Recently, Andrew took a look at a 996.2 GT3 and noted that if you wanted one…well, now was not the best time to buy.
With just 16,000 miles, the 2004 example that he looked at certainly seemed priced at the top of the market with a $148,500 asking price. But it was not the top of the market…no, not by a long shot.
I don’t want to say I told you so, but literally three years ago I told everyone to buy 996 Porsche 911 GT3s and they’ll thank me. Now, almost every 996 GT3 is pushing six-figures and the really low mile ones sell as much as the 991 GT3. I don’t think they are going to keep climbing like crazy forever given it is a really tough ride and not a great street car, but it seems just saying you own a GT car now is enough and everything else comes second. Today’s example, a 2004 up for sale in Arizona, is not for anyone looking for a deal on this and is probably priced way at the top of the market.
Just when you think you know it all, something comes totally out of left field that you never even knew existed. As I was doing my normal browsing of obscure dealers across Europe, I came across what is described as a 2004 Porsche 911 Carrera … R? Yes, that magically little letter that turns a $150,000 991 GT3 into a $500,000 car. But to find that letter on the back of a 996 decklid? I had no idea how or why, but after a bit of research it became more clear. I think.
This is supposedly, and I say don’t think I can hedge that enough, one of 10 “911 Carrera R” examples produced for with the blessing of Porsche for Pon Porsche Import, a factory Porsche dealer in Leusden, Netherlands. Why Pon? Supposedly because they have been the official importer of Porsche to the Netherlands since 1949. Because of that relationship, Porsche agreed to make them this special example. They debuted it at AutoRAI 2003 as an order-only car, and only 10 were spoken for probably because it was listed at €125,090. Yikes. Again, I say this as just what I’ve researched, and am no way guaranteeing this information. So what is different about it? Well, probably as not as much as you were hoping.
As the 996 Porsche 911 glow-up continues to gain steam, more and more of them are coming out of the woodwork at eyebrow raising prices. I still think the black sheep of the 911 family is going to stay that, but they just won’t be as cheap as they once were. Worth it? That is up to you of course, but I think a lot of these prices are reflective of people getting priced out of other 911s, simply grabbing what they can afford, and making the best of it.
Today, we have a 2002 Carrera 2 up for sale in New York with just 18,000 miles. Despite being just the base model, it was a not cheap at all. This one rang in at an impressive $96,810 when new, which was crazy to justify given the Turbo started at $110,000. Still, it is just the base 996 at the end of the day. How pricey could it be? Buckle up!
I don’t mean to harp on the Porsche 996 Carrera 4S so much, but the entire package of what they offer, especially at their current prices, always seem to draw me back in. Whether it be the wide rear end, 18″ Turbo Twist wheels, or the heckblende rear reflector, these cars just seem to do it for me. For what they were working with, I think Porsche nailed this design and pulled just enough pieces from the Turbo to keep you interested, but not so much that it was almost as expensive as the Turbo and no one would bite on it. Now, some 15 years later, this are at the bottom of the price curve and ripe for the picking. Time to snag one?
The 996 Porsche 911 Targa is a model that sometimes I forget even exists. They always catch me off guard when I see one come up for sale for the pure novelty of them and you paid around $10,000 more when new for a 16-square-foot view of the open sky. It also turned the rear glass into a hatch, which is an interesting configuration given the engine is in the rear too. Now that we are well over a decade into the glass roof Targa cars, many are shying away when purchasing these. Why? Well, the sliding glass roof is a precision instrument to say the least, and those precision instrument break and cost precision instrument money to repair. Seriously, if your power Targa roof stops functioning, you are looking at some invasive procedures by specialists who you should be happy are willing to do the job.
Still, while not fun to maybe buy, they are very fun to look at. Especially when one has 4,600 miles, is finished in paint-to-sample Atlantis Metallic, and even has even rarer Magnolia leather. Get ready to exchange your pile of dollars for some old fashion pounds, because if you want this one, a trip to Nottinghamshire, England is in order.
For as uncommon as the color purple is to see on a car, the Germans weren’t shy about using it. We saw that last week with Carter’s 1995 BMW M3, Volkswagen with Violet Touch Pearl, and Mercedes-Benz with Almandine Black Metallic. Granted those colors are very rare and often by special request, but we are at a place where its so popular that this is a standard color on the GT3 RS. Today, we have a 2002 Carrera 4S in Paint-to-Sample Viola Metallic that, in my opinion, looks amazing. The wide body of the 996 C4S in this color? Sign me up. Although probably not at this price.
About a month ago, I came across a really nice 2002 Porsche 911 Turbo painted in Orient Red Metallic with just 9,900 miles on the odometer. Of course, it looks like it sold for $55,100, which I thought was a good buy, but then was relisted shortly after and was only bid to $44,000. Such is life trying to sell an expensive car on your own in 2020. As luck would have it another 996 Turbo in Orient Red popped up for sale, although this one has 72,000 miles and is a 5-speed Tiptronic, not the the 6-speed manual transaxle. What does that do for the price? Not much it seems.
Thinking back about last weeks 2002 Porsche 911 C4S and the reaction it got, I thought maybe it would be interesting to look at the other end of the 996 range for about the same price. The C2 was literally as basic as you could get with the 996 911 with the narrow body and rear wheel drive. At the time, maybe a bit boring, but now it seems to be a thing to have a basic, rear-wheel drive 911, and I even think Porsche realizes this too with their 911 Carrera T. Sadly, most of the C2s are well-used by now and often are found in disheveled condition. However, this 2004 up for sale California has thankfully be well-preserved. So is it this, or the C4S?
In my opinion, in terms of dollar for dollar value, there is no better Porsche 911 than the 996 Carrera 4S. It has all the looks of the 996 Turbo, but for about half the price. In terms of reliability, as long as you take care of the boogie man IMS bearing, these cars are solid. Inside, you can go as tame or as crazy as you want, as the “special requests” just started to gain traction with the rise of the interior in the early 2000s. Today’s car, a 2002 up for sale in Miami, is just about perfect in terms of the whole package. Arctic Silver over black, full carbon fiber trim, and some H&R lowering springs to get rid of the pesky wheel gap. Sign me up.
