Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
Back in January, I took a look at a GT Package 996 with very low mileage in great condition and with the IMS bearing done; in short, there was little to complain about, except for the asking price at $43,000:
Well, I’m back with another 996.1; this time, is a C4 with the factory Aerokit bits in Speed Yellow. Mileage is even lower this time around, yes the IMS bearing is done, and it’s got some great BBS wheels. What does that do for the asking price? Hold on to your wallet…
After the aircooled Porsche price spike about seven or eight years ago, prices have been pretty stable. This has been true for the G Body market given the crazy number of them out there in every single variant you could want. From the early 2.7-liter cars all the way up to the 3.2-liters with the G50 gearbox, you can pretty much guess they’ll all be in the ballpark of the same price. What really made one car worth more was the condition, mileage, and of course the color combo. If you brought somewhere between $35,000 to $50,000 to the table, you could walk around with a car that way probably close to what you wanted. Then 2020 happened.
What I’ve seen over the past eight months are so is strong rise for the best G Body example and it seems to be raising all boats. The very best cars are into six-figures now, and even somewhere average cars have bumped up in price. I think this has to do with forces outside the Porsche world in general, but I’m sure a lot of people are trying to get in while you still can. Or rather if you can. Today’s car, European-market 1981 911SC Targa, is still priced somewhat competitively given what is going on. Plus, I love Moss Green Metallic. Speak now or forever hold your peace.
I write up 924s a lot, and the obvious question comes to mind – why not just get a 944, with neater flared fenders and a much nicer interior? It’s a very valid question. Indeed, why would you choose a 924 – even a very nice, limited production one – over a 944? The answer is simple. Price.
When the 924S Special Edition was last on the market in 1988, you could stroll down to your dealer and pick one up for around $23,000. If you wanted to step up to the 944 – which offered no practical improvement in performance, mind you, as it was actually slower than the 924S – you’d have to shell out an additional $10,000. In many ways, that gulf of value perception remains today; it’s possible to find deals on 944s, but very nice 944s don’t come cheap, at least not in asking price.
I’ve spent considerable time talking about the 924S Special Edition and what a cool package it offered you on the cheap, the 944 equivalent isn’t covered much. Often referred to as the ‘Celebration Edition’, just like the 911 and 924S the 944 received a Special Edition package in 1988. Built to commemorate the 250,000th 911 produced but coinciding with 100,000 944s made, too, Porsche officially referred to the 944’s trim as the “Special Edition Packageâ€. What did you get?
For $2,437, Porsche equipped your car with option code M757. This gave the car “a unique leatherette/gray-plaid cloth interior, silver velour carpeting, and a commemorative plaque which may be personalized with the owner’s name†according to Porsche. You also had to select metallic paint, a $645 charge, in one of two colors; Satin Black Metallic or Zermatt Silver Metallic. Otherwise these cars were pretty well loaded; the antithesis of the lightweight, stripped-down 924S SE. They came with split-folding rear seats, electric sunroof, rear window wiper, and 15″ ‘Phone Dial’ wheels, along with standard fog lights, central locking, electric mirrors, power windows, power steering, and automatic climate control. Like pretty much every special edition Porsche, these cars were seemingly earmarked for collectors:
As much as the Porsche 911 GT3 Touring was theoretically produced in an attempt to curb the insane mark-up prices on the 911 R, it seems like they didn’t produce enough. Based on the recent prices, a lot more people want GT3 Tourings than are out there. As for the 911 R? Good luck even finding one. If they do turn up, bring a barrel of money. Several barrels of money. This example up for sale in Houston with 158 miles? Do I need to even so more?
Just to wash the bad taste out of our mouth from the paint-to-sample 993 Turbo earlier this week, I thought I’d look at a shade that is a lot more pleasant. This is a 2007 Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet finished in paint-to-sample … something purple. The seller says it is “Lavender,” however I don’t recall that being an option for the paint-to-sample cars. This looks much more like Vesuvio Metallic or a shade very close to that. It doesn’t scream purple like an Ultraviolet, but rather has a little bit of a grey tint in it. Personally, I like it. But maybe not on this exact example.
