The long version

For most of its life this was simply the cheapest way into a new Porsche, an also-ran next to the 911 in enthusiast conversation and priced accordingly once the depreciation curve flattened out near nothing. That combination produced exactly the ownership pattern the mid-engine chassis deserved: bought by people who wanted to drive a Porsche daily, not preserve one, racking up real miles without much thought for resale. The IMS bearing concerns that haunt this generation kept prices honest longer than they should have, but clean, well-documented examples are finally firming as the entry-Porsche story gets rediscovered.