first porsche - general question about value
 

Hi, I'm new to this forum. Just looking for some advice about market value etc.

I'm currently saving to by my first porsche - I hope to buy one in the next 2 months or so. My budget by then will be around 15,000 dollars. I had assumed because of that that I am gonna have no choice but to go for something pretty old - most of the 911s I see on used car sites, they're asking for about 12-15,000.

But I see on autotrader there are a lot of the newer models ('98 and '99) being offered for a little more than this, like 17-18,000. Is that normal or should I assume there is something wrong with those cars? It seems very low especially when the going rate for a mid 80s 911 seems to be almost as high!

I know a lot of people have probably been hit badly by the economic downturn and that may be the reason, but do you think I should be suspicious of these offers? I could possibly stretch my budget to one of these cars, - if I had a genuine offer of one of these for that price it seems kind of crazy to pass it up. Any advice?

Thanks in advance!

The reason you see the 99's priced cheaper is that they produced a LOT more than the older 911's when they were still a small car company. Porsche is now one of the large car manufacturers, and the vehicles depreciate a lot faster. Simple supply and demand. You may want to read up on the 996 buyers guide in the 911 forum to learn about those cars.

IMHO, if your budget is only 15k, I don't think I would go with a 911. You can find a decent older 911 for that, but it is probably going to need a bunch of maintenance. Sometimes you find a diamond in the rough, but you have to do a lot of searching. 15k will get you into a decent boxster (also a victim of S&D), or a really nice 968.

Thanks. I had a look at the buyers guide, that's a big help.

I wasn't 100% set on a 911, I just thought I would try to stretch to it. But I understand I could end up with some pricey maintenance if I'm not careful. Actually my next choice after a 911 was going to be a 944 turbo. Do you think that is more realistic with my budget? I know they are sold cheaper than 911s but I don't know what they are like in terms of reliability. Would a 968 be better?

A 944 turbo in the 10-12k range could potentially be a great car for the money. You want to find one with FULL maintenance records as they can get expensive if you start having to do clutches, etc. A well maintained 968 would also be a great option.

That sounds good. I had hoped that if I didn't go for a 911 that I would get something nice for a bit less than 15K.

I live in ND, not many Porches for sale around here. So I had planned to travel to CA in a few months where I know I can find a good selection.

Actually a Boxster never occurred to me, but I've been thinking about that since you suggested it and reading up on them, and the idea is growing on me. There are certainly a lot of them out there, and the prices seem pretty good. It's beginning to look to me like it might the best value for money of any Porsche, since there is no "classic" value attached to them yet.

Is there a big difference in the cost of running an Boxster S model as opposed to the entry level version? I think I could stretch to one of those but not if it's going to cost a lot more to maintain.

North Dakota? Lol, thats funny. I am originally from the Jamestown area, Gackle to be exact. You are right, not many porsches up there :)

The S's tend to pull a little higher values, but the maintenance is virtually the same.