Why the low value in 996's?

I'm selling my '99 996 right now and am absolutely amazed at how low they are selling for. While my car is not perfect it's in good shape with a new factory motor with warranty yet no one (local or other on-line sites) wants to touch it for my price. I thought I had it priced pretty fair. Are people afraid of engine failures? Don't like it because it's water-cooled? I own and have worked on a lot of air-cooled Porsches, and I much prefer the 996. Maybe people aren't looking for a daily driver like the 996, but just a weekend cruiser? An SC in really good shape is going for about the same rate as an early 996! Sorry, rant over. I'm just continually amazed at current values for my car, especially since I'm moving now and need to sell.

Yeah, the '99-'01 has not held value well, it's a bit depressing. The '02 updates were pretty compelling, and the scary stories have had an impact. Also, it's the first water pusher 911, so I think people looking at a '99 will consider going back to a 993 or move up to the '02+. I am a part of this trend, I purchased used, and bought an '03, as I was seeking only '02+. I wanted the facelift and performance improvements. That being said, I have considered getting an older 996 for a track car, since the price is so attractive. I just can't justify two 911s!

How many miles/options/sale price?

arr0gant, my ad is lower on this page ($27K).

worries of engine failure, + the economy my 0.02

I am not seeing much buying on much of anything these days......a terrrible time to sell a great time to buy. Good luck getting 27k

"It's the economy, Stupid!" I have been watching prices since late spring. They've been going down slowly but steadily. The freaky thing right now is the sheer number of 996's on the market. It's about triple what is normal. Some of that can be attributed to the season, this is when Porsche owners sell, just like boat owners. However, there are no buyers out there. People have them priced what they think is fair or even attractive, but they just sit. You watch, prices will drop another 10% or more over the winter, with the desperate ones really taking it up the rear.

has nothing to do with your car or the 99 models......you are right deckman....it is the economie STUPID!!!! Look at the markets....do you really think people like you and I, with enough money to buy a used 996 are going to spend their money right now?? NOT.....it sucks I got mine for sale as well....and I don't even get counter offers.....but it's okay I love the way my P looks in my driveway!

This kind of thread makes me feel better about taking the trade on my car. Driving the Porsche was always a love/hate type of deal. I loved the thrill of driving it, but hated the fear of something major breaking and have to shell out some big bucks. It is nice not to have that kind of worry anymore.

Well I just traded mine in and the best I could get on a 2000 C4 with 64000 miles was $19,000. Some dealers would not even make an offer The prices on kbb and edmunds are way off Good luck

Well I'd rather buy a 99 Porsche for 19k then a new Mazda Miata for 21k. What a joke. Let the stupid people buy the crap.

Not just Porsche, Ferrari prices have dropped too! Almost the first time in history you can actually buy a Ferrari at MSRP!!!!! well.. All except the Scuderia....

While I'm sure the economy doesn't help, the fact is that the Porsche crowd values the older air-cooled cars more. Particularly the 993. Right, wrong, or indifferent, the 996 is considered a red-headed step child in the used Porsche market. Which is exactly why I bought one, so I can build a reasonably priced, fast, and fun 996-based track car.

Well, coming from a 993 and have wrenched on maybe over 100 993s and at the end of the day I like the 996 much better. Especially if I get one in that I need to work on. It take 1/2 of the effort and 1/2 of the cost. Handles betters, better MPG, A/C works great. I think the lower price has to do with the large number of them Porsche have built and sold since the introduction of the water cooled Porsches (not counting the 944s), The "porsche" marque is no longer exclusive and no longer "special". It wasn't that long ago that owning a Porsche was a special social experience, you feel special, everywhere you go people would strike a conversation with you ask you about your Porsche. Well... no longer. Hence, resale price. Especially true here in LA, I Never I mean NEVER get a 2nd look with my Porsche, doesn't matter where I go. Even in east LA!

firstly, it's supply and demand - way more used 996 cars than any other previous model of '911' Secondly - the 996 has a questionable early model track record - beta tested M96 block on the general public - has to have an impact in the long run

All late model cars are a risky liability not a valued asset. I think the 996 is the best value in a sports car, the 997 models compete against it. The air-cooled crowd (read 993) will be a long time coming to the water-cooled era and they don’t make those anymore, it’s why those models are staying steady in price; even if they are more expensive to maintain. If you can manage it, the saying holds true: It’s cheaper to keep her...

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I got $17,500 on my trade of a 1999 C2 with 101,000 miles so I am feeling even better. The cash value with the tax break makes it worth $18,750. That was $2500 better than any other dealer. It is probably a good thing I did the deal at a distant dealer that I will probably not have to deal with again. I have a feeling they will not make money on my car if they take it to auction.

Thanks, it's always interesting to hear other Porsche owner's opinions. (Except the 'stupid' remarks - I guess I never realized the economy was going downhill right now ) I would like to keep the 996, and not just because it's value is on par with a Pinto, but because I really enjoy the car. It's pretty easy to work on and still packs quite a punch. However, with the move it's going to be tough. Kent

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What about the stupid remarks bothered you How would you like to have your "other car" be a suburban (like mine)....There is a real solid investment!! Damn thing is worth twice as much with a full tank as it is with an empty one!! Awe, but ski season is coming and when I pass those pissy Subaru tin cans with my truck, heading up to the slopes with 6 of us in comfort, safety and style, the drop in value wont be as painful!! ( I hope! )

don't take the stupid remark personal....it is just an expression! If you own the car...keep it..when the economie (stupid...I mean stupid economie) turns around..if ever! there will be more people with money (because they purchased all the stocks for sale) and they hopefully be smarter with their money...and not going all out for the facelift 996 ( I mean 997) but purchase a used 996 and keep the rest in the bank

One word explanation ... 993

The stupid remark is from James Carville during the original Clinton campaign - a note to himself to remind him what the real issue of the day was. Like Nicolaasdb said, it's just an expression and wasn't meant as an insult to you. The 993 has a niche market and probably always will, so I don't think I buy the 993, and mass production arguments. Those issues have been around for going on 10 years now, but the recent price downturns are dramatic. All car sales are in the tank right now, and it is because of the economy. Percieved luxury cars are getting hurt the worst right behind SUV's. Used Porsche's are not selling and that is what is driving costs down. It's just supply and demand.

I Had a 993. I can't think of a way the 996 isn't better. (Although, the 993 does have a nice shape.) I suspect that the early 996 market is mostly young individuals or families--most of whom are hunkering down for the moment. An upscale used sports car at a time when you're not sure if you're going to have a job next month seems like an expense that you can delay. Most of the car market has tanked--not just Porsche. In contrast, I would guess that a new turbo is bought by a different crowd with different resources and it hasn't slowed that much. Having to sell a 996 now would be disappointing....but probably less depressing than if you were trying to sell a fancy pickup that isn't practical as a work vehicle.

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Were can I find out more about this 996 "spec racer" ?

The marketplace is soft for sports cars, and the 996 has taken the typical hit by being one model behind the latest Zuffenhausen offering. But remember that you get significantly more Porsche for the money with a 996 than ever before. Someone can get an incredible deal in this market.

Thanks for the replies; and I'm not offended. Years in the military made my skin a lot thicker than that. It's just disappointing to see the 996 value so low. I've played for years with the older Porsche's and the 996 I think is hands-down better (not to mention easier maintenance). My moving just comes at a bad time with the economy.

A really nice 87 or 88 911 brings about the same money (maybe 2K less ) than my 99 996 with 64K miles in excellent condition. It's nuts ! I paid about 25K 1 year ago and thought that was a great deal, now I couldn't get 21K for it no matter what. At least I'm fairly confident it will still be worth 16 - 18K five years from now, I hope.

Its simple: Porsche produced heavy volumes of the 996 (and 997 BTW). So there are many for sale. The 996 is superior is many aspects to previous generations, but previous generations are just harder to find. So it will probably not change, and the same will happen to the 997s.

OCNY, you have the best avatar! Sorry, back on topic now.

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Precisely. And just about now you are starting to have large numbers of 997's come off of lease and next year even more off of the 4 year warranty. As that happens their prices will drop even more, especially in this economy. When you get lots of people all turning their cars in a the same time without a lot of buyers, the market will get depressed even further.

I know of a 2000 996 right now that could be had for around $17k - maybe less, it would make a great race car too. I was thinking about buying it myself for a cheap daily driver or even race it, but I have too many toys at the moment and really need to sell a couple before I buy another. ;(

Some rambling thoughts (all for $.02 You might consider the bland styling effects value. The 99-01s are exactly like boxsters after all, from the front Also the sheer quantity.. and the fact that later ones had more hp and bette/different appearance. Even though Porsche knows the 996 performs better than the 993, the 993 is the last of one breed. This affects the 996TT as well. you can find those cars in the low $50s... so.. used Turbo or "new" Boxster.. It seems that to a non enthusiast, in the days of easy money, owning/driving NEW was prefered. No warranty issues.. just take it back of something goes wrong. Not sure about the 996 boards, but the Boxster boards are filled with "warranty" questions. People just seem to no longer have an interest in learning/fixing what they own. To stereotype, many of the current yound buyers have been raised on flawless economy cars (read, japanese) and quality electronics their whole life. For them, an item is out of date long before it actually wears out. And, if something was to wear out, they wouldn't know where to take it to be fixed.. 997s will have their hit too.. especially once the FSI engines come out. I have always likened the 996 to the 1974-1977 midyear 911s. Great cars (also with known engine issues, also a break in style with its predecessor), but the cars that came before and after are somehow even better. Hence, the drop in resale value. The market, obviously is also a killer. Seems most cars in the $20-40K require some kind of financing these days. No one saves up and pays cash. Easy money (HELOCS etc) made buying in this price range possible for many people who shouldn't have been. Those a little better off went out and bought/leased new instead. The car, for many, is a temporary possession. Those of earlier generations kept cars (even the crappy ones) for 5-10 years. Now they are 2-3 year leases an onto the next big thing...

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https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...light=spec+996 Essentially what I was trying to say in my previous post. And it is not a question of which is a better car. It is just an issue of which one Porsche "aficionados" favor. Without question the sheer number of 996's available is a big contributor also.

I disagree that the 993 has anything at all to do with the precipitous drop in early 996 values. If the 993 didn't exist, the values of 996's wouldn't be any different than they are now. The reasons for the price drop, in my opinion, are 1) the economy is tanking in a big way, so people are not buying "luxuries" right now 2) the number of 996's in the market right now - they are reasonably common (for a Porsche) 3) for the early cars, they have to compete with the later 996's which are better in almost every respect (no disrespect to the older ones because I own a 2000 myself, but hey, I'm realistic) 4) well documented engine reliability issues tend to scare away potential buyers 5) the looks are, relatively speaking, compared to 993's and 997's, bland. Don't get me wrong. I love my 2000 996. It has been a (mostly) trouble free car for me for the past 2+ years (other than an alternator and then a voltage regulator). I've put 35,000 miles on it in that time, including some track days, and it has held up beautifully. The interior is full leather and still in near-perfect shape after eight years. The car seems as fast today as it was the day I bought it. The paint is in great shape - it seems very durable to me after all of these years in the high intensity sun of California. Also, I have to disagree that the general public doesn't think of these 996's as anything special. I live in So Cal (Porsche land) and so you'd think that a 996 Porsche would be considered in the same sentence as a Camry, but my experience has been quite the opposite. I get many, many positive comments about my Guards red 996. People really seem to like the car. If I go out with the car, especially at night, and need to have it valet parked, the guys will almost always park it right up front. They consider it eye candy for their restaurant or concert venue, etc. So this idea that the car is nothing special, when in fact here in LA the general public seems to still love these cars, in my experience is false. Yes, they may be reasonably common here in So Cal compared to elsewhere, but they are not "common" by any means. The genereal public knows that and still likes these cars. We here in the Porsche community are the harshest critics of these 996's, really.

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Hey Scott, you and Mike are right I think that it's just basic supply and demand. But the flip side is potential buyers recognize after a bit of research that an early 996 is quite a bargain. And still most non-Porsche folks don't even realize they're looking at an 8-year old car. So good for us!

Nice to hear from you, Dave. Whenever I drive by your house (every day), I look but don't see you or the car. Have you been on vacation?