The Porsche 964 chassis is one of the hottest 911 models you can buy right now. So, in other words, you shouldn’t buy one because prices are absolutely bananas, but I also don’t see them ever coming back down to Earth. Some models of the 911, like the later 996, have definitely settled into a more reasonable level, but who knows if those will someday spike as well. This particular 964 is a desirable 1990 Carrera 2 coupe that was imported from Finland by a U.S.-based collector. Find it here on eBay where it’s listed for $149,900 or best offer.
The crazy thing about the 964 cars is that it was practically under all of our noses what was happening before prices really jumped. First of all, by sheer production numbers, the 964 generation was the era of 911 that Porsche produced in the smallest quantities. Right out of the gate, this was a car practically destined to be a collector’s item owing to Porsche simply not building as many of them as they did G-bodies and 993s. The other nutty thing that happened is a little company called Singer came along that started back-dating the 964 cars to sell at multi-million dollar specimens – and they absolutely depleted what was already very limited stock.
Factor in that every air-cooled 911 era has been going up and up and up and it’s of little surprise that one day, the collector car world realized we have all been sleeping on the 964. For years, you couldn’t give away a cabriolet model and now they are regularly selling for $50,000 and up. I managed to snag what I perceive to be one of the last “good deals” late least year when I bought a Carrera 4 cabriolet in a somewhat rare color, but it still broke my brain a bit how much I was paying for a car that just 5 years prior sold for 50 percent less! That being said, it’s a fantastic car and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to trying to figure out how to justify selling 2 or 3 cars I really enjoy to buy a needy 964 coupe.
One thing this car is not is needy. It is in truly spectacular condition, and outside of a rare spec lik an RS America or a 3.6 Turbo, a clean, rear-wheel drive hardtop is the one to buy. This example has under 20,000 original miles and is a “slick top”, which is a fancy of saying it has no sunroof. It has no modifications (outside of a very pricy OEM-like Blaupunkt radio) and is said to drive beautifully on stock suspension and the classic Cup-style wheels that the 964 chassis introduced to the world. The 911 shown here is about as good as it gets for a collector piece, but I hope for the next owner that they have the courage to drive what is likely one of the purest expressions of the air-cooled experience.
I remember when Singer first came on scene and how they justified reimagining the 911 by using the least appreciated 911 for their cars. I certainly understood what they were doing because they were the least appreciated at the time. The same thing happened to the 911S from 74 to 77. Those were the cars you could buy on the cheap take the unreliable 2.7 engine out and install a 3.0SC or a 3.2 Carrera engine for 3-5K.
I remember working on my friend’s 90 Carrera 2. It was a wonderful driving car but its added complexity made people shy from this model and stick with the classic 911. Personally I still pass over the 964 and go straight to the 993. They were incredible cars. It wasn’t until Porsche came out with the 997 that I felt Porsche got some of their mojo back.
That 964 sold on the over pay cause you want it so bad auction site 5 months ago for $111,000 plus $5k buyers fee. Its not like the market has gone up since then.
Buying this car and importing it from Finland could not have been cheap so I believe the seller is hoping that values keep going up on these.
There was some question about the mileage as the odometer was newer than the car. Plus it’s been repainted. The seller on eBay is, I believe, the same one that auctioned it off 5 months ago. So probably a busted deal.
Thanks for the write up Jeff. Sharing your personal experience adds an amazing depth to the information.
That’s a brand new Carrera price.
I suspect that I’d lose my driver’s license in short order if I owned this red racer.
Meh …yawn….or you can bid on THIS outrageously gorgeous Muscle car
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1968-amc-amx-23/
This is a great car. There’s no reason not to use it as a daily driver.
The 964 Carrera 4 is the one to collect with the most investment potential. Just my opinion.