The Porsche 911 depreciates backwards. On realized auction prices read on 5 August 2026, the 930 Turbo sold at a median $157,529, the 964 at $100,000, the 993 at $79,250 and the 997 at $76,500. Oldest to newest, most expensive to least, without an exception in the sample.
The interesting one is in the middle. The 964 costs $20,750 more than the 993 despite the 993 being the later car and the one usually called the best of the air-cooled 911s.
Four Porsche 911 generations, by what they actually sold for
Realized prices from completed Bring a Trailer auctions, read on 5 August 2026. Sell-through is the share of completed auctions that met reserve, a liquidity measure available because Bring a Trailer publishes the failures as well as the sales.
| Generation | Years | Auctions | Sell-through | Median sale | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 930 Turbo | 1975-1989 | 12 | 66.7% | $157,529 | $76,000 – $315,000 |
| 964 | 1989-1994 | 23 | 82.6% | $100,000 | $39,500 – $205,000 |
| 993 | 1994-1998 | 23 | 87.0% | $79,250 | $48,750 – $136,000 |
| 997 | 2004-2012 | 24 | 79.2% | $76,500 | $37,750 – $225,000 |
Two generations are missing and their absence matters. The 996 (1998-2004), the first water-cooled 911 and traditionally the cheapest, had no reachable model page, as did the modern 991 and 992. So this covers the air-cooled cars plus the 997, and says nothing about the current car.
The 964 costs more than the 993, which is the wrong way round
The Porsche 993 is the last air-cooled 911 and the enthusiast consensus pick, and it sold at a median $79,250. The earlier and generally less loved 964 sold at $100,000, some 26 percent more.
The ranges overlap in a way that suggests what is happening. The 964’s spread runs $39,500 to $205,000, far wider than the 993’s $48,750 to $136,000. A wide top end on the 964 is consistent with rare variants (Turbos, RS and lightweight cars) pulling its median up, rather than with an ordinary 964 outpricing an ordinary 993.
That is an inference from the distribution, not a measured fact, and we are labelling it as one. What is measured is that on these auctions the 964’s median was higher. A buyer comparing an ordinary example of each should get variant-level prices before treating that gap as real.
The 993 is the one that actually sells
The Porsche 993 converted 20 of 23 completed auctions, 87.0 percent, the highest of the four generations. The 964 managed 82.6 percent, the 997 79.2, and the 930 Turbo just 66.7.
For anyone who may need to sell, that is the most useful column in the table. The 993 has both the tightest price range and the highest conversion, which together describe a market where buyers and sellers broadly agree what the car is worth. The 930 Turbo has the widest range and the weakest conversion, a market that does not agree.
The 997 is the cheap way into a 911, and the least liquid of the modern ones
The Porsche 997 sold at a median $76,500, the lowest of the four, on the largest sample here at 24 completed auctions. Its range, $37,750 to $225,000, is the second widest, which again points to variant spread rather than a uniform car.
Its 79.2 percent sell-through is the weakest of the three non-Turbo generations. Do not read the low median as a bargain without checking the variant. A $37,750 997 and a $225,000 997 are different propositions sharing a name.
What this data cannot tell you
- One auction house, and roughly the last 12 to 24 completed sales per generation. A snapshot, not a history.
- Variants are not separated. Turbo, GT3, RS and base cars sit in the same generation bucket, which is the single biggest caveat on every median here.
- Hammer prices exclude buyer’s premium, so a buyer pays more than the medians shown.
- Unsold does not mean unsellable. Cars that miss reserve are often sold privately afterwards, so true conversion is likely higher across the board.
- The 996, 991 and 992 are absent. Nothing here describes the water-cooled bargain end or the modern car.
Frequently asked questions
Which 911 generation is most expensive?
The 930 Turbo, at a median realized $157,529, then the 964 at $100,000.
Is the 964 really more expensive than the 993?
On these auctions, yes: $100,000 against $79,250. The 964’s much wider range suggests rare variants are lifting its median rather than ordinary cars outpricing ordinary 993s.
Which 911 sells most reliably at auction?
The 993, converting 20 of 23 completed auctions at 87.0 percent.
This piece is part of our motoring reference, What a Classic Car Costs to Own: Realized Prices, and the Odds of Selling It, which sets out the method and collects every figure we have published on the subject. Also in it: Every Valuation Guide Tells You What a Classic Car Is Worth. None Tells You the Odds of Selling It., The Ferrari F355 Costs More Than the 360 That Replaced It. Five Models, by What They Actually Sold For., The E30 M3 Makes $63,250 at Auction. The E36 Makes $27,750. Same Badge., 11 Classic Cars Under $50,000, Ranked by Whether They Actually Sell, No-Reserve Classic Car Lots Sold 122 Times Out of 123. Within the Same Model, They Sold for a Fifth Less..
Sources for these Porsche 911 prices
All figures are realized prices from completed Bring a Trailer auctions, read on 5 August 2026 from each generation’s model page. Bring a Trailer publishes lots that failed to meet reserve alongside those that sold, which is what makes sell-through measurable at all; no valuation guide publishes it. Realized prices exclude buyer’s premium.
The medians, ranges, sell-through rates and every comparison between generations are our arithmetic on those published results. Parts and memorabilia lots were excluded by hand, since model pages mix them with cars and they wreck a median. Our wider study of auction sell-through across 27 models sets out the method.