At some point in time, it will once again be safe to leave your house. And what better way to celebrate that momentous event than with today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe 911 Cabrio? Let’s see if that popping out is popularly priced.
Complaints about yesterday’s 2016 Mercedes Metris being a commercial van converted to consumer duty and hence suffering from too many rough edges kind of missed the point. Yeah, it’s all that, but it’s also a garage-able RWD van that has almost as much curve action as Sophía Vergara.
Despite the naysayers, at just $23,926, that Metris merited some positive metrics, and it achied a narrow but solid 56 percent Nice Price win as a result.
My wife and I ventured out a couple of nights ago to quickly pick up dinner from a Ramen shop, and perhaps more interestingly, grab some take-out cocktails to pair with the meal from one of our favorite watering holes. My better half had the Loyal Judith and I, naturally, had the Street Fighter. It’s important to support your local businesses in these tenuous times, and it’s also nice to get out of the house and blow off the stink every now and then.
Depending on how long this brouhaha lasts, cabin fever is going to be almost as vexing as a coronavirus-induced hot, sweaty brow. Once we are given the all-clear signal I know many of us are going to go out and go a little nuts with our reclaimed freedom (sorry introverts). And I say, what better way to celebrate that ability to commune with your fellow man, and/or woman than in the expansive openness of a convertible car?
This 2002 Porsche 911 Cabriolet is just such a car. Yes, for full-on sports car enjoyment you’re probably going to want the far stiffer coupe edition of Porsche’s evergreen model, but geez, do you really want to even think about being “coupe’d up” right now?
This 996 presents in what looks to be reasonably decent aesthetic shape. The black paint appears to hold a shine and the headlamps—the famous fried eggs—are laudably clear and un-yellowed. The only obvious issue on the exterior is the Turbo-look wheels which do show a bit of curb rash, some worse so than others.
The interior seems equally well kept, surprising for a 911 of this age. Typically you’ll see switch gear rub-off on these, as well as wear on the side seat bolsters from entry and exit. This one shows little to none of that. Yes, there is some use evident on some of the switches—I’m looking at you, boot release—but overall it’s pretty tidy.
A highlight of this interior is the six-speed stick sprouting between the two bucket seats. That manages a gearbox connected to a 3.6-litre flat-six. That naturally aspirated engine was spec’d by the factory at 320 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque.
And yes, these were also plagued early on by cylinder liner creep and the infamous IMS failures. This car has 157,930 miles on the clock and if any such sort of engineering issue were to rear its ugly head it would have likely been a number of miles ago.
The seller says the car is mechanically sound and carries a new alternator. A wheel bearing has also seen a refresh, and everything is said to be free of leaks. The title is clear and the car comes with a CarFax report showing both extensive service records and a history free of accidents. It also carries current registration tags.
One of the big complaints about the 996 was that it was no different from the lower-end Boxster from the B-pillar forward. That means the same lumpy dash, same controls and, in fact, the same front clip.
You know what? No one should care about that now. The Boxster has long established itself as a venerated sports car in its own right. Hell, do people still complain about the Maserati Bora sharing its front half with the less aggressive Merak? I thought not.
If you could overlook this 911’s manufactured shortcomings—convertible body, the fact that it’s a 996 edition—then what might you pay for it as it’s presented in its eBay ad?
The seller is asking $11,995 for the car, and that puts it well into Boxster territory. Would you pay that much for this to be your all-clear getaway car? Or, does that price have you cool with staying in a little longer?
You decide!
eBay out of Costa Mesa, CA, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to RevUnlimiter. for the hookup!
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