Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
Wow. That is all I can say about this one. This of course being a 1995 Porsche 911 Turbo finished in Violet Blue Metallic over a Florence Gray leather interior. It is bold both inside and out as you can see, and for some, an ultimate 911. The 993 Turbo has held steady around the $100,000 for the nice examples with some miles, but this one up in Belgium has just under 27,000 miles. Needless to say, this car is not around $100,000. Not even close.
Very few production cars scare me. By “scare,” I mean if you hit the throttle at any reasonable moment, things get very hairy. A few of those cars have the numbers “911,” followed by the letters “GT,” and finally the number 2. The first GT2 for the US market, the 996 GT2, was a car that was probably a little too raw for the general public. If you were cruising along at 65 mph and put your foot to the floor, there is a very high chance the rear end will start to move in directions that you wouldn’t expect. The car doesn’t have traction or stability control, which you think wouldn’t be a problem unless you were driving at the limit, but the limit is very low in a 996 GT2. Or maybe the limit comes up very fast, depending on how you want to look at it.
The next generation and the car we are looking at today, the 997 GT2, thankfully was a tiny bit more tame. It had Porsche Stability Management (PSM), along with traction control to keep you from looking like a baby deer on a frozen over lake. Make no mistake though, this car will still let you kick that massive rear end out and wear some rubber off those expensive 325mm wide tires if you got a little cocky. Porsche produced only 1,216 cars total worldwide, with a mere 194 that came to the US. Somehow, these cars trade for under their 2008 sticker price of around $200,000. This example up for sale in Florida is well under that price tag. For obvious reasons, of course.
Earlier this summer I took a look at a 2003 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa that, in short, was stunning. I know you are probably scratching your head and trying to figure out how a 996 Porsche can be stunning, but trust me, that is one of the finest 996 examples I’ve seen in a long time. Problem was, it was on the other side of the ocean and the steering wheel was also on the other side. Great news for our English friends, but not ideal for us Yanks. Wouldn’t you know, another attractive 996 Targa popped up for sale outside of Chicago with a bunch of maintenance done, including the IMS bearing, and has a fairly reasonable price. A possible downside? Only two pedals.
Options can make or break a Porsche. I looked at a new 718 Cayman GT4 a few weeks ago that literally had no options but was marked up $15,000 over sticker from a private seller. Surprise, surprise, the car is still for sale, but now only $10,000 over MSRP. Add in tax and some other bogus fees, and I’m willing to bet that the seller of that car is right at break-even point if he wants to get out of the car. I’m not surprised; people who buy expensive special cars want their cake and to eat it too. Paying over MSPR for a car with zero options while there are plenty of new other cars sitting at dealers offered for sticker isn’t something that is likely to happen.
However, on to today’s car and a slightly older 2008 911 Carrera S. On the outside, looks like a pretty standard example in Carrara White with 19″ Carrera Sport wheels. However, open the doors and things really get interesting. And expensive.
Year after year, it seems to be holding true that the 996 Porsche C4S is one of the best “bang for your buck” models. The buy-in is relatively reasonable given how crazy 911 prices can get, and they surely aren’t going down in value given the newest one is now 15 years-old. Reliability? Well, good enough for a 911. Some will still scoff at the nose and soft interior, but it is what is, and they surely aren’t going away. This example up for sale Brooklyn, New York is a pretty typical example, but inside has a few extra touches. Maple wood anyone?
