Hi,

I am new to 6Speed - so first off I wanted to say hello. I have just recently started my search for my first Porsche. I have loved these cars since I was about 10 years old when my father had his first 911 SC targa. I started my search out looking at 996's based on the advice "buy the newest Porsche you can afford" but, after doing some reading about engine reliability (and I know this seems to be primarily in model years 1999 through 2001) I decided to look at other models. I guess that probably turned out to be just as well as the 996 style, in the end, did not embody the classic 911 that I desire. I did drive a nice 2006 997 Carrera 2 (non-S) but just could not bring myself to take the hits in depreciation that car still had to take - but boy was it a beautiful car (at least Porsche brought the character of the classic 911 back even though it has little mechanically speaking in common with its oil cooled lineage). Now I am searching everything from early 80's 930 Turbos and Carreras to 964 and 993.

Just recently, I have come across a 1993 964 RS America. The car is a second owner car with what appears to be a verifiable history. The car is black and is completely stock (the RS badging was never installed on the car). It has 64,000 miles on the clock and no accident history. According to the owner, it has been tracked a couple of times (PCA Driver Education) and autocrossed a couple of times (2 or 3). The owner is asking for $39,500 - is this an accurate price for a RSA? Kelly BB and NADA put the value of the car in the mid 20K's at best but I know this is a bit rarer car then a standard 964 C2. Does anyone here have a feel for the value of this car? By the way, I would plan on driving this car often - possible as a daily driver (have not decided - would that be a bad idea for a RSA?)

Here is a photo from the seller.



Thanks for any input on this car.

 

Welcome to 6speed. I own a '94 RSA and have owned a total of three (one dedicated track car; one additional street car). Does the current owner have extensive records? The price is a bit high for the mileage. I think you could find a similiar model for $3-6k less. With that being said, if the records are complete and you like the car, make a fair offer. If you are not in a hurry, you will find the one that meets your expectations and price range.

If you research RSA, you'll read a lot of opinions on pricing. The reality is they hold their price as well as any Porsche built after 1990. You can expect to be $42k and above for less than 20,000 mile cars that are pristine with a high of $60k. The 20-50k mile examples are going to range from $30-40k. Be very careful to ensure they are "real" RSA's. Also, many have seen a lot of track time. Look for paint work. Check out www.rsamerica.net for a great source of info and cars for sale.

As for a daily driver, if you haven't driven one, I would find one close to where you live and drive it. I know many Porsche owners that would be split on the answer to your question. It's your choice based on what you like.

Feel free to pm me with any questions.

Good luck in your search!

 

DHinkle - tried to PM you but I am so new to the board the PM function will not work until I have 15+ posts to the forum

I just spoke with the owner via telephone to get some more details. The only factory option the car has on it is the A/C (I forgot to ask about the LSD). It has no sunroof which I have seen noted as a plus (I imagine that makes it more rare - is that true?). The current owner has had it for 14 years and had all maintenance done by Barrier Porsche (dealer in Seattle), a Porsche dealer in California (during two year job relocation) and most recently Denny Akers in Seattle (a very well known Seattle Porsche shop). I was bought in November or 1994 by the current owner from Barrier with 12,375 mile on the clock. The car looks to be number 269 of 300 built for 1993.

Recent service includes a new windshield (it had a rock chip), New clutch master and slave cylinders (pedal was a little sticky), replacement of front oil cooler (to replace a leak), full 60K service. Clutch itself was done about 10,000 miles ago - dealer misdiagnosed the clutch as being bad when it was in fact the clutch master and slave cylinders - both were replaced.

The owner says he has all records except those from Barrier where the dealer kept them electronically. I have not seen the car yet but from the pics it looks to be in great shape and the owner seems proud of it. The paint has been protected with Stongard and is supposedly in great shape (the typical small rock nick here or there but overall very good). He is selling due to the need to be able to transport both he and his wife and child and they only have room for two cars so the RSA has to be sold.

I would expect at most to tally up 10 to 12K in mileage a year (not sure if that would be considered piling the miles on for this car). Would this greatly devalue the car or would it hold value OK given this type of use? I am extremely meticulous when it comes to car care so I keep the equipment in the absolute best condition that I can.

Thank you again for your replies!

 

Sorry you couldn't pm me. Predicting future values is very difficult. My 1988 911 Club Sport has a higher value than my RSA. It has 103k miles but is one of only 28 sent to the U.S. from 87-89 and the only Gulf Blue example. Porsche imported 701 RS America's and the values are holding strong. I think they will increase as the collector market moves up from the early 70's 911's to the important later model production cars.

The best way to buy an RSA is to drive it to make sure it meets your expectations and make an offer that you feel comfortable with. If you take your time, you will find the one that is right for you. The downside of an RSA(depreciation) is much lower than buying a new 997.

Get your posts up to 15 and send me a pm if you'd like to discuss further.

Good Luck!

 

Welcome and good luck on your search!

 

I've had my RSA for about 2 years and I absolutely love it. It's not my daily driver. I've done a few driver's ed sessions with it and it's fabulous. It is my first Porsche.

The pricing on RSAs seems to be everywhere. I also think that if you look and are not in rush, you can find a similar one that may be cheaper. It's a bit of a maybe though, because RSA pricing doesn't seem to have much rhyme or reason to it. Most of the sellers aren't in a hurry to sell them and inevitably, they get sold, likely with some negotiation that isn't exactly advertised.

If you haven't found it already, take a gander at the car classifieds at:

www.rsamerica.net

You'll see "asking" prices there and get a decent idea of whether the car you're looking at is in the asking range. But like I said, asking and selling price are not always the same.

I agree that RSAs hold value better than the standard 964 and probably will at least continue to hold good value. Not a bad first Porsche because you can stack a bunch of miles on it very cheaply.

Since I don't daily my car, can't help you much on that. I don't think it would be a hard car to live with as a daily, other than the non-power steering...

Good luck!

 

my friend "chewbacca" on here had a '94 964rsa black/black. they are great vehicles & his was used as a daily driver with all 4 factory options (ac/sunroof/lsd/cassette radio). it did not have power steering which would only required some arm strength if you were driving at lower speeds. his car was also purchased from a pca member who had some mods on it for track purposes.
as long as the car is well maintained & has good history records i think they are great vehicles. but you would have to drive the vehicle in order to truly decide if it is something for you.
as far as the price, that is about average.. it might be a little high for the mileage, but if it was properly maintained then that also counts.
hope it helps & good luck on your car hunt