It’s hard to be a German car enthusiast and not be a fan of the Porsche 911. Almost every week we feature one here at GCFSB. From the original 901 to the recently introduced 991, these sports cars have captured the hearts and minds of a number of petrolheads across generations. One 911 that stands out is the 993, the last of the air-cooled models. Available in a variety of flavors, one of my favorites is the C4S. Sure, the Turbo model offered more power and the trademark whale tail spoiler, but there’s something subtle about the C4S that appealed to me. Perhaps it’s because I’ve always been somewhat averse to forced induction engines (yes, I know, I owned an R53 Cooper S…) or maybe it’s because I like the road less traveled when it comes to a vehicle configuration. Whatever the case may be, this 1997 Carrera 4S with just about 20,000 speaks to me.
Year: 1997
Model: 911 C4S
Engine: 3.6 liter flat-6
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Mileage: 19,776 mi
Price: $84,993 Buy It Now
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1997 Porsche 911 C4S on eBay
AWD. Fun and sporty! Talk about some excitement! If you demand the best things in life, this fantastic 1997 Porsche 911 is the funtime car for you. When H2O starts showing up in the weather forecast, you’ll appreciate the AWD power delivery that helps you take control of the elements. Call, email, or stop by Porsche of San Diego today to learn more about this amazing vehicle.
The color of this 911 caught my attention. Rob featured a Speed Yellow 993 recently, but I’m much more of a fan of this Pastel Yellow. This is one of those colors you just don’t see a lot of. We’re all familiar with the fact that 993s are not the cheapest of 911s and this example certainly isn’t cheap. But when you consider what a new 911 costs, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone took the bait at this price and just went for one of the classics. If I was in such a financial position, it’s exactly what I would do.
-Paul
If I were at the dealer to pick out a new 991, I would spend the same money instead, and drive this 993 home.
The asking price includes a premium for the fact that it’s air cooled; another premium because it’s a 993 and yet another because it has under 20K miles. If you drive it, the low miles premium gets eaten up very quickly. Then there’s always the potential of the air cooled Porsche pricing bubble going BOOM…
On the other hand, if you actually like driving your cars $85K will buy a 996 or 997 Carrera 4 coupe for the cold months and a 996 or 997 Carrera 2 cabriolet for the warm months with some gas money left over.
Driving this 993 is a way to avoid much of the depreciation of owning a Porsche. The new 991’s will get hammered in the same downward sloping depreciation line as the old 997. Lots of great 997’s for $50k or less. While this 993 is asking all the money the C4S is a limited production model and the pinnacle of the air cooled Porsche cars. As for these cars being in a bubble, I don’t think so. The big money buyer who have run up the Ferrari market and the high end vintage market are clearly shopping the air cooled 991 cars. If you are an “investor” you have to have an early 911 in your “portfolio”. And that seems to be dragging all air-cooled cars along.
I don’t see the 993 “bubble” EVER bursting…and if it were a stock I’d put my money there…
especially if you are talking about a well maintained, well preserved 993….adding the limited number of C4 & C4S versions floating about only adds to the value….
that said…would I pay 84k for this car…no…I would rather pay for a 993 Turbo…OR…even better for my taste a 94′ 964 Turbo 3.6…
Love the color though!…..not flashy like Speed Yellow….Kinda reminds me of the Old Bull & Young Bull joke…LOL
Good comments all around. MDriver, you read my mind a bit when you mentioned the word “stock.” I think all air-cooled 911s will be solid investment “vehicles” (pardon the pun) for the foreseeable future. I’m hoping in a few years I’ll have a bit more money to invest and space for a collector car. The 911 is at the top of my list.
I don’t think there is a bubble, specially for the rare air cooled 911’s. As they continue to go up in price, they will pull the non-rare air cooled 911’s with them. If you can’t afford one of the rare models, but do want the driving experience of the old school 911’s, you will buy one of the more common models. Since there are more people with money than air cooled 911’s, economics 101 is showing us the price increase of these cars.
When I was in college, in the 80’s, my roommate had a ’73 911S that he bought for $15k. We all know the prices on these today. 27 years later, no bubble has burst.
By the way, my roommate mentioned above, with the 911S, thought he had made a killing when he sold the car for $25k, years later.
I keep getting kicked out of the system.
When my roommate sold the ’73 911S for $25k, a new 944 would sell for $40k +. We all know what the 944’s are worth today.
Also, another friend, bought a ’93 911 RS America for $32k, with low miles. He traded it in for a brand new Boxster in ’98, but had to pay an additional $7k to get it. We all know what the RSA’s are selling for today, and what the ’98 Boxsters are worth today.
Prices for air cooled 911’s will level off at some point in time, but I doubt you will ever get a pre ’73 911S for $25k or a 911 RSA for $32k again.
You guys may be right. Then again a lot of smart people said similar things about dotcom stocks, bank stocks and real estate only to be proven painfully wrong. I guess time will tell…
True Kevin, but although bank stocks, real estate, and the stock market did crash, all three are above pre-crash levels today. Trading the markets is what I do all day long… check the numbers.
Air cooled Porsches, certain Ferraris, art, and certain watches, have not gone back to old price levels for as long as I can remember.
But you are correct. Time will tell.
I believe you; however the fact that overall the markets have rebounded means nothing to individuals who lost big or lost everything to a failed stock or an over-valued real estate investment.
They built nearly 70,000 993s (about 10% of them were C4S models) and they’ve only been out of production for 15 years. Just as there is a world of difference between the collectability of a Daytona and a 355, there is a big difference between the collectability of a long hood 911 and a 993.
[…] have been very strong and the C4S has tended to do particularly well. Paul recently featured this Pastel Yellow C4S that did not sell, but was bid up to $75,100. With not too many more miles than the car here, and […]
[…] featured a 993 C4S in November of last year that had just shy of 20,000 miles on the clock and did not meet its […]