Representing the final generation of the air-cooled 911, this 1997 Porsche 993 Carrera Cabriolet comes finished in Arena Red Metallic over a Classic Grey interior. It was sold new in California equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission, exclusive stainless steel exhaust pipes, the Motor Sound Package, and Nokia DSP Audio System. Accompanied by a lifetime of records, it was acquired by the current owner from its original caretaker in 2008 at 224k miles and has received a host of notable services in recent years. Showing just over 279k miles on the odometer, this 993 is now being offered for auction by its seller out of California.
This Carrera is finished in the quintessential 993-generation color of Arena Red Metallic and features optional stainless steel exhaust pipes and a black convertible soft top. It rides on factory 17” Cup 2 wheels with colored Porsche center crests and a set of Continental ExtremeContact Sport tires from 2018. The seller notes some areas of the exterior have been previously refinished including the rear bumper. Areas of crazing and rock chips are noted on the front bumper as well as some curb rash on the wheels. Detailed images are provided in the gallery along with a CARFAX report showing minor damage to the rear end in 2017.
The Classic Grey partial leather interior is appointed with power-operated seats, electric windows and mirrors, automatic speed control, and a premium Nokia DSP Audio System paired with a Porsche CD2-210 radio. The front seat inserts have been replaced by the seller along with the canvas soft top. The A/C evaporator was replaced in 2008 and the seller reports all gauges and accessories to be fully functional.
An air-cooled 3.6-liter flat-six engine delivers up to 282 HP to the rear wheels by way of a 6-speed manual transmission. The factory optioned Motor Sound Package equips louder mufflers and a revised airbox for a more aggressive tone. Service records are said to be available dating back to 1997 including a clutch replacement in 2010, a fuel pump in 2013, a steering rack in 015, drive belts and clutch master cylinder in 2017, and a compression check in October 2022 that showed strong results. The seller adds that the suspension could benefit from reconditioning.
This sale will include service records, owner’s manuals, and a clean title.
Comments (110)
Turns out the buyer knows a lot of the same people we know in the SoCal Porsche world. Awesome! Thanks again everyone for a great auction.
Sold for $36,250
@drb930, congrats. You have the right handle! We look forward to talking with you soon. Thank you everyone for a great auction. We really appreciate the guys at PCar getting this up for the end of the year!
I'll take two!
Fair price IMHO on both sides.
But I do agree--this car can be a great value for the right guy. These are solid cars, usually drama free, and in my opinion one of the finest driving products Porsche ever made.
Can’t believe just a few short years ago I bought the twin of this car for only $30,000 with 60,000 miles. Best car I’ve ever owned. Love arena red.
Bid in the amount of $36,250
@Lorax Under-rated comment. You can't find anything comparable in the market at this price, especially if you want air-cooled and 911.
I agree this car could be a great value for someone who does his own work. If you are taking this in for a retail repairs, however, the picture changes. That is when the uncertainty sets in. Do you pull the motor to fix the leaks? Is the secondary air system clear enough to pass smog without any games? Four corners of struts, alignment, etc. Not throwing rocks at the car, and I love the colors, and it was well cared for. But a clear head is better than rose colored glasses...
Bid in the amount of $36,000
For someone like me, who has a driver-grade 996, but whose heart wants an air-cooled car, this is very appealing.
Bid in the amount of $35,750
Go see what 50k gets your for a Porsche. You probably won’t be driving it away and it won’t be as easy on the eyes as this one.
Bid in the amount of $35,500
@Jimbo1907 agree, at some point the numbers stop working. Not sure it’s there yet but getting close…
These are great cars but this is a lot of miles for ANY car, even a Porsche, and I say this as someone who owns a Porsche repair business. Metal fatigue never sleeps, especially in a Cab. I'd love to get this car in my shop, but I can see many things that require attention.
Bid in the amount of $35,000
@Skindoc it seems to be climbing out of this price range, and fast becoming less of a bargain. Still a desirable car in good colors, but it's going to take some money and time to sort its needs.
Bid in the amount of $33,750
Bid in the amount of $32,500
Lots of value here at this price range. GLWA
Bid in the amount of $32,000
Bid in the amount of $31,250
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Bid in the amount of $30,250
I have a feeling the bids will continue to rise. Aside from the miles and an oil leak (not unheard of), this car looks like a great one to drive, tweak, or restore as much or little as you want. At less than 30k it's an absolute steal IMO.
Bid in the amount of $30,000
Bid in the amount of $29,500
993 cabs are so undervalued...whether this car has high mileage, this is a stunning color and looks fantastic for 275K miles. GLWS!!
Bid in the amount of $29,000
this could be a steal for someone considering high mileage and carfax damage!!
Bid in the amount of $28,500
Pretty stiff penalty for high mileage so far?
Bid in the amount of $28,000
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Bid in the amount of $23,993
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Bid in the amount of $19,850
Bid in the amount of $19,599
Bid in the amount of $19,250
With a 1/2 hour left, we just want to thank everyone for their comments and reaching out to us during this auction.
Remember, don't wait until the last second, slow internet or a webpage that hasn't refreshed could cost you the auction.
Let's put the pedal to the metal!
Bid in the amount of $19,000
Bid in the amount of $18,750
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Bid in the amount of $18,250
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Bid in the amount of $15,750
Very interesting! ... I love seeing high mileage 911s. Will it pass CA smog for a CA buyer?
Bid in the amount of $15,500
@Richydeclet what receipt are you talking about? The car runs fine. Please see the cold start and driving video we did just 5 days ago. TY.
@MooseDriver17 @MooseDriver17, hello. Tough to say. The owner hasn't driven it regularly since COVID started. We can ask Ignacio Motors who last serviced it what he thinks.
I’ll appreciate a rapid response! I’ve noticed a recent invoice regarding this vehicles motor pistons efficiency. Is this vehicle actually drivable, or is it mechanically unfit for the road?
Does the seller know how much oil needs to be replaced per 500 miles?
@AIR_MotorSports it's currently registered until 8/16/23, I have just uploaded a photo of the tag and the reg. If bought in CA, it will be up to the owner (a private seller) and the buyer who smogs the car.
There have been no check engine lights on the car while I have had it, preparing for sale, including last week's drive video we created.
AC does blow cool/cold, (we've been driving it in very cold Decemember temps). I'll see if I can get a temperature gauge on it before the close of auction.
Additional content has been added to the gallery for this listing.
Are the California tags current or expired? If expired, is the car on non-operational status with the CA DMV? Any check engine light? Will you provide a smog certificate for California buyers? Does the AC and blower system work properly? Thanks
Good morning everyone, it's our favorite day, Auction Day! We'll be here all morning and look forward to speaking with the new owner after bidding closes.
Last of the aircooled, the 993! 279k miles. No rust, a lifetime California Car, the convertible top and the seat inserts were replaced prior to the sale. The interior looks amazing for the amount of miles on the car. If you haven't looked, please check out the video.
The shocks will want to be replaced to bring back that 993 handling, the engine does have oil leaks, however a compression test right before we put this on the PCar showed : #1 210, #2 215, #3 210. #4 210. #5 210. #6 210.
Who's going to be the next owner of this Arena Red 993? Good luck everyone!
Do you know where the oil leak is coming from?
Bid in the amount of $15,250
Bid in the amount of $15,000
Just under 24 hours left in this NO RESERVE auction! This 993 will be finding itself a new home come Noon tomorrow. It's been a pleasure to speak with many of you, remember that you can reach out directly to us using the "Contact Seller" button above. We look forward to seeing what kind of fireworks lunchtime tomorrow bring.
Additional content has been added to the gallery for this listing.
Interesting car and cinematography,
however why did you push the car so hard when the oil temp was stone cold,
@ 0:11 / 2:52 on the video,
that is not good practice and certainly not good for the engine.
Could be a good deal for someone at the right price.
"We couldn't find comps on a 279k mile 993"
KKB says 13,9K to $ 21K
GLWTS
In April I pick up my 03 manual turbo that I bought from here. I drove it 1698 miles home to Houston I don’t want to pay the California tax, 91 octane gas over in California $7.59 a gallon, as soon as I got to Texas 93 octane shell v power $4.79 a gallon, I’m pretty sure everything is super expensive as heck in California.
@luis.seneriz @luis.seneriz, I am sure you could. I'd replace the shocks first to have a better driving experience...
Bid in the amount of $13,313
Seller I’m definitely not afraid of a high mileage car. I had an 1985 735i with half a million miles and it was a great driviers car, I also had a 1981 mb turbo diesel 300 sd with over a million miles that I almost basically gifted to my father in law. They traded it in for a Toyota Corolla and still got $1750 for the car. Would you think this car can be driven from over there to Houston Texas. I have a great mechanic and I would not be paying book rates for any necessary work. Thanks
Sounds like this might be a nice driver once the engine is rebuilt - reseal not a great option - then have the suspension rebuilt - looks like a 30-40k job and you have a car close to 300k miles. Not for the faint of heart.
Bid in the amount of $13,000
Bid in the amount of $12,500
Bid in the amount of $10,000
@GenauAutoWerks thank you
@Craignyc & @artichoke,
I have dug through the receipts and uploaded the insurance invoices for the rear. They are in the gallery now. You'll notice that all the panels are listed as 'existing'. They painted and blended where necessary. The new parts they order were' the L&R stone guards, engine lid emblem, rear lamp lens housing and R & L rear bumper seals. My client tells me the front has never had any work done on it to his knowledge.
Thanks!
Additional content has been added to the gallery for this listing.
Any pictures from the rear end damage?
@GenauAutoWerks The Carfax accident graph makes it look more serious than that. Are you saying there has been no bodywork repair on the car?
Any issues with the check engine light related to the air vent tubes clogging up? 993's from 96-98 are prone to this and requires regular cleaning of the vent tubes.
@Turbo911s @Turbo911s, not to our knowledge. We so no indication of a rebuild and certainly not during the current owners stewardship.
Has this motor ever been rebuilt?
@artichoke @artichoke, no. The 2017 was someone bumping the rear in San Francisco. They repainted the bumper. The owner tells me the 2021 claim was actually for accumulated rock chips and another SF parking incident with someone bumping into them while backing into a spot. The mechanic my client was working with at the time convinced him to make a report to try and get money to repaint the front of the car. After all that, they didn't do any work on it. You can see the front end today as it was. Bad advice!
Bid in the amount of $8,993
Here is a the cold start and run through the gears video. This 993 still pulls and sounds amazing! https://youtu.be/47lZEJkGYeA
A high miles Car can be a costly investment ,but if bought Right it could be a Good thing..Good luck to all the Bidders..
Lets see a high miles car can bring alot of problems and MONEY BUT IF BOUGHT RIGHT it is ok Good luck to all the BIDDERS,,
Any detail on the accident noted in the CARFAX? We’re the airbags deployed?
Bid in the amount of $7,500
Bid in the amount of $6,000
This is exactly how I like them drivers. If is within my number this will be sitting next to my 3/98 996 coupe and my 03 triple black 03 turbo. Al of them six speeds save the manuals and rack up the miles. GLWTS
Bid in the amount of $993
I had heard that air-cooled Porsches were very reliable and that several had been driven to over 250K miles. Here's the actual proof of same. It's very impressive. I'm going to watch this one. And kudos for the listing which is admirable in its completeness. And candor.
What does it cost to remove this engine and reseal it? And what are the 'while you're in theres' that should be done at the same time?
Good morning everyone and welcome to our 993 auction!
We couldn't find comps on a 279k mile 993. So instead, we've decided to let you, the community, tell us by making this a NO RESERVE auction. It will be going home with the highest bidder.
We've added detailed underside photographs as well as the compression test results to the gallery. Those compression readings are: #1 210, #2 215, #3 210. #4 210. #5 210. #6 210.
So let's go over what's good and bad on this car currently.
BAD: The motor leaks oil, as you can see from the underside pictures, there are are a few points of leakage. The suspension has never been addressed and after 279k miles, it could do with a refreshening to bring it back to that tight, taut handling that 993's are known for.
GOOD!: Now let's get to the good.
* The engine pulls really strongly and the transmission is very smooth going through the gears. It starts well and is generally very responsive.
* It's a lifetime CA car and if you look at the underside, you can see that it is in wonderful condition.
* The interior is in great shape for a car with this many miles. The owner had the convertible top replaced and the seat inserts refinished before putting the car up for auction and it presents really well.
* The paint has a lot of rock ships as you might imagine, but overall, it is still in really nice shape, a detail we had done on the car really brought out the shine of the paint.
* We have a mountain of receipts for this car going all the way back to 1998.
This is going to be a great car for someone who likes to tinker on their Porsches. It's been raining cats and dogs here in Northern California for the past week, but we will shoot a cold start and driving video for you in the next few days.
The owner and I are here all this week to answer any questions you might have. Thanks and good luck, someone is going to be getting themselves an early Christmas present!
Additional content has been added to the gallery for this listing.
Additional content has been added to the gallery for this listing.