This has to be one of the most attractively priced 964’s in the country right now. Under 100k miles, records, and pictures to prove a clean example. And only $16k asking price!
Check out this 1991 Porsche 911 Carrera 2 Coupe on Autotrader:
1991 911C2, Grand Prix White with Black leather interior. 97500 miles, all maintenance records. Recent brakes, new rear tires Goodyear Eagle F1 DG’s. Power windows, locks and sunroof. Cruise and AC in perfect working order. Seats are partial power seats (meaning only the bottom is powered). It has a Kenwood CD player and 10 disc changer. The head unit blends in nicely with the interior (I hate the bright shiny blinky silver ones that don’t look like they belong in a 90’s Porsche). The Exterior is in very good shape. Paint is shiny and in excellent condition. The interior is in excellent condition as well. No cracks in the dash and the seats look fantastic. The car has never been on the track. I have the complete maintenance history of the car and I carfaxed it before I bought it in August of 2005. I had it inspected by the shop I’ve used for the last 5 years, they said it was one of the cleanest 964’s they’ve seen come through. It has no issues. They have taken care of a couple external oil leaks, the last being the return line from the oil cooler up front in the nose. The brakes were done recently, along with a synthetic oil change. AC was recharged last summer. For the blemishes…it has a little scrape on the left side of the rear bumper. Not sure how it will show in the pictures, it’s half the size of a dime. There is a rock chip in the right head light. And on the way home from work last week, I picked up rock chip to the windshield. If I don’t get it fixed before selling I’ll take $500 off the selling price. I’ll be trying to get it done next week though. It has been a great car! A lot of fun, it’ll still get 25 or 26mpg on the highway cruising at 80. We’ve taken some fun road trips in it. I’m selling it because I’ll be deploying to Afghanistan for a year and I don’t want it to sit for a year.
I’m having a tough time trying to decide between a Boxster and a 964. My thinking lately is that there are far more Boxsters than 964’s, and that 964 prices might be more stable over the next couple years as a result. Thoughts? Leave a comment!
dc
There is no doubt that 964 prices will remain more stable and are more likely to climb in the near future than Boxster prices. It is also undeniable that the 964s are destined to remain more valuable than Boxsters simply because of they’re being air-cooled 911s, always more popular amongst purists. Boxsters carry the stigma of being “entry-level” Porsches, independent of all their positive traits and arguably better handling characteristics, that fact alone is enough to disregard them as a financial investment. That said, if looking for an affordable and entertaining Porsche to own and enjoy the Boxster is an easy choice… less easy when you see a beautiful 964 like this one though!
I was left with a similar decison three years ago. I opted for the Boxster and have been very happy with the car thus far. My feeling being that the 986 would be easier to live with day in and day out.
That being said, I have never lost the want for a clean 964. Posts like this do not help 🙂 In a year or two I could see adding a 964 to the gargage. The combination of the Boxster and the 964 would make a great tandem.
It’s a supply and demand issue. They made far far more boxsters than they did 964’s. It’s also an apples and oranges thing. Are you looking for a coupe or a drop top? What’s your real budget? What are your goals for use of the car? I am a 964 guy but I have owned over 20 911’s in the past 16 or so years, having bought, sold, raced and restored them. Personally the 964 is one of my favorite 911’s, that being said I am an odd ball in that respect. You’ll find most air cooled people naming the 993 or the 87-89 911 as the best air cooled models.
Price does not make a car cheap. What you get for your money is what determines cheap. Yes that price looks inexpensive, but without a PPI who knows what lurks in that car.
NONE of these cars should be considered good candidates for price appreciation unless it’s a particularly rare model which rules out all the boxsters and most of the 964’s. On the other hand the 964 series is reaching the flat part of the decay cycle and prices should remain pretty stable for years to come. The boxster is a bit more of a crap shoot depending on year, but many of them have also reached a point in their price lifecycle where, they won’t lose or gain much value.
If you’re interested in learning more about how to buy a 911 drop me an email I’ll be happy to give you some guidance.
The RS America is an example of a rare 964 which will hold its value well.
http://www.rsamerica.net/market/vehicles/index.htm
The first car on the for sale list the blue one if it can be bought better then the offer price is a reasonable deal. I regret in a big way selling the RSA I had.
Jim and Aaron, thanks very much for sharing your experiences.
While I agree the RS America is a better investment, I guess I was pointing more the fact that I also believe the 964 is going to plateau in terms of value over the next few years while the Boxster will likely continue to lose value. And while I’d personally like to consider an RSA (or a 4S for that matter), their price premium puts them out of my reach.
As for what I’m looking for specifically, a modern classic Porsche that I can afford. I like the idea of the Boxster, but would likely need to source a hardtop living in the Pacific Northwest. The 964 is my fantasy 911, followed closely by the 993. With 964 prices dipping into the low teens, I want to believe I can make it a reality. I suspect maintenance on either vehicle is probably about the same, and I have access to qualified and affordable help as well 🙂
dc
Lets get one thing straight NONE of these cars should be soncidered a good investment or an investment at all. Also, any 964 you pick up in the low teens is GOING to need money put in it. Boxsters and 964’s are apples and oranges. You need to first decide which you want, and what your budget is. Then there is a laundry list of things you should do in research before ever putting your money down on a car.
I haven’t read all the comments, caught a few points. My feeling is that the 964s have always been undervalued (except when new from Porsche, of course). If the airbox/pop-off issue is addressed, and the car’s been properly maintained, I think the 964 is a better value than an early issue Boxster. And, the Boxster will always have the RMS/IMS problem which can reoccur, to a tune of around $3K or so. Not every one has the problem, but it’s frequent enough to keep me from even considering one. At least the pinion gear issue on 968 manuals is a one time fix, speaking of Porsche Problems…
And, yeah, I’ve always loved the RSAmerica (see http://www.rsamerica.net) and they’ve been appreciating in value vs inflation, at least a bit. Those are few and far between, though. I agree with the poster who said neither the 964 or the 986 (or other Boxter versions) will ever be “collectible” cars, but the fact that the 964 was “almost” a new car after the previous 911 series and that it was the penultimate series of air cooled 911s, there’s probably a certain cachet to them, for those who care.
All the best,
Tom in Tulsa
Whoops, I meant “Boxster”, sorry. Typos R Me. 🙂
There is no air box popoff issue in a 964, thats only an issue in the old 911 SC and earlier.
964 prices are not going anywhere and if yoi expect to buy one and use it and have it go up in value you’re mistaken. A few models hold their value as we mentioned, the RSA, the 94 Speedster, the 94 wide body, the 92 American Roadster to name a few but they trade with a big premium.
Both the Boxster and the 964 are cheap ways to get into a Porsche which wont lose much value.
By the way we have a 2002 base boxster in silver with black which has only 5800 miles on the car. Still smells new. The woman who bought it from us new traded it on a new Panamera. It can be had pretty cheap. From where I sit its like buying a brand new 2002 boxster which you can drive for a few years and it wont cost you much in depreciation.
Hello,
Jim, I know you posted a long while back but I am currently looking for a ‘classic’ Porsche and would love to take you up on your offer on getting more advice on buying a 911. It sounds like the ‘turbo’ editions of the 993/964 are no brainers for staying around the price they are asking for them now, or, with proper car, appreciating some. This, however is probably not an option for me due to their current prices. I am looking to stay in the high 20’s. Is it possible to get a potential collector 993/964 for that pricepoint.
I seriously consider (most) Porsches as pieces of art and I plan on driving this no more than 3000 miles a yr, it will be stabled in my heated garage the rest of the time to be admired.