That chart is very interesting .........lol 2014, is when I got mine. Average - $36,000 High - $62,000 Low - $4,600 ? (Damn could have been a parts car ?) Anyway I paid a bit less than high, but this follows my life long strategy of intelligent used car buying. Buy high..... Toss $1000s at it ...... And sell low How can I still be smiling.
I think the fear of the unknown will continue to help buyers considering a 355, find something else more predictable from a maintenance perspective. The mitigating factor will be the collected knowledge being aggregated here. Thank you all that take the time to post step by step dyi instructions, work arounds, and helping owners diagnose problems. I am, for one, getting more confident every day that I can understand a f355 inside and out. This helps diminish the sting from the owner of a well-known independent Ferrari service facility here in the northeast telling me I don't want to own a 355 because "the maintenance will bring you to your knees and you will be visiting me often!" The way to get 355 values up will be to dispel the myths, and get the cars in the hands of those that own them for the right reason....because there is nothing else like the driving experience! So if your not a car enthusiast...get out of line. And everyone else here that contribute regularly... thank you!
What happened in 2006? I like those numbers. I truly believe people over service cars with dealers. The pursuit of constant perfection is to the detriment of the joy the experience. Service writers say you have an oil leak and need to fix it = $$$$$, but you see only a weep and moist area that a quart of oil will fix for .01 on the dollar. I have decided to live with a little imperfection and enjoy the journey. Cheers and Happy New Year! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I agree, this is the correct attitude that never leaves you with a frown. Plus while loosing the money all you have is this big smile from ear to ear. Gotta love it.
993 C2s...even the best year model, 1995, have fallen into the mid-to-mid/high thirties with dealers and smart buyers. Dreamers and fools and the dealers who prey on them are still asking in the fifties and sixties but the base coupe can be found for much less. It is when you start talking ten grand for a belt change service on a 355 that the 993 starts making sense. And when you start talking the cost of service on a 993, a 996 makes a ton of good sense. 996 turbos are also drifting down into the thirties. The lease and the 5000 mile service did more to hyper inflate car service than any of the technology.
Sold a good 993 C2 to get the F355. At the time (3 years ago), there was a difference in price with the F355 costing approximately a third more again. As a machine though, it's worth double or even triple that of a 993. To me they are simply not comparable. The Porsche was nice, sturdy and 'felt' more dependable. In my case it wasn't, but then I've also spent a considerable amount getting the Berlinetta sorted. Both great cars but the F355 is in another league altogether. Just the engine alone is worth me to me than an entire 993. I just don't understand the overblown hype on all things aircooled.
Anything mid to high 30's for a regular C2 coupe is going to be having a lot of needs and 100k+++ miles. I have not seen even any high mileage (100K+) C2S for less than 65k. Low mileage, 90-100k+. I sold my 1995 993 C2 with over 100k miles and it had an inch and a half thick folder of invoices from previous owner repairs. Added up to huge money so I wouldn't say they are perfectly trouble free or very cheap to run, just need to find a sorted one (like buying a 355). 996 turbo is a good deal for the money, just don't like the looks or the interior. Mechanically a very good car though.
I've never understood the fascination with the 993. Other than being the last air cooled 911, what's the big deal?
That's an outlying sentiment amongst engineers. Air-cooled Porsches seem to be a favorite amongst pilots and engineers. I would think a concrete thinker like yourself (referencing your post about the blue Miata vs Boxter vs Ferrari) would have a similar appreciation. I have an '87 Carrera because it was my high school dream car, and it's turned out to be solid as a tank, super reliable, simply built, and with exemplary performance in every way for the 18 years I've owned it. Took my family of four (two small kids) for a drive this weekend, ran errands and filled the frunk with groceries. Didn't bottom out where the 348 usually does. Got thumbs up repeatedly, etc. The Ferrari has overshadowed my Carrera over the last year, but this recent little excursion reminded me what a great car it is and how I'll never sell it. Yes, not a 993, and I personally prefer it that way. The way I prefer a 348 over a 355. Manual steering, torsion rods, quirks, styling, etc. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Have you driven one? Not stellar acceleration but still fun overall. Exterior design is great IMO. Comfortable but classic design (or you could say very dated) interior, but I like it. Steering/handling is great. Air cooled engine sounds very neat. My biggest dislike is the gear ratios. I think it's a great car and prefer it to newer Caymans I've driven in terms of feel/build quality. I don't think a C2s is worth more than an F355 however, no matter what difference in maintenance cost.
'89 325is on the left? Had one of those. Loved it. But in general I'm not too interested in the past. Bought my 85 308 GTB new. Intended to buy another new Ferrari but wasn't interceded in the 328. Never cared for the 348 when it came out. But was immediately interested in the 355 spider. Just never got around to pulling the trigger until 2013. As for Porsche, my current interest is the 981 Cayman or 991 911. The older Porsches just don't do it for me. At almost 71 I'm still looking for what comes next, not what I missed along the way. Yes, actually I have. Several times. I just never liked them. Styling, interior, feel. But see above. A 981 Cayman S may end up in my garage. I was never very attracted to Porsche until the 997.
I bought the 993 because as a kid my father had 356s, 911s and 914s. And as someone in the automotive design industry I appreciated the impressive work on the 993 to update the classic 911 shape (incidentally the lead by an Englishman by the name of Tony Hatter), so it was a fait accompli to get one myself. I admired it, respected it but it ultimately left me slightly cold. The F355 is everything I love in a car. Its value, qualities and abilities are far beyond that of a standard 993. Maybe an RS might come close but then the value of those are in the stratosphere.
Its all about evolution...as is the 348/355. In the case of the 993...the engine design is better than the first water cooled 996s...except for the 996 turbo which is water cooled but based on the air cooled 964/993 Mezger designs and not the normal 996 engines. The 993 body is also very different...closing the door and getting the legendary "ping" was lost in the post 993 cars. A Porsche wrench pointed out how much more expensive service is in a 993..."they put 50 lbs of stuff in a 5 lb bag. Porsche engineered themselves into an expensive corner. The 993 has the cleanest lines of the 911s going back to the seventies. It also had the best suspension, steering, brakes, and overall quality. It was a great daily driver in the purest sense of the word. It wasn't meant to be a garage queen, it was meant to be a beater. As was my 1980 308 GTSi. I bought it with 88k miles on the clock with service records going back to the pre-delivery inspection...I drove it for just over three years and sold it with 124k miles on it. It was my only car...took the animals to the vets, shopped at Ralphs, parked in downtown LA when on jury duty...and it had a full sized spare tire so I never even considered a flat bed as a solution to a flat tire. It was a real world car. As so with the 993. Whether Ferrari or Porsche, the new ones are always faster than the old ones. But with both brands...their modern cars don't seem to be made for the real world of real cars. With both brands, they make me think of tarted up hookers looking for Johns with more money than sense.
If you look at "asking" prices the cars are in the 50s and 60s and up. If you look at the actually sold prices...it drops down to the 30s and 40s. Remember, just before the boom in prices, you could have a good one for the mid 20s.
Ok, so we were at mid to high thirties and now we are in the 40's. I'll stand by my statement that a 993 coupe in the 30's is going to need a lot and have 100K+ miles. You still need to spend more to get something nice so I wouldn't say 993 c2's have fallen into the mid/high 30's. That's still absolute bottom of the market cars. I don't know of a lot of people/places listing a 993 for 60's and up that will take 35k, would buy one again if that was the case. Actually sold prices- https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1995-porsche-911-carrera-12-2/ https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1996-porsche-911-carrera-4s-7/ https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1995-porsche-911-7/ https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1995-porsche-911-carrera-13/ https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1996-porsche-911-carrera-4s-6/
John, I don't see how you can like the 997 and not like the 993, especially since the 997's styling went back to the 993 styling after the controversial 996. Basically, the 997 is a bigger, faster 993. By the way, the new Cayman S looks very nice.
It's a '91 325i, with a lot done to it (bored/stroked 2.9 engine, Koni coil-over suspension, M3 steering rack, Z3 short shifter, etc). I bought it like that for about $6500 a couple years ago. And I'm a little sad to admit that even compared to the Carrera and 348, it may actually be more fun to drive. And from the driver's seat, it reminds me exactly of my Dad's old e30 M3 he bought new in '87. Love those memories of riding with him as he drove like a maniac from hospital to hospital making his rounds. I used to press on the passenger side's imaginary brake pedal multiple times in one trip. The car is worth the nostalgia alone. Staying on topic, the value on these e30 BMWs, unlike most of our Ferraris, is on the rise.
Take a look at the ebay 993 auctions. Not the asking prices...not the "completed" auctions...but the actual cars that sold. Any 993 sold today is going to need a lot of work. Its an old used car...and often low mileage examples need as much or more work than high mileage because the owners drive them 5 miles a week to avoid give the car a service. Perhaps a car that recently has had all new suspension, a head job, and is mint all over with a complete documented service history might be worth 60k. But that would be absolutely all the car is worth. Max. An well driven and cared for example with service history and 100,000 miles is the better deal. 40k tops depending on the car...more likely less. I'm not saying you can find warehouses of these cars...but more than you seem to think.
I had a 2006 997 S...could not stand...could not live with the interior...sold it 3 months after I bought it and took a small bath. I prefer the interiors of the 996 much more...analog like a classic car, not digital like an X box. But the 996 cute a lot of corners when designing the engine. They can be upgraded to a degree, but one might as well spend the extra money and get the turbo. Totally different motor.
So how do I see the actual cars sold on ebay if I don't look at completed auctions? Disagree that any 993 sold today will need a lot of work. At this age there are maintained cars and neglected cars, certainly they aren't all neglected? Some sorted? So if we are talking a decent miles coupe in good colors and manual trans, how about a link to one of those that sold for 35k, 40k max? Or better yet, one currently available so I can buy it.
Some of you guys are funny. I bought my '69 Alfa Spider (round tail) sight unseen off eBay in '02. Advertised as a rust-free car that was restored in the '90's. Came to me with rust bubbles in the rockers, worn driver's seat, and multiple other imperfections. I didn't do a thing to it; have been enjoying it for the last 15 years, still looks great at 15 feet, and the rust bubbles haven't progressed. The seat is a little more worn. Paint is a bit worse for wear since storing it outside under a cover for a couple of years while I was tight on garage space. Maintenance-wise, I may have changed the oil a couple of times. Seriously. The same for my Carrera. Haven't really done anything in 17 years, except a few oil changes and replaced brake caliper seals when the pistons got sticky. Used that opportunity to change out the brake fluid to DOT 5 (purple silicon) so I wouldn't ever have to do it again. Also refreshed a tired power window motor and heater blower. Otherwise, the car has been aces. Still has the same 17 year-old Interstate battery that I've completely drained twice over the years. It keeps on going. If something else breaks, I'll fix it. But I won't go looking for perfection, or as I call it, trouble. A twenty or thirty year old car isn't necessarily a nightmare, even when subjected to benign neglect. I could easily have spent tens of thousands of dollars making those cars "right" and would have gained nothing in the driving experience. If anything, I'd worry more about driving them. I like my cars a little rough around the edges, so I can actually use them without regret. I agree with what's been said before that 355 owners are their own worst enemies when it comes to their cars' stagnant values. Running to the dealer for every little thing, over-servicing every 3-5 years at exorbitant rates, and telling the world about it, creates a reputation for the car.
