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YOUR RESEARCHIconic Mezger vs. Early-1999
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Use 12 months and puts a smile
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My 40th AE gets used all 12 months and puts a smile on my face all 12 months.
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A nice side effect of this is that the 3.8 and 4.0 parts can be used on the 996 Mezger engines.
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I passed on a 964 that was very clean but with "higher" (170k) mileage about ten years ago for $13k and it's one of the great car regrets of my life.
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I used to love the side scoops on the 996tt, but as time moves on I'm finding myself attracted to the clean lines of the early 996.1.
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Nothing can possibly replace the complete wonkiness of that old C4.
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Now, with that being said, I'm sure if I replaced the Michelin Cup 2s with 4s it would be an improvement but it's not going to be a grand touring car like a Turbo or Carrera.
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I was merely testing the waters with that ad, because I was approaching 100k miles, and a minor run-in with skin cancer told me it was time to stop driving a convertible.
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I believe the following is correct for Mezger -> DFI transition for street cars (although Porsche Motorsports continued using the Mezger even in some 991 race cars)
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Which would you keep and why: early-1999 in unicorn color w/#408 wheels versus 996TT in unicorn color? Both nearly perfect and low relative low miles.
Won't park a 911 outside (even under cover) so gotta get the DD wagon inside for winter or send one of these cuties off to storage.
Thoughts? Iconic Mezger vs. Early-1999 its a real conundrum, at least to me
Thanks in advance for constructive ideas
...that's also a ticking time bomb like all engines. Both will eventually need a rebuild, and both will cost a lot of money to rebuild, and both you can choose how much power you want after the rebuild, and both have solutions to what ails them.
Just sayin...
Keep the turbo in the garage. There's something about those air intake scoops on the rear quarters. It makes the car!
Oh, and definitely a 1st world problem on your hands!
Tell you what, get 2 car covers and park it outside. I promise you it won't melt or freeze or whatever else your worried about. Turbo is AWD so you can drive it all year long.
I'm in VA so winters aren't that bad. No interest in driving either one in salt that's for sure; AWD notwithstanding. AWD DD for that, fortunately. Perhaps though, thx
This isn't even close. The TT always has been and always will be the more valuable car. Even accounting for the recent "early 99" fetish on this board.
I'm in DC so I'm with you. The amount of snow we've seen over last few years is laughable at best. With that your cars are do not appear to be museum pieces so I'd quit stressing over it, use them as cars and enjoy them as meant to be. Rust is not an issue with them unless you seriously neglect, which doesn't seem like you would. My 40th AE gets used all 12 months and puts a smile on my face all 12 months.
Hold the phone. What's the height of your garage, and what do you fit under that?
I have living space above my garage so I have limited space. I'd need to switch the opener from the chain-drive to the style you have there, but that's no big deal.
Bolted to the concrete, or no?
And is the pad for snow/ice melt mitigation?
Yes obviously. I wonder though which will appreciate more total (say in ten to twenty more years) as a percentage of original value?
IE if the Turbo ever hits $150K it has simply broken even. But if the 1999 ever hits even half of that it's net
way
ahead.
Simply observing that one cost more than twice the other
originally
, doesn't really account for individual
future
net differences in these two very different markets. It
seems
to me the 1999 has more "upside" if that makes sense? Even though it admittedly will never be worth
anywhere near
as much as the Turbo.
Well this one was like $148K (tons of absurd options, etc.) No X50 though sadly. Crazy how much you can hike the price on these with meaningless nothings. I'm not the original owner, obviously
Of course the turbo will most likely be worth more if it follows the behavior of the air cooled turbos vs normal aspirated. But like everything, you make your money off the purchase price.
But I gotta ask you why you are asking these questions. Are you looking at it as an investment, or as a car to enjoy?
I"m so conflicted just looking for anything to push me one over the other. I never should have bought the Turbo, I already bought and sold off a Tip TT thinking the 1999 would be easy to part with in comparison. The manual TT is another realm obviously, but this purple 99 is proving very hard to part with. It's like a Christine
It's like the head cheerleader finally came onto you, but you can't give up that weird little goth from detention, like she cast a spell
as others have said Metzer is worlds ahead of M96 (which is ticking time bomb). Turbo is way better car. Unlike M96 most Metzers don't require rebuild and updates (30 catastrophic causes of failure in M96).
Let's not kid ourselves. All engines will eventually need a rebuild, because all engines have problems. A buddy from PCA already had an engine failure on his GT3 a few years after he bought it new. And he is now potentially facing another large problem.
But this reality doesn't take away from the attractiveness of a turbo. You have a more powerful dry sump engine, and, big brake kit, and it's a turbo which the average Joe finds more attractive than a normally aspirated engine. Doesn't mean it's right or wrong, it is just what it is...
If it's a question of which car you personally enjoy owning/driving more, that's a personal decision.
If it's a question of which car has more potential to increase in value (all else being equal between the two cars) and/or have a lower overall cost of ownership, Turbo hands down. Not even a question.
I've had a '99 and currently have an '01 Turbo. I loved the '99 and wished I still had it, but I certainly wouldn't trade my Turbo for another one.
Hey, if I had the room, and didn't like my money, I would have not only my 996, but would also have a 996 GT3, 996 Turbo and a 996 GT2. Why, because I like the 996. But I don't like more money flowing out of my pockets than in with service costs.
I get what I want out of my 996. Sometime in the next few year, I will have it rebuilt to my next level of specifications. In the meantime, I keep upgrading bolt-on parts to give me what I want in the meantime.
Your call. That's the beauty of America.
Now this thread has me reminiscing about the '99. It was a total creampuff and I got it for a killer price. I put OEM GT3 suspension on it, Gundo modded the mufflers, did some minor maintenance, and just enjoyed it.
Driving a slow car fast is more fun than driving a fast car slow.
There really is something intangible about 1999, and I have no idea really what it is. But until someone puts their finger on it and assigns a price tag, I think I'm going with the Turbo; seems to be the fast building consensus here too. Truth is while I wish I still had all my 911's from decades past, the one I regret selling the most was the one that would be worth the most today: '89 964. If they're all gorgeous and fun, may as well marry the rich girl.
Would you have missed the 964 if it wasn't worth as much today? What if the Turbo isn't worth as much as you think it may be in the future? Take the money/value out of the equation and try again. If it's the Turbo again then you're all set!
1999's do seem to be coming into their own, prob deserved after twenty three straight years of derision (24 if you count 1998 launch). IE if a "time bomb" doesn't go off in almost two and half decades, then was it even a time bomb to begin with, or just a hoax?
I have to say, that wonky '89 C4 with the wacky 959 AWD was a hoot to drive. The way it was jacked up in the front. And those absurd 16" pie-plate wheels. Miami Vice all-white interior. I'd give $100K to get it back and that won't even come close.
What I would miss about the Mezger is the idle immediately at key turn. How it shocks you every single time; like Elf with the jack-in-the-box. It is LeMans
Nothing can possibly replace the complete wonkiness of that old C4. The 996 Mezger is the same exact way. Irreplaceable
And why I sold off the Tip S right away. If I even heard the motor I was triple digits and pulling G's
At least in the manual I can move the tach and still stay out of jail
Hmmm a purple car with fried egg headlights (maybe they should be called eggplant in this case) or a speed yellow TT� not that tough to me, but I�m not the owner
Purple cars are rare for a very different reason than your TTs rarity 😎
Yeah, and not many people ordered Mint Green 964's for a reason either. Have you priced a Mint Green C2 lately??
The "unicorn" colors are just that: uber rare because no one originally wanted to drive them to work every day, but eventually everyone wants to drive them to Pebble Beach someday.
If you get that metric, you get classic 911's: color, color, and color. And then: color.
Which trumps which: color or motor?
Showroom hands down: motor.
Pebble Beach? Probably color?
Good question
IE nobody pops the rear decklid on any of these $kittle$:
https://petrolicious.com/articles/ra...ou-havent-seen
yeah I get it� My post was only slightly serious
Don�t listen to me, my car is grey on grey. Not exactly desirable, but I think it�s perfect early 00s style. haha!
That�s a real Sophie�s Choice.
If I was deciding on future value, I�d definitely keep the turbo.
The early 99s are special cars but I doubt they�ll ever be recognized in the market.
The real question is which one do you enjoy driving more?
Honestly the 1999 is more ”fun” to drive it’s so ultra light and revvy, but I am absolutely mesmerized by the sound of the Mezger
Sometimes I just start it up to listen to it idle. Like sitting in a race car in the pits. The 1999 can never duplicate that, not even catless with Fister or exotic exhaust. It’s a sweet flat-six, but it’s no race car.
With all the mods around here anyone ever drop a Mezger in a C2?
An engine swap between these two would net me a GT3 and a C4S. You see that right??
If a Chevrolet LS1 is an easy swap, how hard could it possibly be with Porsche’s own M96.70???
I like having a glove box. So for me, I'd keep the Turbo. Also, the Turbo is probably spec'd as the nice car to sit in. I have a base .2 Carrera and my friend's have turbos. I get severe leather dash envy.
I know you made your decision (yay, Turbo), but had to comment on this. I live in the same area and wonder, have we had sand on the road for more than a week total in the past 3 years?
Personally, I drive mine year round due to that, and because I can�t go that long without driving them. I don�t think we�ve had weather be bad enough where it�s been more than 3 weeks between drives. Plus roads are emptier in the winter and no bugs splattered all over your car after a weekend drive.
More like �what do you prefer, three early 99s or one 996TT�? I mean seriously, nobody cross shops these, any more than they cross-shop Mustangs and Aston Martins. I prefer RWD and normally aspirated, so given a 996TT budget, I�d get a 997.2 C2.
I haven't driven a TT but I've had a 99 and a 964 (and gt3). The only thing I regret about selling my 964 was when because had I waited 6 months I would've netted 30 to 40k more.
For me, the GT3, even if it was boring black, trumps all other options regardless of how unicorn they are in color or options. Roughly only 500 remain in the US, they can sound like a race car (catless x pipe), they're properly fast still yet don't scream look at me. Every valet in Santa Barbara and Montecito was giddy to drive my car. I'm sure they get to drive exotics every day but their eyes lit up when I rolled up or they dropped off the car (granted, mine is straight piped). More importantly though, it puts a huge effin smile on my face every time I get in it.
Porsche will never make a car again that is quite like that. Analog, raw, naturally aspirated.
I think only 31 Basalt Black 6gt3 were made so I guess mine could be argued as a unicorn?
I used to love the side scoops on the 996tt, but as time moves on I'm finding myself attracted to the clean lines of the early 996.1. Still, the 996tt was such a beast in it's day, I remember when it came out, my best friend and I paging through the car mags just in awe of its performance figures. Tough choice but think I'd have to give the TT the nod. I'm really digging the purple 996 though (srs). Given the rate people are buying the base 99 and modifying them to death, I think it will become more difficult to find a clean stock 99 than 996tt in the next decade or two. Shame you can't find a way to keep both.
Sell the '99 and replace it with a Porsche from the more classic years (pre-Boxster / 996). You could get one in very good to excellent condition, 968, 944 Turbo, 928S4, 914, 912. I think that would make sweet pair of cars.
First a question, which car gives you the biggest smile when you walk into the garage and think about taking it for drive on a twisty country road? That�s the car.
Or sell both, buy a 996 GT3 replace the shocks with Ohlin R&T�s and you have the best of all worlds. Iconic Metzger, RWD, simple and comfortable and more unique
Good luck on a tough decision.
I will say that if comfort is a factor, the 6GT3 is most likely not the one. I have Ohlins on mine and that is a big improvement in ride quality, but road noise is a thing in 6GT3s. Mine is straight piped and on the freeway road noise above 80 almost exceeds the noise from the straight pipes. The car doesn't have any rubber undercoating and all of the very strategically placed sound deadening (those small pieces) are absent in the 6GT3. I'm pretty tolerant of noise but even excluding the exhaust nosie, it sounds like you're in a jetliner so after a few hours, audio fatigue is a thing. Now, with that being said, I'm sure if I replaced the Michelin Cup 2s with 4s it would be an improvement but it's not going to be a grand touring car like a Turbo or Carrera. I think that's the thing that is ingrained in it being a GT3 and for some, it's just too raw of a car. For others, it's perfect because of that.
P.S. The above quibbles can be fixed with a 10 cent pair of foam ear plugs
I will say it seemed almost impossible to find an unmodified 996 Turbo; took forever in Speed Yellow. The thread “What did you do to your 996TT today” literally has almost one million views. While early 99’s are indeed relatively rare, they do seem for the most part to have remained bone stock.
I have to say this is the stupidest thread conversation.
just spend some time on the 996 board and see the engine failures.
also look at the details of the cars...no comparison. plus add the much lower production numbers and once again the choice is obvious.
Reminds me of the antivaxxers arguments. Its like talking to a brick wall...zero logic.
Don't get me wrong, I like the 996 NA but does not compare to the Turbo.
And I love the 6 GT3 but terrible car to drive on the street. need to get above 6,000 revs to feel the engine and then they throw you in jail, after the rough ride.
The 99 is definitely more fun to drive it�s so unbelievably light. 300HP under 2,900 lbs is a phenomenal thing, especially coming out of turns. But nothing I�ve ever driven compares to the sound of that Mezger. And of course boost is like a launch coaster.
I’ve driven NA 3.4L examples for nearly twenty years. Zero engine failures. They (and the Turbos) have been phenomenally reliable cars. You just have to get the known fixes out of the way and maintain them fanatically. Knowledge simply neutralizes all the early modes of failure on the 3.4.
I�m not nearly as knowledgeable as most on here so I�m asking in all seriousness - can you please expand on what you mean by �engine failures and details of the cars?� I�m very curious. I�m on my second 996.1, and both have had IMS and RMS upgrades prior to my ownership. Thank you.
Seriously?
One is an amazing everyday supercar with perhaps the best 911 engine ever built by Porsche, destined to continually grow in desirability and value. In many ways, a superior drivers car to even a 991 Turbo (yes, I have both).
The other is a very decent sports-car that I often recommend to someone being very careful with their car budget. But not even close in current or future desirability
(or driving fun
) compared to the Turbo.
And for those that love RWD, it is
extremely
easy to convert the 996 Turbo to RWD due to that generations use of a simple viscous coupler for the AWD system. It can be done in 20 minutes by just pulling the front driveshaft. For full benefit, remove the extra weight of the front diff, axles, and add a limited slip. And you will probably want that limited slip with that 500+ HP. But you will also find that a correctly set up Turbo
with
the AWD system intact drives like a RWD car. Very RWD biased if you have proper
slightly taller
fronts than rear tires which correctly biases the viscous coupler.
I love the 996 Turbo so much I just bought a second one! Once properly sorted and with a handful of minor tweaks, they are incredible.
Now don't get me wrong... a 996 C2 is a fine car. But it absolutely pales in comparison to the Turbo. This was the C2 I had in the same Polar Silver ~8 years ago.
I have room in my driveway send one to me here in Florida I will keep it warm during the northern winter oh yea include the keys so I can move it around from time to time 😀
Rich
Worrying about future value is paralyzing and enormously diminishes the current enjoyment. Been there, done that w my E92 M3.
I�ll be pumping way more $$ into my highly modified �99 C2 than it will ever be worth but I�m enjoying the ride.
One anecdote, because you may be wrong about it�s eventual worth�
In September I sold a 2000 996 Cab with 98,500 miles for $26,000. I bought it 3 1/2 years prior for 18,000 when it had exactly 10,000 less miles on it. I sold it to the first guy who responded to me on CL. I was merely testing the waters with that ad, because I was approaching 100k miles, and a minor run-in with skin cancer told me it was time to stop driving a convertible.
I think we have good reason to be hopeful that our 996s will continue to go up in value if they are well cared for, and can make it through a PPI successfully.
The sale last month allowed me to turn around and buy an unmolested �low-ish� mileage �99 C2 coupe. I think it has already increased in value!
This picture is from a 4.0 GT2RS. It is in Formula garage Houston. This engine, let�s say IMS
was the throttle plate. I rotated the plate to show the piece that broke off, look to the left this was swallowed and cylinder number six is messed up. How much is this going to cost to fix???
Luis, this one is beyond my skill set or expertise. Sure someone may have an answer. Awesome car, but I suspect it's very expensive to maintain. Multiples on the costs we incur.
yeah i was told a brake job was approaching $12k. The one lug wheels i was told was a $20k option. By the way the failure on the throttle plate i was told was by the constant opening closing of it, car was driven hard, but failure at less than 20,000 miles. I seen plenty of them, never driven one, but I love to see that tach needle climbing to redline. My 79 rx 7 had a 9,000 rpm redline.
Correct me if wrong, but that is a 997.2 GT which is not Mezger, but rather a dry-sump DFI variant, correct? Prob explains the relative lack of "robustness". I could be wrong I don't recall exactly when the GT's abandoned the Mezger. I know the standard 997.2 Turbo dropped it in lieu of turbocharged wet-sump DFI. No way the GT2's are wet-sump, but they did change over to a dry-sump version of the standard Carrera motor at some recent point; albeit with upgraded "parts"
The 997 GT cars used the Mezger design until the end - they did not convert to the new architecture as the 997.2 Turbo did. The final variants produced some serious power as Porsche was really going for it in the Mezger's swansong. A nice side effect of this is that the 3.8 and 4.0 parts can be used on the 996 Mezger engines.
That picture above appears to be a Mezger engine.
I believe the following is correct for Mezger -> DFI transition for street cars (although Porsche Motorsports continued using the Mezger even in some 991 race cars)
.
996 Turbo = Mezger
997.1 Turbo = Mezger (through 2009 model year)
997.2 Turbo = DFI (2010 model year)
991.1 Turbo = DFI
996 GT2/GT3 = Mezger
997.1 GT2/GT3 = Mezger
997.2 GT3 = Mezger (through 2012 model year)
991.1 GT2/GT3 = DFI (2013 model year)
I'm in the same boat, although my colors aren't as nice as yours. I have a 99 in Arena Red and an 01 turbo in Guards Red. I've had the 99 for a little over 2 years and the turbo for about 6 months. The turbo is starting to grow on me but I still really like the 99. I think I'm gonna let the 99 go but I'm really hesitant because I bought it locally for a good price and the engine has been rebuilt to a 3.6 with nickies. I have a feeling that if I ever try to find another C2 in a nice color with a properly rebuilt engine it's gonna cost a ton.
Haha! I often think the same thing when thinking about both cars.
Interesting info. Learn something new every day on RL. Since the 997.2 turbo and 991.1 GTs don't use mezger engines, gives folks something to worry about and complain. Maybee prices will dip to 40k and we all have a buying opportunity. 😁
Porsche has MASTERFULLY cloaked the fact they eliminated the Mezger from the 997 Turbo and 991> GT's. Notice the specious comeback of the "aero" engine-covering undertray; "coincidentally" with the disappearance of the Mezger.
Look for these engines on BaT pictures and you can't find them. Out of sight out of mind, I suppose
I drove both and boght the 99. To me as much as I wanted the Metzger, just did not light my fire. Its a great GT but not a great sports car IMOH, at least at speeds that wont send me to jail. Without having driven one, a 997 GT3 is my holy grail....
Hey, if you really want more power and performance out of your 996 Carerra for a cheaper all-in-price than buying a Turbo or GT3, just get your favorite engine builder to bore it out and build you an engine with 420 HP.
You will not only have a car that is faster, lighter, more agile and more linear than a Turbo; it will also be faster than the GT3, and just as light, agile and have more low-end torque.
If you want, you can put on better brakes, better suspension and better everything and eat GT3s for lunch. No more reason to belly-ache about wet sump or dry sump. All that is history when the UIDS and LN Oil cooler is rolled out. Add in the UAOS with drainback to run full oil and even a 2Qt extension, and oil starvation, oil stability and oil cooling are a non-issue.
Mezger who?
You could do all that but you'll probably end up spending more than a gt3 and it still won't be a gt3, sound anything like a gt3 or hold it's value like a gt3...
If you want the most performance, any modern sports car will provide that.
I�m totally sympathetic to your 99 sensitivity. I have one, that�s waiting for me to do a lot of great stuff to it. I flirt with selling it, but I just always come back to what simple special awesome automotive opportunity it is. I don�t really figure values into my thinking and feeling on some 911s.
I knew I would get a rise out of a GT3 owner! 😁
No offense intended. In fact I agree with your points and can't argue with you. A 996 GT3 will always be worth more than a 996 Carrera and a 996 C4S and Turbo. It will also be worth less than a 996 GT2. Just the way it is.
I’m really not considering values in the equation at all. Just apples oranges, as many have noted the Mezger lives in another price neighborhood altogether. As do GT’s, etc. 996 generation is so special, really the last gasp for a lot of what drew me to Porsche. Both these cars are icons and there probably is no right answer. My eight year old son Franz decided for me: “The yellow car is faster”. He rides in the back of both he should know
Yes But the 99cs and the gt3 are only similar BUT you can make a 99 to be close to if not faster then a gt3 and I would rather beat up a 99 parts are plentiful and much cheaper then any gt3 stuff
plus if I damage my 99 I will feel bad if I did this to a gt3 I’d have to sell it to dejeeper and cry along the way
Mike
1999 is a Lego race car kit, no doubt. And no one will be buying 996/997 GT’s to race anymore, that entry price point has sailed. The only “pit” 996 GT3 is heading for now is Ralph Lauren’s sunken living room.
No question. GT3, GT2 will become garage queens due to collectable value. 996 Carerras will be the workhouse on the track and street due to all the new innovative solutions that are on their way, coupled with the ability to rebuild and enhance the engine for incredible performance and durability. All will go up in value.
You can't go wrong with any variation. It just comes down to what car is right for each of us.
I had the chance last weekend to spend some time studying two Flying Lizards 997 RSRs and a 996 GT3 RS in person at a motorsports shop. All are incredible cars. The shop was restoring the 997 RSRs and just doing some servicing of the GT3 RS.
Funny thing is that as I studied the GT3 RS, it looked and smelled just like the 996 Carerra. Obviously there are differences with the engine, brakes, suspension, aero, etc.
Would I drive the GT3 RS on the track, absolutely not. It's worth too much. I would use my 996 C2 for that.
Sure, I can insure the GT3 RS, but you never want to damage the car because it's now a work of mechanical art.
Ugh, I was looking out at the Speed Yellow Turbo the other day sitting in a Panda Express parking lot and thinking: can I still park it here when it�s worth half a million dollars? Probably not. And it will. Ugh.
With each passing year the 996 Turbo is evolving into an antique Countach. In Speed Yellow it literally stops some traffic. A new consideration back to the drawing board perhaps.
Agreed. But to your point and Ryan's point, some are valued higher than others for specific reasons.
The motorsports shop I mentioned specializes in high end work. They restore race and street cars as well as service car collections. You can bet that very few miles are put on the vast majority of the cars in the collections other than driving it around parking lots and private roads.
Hah! IMHO, I do believe that the turbo represents the best value in the 996 line-up presently and who knows when prices will shoot up.
I have a buddy that used to club race a 993 Turbo S. He was a very fast and skilled driver. Never got into an accident and never scraped the car in any way. All of a sudden, 993 Turbo S prices sky rocketed to nose bleed levels from rather low prices. When that happened, he stopped club racing, and restored the car. Now it's a collectible.
The truth is all the cars eternally parked in Ralph Lauren's sunken living room were built to be driven. You can park them in your living room, or in the Panda Express parking lot. Its a free country we can't be held hostage by Hagerty curves.
Sure. And they are excercised by the staff that takes care of the cars while the busy executive is out making money so he can buy more.
I am a capitalist. I get it. But hate to see these things sit in a warehouse collection being driven only by the hired help.
Yeah to each his own. I want to drive a 996 every day. If I don't I'm pissed
Winters in VA can be tedious waiting for the salt to wash away sometimes. Winters up north would be simply unbearable
Hey man, you better sell that soon. I've been scrutinizing the market, and I've noticed that most 996's tend to take a value hit as soon as they pass 500,000 miles
What can I say? The market is fickle.
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Something tells me that the owner of this car doesn't give a flying you know what about the market. Too busy enjoying the driving experience
I drove an BMW M4 the other day on some nice WA mountain roads. Very fast but made me miss my 996 even more.
I hope said owner and everyone else realizes I was joking with that statement (I'll add a smiley, though it seemed a bit superfluous as I was typing it)
As a fellow F80 owner, also agree. I love mine. Great daily and family outing mobile. But it sits when it�s solo driving time and would be the first car to go.
yeah the 4.0 broke with less than 20,000 miles,my point was t to his was supposed to be a street legal race car and apparently it broke the throttle piece by being driven hard.
He also has a maclaren. By the way those throw rods thru the block and cost more than $60k to fix. We are doing BBQ this weekend Saturday for the college football games (A&M vs Bama, Texas Tech vs TCU), the wilder vs fury fight, and then Sunday for the cowboys vs giants game pictures to come.
To me this has value. I�ll say my cars value is $25k but I drive it as much as I can. Now, I met this guy, oriental surgeon, he goes by John, he has a Carrera GT, a 911R, a speedster
and a widow maker. He drives all of them, takes them to cars and coffee and he tracks all of them too. I�m pretty sure he worries about values but enjoys the hell out of his cars. I have posted pictures of the 911R, the 930 and the Carrera Gt here before.
Remember when everyone hated the 964?? You couldn't give them away at one point. The harder 911's fall, the bigger they will be. I don't think 996's fell as low as 964's, but they were definitely hated as much or more. Definitely for far longer, that's for sure.
@bdronsick
Now that you�ve sold your �99 and have had your Turbo for a while, how do you feel about your decision? Any regrets?
I�m thinking about selling my �00 C2 manual coupe for a �01 Turbo and was wondering if you have any words of wisdom to share.
Frederick I have the same cars. The early 99 I have driven 11000 miles, the turbo 3,000 miles. I was going to sell the 99 once I had the turbo here but decided against it. I like the 99 a lot, cable throttle and can be made super lightweight. The turbo is just bad as??? The clutch mechanisms on the cars are completely different. The cool thing about having both, is that something you can afford, when you drive them back to back as I am fixing to do right now on the turbo as I already drove the 99 this morning it reminds what you
like about each and the reason why would you choose to drive one or the other. Test driving a turbo will not tell you what these cars are all about. Also if you get a turbo go for the 03, two reasons last mezger block stamp made in Germany, the transmission is the modified g50 no issue like the 01 and 02 when they pop out of second gear. I only have between $22-23k in the 99 so far so it�s not like I spent a ton of money on a pristine 996 coupe. Hope this helps.
The silver surfer and the dark knight. Two completely cool different kids.
Thanks! Unfortunately I�m limited to a single 996 as a �fun� daily driver (also have a longhood in a garage) so it�s either Carrera or Turbo. I�ve had the C2 for three years now so maybe it�s just time for something different.
What you�re saying about a test drive not revealing the true nature of a car rings very true and describes exactly my experience with Porsches so far. You need a long-term ownership to truly tell what they�re about.
Maybe I�ll get back to a C2 after some time and then have a chance to go for an early 99.
This is a source reference. Confirm exact model applicability in the original material.