GR86 GR86 values at the end of 2025, are they worth it and what else can you get?

OPC100 said:
I really like the S2000 and have thought about one a few times over the last few years. But the more I look into them, the more the rust stories on what are 20-25 year old cars now scare me off. Such a shame that they (like alot of Japanese cars) weren't better rust protected from new, or the UK didn't salt the roads so much?
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When I bought my 2006 GT from new the cast iron suspension parts were inhibited and it was never driven in the salt.
Always wondered what it looks like now.
It was immaculate underneath when I sold it after 6 years.
The rear arches were the worst. Honda kept fitting these stupid rubber u channels around the arch edge which collected crud and if not cleaned regularly they started to rot really quick. Removing them completely was the best option.
 
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I’m not planning on selling mine any time soon, but has anyone else noticed how close in value a nice 997 C2S manual is at the moment? Never had a 911, but I know a fair few on here have. Please tell me how bad that idea is, so I can stop looking at them on Autotrader.
 
Alex-GR86 said:
I’m not planning on selling mine any time soon, but has anyone else noticed how close in value a nice 997 C2S manual is at the moment? Never had a 911, but I know a fair few on here have. Please tell me how bad that idea is, so I can stop looking at them on Autotrader.
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Are you sure? Quick search shows manual 2010 C2S from £41k
Cannot talk from experience but the youngest 997C2S would be 14 years old now. If they have not had their suspension refreshed already then you are looking at expending a few £Ks on it.

Possibly a good idea as they will likely retain more money than ours in the next 5 years.

Maybe scratch the itch and come back when prices have softened or import a rust free gr86 from japan.
 
Alex-GR86 said:
I’m not planning on selling mine any time soon, but has anyone else noticed how close in value a nice 997 C2S manual is at the moment? Never had a 911, but I know a fair few on here have. Please tell me how bad that idea is, so I can stop looking at them on Autotrader.
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A 15 year old Porsche. Not sure what could go wrong there. LOL.
 
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OPC100 said:
If I was in your shoes, I'd consider an ND2 MX-5 in either 1.5 or 2.0. ND2 has the more powerful / higher reving 2.0 and the 1.5 also a good engine that can be revved out, plus the ND2 has some other improvements over the ND1 such as rake/reach adjustable steering wheel. You can get some higher mileage ones in budget. Alternatively, a GT86 could be an option if you needed a bit more practicality and didn't mind going backwards from the GR86. Failing that, what about keeping the manual requirement, but looking at fwd? Suzuki Swift Sports are fun. The ZC32S is an old school NA hot (warm) hatch in the mould of a GT/GR86 and the ZC33S adds a turbo (and mild hybrid in the later versions) to give a bit more performance. All 3 versions are also quicker than the official stats, as Suzuki are very conservative with their performance figures.
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Thanks for the information… I’ve been down the Mazda route before and really need 5 decent sized seats and a boot going forward, having the GR was a treat for a while but the little ones are growing so getting them in was getting more difficult!

Currently looking at a 3 series estate of some description, or perhaps an Octavia VRS manual petrol estate for maximum size (wrong wheel drive!), to free some funds. Like the idea of the Suzuki, but it’s not quite big enough looking ahead to the kids getting bigger.

It’s been a pleasure to get to drive the GR everyday, and will be missed!
 
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Alex-GR86 said:
I’m not planning on selling mine any time soon, but has anyone else noticed how close in value a nice 997 C2S manual is at the moment? Never had a 911, but I know a fair few on here have. Please tell me how bad that idea is, so I can stop looking at them on Autotrader.
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I can confidently say that my GR86 won't have any 4-figure bills for the next 7 years thanks to the warranty.

997s are lovely things but a 4-figure bills will be routine and 5-figures not beyond the realms of possibility if something goes wrong with the engine or transmission. 997s are old cars and things wear out, break or corrode especially if you use them all year round. You'd have to really love a car to take on the risk of such a large bill.

I've spent over £30k keeping my 993 C2 on the road for the past 20 years and yet nothing major has gone wrong. It's generally just been routine maintenance.

To give you an idea, a few years ago the following little lot cost me £3,200 from a Porsche specialist:
24k service, brake fluid, cv boots, front disc backing plates, distributor caps rotor arms, MOT.

The fact that a GR86 is comparable to a 911 for fun driving and for long distance road trips for a fraction of the cost makes it hard to beat and makes me question why I need the 993.
 
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t5boy said:
Thanks for the information… I’ve been down the Mazda route before and really need 5 decent sized seats and a boot going forward, having the GR was a treat for a while but the little ones are growing so getting them in was getting more difficult!

Currently looking at a 3 series estate of some description, or perhaps an Octavia VRS manual petrol estate for maximum size (wrong wheel drive!), to free some funds. Like the idea of the Suzuki, but it’s not quite big enough looking ahead to the kids getting bigger.

It’s been a pleasure to get to drive the GR everyday, and will be missed!
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Ended up with a Seat Leon Cupra ST 300 estate… very different but needs must. Prices of most cars are shocking right now but that’s helped keep the GR prices up - given the time of year and still having strong prices I expect low milage looked after examples will command strong money for some time.
 
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t5boy said:
Ended up with a Seat Leon Cupra ST 300 estate… very different but needs must. Prices of most cars are shocking right now but that’s helped keep the GR prices up - given the time of year and still having strong prices I expect low milage looked after examples will command strong money for some time.
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I had a Leon cupra 300 back in 2018, fantastic car in every way. Estate and 4WD can only improve things I’m sure.
 

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t5boy said:
Ended up with a Seat Leon Cupra ST 300 estate… very different but needs must. Prices of most cars are shocking right now but that’s helped keep the GR prices up - given the time of year and still having strong prices I expect low milage looked after examples will command strong money for some time.
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Good choice and sounds perfect for your needs.

Been looking at VAG stuff myself to help comfortably soak up the daft miles I am now doing. Quite taken with the closely related Octavia vRS or the Superb with the AWD and same engine.
 
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Silver Fox said:
Good choice and sounds perfect for your needs.

Been looking at VAG stuff myself to help comfortably soak up the daft miles I am now doing. Quite taken with the closely related Octavia vRS or the Superb with the AWD and same engine.
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I spent a lot of time looking at the Octavia vRS, they seem to hold value even better as well as the Cupra. Finding a manual with nice options (heated seats being one) was difficult.

The Superb L&K spec with the E888 and AWD look like great comfortable machines, the ultimate sleeper!
 
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leosayer said:
I can confidently say that my GR86 won't have any 4-figure bills for the next 7 years thanks to the warranty.

997s are lovely things but a 4-figure bills will be routine and 5-figures not beyond the realms of possibility if something goes wrong with the engine or transmission. 997s are old cars and things wear out, break or corrode especially if you use them all year round. You'd have to really love a car to take on the risk of such a large bill.

I've spent over £30k keeping my 993 C2 on the road for the past 20 years and yet nothing major has gone wrong. It's generally just been routine maintenance.

To give you an idea, a few years ago the following little lot cost me £3,200 from a Porsche specialist:
24k service, brake fluid, cv boots, front disc backing plates, distributor caps rotor arms, MOT.

The fact that a GR86 is comparable to a 911 for fun driving and for long distance road trips for a fraction of the cost makes it hard to beat and makes me question why I need the 993.
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Suprised to see those bills from a specialist. Id of expected an old Porsche to be fairly benign in terms of regular running costs although id of done most of that myself.

This is what draws me to the 86, its relatively cheap, 1200kgish and doesnt annoy me too much when it needs servicing or taxing. Plus its simple to work on, basically like lego.

My old E92 M3 used to wind me up everytime I had to pay for something on it.
 
I currently find myself in this boat too, the 6 & 8 year olds who test drove the car with me are now 10 & 12 and running out of room, the cheap family wagon is 7 years old now and starting to show it, imo i’m too old for a hot hatch so that leaves me with the option of a new dull family wagon and a quick saloon or a town car and a quick estate, the biggest issue i have at the moment is the awful extra tax you pay on 40k + cars for the first 5 years, i know its not massive if your buying it new but when your looking at 2 year old cars it a fair whack

Cupra leon estate is high on my list 👍🏻
 
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Sounds like a very similar situation I found myself in, with the exception of a new kitchen being on the list! Other options I looked at were a 330i touring, or the 340i… it seems you can’t get a lot for the money in the current market, and the Seats Leon is very practical (huge boot), more affordable and less appealing to theives than the BMW’s.

The newer shape Cupra’s may be in reach for you, although the MK3 is also a very capable car - and slightly more analogue.
 
I came from a Mk2 Octavia vRS and I have briefly considered a Mk4 to replace the Swift but all VAG stuff around then had awful UI and buggy systems. I considered a Cupra before the 86 but felt more of the same and did read of a few issues with seat backs cracking and a few other common 2.0 TSi issues they never solved.
 
The cupra does tick a lot of boxes, one of the biggest issues is i usually buy new and haven’t spent more than 5k on a used car before, the 57k for a new one is a bit beyond me 🤣
 
Wading in here. You may recall I was considering buying a GR86 this time last year, however during my search for one, my criteria changed. I ended up getting a brand new Octavia VRS estate (with a heavy discount).

A great car, over half the cost of my previous RS4, but not half the fun. I didn’t spec any options to keep the RRP under £40k (that said it comes with everything I need as standard, e.g. reverse camera, heated seats, high beam assist, acc, etc). They’ve also removed the fake sound with the facelift, and replaced it with a fruity sports exhaust.

I’d still love an 86 as a weekend toy, but for now need a suitable daily that serves multiple purposes!
 
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I traded my GR86 in this week. Grey, 1 owner, Toyota history, with the duck tail and 4000 miles on it. Motorway were offering £29,500 and the dealer gave me £30,000. So values seem to have firmed up. Happy to have had the opportunity to own one, wish I had driven it more. Best wishes all.
 
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Out of interest how much did the motorway valuation change from the initial automated response to the actual dealer ones? (If thats how it still works?) Ive tried a couple of online quotes and they’re around the 24k mark for mine
 
Swizzle said:
Out of interest how much did the motorway valuation change from the initial automated response to the actual dealer ones? (If thats how it still works?) Ive tried a couple of online quotes and they’re around the 24k mark for mine
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The 29,500 was the automated response, I went through all of the process adding pictures but didn’t activate the profile as the dealer agreed with my valuation, or close enough.
 
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