Buying a Classic Porsche at Half-Price - Part 1

Following the journey in search of the Air-Cooled Porsche at half the market value.

1993 Porsche RS America | Image PCAR Market

The goal for next Porsche for my garage was to be a “Mountain Runner”. My pure enjoyment with Porsches is spirited driving of the mountain roads of Western North Carolina. My 2009 997 twin-turbo is a great, fast car but at times it is too fast and too powerful for the tight twisties of the mountains. My 1986 Carrera 911 is too clean of car – under 50,000 original miles and one that I’ve owned for over 20 years. It is closer to a garage queen than a driver. Spirited mountain driving can be tough on a car so using my original Porsche pride and joy hurts every time a stone or stick flies up from the road. My third garage mate, my 1973 Porsche 914 2.0 is a blast in the mountains but it is not a very fast or powerful car to pull up the steep mountain curves.

So I am facing the Goldilocks problem. One is too fast, one is too slow and one is too pretty. My personal definition for what I want is what I am calling a “Mountain Runner.” It is time for a new car that is:

• A driver – one that looks cool but I can run it hard without worry of sticks or stones

• A unique looking Porsche such as a 911 outlaw, or a unique model

• Something that I could modify to my specs without “ruining the car”

• Definitely a 911 and a coupe

Porsche 911 Backdate Singer

I have been watching a lot of backdate cars, but right now they are commanding sky-high prices. A $100,000 car is just not in the budget. Comfort for me was in the $60,000 range. My initial thinking was to target a 911SC or maybe the overlooked 964 and consider it a project to make my “Mountain Runner”. Great fantasy on my part but it has been a lot of years since I was doing the work on my cars. Would I really want to do that myself and if hired out, then this was an unaffordable option.

The hunt is half the fun, so I have just been looking and watching and talking.

Then I saw on the PCA Classifieds a 1993 RS America for $65,000. These cars can easily command prices of $100,000 plus. What was the story with this car that it was such a special model on in the range of what I could afford to pay for it. Of course, at half-price it was not what I thought, but I now had a goal: buy a driver 1993 Porsche RS America as my “Mountain Runner”.

Stay tuned as the journey begins on the search and hopefully ultimately, the purchase of a half-price Porsche RS America.

Porsche RS America | Image PCAR Market