Help me sell my 911SC Targa

[Head416]

Looking for some advice on a Targa I'm trying to sell. I'm not sure why this car hasn't sold - it might be me, I hate selling cars. I've had the typical low-balls, but I think I've offered this car at a price that is already a steal, but so far not too many people seem to agree with me. What am I doing wrong here?

My car was a RoW car, and was later rebuilt as a 3.2ss. To me this car should be worth more than average. To be fair, the interior is original which means most buyers would probably plan fix the carpets, seats, and doorpanels, so that probably drops it back down to average.

I'm curios to see what you guys think would be a good/fair price for this car. So I'll wait to see what you think before I share what I've been asking. (If you've seen this ad, please hold off on mentioning price until I get some fresh opinions please.) Or maybe my ad sucks?

RoW 1981 Porsche 911SC Targa with 3.2SS




Engine rebuild in 2005
3.2L short stroke
Max Moritz pistons and cylinders
915 transmission rebuilt
Approx 50,000 miles on rebuild
Replaced head studs
Installed pop-off valve
Carrera oil-fed chain tensioners

8x16 Fuchs in rear
7x16 Fuchs in front
Bilstein sport shocks
Rennline strut tower brace
Carrera sway bars


Fall 2010
Rebuilt calipers
New rotors and pads
New brake hoses and hard lines
Mocal front fender oil cooler
Oil cooler fan kit from Elephant Racing
New Toyo T1-Rs.



Always well maintained
Bi-annual tune-ups and valve adjustments
AC components are in place, but disconnected
Chiffon White exterior
Interior is tan carpet and seats with dark brown dash
Interior is almost all original, no rips or tears
Recovered dash looks great
Targa top is in good condition
PPI's welcome as long as the shop's reputation can be verified.
VIN: WPOZZZ91ZBS14xxxx
Total miles on chassis approx 300,000
About 50,000 on rebuilt engine and trans









964 style deck lid and spoiler:

[ckelly78z]

I'm no expert on 911s, but the car looks very clean with good service records and some upgrades. The things that hurt the value are the non-functioning A/C and 300,000 miles on the remainder of the car other than the upgraded, later,engine. The early 80s 911 I have seen in beautiful condition are going for close to $20,000, and I think this car should be somewhere in the $17,000-$20,000 range.

[sammyg2]

I'm guessing that part about 300,000 miles on the chassis isn't helping much.
Tell the truth if asked, but no need to throw that out there unless asked. I realize that isn't that big a deal on a 911 but others may not understand that.

The only other suggestion is to make the "modifications" sound more stock than hot-rodded.
Some buyers will get scared away if they think it's a frankenstein.
Make it seems like a nicely "improved" stock running vehicle.
Go back to the stock pedals and put the aluminium in the trunk.

Other than that it all looks like a great car.

EDIT: there are lots of 911s for sale in So Cal, ckelly78z's estimate of $17,000-$20,000 range seems pretty high for around here.

I'd guess it'd sell closer to $13.5k to $14k
Maybe a little more but it's easy to find SC's for what mid-years were going for 5 years ago.

[Christien]

I see two things that are hurting: 1. the mileage, as has been noted - only people who understand these cars and the value of a rebuilt engine will be ok with that. 2. Snow - never take pictures in the snow, even if was just a bit and the streets were clear of salt. The average buyer will assume it was winter driven and move on to the next car, unless the price were very low (sub-10k). Add to that it's a targa, which are the hardest to sell, and you have a very small market.

I think you're priced right - very fairly, so all that's needed is patience. Selling cars sucks, no doubt about it.

[TechnoViking]

It's a nice SC, but bottom line is that it's an SC. There are lots of them out there.

~$20K gets you a Carerra with a 3.2 built at the factory (as opposed to this 3.2 which looks somewhat hot-rodded). So you're looking at high teens, IMO for an SC, no matter how nice. And yours is a Targa, which is less desirable for many buyers so that may be a factor in your results so far.

Who rebuilt the engine? DO you have a build sheet showing all the stuff that was done? That will be key for many buyers.

Best of luck in your sale.

M

[Head416]

Fair point about the snow pic. What's funny is how hard I had to work to find that patch of snow for the photo op!

[Head416]

Previous owner had the rebuild done by Gary at FactoryWerks, and I do have the build sheet.

[KaptKaos]

From what I understand, the Targas are the least desirable of the SC models. Many people are looking for Coupes or Cabrios, but not the Targa.

Second, what are you asking for it? I am not buying, but knowing what you're asking would be helpful. Then again, the fact that you omitted the price in this post may be an indication of the salesmanship games you're playing. I don't know how you're listing the car, but that may be turning people off. EDIT *** Nevermind - just re-read your Original Post ****

Third, low ball offers are a negotiating tactic. Just as padding the asking price is. If you are asking exactly what you want to get for that car, that's bad strategy. Also, low ballers aren't necessarily bad buyers, but if you dismiss them out of hand, without negotiating, then they might just walk.

Third, don't discount the cost of interior work. Recovered seats, door panels and carpets, done right, are expensive. If you're priced at the top of the market, and it needs interior, then you shouldn't be priced there.

Fourth, I don't like the 964 tail. People looking at SCs might not like it either.

Fifth, what's an RoW car?

Sixth, while I appreciate a 3.2 upgrade, people looking for originality may not be. Add to that any additional hassles with smogging a car with a newer motor, and I could see why they may not be interested.

Lastly, years ago, I made a legit offer on car (forget which one now) the seller said no, and that was it. I expected him to come back with something off of his asking price. When all he said was no, I said OK and left. I wasn't going to keep raising my offer until he agreed, I was there to make a deal. I have no idea if that's what is happening here, but something to keep in mind.

[Rot 911]

An engine rebuild only makes your car more desirable, not more valuable. Say your average, well maintained, SC is selling for $12K. You $10K engine rebuild is not going to net you much more than $2K higher in the asking price. And that 300K miles on the chassis is a killer. What you have is a nice $14K SC.

[Head416]

To clarify, my postings have all had asking prices. I've left it off of here because I'm curious to see what others think without being influenced by my asking price.

[Head416]

Originally Posted by Rot 911

...Say your average, well maintained, SC is selling for $12K...

How many agree with this?

Excellence posted some very different numbers (I'm more inclined to believe this than what Excellence had.)

[biosurfer1]

Excellence is so far off of reality it's barely worth noting, IMO.

[Head416]

That was my first reaction. But then I saw many comments on PPOT to Porsche prices going up, and I guess I started to believe it because I really wanted it to be true!

(I didn't raise my price as a result of that. I just started to REALLY question what why it was so far off from what I was experiencing.)

[aigel]

This is a $13-14k car in today's market. If you have it priced at that, I am also curious why it doesn't sell.

Like others have mentioned, the car does come across as worn and a mixed bag. What I see as negatives:

- Non original style Fuchs
- White (WHITE!) fan
- Dirty engine compartment
- No a/c
- Yellow fog lights
- Worn interior
- Quite a few miles on the rebuilt engine and trans
- 300k miles on chassis (that's all the components not mentioned as new - including the paint!?)
- Non original engine lid (does the original exist?)
- Pedals?

I would seriously look at a nice ROW SC targa to buy for myself and possibly sell it to a buddy in Germany down the line. This car is not a good candidate because it has increased displacement and a rear spoiler that will not fly with their inspection in the Fatherland. Every change from stock which we think is nothing, can be a big issue over there. I think this takes away your German or Export flipper buyership which has helped increase prices on 30 year old cars tremendously (they are rusty over there, the exchange rate is great and they can be registered as an antique car).

Hope this helps!?

Good luck with the sale!

George

[KaptKaos]

Learn something new every day. RoW=Rest of the World. Are all of the gauges metric?

[RWebb]

a guy is looking at SCs on the technical forum right now - you might contact him - in N.E. IRCC

[notfarnow]

I see this as a 10-12k car, and that's based on my thoughts as an actual buyer who's looking for an SC. I keep a pretty close eye on the cars that are for sale, and which ones are selling. Here are my thoughts:

- Engine was rebuilt, but 50k miles and 7-8 years ago. I'd pay a premium for a rebuilt engine, but only if it was within a couple years. A lot of wear and abuse can take place in 7 yrs and 50k miles.

- Chassis mileage: engine and tranny may be in good order, but with 300k there will be other wear and tear items... electrical, door seals, trim etc

- Targa vs coupe. If this was a coupe it might be a 13-15k car, IMO

Have you tried Ebay?

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by Head416

How many agree with this?

Excellence posted some very different numbers (I'm more inclined to believe this than what Excellence had.)

If someone offered me $9k in cash for my 1980 SC I'd jump on it so fast the world would spin backwards.

[M.D. Holloway]

the market is soft for sellers...4 years ago this was a 17k car, now if you get 14k take it. the car is nice, very nice but there are all sorts of very nice available...

[RANDY P]

$12-14K

the rebuilt engine is a huge plus for someone looking for an aircooled as long as it shows no leaks and proper maintenance You aren't going to get most of that expense back but it's a huge add- few have rebuilt engines due to cost.

No AC- no big deal, anyone looking for these isn't going to find one with AC worth anything anyhow and we all know it.

Clean it up, lots and lots of pics and U should get close to the higher end of $14K. I think that's a fair price if nothing is immediately needed.

I like the car, if I was into targas I'd check it out.

Oh, and find some nice used seats or a pair of recaros and a good carpet kit and you'll get that back for sure....Easy work.