1998 911 Carrera Coupe

When it comes to Porsche 964s, Japanese market examples command a premium as they were available without a sunroof, which made them much more desirable compared to US-spec examples as they were pretty much all delivered with one. But as you can clearly see, our Spotlight car is not a 964. Instead it’s a Japanese-market 996 imported from Japan in 2023.

But unlike Japanese 964s, this 1998 911 Carrera Coupe has a sunroof, and pretty much looks like your standard US example. Finished in Vesuvio Metallic over a Graphite Grey supple leather interior, this 54,000-mile 996 is equipped with a Tiptronic transmission and aftermarket BBS 18” two-piece alloy wheels. The seller notes that they had the front bumper cover, right fender, and hood refinished under their stewardship and there is a ding on the driver door. The car comes with Japanese service records along with work completed by the seller which included changing the oil, flushing the coolant, and replacing the ignition coils and spark plugs. They definitely put some money into this one since purchasing it off of BaT in March of this year.

So what’s the difference price-wise between a Japanese 996 and a US 996? Nada, as there’s not too much difference between the models other than lights. It sold at a final bid of $22,995, beating out it’s previous sale of $19,780. When you add the buyer’s fee they paid when they bought it and the work put into the car, the seller probably broke even or made a few bucks. Fair deal for a rare color on an early 996.

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