I’m not always the best person to write about the 911 Turbo when it comes to performance value. In part that is because I live in a city and drive a car with only 142 hp (though it is pretty light) and can’t even remember the last time I used a gear past third. And even third gear is only used for dawdling. So, power is never an issue and having three times as much horsepower almost seems confusing. That said, for most people this is not their typical experience and even I have driven much quicker cars and fully understand the allure of that extra power. While not necessarily what I would prioritize I do understand it, or in the words of Frasier Crane, “if less is more, just think how much more more will be!” Let’s get to the car here, which comes from our consistent favorite when searching for that elusive combination of supercar performance and reasonable cost: the Porsche 996TT. As the first of the water-cooled Turbos and with styling that most feel is a departure from the 911’s iconic design, the 996TT has long been a bargain and mainstay for those in search of the most bang for their buck. But that is starting to change, even if slowly. As prices for air-cooled Turbos create an ever widening gap between their values and those of their water-cooled successors, buyers appear to be increasingly turning their attention to these unloved models. We are even beginning to see collectors take notice, though for the most part that seems to be restricted to the GT2 and GT3 for now. Could it be that even the 996TT will soon see a sharp rise in value and value-conscious buyers again will have to search for the next alternative? The example we see here may shed some light on that question: an Artic Silver Metallic 2001 Porsche 911 Turbo Coupe, located in North Carolina, with 16,430 miles on it.
