Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
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?
