Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
I’m not here to say “I told you so”, but when I told you three years ago to snag these while they were still cheap, I wasn’t kidding. Just $28,500 for this example back in February 2020 (right before the world fell apart) seems like highway robbery as that car is probably going to sell for at least $10,000 more today. Today’s example, a 2004 up for sale in New York, has the beautiful Carrara White with just over 44,000 miles. Still grab one while you can? Maybe not at this price.
I suppose someone has to drive it. “It” in this case is a 1996 Porsche 911 Carrera. A classic 911 finished in Polar Silver over a rare Flamenco Red leather interior. It also has 18″ turbo-look wheels, a sunroof, and just 67,000 miles. One minor catch – it’s also got a gearbox that shifts itself.
Sometimes less is more. Just because you can throw everything on the car, doesn’t mean you should. At a point, there are too many designs and too many colors to even take in and it becomes a jumbled mess. Today’s car, a 1999 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet, might be one of those. It starts off great with a wonderful shade of Ocean Jade Metallic and then goes all downhill from there. You’ll see what I mean.
Crazy to think that the older 991-generation of Porsche 911 is now 10 years old. Time stops for no one and here we are. For myself, I loved and still do admire the 991. There is nothing conversational or risky about it, other than maybe it is a little large. However, cars growing in size aren’t exactly unique to Porsche, as every car has grown outside of the really niche models. If I had my choice, I’d have a 991 GT3 and call it a day, but for around $60,000 less, I’ll take today’s car: a 2012 911 Carrera S coupe.
Not that I am proclaiming to be Nostradamus or anything, but I follow the German collector car market literally seven days a week and try to have a pulse on all the models. Therefore, I am here to say that the 997 generation Porsche 911 Turbo is probably near the floor of their prices. The oldest examples are now over 15 years old and these are heading straight into the category of old enough to be classic cool, but still modern enough to use regularly if not daily drive if you live in a climate where that is possible. Important to note that I’m talking about the 997.1 generation, as there is a massive difference once the 997.2 was fitted with the PDK gearbox in addition to the always desirable 6-speed manual.
Today’s car, a 2008 up for sale north of San Francisco, doesn’t have the 6-speed manual but rather the old Tiptronic S five-speed automatic. If you want to get into a 997 Turbo for the least amount of money possible, here you go.
