Porsche 996 - Why so cheap?

[matt frost]

bramley said:

matt frost said:

Well firstly they are getting on a bit, and secondly they were replaced by the 997, which has been replaced by the 997 Gen 2. Every time a new model comes out this will knock the prices down.

Yes they are now a fair bit of car for the money but age has something to do with that. You can't say at 15k it is only half the car of a Focus RS, because the Focus is 30k brand new. Yes it is half the car of an RS in buying terms because people like new cars. The cheapest 996's are 11 or 12 years old, it is no wonder they are cheap!

Whilst the factors you mention may be partially true for the 996, there are other significant factors (most of which have been covered by others) at play here. Otherwise, using your reasoning the 964 would be the cheapest, then the 993, then the 996 and so on - but we know that's not the case.

Fair point, I don't know enough about Porsche's to go into such detailed reasoning as others have, I was stating the obvious as it hadn't been stated.

P.S. If you look at prices from the bottom up then you are wrong, it is the case

[Gizmo!]

Mr Gaga said:

God they sure are cheap now, just found this..... £12995!

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1512404.htm

Bloody hell.

[John D.]

Gizmo! said:

Mr Gaga said:

God they sure are cheap now, just found this..... £12995!

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1512404.htm

Bloody hell.

Indeed

300bhp
174mph top speed
0-62mph 5.2secs

Can't argue with that!

[Justayellowbadge]

sleep envy said:

unpc said:

I would imagine they're cheap as they are so dull to look at, coupled with the fact that they were produced in much greater numbers. Probably the least desirable 911 variant.

yeah you have a point

Out of interest, how big a mileage have you piled onto it since you bought it?

[sleep envy]

Justayellowbadge said:

sleep envy said:

unpc said:

I would imagine they're cheap as they are so dull to look at, coupled with the fact that they were produced in much greater numbers. Probably the least desirable 911 variant.

yeah you have a point

Out of interest, how big a mileage have you piled onto it since you bought it?

admittedly not much due to snow/salt and being in Oz for a month - about 450 miles at a guess

off to Vmax soon and Brum the week after

Edited by Gaz. on Wednesday 10th March 12:23

[Maxym]

Paul Stephens is a v respected dealer in Porsches. Looks like a bit of a bargain.

[mat205125]

Gizmo! said:

Mr Gaga said:

God they sure are cheap now, just found this..... £12995!

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1512404.htm

Bloody hell.

I'm glad that car is miles from me, and not on my commute home ..... or do I really mean gutted?

[markmullen]

996s are much better than people make out.

Sure, some people have engine issues but it is not as common as people would make out, the simple fact is that Porsche made many many more 996s than they had ever made 993s or 964s or 3.2s and as such more are likely to have problems. They drive well, look nice, are bloody good value for a £60k+ car and will find their money, just as 3.2s have, 964s have etc.

[Lefty Two Drams]

Personally, I'd rather have a 964 if I was spending £15k. I think the 964 looks and sounds a bit better. But both will need money spent on them I'd suspect.

Either would be a very nice base for a stripped-out fast road/track toy with a shorter final drive.

[miaspa]

More interested why 993 are going for good money and a comparable 964 is pretty low. Given the choice has to be air cooled, and has to retain the profile of a 1965. Still not keen on the sloping lights on a 993. And you want a opinion on a 996. Come back to be in twenty years time they might have grown on me by then.

[Bill Carr]

Gaz. said:

John D. said:

Gizmo! said:

Mr Gaga said:

God they sure are cheap now, just found this..... £12995!

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1512404.htm

Bloody hell.

Indeed

300bhp
174mph top speed
0-62mph 5.2secs

Can't argue with that!

That is very flattering light for that colour.


As mentioned above, the spec has a huge bearing on the price of 996's and they also seem to suffer with milage. A Black car with black leather would usually be worth a lot more than £13k, if the milage was 70k it'd be worth a lot more.

For me, this highlights why the market for Porsche's can be a bit "funny". The people buying them are very particular (some might say picky!) about the aesthetics and the kit levels. Fair enough, that's their perogative and I have no argument with that, but it does seem to have a significant affect on the prices.

To my eyes there's nothing wrong with that £12k C2 - it's just blue with a grey interior, a bit boring and safe, but no more so than black/black. It even has nice alloys! So if you're not too fussy about the appearance of the car then it appears there are performance bargains to be had.

Personally, if it were me I wouldn't give too much care to whether the car was a desirable colour/trim or not, as long as I liked it. A big stereo, built-in sat-nav, electrically-adjustable seats and xenon headlamps are all unneccessary fripperies. It's a sports car after all, it's there to be driven.

All IMHO. I realise it's a moot point as I'm not about to drop any money on a sports car, let alone a Porsche! Maybe I'd feel different if I were?

[Chris_w666]

Bill Carr said:

Gaz. said:

John D. said:

Gizmo! said:

Mr Gaga said:

God they sure are cheap now, just found this..... £12995!

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1512404.htm

Bloody hell.

Indeed

300bhp
174mph top speed
0-62mph 5.2secs

Can't argue with that!

That is very flattering light for that colour.


As mentioned above, the spec has a huge bearing on the price of 996's and they also seem to suffer with milage. A Black car with black leather would usually be worth a lot more than £13k, if the milage was 70k it'd be worth a lot more.

For me, this highlights why the market for Porsche's can be a bit "funny". The people buying them are very particular (some might say picky!) about the aesthetics and the kit levels. Fair enough, that's their perogative and I have no argument with that, but it does seem to have a significant affect on the prices.

To my eyes there's nothing wrong with that £12k C2 - it's just blue with a grey interior, a bit boring and safe, but no more so than black/black. It even has nice alloys! So if you're not too fussy about the appearance of the car then it appears there are performance bargains to be had.

Personally, if it were me I wouldn't give too much care to whether the car was a desirable colour/trim or not, as long as I liked it. A big stereo, built-in sat-nav, electrically-adjustable seats and xenon headlamps are all unneccessary fripperies. It's a sports car after all, it's there to be driven.

All IMHO. I realise it's a moot point as I'm not about to drop any money on a sports car, let alone a Porsche! Maybe I'd feel different if I were?

The grey interior is a bit drab but with a bit of refurbishment work those seats may look a little better than they do in the pictures. If all things were equal and I was in the market for one at the lower end I would be comparing cars on condition and history and ignoring spec, yes the dash looks crap but what difference does that make unless you only ever sit in traffic or on the drive.

[Risotto]

The trouble is, it's a vicious circle - some buyers are picky, so others who wouldn't normally care tend to avoid 'unpopular' cars for fear that they'll have a nightmare when they come to sell the car because the picky people won't like it!

Edited by Risotto on Wednesday 10th March 13:57

[neil_bolton]

sleep envy said:

Justayellowbadge said:

sleep envy said:

unpc said:

I would imagine they're cheap as they are so dull to look at, coupled with the fact that they were produced in much greater numbers. Probably the least desirable 911 variant.

yeah you have a point

Out of interest, how big a mileage have you piled onto it since you bought it?

admittedly not much due to snow/salt and being in Oz for a month - about 450 miles at a guess

off to Vmax soon and Brum the week after

Edited by Gaz. on Wednesday 10th March 12:23

Can I have a sit in yours at VMax? Not seen a GT3 up close - driven Daz's TT, but want to feel how different the GT3 is...

I have the suspiscion it'll be like an MX5 but at warp speed?

[sleep envy]

sure no problem matey

ETA - cheers for the edit Gaz

Edited by sleep envy on Wednesday 10th March 14:12

[neil_bolton]

sleep envy said:

sure no problem matey

See you then

I'll be in a daft jumper next to a noddy car.

[Mr Gaga]

Autocar have a 996 GT3 story this week.

And then I found this baby...



http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1325483.htm

That is good value! £34k, wow!

This GT2 made me shudder;

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1342785.htm

Edited by Mr Gaga on Wednesday 10th March 14:19

[JMGS4]

adycav said:

996s are very good cars that are great to drive.

Can only support that! They are very good drivers!

Another member here and myself often do a short trip in September. Last one was to the South of France where we hooned. Now he was driving a fully specced 997 GT3 and he couldn't keep up with me on the twisties...open fast road he was slightly faster. That's how good the 996 really is...

Anyone (except fanatic purists) who say that the car is no good is talking out of their jacksy. My engine problems were amenably solved (6 years old and 60000km) by a very respectable deal by Porsche...

The looks thing is a personal thing and there is no doubt that the fried egg headlamps look needs getting used to.. but it IS a Porsche and not a Nokia........ (mind you the Nokia is not at all bad!)

[Trackrod]

Buy a 10 year old 996 with 50,000 miles +, and a history, theory being that if the car did have problems, the chances are that they've been sorted. IMO, and I've got a 92,000 miler, they still offer a driving experience and thrill second to none. Most criticisms tend to come from non owners, and yes, I do know that some did have problems, but in terms of value, performance and quality for money, a good 996 is an incredible buy at today's prices. Just to add a touch of realism, my last 1983 3.2 with 65,000 miles was on it's 3rd gearbox, and lovely as it was, was certainly far from perfect.

[CockDoc]

mat205125 said:

Gizmo! said:

Mr Gaga said:

God they sure are cheap now, just found this..... £12995!

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1512404.htm

Bloody hell.

I'm glad that car is miles from me, and not on my commute home ..... or do I really mean gutted?

Hmmm, must resist temptation...