The 996 is presently the least desirable 911 edition extant. The ad for today’s Carrera claims that one of the primary valuation suppressing issues has been fixed. Let’s see if that makes this Porsche’s price pleasantly palatable.

When confronted by yesterday’s , many of you rightly made the connection to the Munster’s drag racer from the ‘60s TV show. Our candidate may have lacked the TV car’s straight-line acceleration but it was just as audacious. Sadly, audacity simply doesn’t tip the stripper around here, and the coffin car got buried in both an avalanche of puns and a 72-percent Crack Pipe loss.

If you’ve got to go, you might as well die happy, and one joy-making activity for most car enthusiasts is their first time behind the wheel of a Porsche. I remember my first Porsche—right down to the model and color. It was an ’80 911SC sunroof coupe in Chocolate Brown. It was also someone else’s whip so I didn’t do anything stupid in it.

Discovering and mastering a Porsche 911’s unique handling traits takes time, and that usually requires ownership. That of course, is probably yet another desired auto enthusiast bucket list check-off for many of us. That’s also an achievement that of late has become financially less likely owing to skyrocketing values on Porsches in general, and 911s in particular.

One model of 911 that hasn’t made the jump to lightspeed yet is the first wasserboxer edition, the ’98-’04 996. We’ve discussed in the past why this is—the too close for comfort to the Boxster’s nose, front suspension, and interior, as well as well as the reputation for the 996’s 3.4-litre engine to inconvenientlygo tits up due to an design error.

Here’s the thing: the 996 is still a pretty sweet ride.

This is kitted for basic fun, what with its six-speed stick and lighter-weight RWD platform. Not only that, but the seller claims the 296-bhp flat six in its ass has already had an aftermarket IMS (intermediate shaft) installed, as well as a new rear main seal and a clutch. There is a promise of an extensive service history to support that work too. You will note some monkey business with that engine back there, evidenced by the orange intake and blocked off port. I don’t quite know what’s up with that.

What we all do know is that black paint will expose surface flaws like almost no other color. Fortunately, this black over grey coupe seems to wear its ebon hue without trepidation. That paint is set against a nice set of five-spoke 18-inch factory alloys that are claimed to have never been introduced to a curb.

Inside things are much the same. The seller says the car was top-kitted when new, with full leather and an alcantara headliner. The seats look surprising flat for a car with deviltry in mind, but their leather surface at least remains intact. Carpets, dash, and door cards all also look perfectly serviceable, although there’s a bit of wear evident on the hand brake, as they do. Some aftermarket stereo stuff clutters that dash up a bit, but that’s all easily rectified.

The tires are claimed to be nearly new, there’s under 90K on the clock, and the car is said to come with both a clean title and CarFax report. What’s not to like?

Well, it’s a 996, and as we discussed just a few paragraphs above, people tend to discount them in the panoply of Porsche 911 models. In fact if you were to look at 911 values by model year with ’98 - ’04 in the middle, it would probably look like an inverse bell curve. That of course means that the 996 is the 911 for the rest of us.

Yay!

Point in fact, this 2000, with all the work done and the low miles, is asking $21,000. Okay, okay, so $21K is a chunk of change. What did you think I was going to say, that they go for two grand and a secret handshake or something? No. But $21,000 for a 911 in general is pretty good. Of course, you are going to be voting on that price specifically for this particular 911, as it’s presented in its ad. That’s just how we roll around here.

What do you think, is $21,000 a fair price for this seemingly fixed 996? Or, do you think these models are so unloved that prices will continue to drop for some time, making paying for this one a poor choice?

You decide!

Cleveland OH C, or go if the ad disappears.

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