964 Driver: 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera
The Porsche 964-chassis 911 is one of those cars that exploded in value in the pandemic boom and actually hasn’t come back down to Earth in price. This seems to be fairly standard with air-cooled Porsches as a whole, as the 996 models have certainly receded a bit. This particular 911 is a rare find in that it’s a bit scruffy and is a driver through-and-through; it’s also listed here on Facebook Marketplace with a reasonable asking price of $79,500 and that’s with a desirable color combination and the preferred 5-speed manual (not to mention it’s a C2, making it the desirable 2WD spec.)
I am a firm believer that the 964 is *the* air-cooled 911 to buy. It’s decidedly more modern than the G-body cars, yet it retains more of the classic 911 styling versus the increasingly wind-swept 993 cars. Everyone tends to push the 993 to the top of the air-cooled heap (I’m guilty of this as well) but after buying the cheapest yet well-maintained manual 964 cabriolet I could find last year, I’m convinced this era is where it’s at. They are beautiful cars that look good from every angle, and are still very much old-school in the driving experience – but not so much that you don’t look forward to extended seat time in one.
This particular 911 features a gorgeous color combo of Grand Prix White over a burgundy interior which has either been incredibly well looked after or has been redone at some point. Either way, it looks fantastic. The seller doesn’t provide a lot of detail about its history, but does note that it benefits from recent servicing with some fresh tune-up components replaced like spark plugs, belts, and filters. The seller also notes there is some rust bubbling around the windshield, which is a typical 964 weak spot. That was actually a huge selling point of the car that I bought in that the windshield frame is in perfect condition despite having 150K on the clock.
Now, here’s my favorite part: the seller notes it drips a bit of oil. The reason I love this detail is because all air-cooled 911s have a tendency to leave a few spots but the millionaire class has seemingly never seen a car leak oil, so it’s not unusual to see listings with records indicating an otherwise mint example was subject to an engine-out re-seal. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing to be proactive, but it’s incredible how many cars are subjected to a $20,000 rebuild simply because of a mechanic has realized there’s a vulnerable customer in front of him. Regardless, I would drive the doors off of this example while knowing I’m not losing a cent in the process.
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Comments
Have always seen ( skinny) 964s as the sweetspot of the later 911 cars. Too many are being customised into cheap Singer wannabees
As far as air-cooled, I’ll opt for a 993 turbo, I wish lol
Nice car, and you don’t see an interior that color often, and I like it! Unfortunately, I don’t have a money tree..In fact I’d need an orchard.
This is not a 1989 Carrera, It is a 1990 or 91. Newer rubber bumpers and side coverings. That is the first red flag. Look it up and learn. I worked for Porsche 27 years and have several 911’s.