Most of us don’t have the kind of cash a new Porsche 911 calls for nor do we have the ability to buy a 991 that, even though it’s a used model, will still call for a large sum of cash. You could look to the old 997 model and still have to part ways with over $30,000 and some of the older 911 models that are basically junked out will cost you more than $34,000 just to tow them away. This makes shopping for a great Porsche nearly an impossibility for those of us just looking for a fun sports car for the weekends at a great price, unless of course you consider the 996.
The 996 was the most hated model of the Porsche family mostly because it was mass produced and anything that is mass produced surely lowers in value and won’t be anywhere near as great as the other models. This car was built from 1997 until 2004 and had a water cooled engine and shared some of its parts with the Boxster of the time. When you are looking for a preowned sports car that can give you a great performance at the right price this is the Porsche you want to look for.
The knocks on the Porsche 996 seem to be limited to the fact it was mass produced instead of hand assembled (get over it already people) and that it looked forward instead of backward. For some reason Porsche purists want to keep looking in the rearview mirror to see a car that looks and acts like the car of yesteryear but this new (at the time) Porsche wasn’t doing that at all. Instead the 996 was made to be the next iteration of Porsche and carry the brand forward rather than stay stuck in the past.
Because the 996 was built to meet a price point and was the first to do this there was some cost cutting measures taken for the interior which included plastic parts and in the earlier version the lack of a glove box. For those of us who want a performance car for weekend racing or for cruising in the country this is not really a problem and will give us the car that works well even though most owners ditched their 996 once the 997 came out especially since the body parts were shared with the Boxster and so many loathed the headlights on this little sportster.
All of this brings us to the point of price for this water cooled, mass produced car that everybody loved to hate but you can love to love it once again. Today you can find a 1996 Carrera for about $16,000 or a 1998 version for around $18,000. If you look to website shopping you will find this little beauty for an average of $14,000 while some are even priced under $10,000 which is the perfect price to pay for a car you just want to toss around on the roads in your area without separating yourself from a massive amount of money.
This post may contain affiliate links. Meaning a commission is given should you decide to make a purchase through these links, at no cost to you. All products shown are researched and tested to give an accurate review for you.