WTF is wrong with MODS?

[ken_xman]

When I bought my car it was completety stock... low miles, ya da ya da, ya da.
I made it lighter, faster, handle better, ride smooth as glass, sound unbelievable, ergonimicaly perfect driving comfort, all while keeping the car pristine.
Now I need to sell it. No such luck. I'd have better luck getting screwed with a wart on my ding ding.

Everyone, friends, that see the car says WOW.... but no buyers have come forward to even look at it.
I also think my price of $21000 is dirt cheap, am I wrong?

[Jadams1]

You may just have to wait for the right buyer who want's the modifications.

[ken_xman]

RUF'ed Porsche Pics

For those that dont know my car.

[Ben M]

Many buyers are concerned with "all stock", when in fact cars with the right mods are much better driving cars. The same stigma is attached to cars that have been tracked. That's a sweet car, it will sell.

[Oh Haha]

I agree with John. I think it just will take the right buyer with the cash. From what I have seen of your car it is worth the money. What about the local ecomony? Are people making other non-essential purchases?
I know that here in Flint, people are NOT buying anything they don't need because of the Delphi/GM situation. I have seen a dramatic drop in sales of vending items because they have started packing a lunch. Not what you want to hear but I think it may be playing a part in your case.

[carmad]

I am not a Targa fan, but that is a nice car. You obviously spent a lot of time, money, effort and attention to detail. The right knowlegible buyer will fall in love with the car. Probably not a good time to sell at the moment the holiday bills have to be paid.
By the way you can get an ointment for your ding dong.
Good Luck.

[ken_xman]

Originally posted by Oh Haha
I agree with John. I think it just will take the right buyer with the cash. From what I have seen of your car it is worth the money. What about the local ecomony? Are people making other non-essential purchases?
I know that here in Flint, people are NOT buying anything they don't need because of the Delphi/GM situation. I have seen a dramatic drop in sales of vending items because they have started packing a lunch. Not what you want to hear but I think it may be playing a part in your case.

I can tell you the local NY NJ CT economy is very strong. Low unemployment, high wages, housing is not cheap, but ..... overall very good.
I had set myself a ceiling to spend on cars a few years ago, nothing more than $30k. I have 4 cars, all used, 2 mercedes S600 300 SE, jeep and the 911.
I consider a 20k car cheap in my book.
To build up the 911 again it would cost $33,000 parts alone.
I really thought at $21,000 it would sell in the first day.
I am beginning to consider pulling it apart and going back to a stock look, jacking the price to $22-23k, and I'd bet it would sell.

[Wil Ferch]

The basic problem is this...so you needn't take this a personal snub from prospective buyers....

...a used stock car is a "known quantity". The buyer knows the car is only degraded by condition and use as it came from the factory. "Mods" ... OTOH .....can either be bad or good , depending upon the knowledge and expertise of the person doing the conversions. This throws a whole new arena of "unknowns" into the buyer's fear mix...and is the cause for possible dis-interest by buyers. You're now going to fish for the smaller cadre of really knowledgeable folks who wouldn't mind mods themselves...and who "understand" what was done ( and how WELL it was executed). Quite naturally...your target group of potential buyers has grown much, much, smaller.

Wil

[jluetjen]

Successful selling is all about identifying a need/desire/want on the part of the buyer(s) and providing that n/d/w cheaper then the best alternatives. It's all about the buyer.

Modifying a 911 is all about self gratification and making it just the way that you want it, so that it will be your dream car.

The two do not have much -- if any -- overlap. If you want to make money (or even just lose less money) modding and selling Porsches, you need to remove your own wants/needs/desires from the specifications of the car and replace them with the w/n/d's of the person whose money you want.

Unfortunately buyer behaviour for 911's is no different then for any other thing. Most of us are here because we are trying to satisfy our own w/n/d's with our 911's -- and try to ignore the inevitable results when we need to move on and sell our cars.

[mb911]

Ken The main problem you have is the time of year. My family has been in the car business for over 60 years and this is the slow time of year for "summer" cars. Yours is definatly a summer car. I know some people on this board run them year round but 99% of these cars are run only when its nice At least in the midwest. I know what your situation is and feel for you but probably will have much better luck come spring when the grass springs back up etc. Anyhow Good luck and to answer your question yes that is dirt cheap for your car

[greglepore]

Ken-Targa in January, holiday season, all are slow factors.

Your car is very nice, no doubt. However, the mods do narrow the market to those that understand them-someone just getting into Pcars is unlikely to see the value in them, someone in for a long time understands that he's paying pennies on the dollar for what was done.

I understand its a pressure situation. Relax, it'll happen.

[im4duke]

Having recently moved from the NY/NJ/CT tristate area, my experience is that it can be difficult to find people thinking about buying sports cars in the winter.

[limble]

I've been on this board as long as most and one theme I encounter when modifying a car is "save all the old parts". If I was buying a modified car I would want all of the old parts.
I was looking for a Targa a few years back and noticed that there are an awful lot of red Targas. So that might figure into the equation.
Question: Would horsepower mods make the car easier to sell than cosmetic mods?
Oh and don't lose any sleep trying to figure out a 911 owner/buyer. My wife gave up years ago.

[im4duke]

You could offer to pay delivery within the continental US. Some people just have no interest or idea about how to get a car across the country so wouldn't even consider it.

[masraum]

Targa's generally bring less cash than coupes, and modified cars rarely bring more than stock low miles cars.

21K is pretty pricey for an '87 targa. For that sort of money it will either take just the right buyer, in which case you may have to wait a year for that guy to find you or it would have to be an all original '87 w/10k miles or something.

The only thing that will really add much to the cost would be the wheels. How many miles are on the car?

Seems to me that the cost for the late 3.2L cars is currently running 15-20, and 20-23 for really exceptional cars.

[930LDR]

A couple of observations from the peanut gallery (so take them at face value):

1. You are trying to sell a Porsche in the Northeast during the winter.

2. Targas typically don't pull the same demand as similar coupes.

3. Performance modifications are one thing, but with the "ruf-style" rear and front, you have significantly altered the appearance of the car to the point that most people who want a 911 may not like it. This isn't to say that it is a bad looking car, however you are likely going to have to wait for the right buyer as most people have mentioned.

Most cars that end up customized to that extent are done so to specific personal tastes and preferences and as such end up being long term keepers for one reason or another.

I think swapping the deck lid and front bumper with stock alone would make it a fast sell. The Fikses look killer on 911s. I have the same ones on my 930.

[ken_xman]

Originally posted by masraum
Targa's generally bring less cash than coupes, and modified cars rarely bring more than stock low miles cars.

21K is pretty pricey for an '87 targa. For that sort of money it will either take just the right buyer, in which case you may have to wait a year for that guy to find you or it would have to be an all original '87 w/10k miles or something.

The only thing that will really add much to the cost would be the wheels. How many miles are on the car?

Seems to me that the cost for the late 3.2L cars is currently running 15-20, and 20-23 for really exceptional cars.

It is what I consider very low miles 54,000. Not quite 10k, but not 200k either. I really hate selling this car.

[JBO]

Very nice car. I don't think the mods are the issue. Not sure of the mileage, but I think it is a 17k-18k car, unfortunately regardless of what you have in it. I don't think it will sell any quicker if you go back to stock, but you would probably get the same price and could then sell the expensive wheels, etc and recover some additional money that way. I have sold 2 Porsches and several other performance cars over the years, and can tell you with specialty cars you don't get many calls, but the ones you get are generally interested parties. When I sold a nice 951 many years ago in a month I think I only got 2 calls (yes it is discouraging), and the second one bought it. Also remember that buyers that need financing may be knocked out as most lenders don't want to loan on 15-20 year old cars.

[glenncal1]

Ken-I know this is heresy on this board, but you might try ebay (I would wait till after the holidays to list). I have sold a few cars there, gets you nationwide exposure. You need to create a solid listing with good photos and a very good description of car. Don't be disappointed if the car doesn't hit your reserve price the first time. Good luck.

[turbo6bar]

Originally posted by JBO
Very nice car. I don't think the mods are the issue. Not sure of the mileage, but I think it is a 17k-18k car,

This reminds of pbs911's black targa. It had RUF bumpers, Fikse wheels, and a 3.6. He was asking in the low 20s, if I remember correctly. einreb bought the car (off eBay maybe) and yanked the 3.6 for use in another 911.

If you are truly serious about selling, investigate the sales price of pbs's ride, and you'll get some indications of what your car is worth - penalty for time of year.
regards, jurgen