Hello,

Recently, I was seriously considering a 996TT as an upgrade to my evo that I am currently driving. https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...questions.html

After some budgeting and buzz killing (self serving some voice of reason), I realized that it was a little too rediculous and that my money would be better used to help a down payment on a home or in some investments (IRA, Stocks, CD's, blah blah). I've spent time researching investments and also spent some time looking at houses, but realized in the end that I do have money to play with an even when you consider the time value of money, a dollar right now is worth a lot more than five bucks when I'm sixty. A house will make me inflexible, asset rich, cash poor and I am very weary of another bubble (think shadow inventory) in the market. Basically it will stress me out and make me feel poor.

After giving up on the pipe dream of a P-car (wouldn't do a carerra or any non-turbo) I saw a nice sport bike blasting past me on the right in my $500 commuter infiniti.... I'm taking a MSF class this weekend, but not sure I am going to get a bike seeing as the women in my life think its a terrible idea (From a 55 year old mother, a 26 year old gf and a 10 year old neice. Just then a black 996 turbo, hovering the ground and cruising north on Randall road looking absolutely stellar passed me and started the itch once again....

That brought me to my original idea.... I've been searching for Porsche Turbo's for years (FOR FUN!) and they have never been below $55,000. When I searched again this year and found them in the mid 30's I couldn't believe it.

Which in turn, brings me to the point of the thread. Historical 996TT prices. If I could get a hold of a list of average values of these cars I could forecast the future value that would most likely hold pretty accurate. Does anyone know where I could find something like this?

Cliff Notes:

The way I see it.... I could invest some money right now... If I weigh my portfolio to a risky side I could gain or lose a couple grand over the next few years. I could also put it into something useless like CD's where the interest rate barely covers inflation. But I'm young and although this is clasically a smart idea, I get no utility from said investment unless I am taking a dividend (negligible) or pull it out in a couple years (which defeats the point of investing it initially). Now, If I buy a Porsche for a great price and drive it for 3 years on weekends and nice days, I could get a TON of utility out of it and also, possibly sell it for the same price or maybe just short of what I paid for it a few years before. The only thing that could really blow me out of the water on this one is if I blew the engine on the P. I hear they are GT1 engines and will run you $30,000 which is nuts since the car is worth only a little more than that. I am very mechanically inclined and I know I could rebuild cheaper than that, but even putting 10,000 into the car would really make me regret the initial purchase.

Okay, finally I digress. Does anyone have any historical data on pricing for these cars or an idea of where the market for them is heading in the next couple of years?

Thank you much, you we're all very helpful the first time I made a thread (link up top)

Justin Rush

 

Dont try to rationalize a car purchase...it will never make sense. Its a emotional buy ...just buy it have fun when you can....The time lost now at an young age will never come back, if you have the means go for it. Have you ever driven a modded 996 tt? Just drive one and you will be sold. I am in the NW burbs, the black car on Randall might be Vince's car.

 

You have put a lot of thought into this, too much IMO. Find a car and get it is my advice. What is the point of saving all your $ and then never spending it? To me $ is a renewable tool to get me what I want. Sure we all need to save and we do. But I want to enjoy some of my hard work and driving a 911 TT everyday gives me more enjoyment then I can say. I hope you find what you are looking for.

P.S. You already own a car, why not make it the 1 you really want? I can't put a price on how wonderful it is to drive my car!

 

Is someone trying to rationalize a car purchase as an investment? You will get the same payback as throwing your hard earned cash into a fire.

 

This car won't be an investment but prices are firming up lately. There won't be many cars in the 30's anymore but cars can still be had in the 40's relatively easy right now. Keep looking the right car is out there.

 

Methinks, sell the two other cars and daily drive the fun car- 996tt. It will make your money feel so much better utilized.

 

I doubt the pricing is going to go too far down into the $30k range for clean and well kept examples over the next 1-3 years, and the nice examples will probably stay in the $40k range during the same period of time. That being said, we all wish we had crystal ***** to predict the future.

 

Check out Excellence magazine, they had 996 market report a couple issues ago. Prices were by model year and calender year. Neat to see the prices come down over the past couple years.(Unless you bought one new)

 

A car is a depreciating asset, not an investment. Do not buy a car with the goal of selling it for X price later on, waste of money.

Make enough money to someday enjoy high end cars as a hobby.

When I was in your shoes I drove a Mustang and had a great time with it

 

Ahh, but you were never in his shoes.. You were in these.

 

If you want to buy a 911 for an investment, look into some of the very rare and or historical cars, but I think you'll find these out of your price range. Another good choice would be an older air cooled car, they seem to hold their value really well compared to the newer cars. Other than that, expect to loose money on a 996 or 997.

 

My prediction, and this has been proven in almost every single instance regardless of the car, is that Porsches will continue to get cheaper over time. It is the rare exception that cars increase in price, especially when mass produced like the 996. You don't need any historical trends to know that they used to be more expensive a few years ago, and they'll probably be cheaper in a few years. You do yourself a disservice by comparing car ownership to any actual investment - apples to oranges, my friend.

That said - in 5 years you'll be 5 years older, right? And you will have lost that time to some boring daily driver - you'll never get those years back. Take the plunge, young buck, and never look back.

 

the seductive art of speculation. seems to be a great way to make a living. The most money I ever made was due to speculative purchasing. Never made a dime from a car. Did make money from art, real estate, currency and business.

 

Historic or hysteric values? We are living in the last golden age of high performance cars. In retrospect this is like living in the late 60's to 1970. Imagine buying a used world class super car for less than $50k. The super cars of my youth cost about $3k new. Those same cars in good condition unrestored cost in excess of $50k today. When i was young, used 65-67 Mustangs could be had for less than $500. Used mid 60's GTO's, Camaros and SS Chevelles for $1k. I bought a used 70 superbird roller for $200. The value of used new millennium super cars
is hysterical compared to what they will be worth in 20 years when all you can buy are hybreds or electrics.
Carpe Diem and Carpe Noctum

 

Buying a beast is the best investment you could have in your own sole....Moneywise it is a different story. I have always looked at it this way: Money is a mean not a goal.Or you could save the money and pass it on to Uncle Sam or some young dissendant...I own several P cars.