Just about ten years ago you could find plenty of examples of the Ferrari 308 GTB/GTS for under $30,000. At the time, some decent running cars with slightly higher mileage were near the $20,000 mark.
Back then, even though the prices were low, the maintenance costs kept most wiser people away. It’s funny how much things can change in just ten years. Someone who had bought a 308 GTB/GTS back then would now have a car worth more than twice the price paid to buy it originally.
The 996 generation of the Porsche 911 Carrera is currently the most affordable version of the rear-engined sports car. The reasons for this are threefold; 1: The shape of the headlights; 2: Being the first water-cooled 911; 3: The infamous IMS Bearing.
The interesting thing is the Porsche 996 is still a great car, but because of the thoughts of some purists and worries about a possible need for an engine replacement values remain low. For someone dreaming of driving a 911 but without a huge budget, the 996 Carrera can be an affordable and dependable purchase.
If you are like me you often find yourself looking at the going rate of used sorts cars. Thanks to depreciation, someone that makes a decent, but not huge, income can drive a car that when new would be well out of reach.
Recently, I’ve been looking at getting a 997 generation Porsche 911 Carrera. The going rate for a well maintained car in the 2008 model year is in the $25,000 – $35,000 range. This is for a car with between 60,000 and 90,000 miles on it (obviously, you pay less for higher mileage examples).
The Porsche 911 GT2 RS is the fastest 911 that money can buy. It offers jaw dropping supercar performance and starts at just under $300,000.
That price isn’t cheap, but for a car that can lap the Nürburgring in just 6:47.25, it isn’t bad. To put this in perspective, the Porsche 918 Spyder lapped the same circuit in 6:57. That’s the same 918 Spyder that started at a bit under $1,000,000.
The 996 generation of the Porsche 911 is currently the red headed stepchild of the 911 variants. In the past models such as the 911 SC and 964 have had this distinction, but are now become quite sought after.
What keeps the values of the 996 down is the fact that the headlights have a different shape than the classic 911. In the early 996 the front looked almost exactly the same as the less expensive early 986 Boxster. The other factor that currently keeps the 996 prices lower is the infamous IMS Bearing issue (an issue that can be remedied relatively inexpensively depending of the year of the 911).