bit of work, like any used car over 10 years old really.

I say to anyone on the fence about getting one, just do it, they're so much fun! Go into it with an open mind and be prepared to spend some additional money on those wearable parts in time.

+1 There is a Porsche for everybody's taste and pocket.
Life is to short to have regrets. I always wanted a 911 I made my dream come true.

'EVERY MILE IS A SMILE'

[tr7v8]

We were talking about this at TIPECs Drive IT day yesterday & we all said that the early 996 is becoming a classic shape. I couldn't live with a A/C 911 at all, offset pedals, crap heating etc. So it wouldn't be an option.

[crusty]

I have owned a C4S and doing the research, and buying a lovely car, I still ran into expensive maintenance (from a specialist) and still had major engine failure.

I may have been in a minority, but my advice would be don't buy one without a warranty and deep pockets.

[k-ink]

996 Carreras are not cheap if you have to pay for the entire price of the car again on top to replace an engine. They are a huge gamble and everyone knows it. So why take the risk when there are better cars available for the budget. And vastly better cars for a little more money. They will always be unloved due to their bland looks, over supply and soiled reputation. Only buy one if you are truly passionate about them (for whatever bizarre reason) and have deep pockets. Personally I'd far rather own a Turbo or GT3 with a properly built engine for the price of a Carrera plus an engine rebuilt or replacement.

[shoestring7]

Durzel said:

They may be cheap to buy, but don't expect running costs commensurate with the price. They were after all once worth several times that amount.

It is possible of course to run them on a budget, but the major components will still retain prices that'll make your eyes water.

If you buy cars like this you need to do it with your eyes open rather than just saying "ooh it's cheap to buy now"

Agreed. A mate has an early 3.6, so value at ~£12.5k is the same as a late Golf V Gti. However he usually gets stung for £2k every year at servicing. Except this year it was £3.5k including a set of brakes, service, geo and some attention to leaks.

Meanwhile I paid £400 for disks and pads for a mkV Gti.

SS7

[SrMoreno]

Impasse said:

Seeing as how this is a Porsche thread, I feel as though the Lotus Evora should get a mention.

The Evora would certainly make a far more sensible buy, based on resale values.

On topic, I think buyers could put up with any mechanical issues (plenty of other cars get a free pass for this) but for the fact that the 996 is horrifically ugly. This is unforgivable in a sports/GT car, even a German one. Hence they are (relatively) cheap.

[andy-xr]

I quite like them, but the performance of the base models doesnt justify the price of them to me, they're relatively slow looking at the figures and comparing to what you can get of similar build quality without engine eating.

Might be great handling, might be great driver experience but it's not a car I'd want to buy at £10k

[Liokault]

shoestring7 said:

Agreed. A mate has an early 3.6, so value at ~£12.5k is the same as a late Golf V Gti. However he usually gets stung for £2k every year at servicing. Except this year it was £3.5k including a set of brakes, service, geo and some attention to leaks.

Meanwhile I paid £400 for disks and pads for a mkV Gti.

SS7

Meanwhile, you’re driving a Golf

[Hungrymc]

Ref the Evora comments (firstly I'm a bit underwhelmed by them mainly due to looks and an engine with no character). But they are fabulous cars which will be in the region of 25k very soon. Could be a bargain.