While getting more and more rare, “new” classic Porsches still exist. Call them “time-capsules”, call them “museum pieces”, call them whatever you want, it is still possible to buy a 20, 30, 40 even 50 year old Porsche with extremely low mileage; some with fewer miles on them then you might drive in your daily commute.
Porsches are made to be enjoyed. And in our opinion to enjoy a Porsche properly, they should be driven and driven hard. However, there are certain Porsches that you can almost (big emphasis on almost) understand why people don’t drive them. Porsches like this 2005 Carrera GT for sale that was most likely purchased as an “investment” and/or by someone with so many other cars they simply didn’t have the time to drive it (oh the burdens that some have to bear). But these super rare, limited production, high priced Porsches are not what we’re talking about.
Low Mileage Classic Porsches
It seem like almost every week now we hear about another Porsche for sale with unbelievable low mileage. A 1989 Porsche 911 C4 with 101 miles; a 1973 Porsche 911T with 735 miles, a 1998 Porsche 993 Carrera S with 3475 miles; a 1989 Porsche 930 with 1935 miles, the list goes on and on.
Where do these super low mileage Porsche keep coming from? The cars listed above are not someones lucky barn find. Rather each of these cars, and others like them, were kept by the original owner(s) in this “like new condition” intentionally. How do they do it? Our own small collection of Porsches (a 1973 911 and a 1997 993 C4S) gets as much use as the New England weather and time allows. We simply can’t imagine not driving these cars.
So what about you? Do any of you have a super low mileage Porsche in your collection? If so, we want to know. More importantly, we want to know how you can pass your Porsche in the garage and not hear the call of the road just pulling your toward your Porsche and a drive?
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View Comments (29)
Great post! Here in the UK there's a 964 Carrera 4 with 75 miles on the clock up for sale. We're doing a feature on it in the next issue of Total 911 (www.total911.com).
The big question is - if you bought one, would you drive it or store it??
Phil
You've got no choice, you'd have to store it. Otherwise the extra cash you no doubt gave to obtain this low mileage car will have been for nothing.
Personally, I'd rather have a car I can use with a few stone chips on the paint rather than have a butterfly in a collection that never moves.
While not quite the low mileage cars you mentioned mine is a 2006 Boxster with 6,200 miles. It wasn't bought to be a daily driver. It was bought as a nice weather treat. I don't enjoy cleaning my cars as much as I once did so driving it as I do I don't need to wash and wax it as often as I used to and it's perfectly clean every time I take it out. Some people say, "Oh but a car is made to be driven" and of course that's true. But a car means different things to different people. I not only see a car as a means of transportation but I look at them as works of art (which they are to their designers). Some people easily spend what I did on paintings that hang in their living rooms which they go into and admire every now and then (my living room included). My art is in the garage which I walk thru several times a day and admire each and every time I go in there. So I say use it as you will and your getting your moneys worth.
Funny, where from I just purcahsed a 2006 Porsche Boxster with 6700 miles on it, seems to great to be true!
My car now has 14,000 miles on it and is driven about 1,500 miles a year. Still in perfect shape. I modify it a bit every year to keep me interested in it and keep it looking brand new. Definitely a keeper.
Take that argument to its logical conclusion, if you spent £80k on a brand new Porsche with zero miles, would you never drive it? :)
@Phil,
That is THE question! Tough call. We wrote about a few 928 GTSs that recently sold for top, top $$$$. Same question. You spend all this money on an "as new" example and if you enjoy it, the value goes out the window.
From talking to a few of the people that buy these super low-mileage beauties, most are buying as collectors. Some think of them as investements, but most just love the marque, have enough money to enjoy it the way they want to and preserve certain models for themselves and others to enjoy.
As Marc M said above, our Porsches mean different things to each one of. How many stories have we all read of people hanging a Porsche on their wall as a work of art, or putting one in a living room. Look at the Porsche museum and the coming show in Atlanta.
We figure, if you have the money to purchase one of these and have the willpower not to drive it, then more power to you. :-)
I know. I know. (hand up in the air).
They have such ridiculous asking prices, they just sit in showrooms gathering dust.
We were just communicating with Randall above via email, but thoughtbwe would share our answer to his comment(s) above with everyone.
Randall, we [generally] think the same way as you do, it's way too much money for these cars. However, every time we say it, these dealers (and others like them) go and prove us wrong. The good new is, it's good for the values of our cars. :-)
Oh, heck yeah, it will sell. And remain a low mileage garage queen that somebody looks at every once in awhile, shows off in a July 4 parade, and it is never enjoyed. I am like you. Drive 'em. Fix 'em, drive some more. I don't really get the "collector" mentality. Very, very, very few cars, bikes, etc will appreciate. Those that have the $$$ to buy them in the first place don't need investments. Just recognition.
Give me the wind in my hair and bugs on my helmet visor.
Agreed. You're right, most cars won't appreciate. However, there are some (very few) that do act as a hedge against inflation). In addition, certain Porsches, even those that are driven hard, still represent a strong value in the way of less depreciation.
We're at a point now where we are considering selling our 993 C4S because it still has significant value due to condition, options and low mileage. We're familiar enough with these cars now that we think we could possibly sell it, buy something in similar condition but with higher miles, drive the hell out of it and pocket five figures while doing so. Right now it's a pretty tough decision.
I put under 200 miles a year on my 964. I concours it, so I keep the miles off to limit the time I need to clean up after driving. My most enjoyable PCA events are concours competitions and at this point, the car is at a state where getting caught in the rain would erase years of work. I have other Porsches to drive.
However, isn't it O.K. to have some low mileage, original cars around yet as reference points as to how these cars were when new? Must we continually write articles and internet web site post posts that criticize these owners that don't drive their cars with the phrase "Porsches were made to be driven" so why aren't you out driving your car? Do we need to drive each and every Porsche into the ground until there are none left?
As a low mileage Porsche owner, I would never tell a fellow Porsche owner that tracks their car that they should keep it in the garage instead of thrashing it around a race track. So, shouldn't we treat the owners of the low mileage, non driven cars with the same respect?