996 Turbo X50 manual where are they all?

[X50Black]

Hi,

This is my first post having lurked for a while so hello all.

I'm the proud owner of a 996 X50 turbo, manual with aerokit and have been for a number of years.
The car is a keeper for me for sure, love it. Great all round sports car and bulletproof.

I've been keeping my eye on the used market for the 996 Turbo X50 in manual guise, and I see there are none presently for sale in the UK and haven't been for many weeks as far as I'm aware. They rarely come up and when they do they attract strong value. Owners seem to be holding on to them too.
I've a feeling from chatting to some traders and enthusiasts in the know that the 996 turbo X50 in manual form in great condition/good colours will become quite a pleasant long term investment as far as cars can be, the values are definitely on the up and factory original examples with low mileage are quite a rare thing nowadays.


Views anyone?

[X50Black]

It's safe to say that the well maintained factory original X50 and S variants, especially manual coupe, will rise in value nicely. They have a cult following now and were valued way underneath their true worth for the past couple of years anyhow in my view.
Time will tell. The market looks like its on the turn already. There are no examples of the above model for sale currently that I can find either. Those that have sold have done so for very strong money, and quickly.

[X50Black]

Adam B said:

You answer you own question

X50Black said:

I'm the proud owner of a ... The car is a keeper for me for sure, love it.

So how can I buy one if everyone is keeping them? I wanted a 996 turbo and am picky on spec and mileage/condition, lot of tips about which I don't like at all.

In the end I paid extra for a 997 turbo which IMVHO is a better car all round (both 996t and 997t are great though so certainly not knocking the 996t). Even then finding a black, low mileage 997t manual was difficult.

I think both 996t and 997t will fall a little and then stabilise. They may appreciate slightly even but I am not counting on it. Will they follow the 993t up? Doubt it very much due to air-cool and production numbers.

There may be some future collector appeal for good 996t and 997t - near bulletproof Mezger engines, legendary turbo badge, but it will be the good colour, low mileage, looked after manuals that are sought after by the future enthusiasts IMHO.

I intend to keep mine long term too and pamper and over-service it, fantastic performance/£ these cars

I can certainly see your points- all well made.
My view is that the 996 turbo X50 and S manual are more desirable for long term investment/driver enjoyability than the 997 turbo, they are also rarer. There are a fair number of nice looking low mileage 997 manual turbos to choose from currently on the market, although only an inspection in the flesh can confirm their condition. There are zero 996 turbo X50 or S manual on the market. Also the fact that well respected journalists such as Chris Harris quote the X50 to be the best Porsche 911 Turbo ever produced helps matters. The 996 X50 and S in manual were also not produced in great numbers comparatively. If a good example does appear on the market it will be snapped up- by somebody in the know.

http://www.pistonheads.com/roadtests/doc.asp?c=1&a...

[X50Black]

Adam B said:

His is an interesting viewpoint and a somewhat controversial one for the traditionalists. However I would argue all the reasons he prefers the 996t over the 993t would be true of 997t v 993t, had he owned one maybe he would have liked it as much as the 996t, they are certainly pretty similar, and certainly so vs a 993t.

It also proves his personal preference has no impact on market forces . 993t gone crazy although that may be due to one dealer trying to push the market.

What are production numbers of 996t v 997t ? Anyone know?

I was never a buyer of the S hype, it's was a run out model 996t with a few options added at a discount, when I was looking I would have gone for a 996t x50 with a spec I was after, for example a large ali pack, over an otherwise identical S without that option. Of course at the time if you were buying new an S made sense if you were looking at adding X50 to a standard car. X50 I can see the appeal of, I wonder whether earlier PCCB will have much appeal as they age and frightening replacement cost is factored in?

Got any pics of your car OP, always like to see turbos

Chris Harris does say that he prefers the 996 turbo over the 997 turbo as he explains here:

"The 996 Turbo remains the stand-out version of the force-fed 911 for me. It had a huge impact on what we now expect from usable performance cars, and as a package in many ways it’s a more enjoyable car to drive than the 997 version. The steering is especially superb, the four-wheel drive system always seems to make the car feel rear-wheel drive until some front-drive is absolutely necessary. The GT3 badge has now passed into legend, but it’s worth remembering that back in 2000 the 996 Turbo was a much more impressive car than the first GT3. With the later X50 pack fitted it was, and still is an absolute weapon."

However I'm not saying that your view (and the view of the masses in general) would be to choose the 996 X50 turbo over the 997 turbo. The 997 turbo is more modern and I'm sure in some ways the better car- it simply must be after several more years of research and development.
My view and others in the know remains that the 996 turbo X50 and S manual will have a greater long term value- for the collector/enthusiast types. Not for the masses. The market is now clearly displaying these early symptoms. I'm not saying they will ever reach 993 turbo levels. Its very difficult to find a 996 turbo X50 manual in excellent condition with low mileage nowadays and it will only get harder.

I'll post up some photos in the coming days.

In any event enjoy your turbo, that's all that matters especially if she's a keeper!

[X50Black]

Zyp said:

I sold my 2003 manual X50 to a dealer 3 years ago for (iirc) about £25k.
Sub 40k miles and a car that was massively optioned up.

It was a marmite colour combo mind, but it must be worth at least that even now all things considered?

You would sell that in a matter of a few seconds if advertised today, £25k is way too cheap for a good X50 manual even in a marmite colour. Anybody who tells you otherwise is not talking from X50 selling experience in todays market, or is trying to grab a bargain X50. They are selling like hot cakes I've been monitoring it closely for some time.

[X50Black]

tali1 said:

A cabriolet aswell
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

It's definitely not an X50 or an S as I have checked.

It's a misleading advert with some none factory mods done later but certainly not to factory X50 standard/specification.

The Cabriolet version would be of less interest to most purists. Would not appeal to me for example even as an avid fan.
Nevertheless looks nice.

[X50Black]

monthefish said:

I can't see X50 (alone) holding value any worse or better than a standard turbo, however. Some people actively seek out a non-X50 over an X50, including myself. (if the right car had come up with X50, I would have gone with it, but my preference was not).

The rarer model variants always tend to be better investments, especially when in this example the motoring press clearly preferred the X50 version too.
You sure had an easy task 'actively seeking" a non X50 bearing in mind the ratio of non X50 to X50 on the market at any one given time. The various specialists also agree that the X50 will be the better bet.

Edited by X50Black on Thursday 15th May 16:29