Rare Cars Hold Their Value Better

The other day, I said goodbye to my very first car, my beloved BMW 320i. I owned it for 1 year and 2 months—a short time—but thanks to the 320i, I was able to learn how to drive a manual transmission, so I’m truly grateful to that car.

From my experience of having the 320i appraised and sold simultaneously through multiple buyers this time, what I felt was that “rare cars don’t depreciate easily.” It’s something everyone says, of course, but experiencing it firsthand made me deeply realize, “this really is true.”

There are plenty of 320i (F30) models listed on used car sites, but the manual transmission in the standard model is very rare (there are quite a few M Sport manuals), so I was able to sell it under very good conditions.

So, when I buy my next car, I’ve come to think it’s important to consider resale value as well. (Though buying with the intention to sell is a bit strange)

And if I buy next, I definitely want to get a Porsche, which has been my goal for a while now…

Looking back, my desire started with “I want to buy a Panamera GTS myself,” then shifted to wanting a 911 Targa, and after learning to drive manual, I started thinking, “I want a 911 with a manual transmission.” My preferences have changed quite a bit depending on the situation, so I might say something different next year, but as of now, I’ve narrowed down the cars I want to two.

911 Carrera T

The Carrera T I want is the 2018 model.

The Carrera T sits between the Carrera and Carrera S models. It’s a lightweight, stripped-down, pure sports car. Porsche’s newsroom introduced it under the title “Less is more,” and it’s often called a true 911. By the way, the “T” in Carrera T stands for “Touring.”

For a while, my husband watched the official Porsche video of the Carrera T so many times it almost wore out. That video was really cool—simple, elegant, with a great engine sound.

It would be amazing to drive the Carrera T with a manual transmission! It must be so much fun!

Watching the video got me excited, but unfortunately, only the PDK version has been officially imported to Japan. Manual versions are only available as parallel imports, and they rarely appear on used car sites. When they do, they’re expensive and sell quickly.

When I kept saying, “I want it, I want it…,” my husband said,

Well, it’s a great car, but we already have a GT3 Touring at home, so why another Carrera T? They overlap a bit. And why manual? PDK is good enough. Have you really fallen that hard for manuals?

But no, the one who insisted I learn manual and even got me to remove my automatic-only license restriction, opening the door to the world of manuals, is definitely my husband (laughs).

Even though we have a GT3, it’s not a car you can just hop into casually, so I have a longing to drive a more approachable, pure Porsche like the Carrera T with a manual transmission.

That said, considering the budget, it honestly feels quite difficult.

Standard 911 (991.1)

I’ve long wanted to drive a standard 911 with a naturally aspirated (NA) engine from the early 991 generation, preferably with a manual transmission. Thanks to the many Porsches I’ve driven, I feel “NA engines really sound better,” and I know even if I chose a higher-grade model with more power, I’d be overwhelmed, so I think the standard model suits me best.

When I mentioned this to my husband, he said,

If you want NA, why not a 997? It still has some air-cooled character. Actually, if you want a true Porsche to drive with a manual, it has to be air-cooled. Go for air-cooled.

But unfortunately, I don’t have the courage to buy an air-cooled Porsche. They require quite a bit of regular maintenance, the battery can die easily, and summer driving is tough. Watching closely, I think “it’s really hard to maintain without a lot of love and financial flexibility….”

Considering that, the early 991—the last NA model—seems less demanding, and since manuals are rare, that’s a plus.

However, looking at used car sites, there are quite a few manual GT3s and 911Rs from the early 991, but standard manual 911s are suddenly much rarer. I’m sure if the condition is good, they’ll sell for a decent price, but finding one is tough.

Well, even if I say I want to buy one, it’s not something for the immediate future. With parenting settling down in a few years (actually, I’m due this month), I hope to take my time thinking about and searching for the Porsche that suits me.

*Image source: “Porsche Newsroom“