How to value?

[mcholar911]

Here's a question. How accurate is Edmunds or KBB when applied to 911's? I see a lot of ebay listing reserves and pelican postings that are far above private party values shown and even retail prices shown on KBB and Edmunds. On ebay, probably 90% of them do not sell, so thats not a good indicator. Hard to say what sells on this board.
So what do you use when you are looking to buy?
Thanks,

[techweenie]

I use eBay to track values. It's literally up-to-the-minute, and these cars have become 'faddish' in their price cycles.

You can choose to look at "completed listings only" to see what cars actually sold for.

But condition is such a big component of pricing that you really have to read between the lines on auction listings.

[wcc]

Try NADA values. I think they are closer. They will give you a ballpark figure. But I think the best way to find a value on these cars is to just look at TONS of classifieds. I look at year, miles, price and group them together mentally. Then it's just a matter of sorting out what you want.

Then lets say a stock '80 911 is 10-20% or more higher price-wise than the average then look at number of owners, mods, carfax, maint, etc...... I might be worth paying extra. It might not. It goes the other way too. If it is priced a lot cheaper maybe it's a good deal or maybe it isn't. It really depends on the individual car.

But if you surf the classifieds and create yourself a "baseline" to look from it should go smoother in your search.

Good Luck!

[baldman]

I just went though this with buying my first 911.

my experience:
NADA was over what most cars are selling for
KBB was under what most cars are selling for
eBay was hit and miss for valuation
classifieds are the same way.

User kevjandon gave me the following advice which was right on...

Pricing is very subjective and depends on a lot of things. Here is my general rule and what I've seen lately:

Early Cars 1965 to 1973

8 or 9K to 40K plus. The biggest thing that sets off the price in this era is wether the car is a 911 T,E or S

Mid Cars 1974 to 1977

7.5K to 15K. Even the nicest of this era generally won't be priced higher than 15K unless it is a carrara model. This era had some issues that gave it a bad reputation that isn't always true.

The SC Era 1978 to 83

9k to 22K. This era is very solid. Good car and values seem steady.

The Carrara 3.2 era 1984 to 1986

11K to 24K

The Carrara 3.2 era with G50 1987 to 1989

15K to 32K

The 964 era 1989 to 1991

Generally 17K to 25K This era is pleagued by the leak cyl. heads. Not as common as it is made out to be.

The 964 era 1992 to 1994

22K to 35K Amazing what fixing the oil head leak issue made.

1995 993

25k to 35k. Non varioram cars. strong buy pay the extra for the varioram

1996 to 1998

Very solid 28 to 65K. C2S and C4s bring much higher dollar. Overall they are all holding their values.

All of the above is based on condition, documentation, updates that have been done to the car, recent major service (tires, brakes, clutch, rebuilds, etc..), color, options, number of owners and mileage.

Good luck with the hunt. Look at 10 that are for sale. Drive at least 5 and buy 1. You need to be very careful when buying an 911. What you think you're saving on the front could cost you dearly in the rear.

[mcholar911]

Thank you! Very helpful. I also found the NADA pricing seems very high. I'll keep looking, I've hit some cars that were overstated, paid for the PPI and passed, expensive lessons but cheap in the long run, I hope.

[wcc]

I didn't think NADA was "very high" I've always been into the '80s turbos and been looking for a long time. If for example you run a '87 turbo coupe through NADA average was around 27000 and excellent was about 36000. Well even according to this post:

Is $27.5K the magic number?

The magic number was 27500. I believe you could get into a pretty nice '80s 930 within that range from NADA.

Maybe we are talking about two different things here but in this case with the 930s I don't think NADA is that far off.

BTW no affil here with NADA.....

Anyways, ask lots of questions, do the PPI, and by all means follow your gut instinct.

As the Rome would say "I'm Out!"

[mcholar911]

Thanks, I'm still looking. Hard to keep these dollars from burning a hole in my pocket and falling out. But, it is starting into winter here, so maybe I'll just go tear down a bike motor and take out my frustration on it!

[mcholar911]

Here's one I found last week, a 1990 C2 coupe with a rebuilt motor/tranny at 135,000 miles. Currently has 178,000 miles with upgraded suspension, owned by a serious Pcar owner/racer.
If the PPI checks out, what ballpark value should this be in? What worth do you put on a crank up rebuild and transmission refurbish?
The pictures put the condition as fair, with some clear coat damage on the roof, interior fair.
Thanks, appreciate everyones input!