agent325

.......I feel like I have been giving out free test drive for people, I've been trying to sell me car on and off for the past six months, people come tell me I have a bitchen car, drive it and leave. This one guy came over saturday, took it for a 30 min test drive, told me he loved that car and wanted it. Calls me back monday and tells me he bought another car.

On sunday, another guy comes, takes it for a 15 min joy ride, we negociate a price, gives me a deposit contingent on a PPI, then calls me today and says he is 2 grand short and cant buy it.


I cant distingish a serious buyer from a joke, i'm taking every call seriously, but I guess I shouldn't. My car is in excellent example, it's as clean as they come, and I want $18,900 with 113K miles. The car doesnt need anything. I think I'm fair, aren't I?

911sickness

LA can be a fickle market for older cars (even for the ageless 911). Just FYI, as a datapoint there was another rennlister in LA who sold his perfect 88 '911 with the same mileage as yours for $17.8k and it took some time. His had all service recs and was nicely optioned w/ front & rear spoilers and other amenities. Really didn't need any work. So while your price is fair, it might be a little high in this depressed market. I think at $17k it would sell somewhat quicker. Your call on how long you want to hold out to find that one buyer at the higher price or continue enjoying it.

Drew Theodore

That's why there are used car dealers.
Its a pain selling a car.

Luus

I think these cars bring out a lot of people who are just looking for a joy ride. I'm curious to hear how others handle the dreaded "test drive." I'm not looking to sell my car anytime soon but hate the thought of having to go through a parade of people wanting to test drive MY car

Would it be fair to tell prospective buyers that there will be no test drives until a deal is met (which would include hefty deposit)? And then the deal would be contingent on a test drive as part of the PPI.

Sonic dB

In this market, $18.9 for a car with over 100K miles is high. Im sorry to say.

You dont mention if it is a coupe or targa, probably not a cab or you would be sellling it even higher. $16-17K will move the car...but if you are dead set on getting your asking price then eventually someday someone may pay it.

purrybonker

This test drive issue is a tough one - in the past I have adopted the policy of taking people for a drive as opposed to letting them test drive the car.

This way they can see how the car rides and behaves and I keep comfortable in not having some knucklehead mashing my machine (intentionally or otherwise).

I put a positive spin on this by explaining that they can get a much better feel about the car from the passenger seat than from the driver's seat. Much easier to observe and be objective from there.

ron mcatee

Purrybonker is right and I might add that of all the Porsches I have had and sold (19 of them), I never let a prospective buyer take the car on his own and I always drive the car and tell them what each item is on the car. Only after this is done will I let them behind the wheel. I also caution them that a Porsche is different from other cars in driving and handling.

Doug&Julie

I went to buy a car from a guy a few years ago and he wouldn't let me drive it. When I said "let's take it for a drive" he said "ok, I'LL drive....YOU ride." That made me suspicious right away. But he drove it well enough to where I got a good feel for the car, and since he agreed to a PPI at a shop of my choice, I was ok with it. (Ultimately, I backed out of it because he neglected to tell me it had a "rebuilt" title...which greatly devalued the car.)

The two 911s I've sold...I allowed a test drive but went with each time. Although that's probably not a fair comparison because both buyers were from out of town, and by the time they were at the test drive phase, it was more of a formality. But I don't think I'd just let anybody drive off in my 911, not without me by their side. I wasn't as concerned with my 944 or my first Boxster, but I think that's just because they're easier for the laymen to drive. (No offense laymen)

At some point, the buyer HAS to drive the car. I would never buy without it, even if I were familiar with that model of car and new it to be in exceptional shape. And unfortunately any hesitance to allow somebody to drive it will lead to suspicion in the buyer. But I don't see anything wrong with insisting you ride with the driver, or even driving first to go over everything.

On your other concern...I would agree with everybody else, it's a buyer's market right now. Tough to sell at your asking price without a lot of patience. I'm sure you'll find the right buyer.

Good luck!

geo.aigel

Sorry to be so frank, but your car is overpriced! People consider cars over 100k miles "high mileage". Have you checked the kelley blue book private party value for your vehicle? In the Bay Area, your car, according to KBB "excellent" sells for 16k and "good" for 15 between private parties.

You must understand that prices have come down on the newer porsches. You can get a high mileage 993 for under 30k if you are lucky, the carrera 2/4 can be seen for around 20k in decent shape, so why would anyone want an 88 for a Carrera 2 price?

I think you can put an end to your nightmare by lowering the price 2 or better 3k. What is 3k in owning a porsche? Make it $15,900 and you will move the car.

I sell my cars on a regular basis. It NEVER took me longer than two weekends to move a car, no matter what type. Why? Because I always price them where people feel they are a good or at least fair deal. If you try to squeeze every penny out of it, you will have to be patient. I like to move on with life and tell myself that selling it myself still makes me a pretty buck, compared to trading it in with a dealer.

I think that many of your buyers may hope that they can haggle the price, see that there is no room and then leave. I have done the same thing when I was buying my 911. I was seriously interested in every car I looked at. I drove them, loved them, made an offer. 5th car I looked at, the owner took my lower offer, probably because he was also very tired of giving test drives.

Hope this helps! Good Luck!

Cheeers, George

agent325

My car is actually a Coupe........i'm gonna be pretty firm on my price only because i'm not dieing to sell it........the part that irritates me is I ussually tell people that I'm firm on the price, they come take the test drive, waste my time for an hour, then leave. On the flip side thats the problem with selling a used car, every one that comes needs to be treated like a potential buyer.... I negociated a price of 18,200 with this guy and only took a deposit of $100. Next time is gonna atleast $300-$500 to make it worth while. On top of this, I made an appointment for the guy with my mechanic for a PPI, that I had to cancel. Flaky people, what are you gonna Do!

911sickness

I have had and sold many cars with higher mileage. They are definitely harder to sell. If someone is seriously interested at a somewhat lower price than my asking, I will let it go. Just think about it this way - something could go wrong with the car while you are waiting for the next buyer to show up and you will have to fix it then you are basically back to square one. Especially for an older 911, repair bills can be costly. You obviously want to sell it, so just lower the price and move on. Cars normally depreciate so the longer you wait, the less it will be worth. Just my $0.02.

MIK911

agent325,
I'm actually one of the 'test drivers' that met you and drove your car about 3 months ago. Here's why i didn't buy it:

1) Your Price is high. I must sell my RED '86 911 to buy your BLACK '88. I was truthful with you from the beginning. The market is depressed, and i could not sell mine low and buy yours high. For your firm asking price, i'd expect the car to be FLAWLESS.

2)Get the car 'ready to sell'.
a)Your electric seats weren't working. You said it was "just a fuse". Well, if it's just a fuse, replace the fuse before showing/selling it !!

b)Your back seats were out, but you said: "it just needs to be bolted on". Well, then bolt them on!!!
If i'm gonna buy a car that just needs a fuse and bolts, then i expect YOU to do this. I don't want to buy a car assuming it's a fuse, then finding out it's some electrical gremlin that you've been unable to diagnose.

3)Significant DENT on roof near sunroof/drivers side. This was undisclosed, and left for me to discover. Makes me wonder what else you're not telling me.

4)You were willing to TRADE me my car for yours plus cash. Why would you sell a 3.2 Carrera just to get another one? Maybe there's no deception on your part, but makes me scared that you just want to unload your car.

Don't get me wrong. No hard feelings, but you asked, and i thought this might help you in the future.

Mike
'86 coupe

Eric-17

Mike:

Gorgeous coupe...

Agent:

As a casual looker for my first Porsche, your asking waaaay too much. I have already been thinking I'd wait another year and get a 993. For what your asking I'd rather kick in a little and get a C2 with much less mileage...

Despite the mantra of SC/Carrera, there are many soon to be buyers who are looking in this market and find the mid-eighties cars not much bang-for-the-buck compared to a 964 or even high-milaege 993.

JMHO

Good luck to you...

g-50cab

High - so keep it if you don't want to sell it. Do a zip code search in Autotrader.com for your model year (87-89) within a 200 mile radius. To sell it you need to be in the bottom 1/3rd - to keep it - stay in the top 1/3rd (where I imagine you are). Not a great market to sell a Porsche = sorry

911sickness

MIK911,

What are the specifics on your car. Still selling it?