Which Is More Worthwhile: MT or AT?

“If you’re buying a 911 with resale value in mind, which is more worthwhile, MT or AT?” That’s what my husband recently looked into. However, since “manually checking each piece of information one by one is time-consuming and tedious,” he wrote a program to automatically pull used 911 sales data from Car Sensor and convert it into usable data. (Since he works in IT, he said it only took him an hour or two to write such a program.)

(Indeed, searching and checking each one from a screen like this would be mind-numbingly tedious.)

So, here is a “graph of sales prices for water-cooled 911 models (996, 997, 991) by AT and MT(as of 2018/9/14)”. By the way, “AT cars are shown in blue” and “MT cars in red.”

This sheet contains three types of data: tables, pie charts, and bar graphs, which represent:

・Table: Average sales prices of AT and MT cars for 996, early 997, late 997, and 991 models
・Pie chart: Ratio of AT cars to MT cars currently for sale
・Bar graph: Price trends by model year

My husband handed me this sheet saying, “Look, you can figure out all sorts of things from this data, right!?” but even after staring at it for about 30 minutes, all I could see was that “MT cars are priced higher than AT cars.” I’ve never been good at data analysis.

What Can We Learn from the Data?

When I said, “I looked at it until my eyes hurt, but I still don’t get it (-_-),” my husband, exasperated, said, “W-why? Why don’t you get it? (；ﾟДﾟ)” and then shared some key points.

① MT Cars Make Up a Small Percentage Overall

Among the 911s listed on Car Sensor, the proportion of MT cars is “996 = 19.6%, early 997 = 21.5%, late 997 = 4%, 991 = 7.3%”, which was less than I expected. A smaller number means MT cars have higher rarity value.

② The Introduction of PDK Further Reduced the MT Ratio

Especially from the late 997 onwards, when the AT transmission switched to PDK, the proportion of MT cars dropped even more. Porsche previously used a torque converter automatic, which structurally differs from MT and was criticized for transmission loss during shifts. With PDK, a true dual-clutch transmission was introduced, enabling smooth shifts from low to high speeds. This means “you don’t have to buy an MT to enjoy Porsche’s driving experience,” which likely led to fewer people choosing MT cars.

③ MT Cars Are Priced Higher Than AT Cars in Almost All Models

Looking at late 997, early 997, and 996, AT cars are priced at only 70-80% of MT cars’ value. MT cars are roughly 1 to 2 million yen more expensive.

④ For the 991, AT Cars Are Currently Pricier, but MT Cars Are Likely to Catch Up

For the 991, AT cars currently have higher prices than MT cars, but MT options are only available for standard models like the Carrera, Carrera S, Carrera 4, and Carrera 4S. High-end 911 variants like the Targa or Cabriolet are not offered with MT in Japan. (I’ve written about this before↓↓)

→[Reference Article] Summary of Porsche Manual Transmission (MT) Models Available New in Japan

Considering that “MT cars are priced at 11.31 million yen, and AT cars at 13.02 million yen,” a difference of about 1.7 million yen, MT cars still hold high value and are likely to become pricier than AT cars in the future, just like other models.

Take Good Care of Your MT Car

In short, what this data tells us is:

① If you currently own a 911 MT, take good care of it.
② If you’re deciding between a 911 AT or MT, MT cars have better resale value.

To add a bit more on ①, the number of MT cars will surely continue to decline, so due to supply and demand, MT prices are expected to rise. Also, “the last air-cooled Porsche 993 MT” and my husband’s “the last NA engine Boxster GTS MT” still command high prices on Car Sensor, so taking good care of them will definitely increase their value.

Regarding ②, if you’re someone who doesn’t have a strong preference between AT and MT and are still deciding, choosing an MT car might be better since its value tends to hold up better. However, MT options are limited to certain 911 models, and production slots are few, so delivery might take time. It’s best to check with your dealer about this.

Please Send Us Your Requests

So, this time we analyzed data comparing sales prices of 911 AT and MT cars, but according to my husband, “I can pull any data listed on Car Sensor.” For example,

・Depreciation rates (amounts) comparison between Porsche Panamera, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and BMW 7 Series
・Price comparisons and trends for each 911 model
・Current lowest prices for various Porsche models

are all possible to investigate, so if you have any other angles you’d like us to explore, please feel free to send us your requests.