nowata

I'm seriously considering a 993 C2. I'm not looking to flip it or expect a crazy return. Merely looking for something that will allow me to occasionally have a nice drive and retain it's value. It seems like there is a dearth of cars on the mkt (at least in my $ range) vs last yr. Any tips or suggestions are appreciated. 6 spd coupe is a must. $50k is my budget. Thx!

P-daddy

My advice is to be patient, monitor all avail sites very very frequently, then act fast! Have cash ready to go. Sellers hate being d!cked around especially in a hot market with things like; oh I have to ask my wife or I'm waiting for financing, etc... 50 is more than enough for a nice well sorted driver. Enjoy the hunt.

Chris V

Even in the SF Bay Area there are fewer 993 cars for sale compared to a year ago. Like P-Daddy says, monitor all sites very very frequently...at least 2x a day in my opinion. I look at the local CL ads pretty frequently for parts, etc. and have seem some really nice coupes in your price range pop up and then are gone within a few days.

therossinator

My strategy: I had a ton of tabs on my browser, cars.com and autotrader within 300 miles, every CL site within 300 miles searching for very specific search terms, eBay, anything I could think of and I refreshed them all every hour. It took a lot of work and patience but you know what? I was able to contact the seller within an hour of him posting the ad and I got a smoking deal on an awesome car(135k for $21.5k). If you only want a well sorted car you should be fine, some people only want a C4S in guards red with sport seats and those people could literally spend years finding what they want.
I've never understood the the S craze. $15k more for a tad wider and a split grill (and perhaps $3000 brakes)? I have just as much fun in my NB.

993KT

"Jackal Forge" has a nice list of things to watch out for. You should be able to get a pretty nice one for $50k. Classified here on RL is a good place to check. You do have to be patient and act fast, and be prepared to travel. A car with the right options at the right price will get offers within a week of listing. I was looking for well over a year, tested 4 cars including all the way in CA (I'm in MI). I ended up buying mine off a member here, sight unseen over the phone, and picked it up from 600 miles away.

soundbehindyou

PCA website is another place to look.....catch 22, it has been a while, but I believe you have to have a Porsche to be a member...if so, have a buddy who is a member keep an eye out for you...

1990-964

What everyone has said is true. When I bought my 964 11 years ago the PCA offered a trial limited access membership to allow you into their classifieds. Not sure if that still is available. Before selling that car I wondered how long and difficult it would be to find a 993 and by chance a buddy sent me a link to a CL add and the right car ended up being 10 miles from my house. Be patient but do be prepared to act quickly and do not be afraid to travel to get your car, or with a bit of luck it will be right under your nose. Good Luck!

race911

Maybe, maybe not. Bottom line is that it doesn't matter from behind the wheel. For a street car, on the street anyway.

From a purchase price standpoint, you're going to get it out on the back end. Not like anyone should be buying one of these cars at this point with anything more than "found under the sofa cushion" money. So no big deal if you're tying up ~$10K while the car's under your watch.

H.H.Chinn

Most any original well maintained air/oil cooled car would be good to enjoy and hold its value.

RonCT

First step is to become a full member to gain access to the For Sale area and be able to post a "WTB". Second step is to do what the others have said. It's a part-time job to find a good car and when you do the first statement to the owner should be "I'll take it!" and then worry about the PPI. I tried to buy a 2nd 993 about 6 different times over the last 12 months and each time I was a day late (but not a dollar short). Each time the car was a great one and I immediately let the owner know "I'll Take it for that, how do we get into agreement so I can get you a deposit?" and the response each time was "sorry, somebody already said they would buy it at asking and sent an initial deposit by PayPal...".

Edinsf

$50k would get you a beautiful 996TT or a fairly decent 996GT3.

tangram

If there are any independent garages that service Porsches introduce yourself and let them know what you are looking for.

The cars have appreciated in value significantly in the past year but if you are thinking of keeping the car a long time, I would't worry TOO much about the purchase price. But if you are paying up, make sure you know what a well-maintained 993 looks like. Lots of info on RL that describes things that should be done to these cars over time. After all, you are talking about cars that in some instances are 20 years old (that would include mine, which is 20 in July). The most common item is the suspension but there are others. Maintaining these cars, especially if you don't do the work yourself, can be an expensive proposition.

Also, you can get a truly amazing narrow body 993 for $50K. The better WB 993's are going for more than that these days. Some here on RL feel very strongly that the WB is the only way to go but only hardcore enthusiasts would ever be able to pick out the differences in a side-by-side comparison. I would, however, get a Varioram-equipped car. Only the 95's lack Varioram.

NC TRACKRAT

...but the '95's are OBDI and earlier ones don't have the IMMOBILIZER....Two big ++'s in my book.

Spyder_Man

+993

I found my '95 C2 through the PCA Mart. I believe you can get limited access to the PCA website without being a PCar owner. They do want to encourage the expansion of their member base after all. Check out their PCA Quest Membership here.

RacingJunkie

Why would you subject yourself to that front end?