Pricing help for my 73 RS look hot rod

[Elombard]

A job change has got me daily driving the 911 - which I love but I drop my 1st grader at school, the car sits outside all day etc. Plus when my wife takes the SUV on weekends to do horse stuff and I have both kids we cant go anywhere because of the no back seat. So I really need to get something a little more comfortable, reliable, practical what ever. I have been sort of trying to sell her on and off for a couple of years because of neat projects I found that interested me but this is a little different. So I would like pricing advice. The rust history, questionable leakdown/high miles and crunchy 3rd gear have scared everyone away so far.

So:

1.) What do you guys think it is worth as is?

2.) Should I fix the tranny and then advertise?

3.) How could I ease fears about the motor? Have a 3rd party leakdown done again??

I really want to avoid Ebay because of the problems, I want a potential buyer to have time to get problems looked at etc.

Here is the details and a link to the old add.

73t non sunroof, S options, aluminum brakes
no rust (any more....I hope)
The PO had a very exhaustive repaint in the original Gulf blue 7 or 8 years ago. Body is very nice.
RS rear flares
22/30 T bars
elephant polybronze
monoballs front (next week) and rear
adjustable Konis
adjustable sways ( not the real fancy ones)
adjustable spring plates
autopower roll bar
front strut brace
race type seats - very comfy
rear seat delete
79 euro SC motor, high miles very very strong!!! have compression, leakdown, and dyno numbers
SSIs
Aluminum Clutch
Backdated heat
15x7,8 fuchs and same in BBS, well used track tires on 1 set.
Bushings in the shift linkage and pedals
Factory Short Shift
etc. etc.

Really fast with 2300 lbs and 7:31 R&P


The bad

I replaced a rusty area behind the rear seats and its a bit of an amatuer job (the welding and such). The whole area was POR15 and there is no rust remaining. Just could be better but you cant see it.

3rd gear must be approached very slowly or double clutched. It really needs a synchro.

Paint is not concours any more - very nice, but a driver.

at some point in the cars life the battery blew out and there is some damage to a front battery box. The front pan suspension was just replaced.


Here is a link to the full add with pics and addiitonal details as it went through a PPI etc.

73 RS look 3.0 hot rod

Thanks for any input.

[Wayne 962]

You asked, so I'll comment. I looked at that thread many times - you do a horrible job of selling what appears to be a pretty well put car:

If I could sell mine for what I need to get into this I will do it. So the price is high - especially for this crowd :-))

and

Expensive at $16.5K!! ( you could probably build this car for $18K if you did alot of the work yourself :-))

Advertise the car for what it is, and people will see it for what it is. With your commentary on it like this, you cast a pall over it that makes anyone remotely interested in it pass. Without looking at it too closely, I thought that this car was a good deal at the price you had it listed at. If the car was local, I would think about picking it up as "a spare".

Revise your ad - place it on eBay, I've seen stuff half as good go for twice as much as you are asking. Most of the time I think people price their cars too high - early 911s are hot hot hot these days, and RS clones in particular. FYI - my car is rust-free, has new paint, and a recently rebuilt 3.0 - I estimate it's value to be just under $30K or so.

Maybe you subconciously don't want to sell it, so your sabotaging your own efforts?

-Wayne

[Pele911]

Maybe you subconciously don't want to sell it, so your sabotaging your own efforts?

Wayne even offers psychological assistance! He is a renaissance man. I agree, the self deprecation is endearing but stick to the facts of the car if you really want to sell it.

[gt3racerich]

I'll make it short and sweet, well short anyway.I was interested in this car when I first saw it. The car has a lot wrong with it. When a car is for sale this long, you are asking too much. You can't compare it to a "rust free, new painted car with a rebuilt 3.0, and only the best are going for $30,000. This car will have to be completly redone to be put in that catigory and we know what that takes in time, money, agrivation, etc. If that is what someone is after, you are better off buying the $30,000 car. This car needs to have thousands put into it at a minimum, then you still have a rusty car with a questionable motor. I have to thank you for being honest in the description of the car. I would hate to fly in to see it and have the car not be what I was expecting. You can lower the price and sell the car, or listen to other people who are not going to buy the car, tell you that it is worth so much more. I would still be interested in the car at the right price. I wish you luck with the sale.
Rich
One more thing. When a car does not sell, I would not put more into it and then raise the price.

[Elombard]

Yah I guess I thought people would appreciate the complete honesty scthick. I also thought folks here are mostly do it your self types so they would appreciate that for $1000 they could do the tranny and for $5 or $6K a nice 3.2 could be dropped in, then you are at $21 or $22 for a really nice package. Not including selling the high miles but good running 3.0.

So what is a good price? Where should I list it? Autotrader?

Thanks for the honesty, I have thick skin keep it coming.

[DW SD]

I've looked at collectorcartrader.com regularly for old cars. It is a derivative of the autotrader family.

[randywebb]

complete honesty is good but IMO you are going beyond that... I would state the good things about the car and you can mention a few of the negs too if you want but in context

In most states you are not required to volunteer everything wrong with a car. Morally, is up for debate... I think it is on the buyer to ask. But surely, you will want to be honest if asked a question.

Then there are things are not defects...

[atlporsche]

call ettsn, make it too good to pass up.

sjd

[charlesbahn]

I think you'll have to lower the price to sell the car to this crowd, there are just too many expensive problems lurking (body rust, worn engine, and tranny needs fix)/ I know you won't like it, but I'm guessing 12K.

More importantly, I will say that I for one really appreciate your honesty in representing the car. Honesty is getting harder and harder to find these days, and it is a quality that we should all cherish. Honesty rarely leads to making a lot of money, but it is what ultimately separates us from the MM's of the world.

[sfZOO]

sent you an email about the car...

[berettafan]

just sell it to me for $12k and end all this madness

[berettafan]

seriously i keep doing the math in my head too. on first glance it's a really neat car for the money. but then the following thoughts go through my head:

-3.0 may need rebuilt
-i'd prefer 2.2 or 2.4 (i'm probably the only one in the buying population with this thought though)
-is there any more rust?
-3.0 may need rebuilt
-i'd rather have the back seat
-will those seats fit my big ass?
-3.0 may need rebuilt
-maybe there's 7-8k in repairs, changes I would want to make and now i'm at 23-24k. i know there are better choices for ME at that price.

Of course the above is MY thinking. i'm the equivalent of the first time homebuyer in porche-land and i might not be looking at the right things when contemplating a purchase.

Emotionally (looks awesome and fast) your car grabs me. it's the numbers that slow me down.

Erik

[Elombard]

Yah I would have thought the same as you until I got into owner ship and learned the "market" a little bit. You can buy worn out good running 3.0s for $3500 or less on a pretty regular basis. So I would never spend the money to go with an expensive rebuild, just swap in worn out 3.0s every five years, sell the core and on and on. Obviously if you want a nice car, set up like this, dont do your own maintenance and are a little concoursey then you should not be shopping in this price range. Go with the $30K car mentioned above. (actually you can get some amazing cars in the mid 20s). I just wanted to sell it to someone who understands what they are getting into and realizezs they dont have to mortgage there house if they lose compression in a cylinder. You just have to be willing to accept the compromizes that come with the lower price of a "driver" and used parts.

$12K....sheesh I think I could of sold the blood I lost on skinned knuckles during this odessey for that much :-)) I am not to $12K yet, maybe one day.

Thanks for the comments.

[klaucke]

12k doesn't seem too low to me; this car needs a lot of repairs. 16k would buy a nicer, original driver needing less work. The less-than-professional rust repair is almost as bad as the rust, IMO. A CIS 3.0 isn't that big an attraction, especially one that needs a minimum of a top end. Tranny rebuild is a chore to repair yourself, or a lot of money to throw at the car right away to have repaired. The car probably has rust elsewhere that just hasn't been found yet, i.e. under some of the undercoating, in the rockers, in the front fenders where they meet the door, etc. I saw a similar RS clone w/o flares, and a carb'd 2.7 go for 6k near me recently.

[tobluforu]

This is an off topic, but you sound like me last night selling my saab spg that I have had for 15 years, is in great condition and is modified to the tilt. Someone left a note on it wanting to buy it; he came over and I told him everything. He then said to me "Do you even want to sell it because it sounds like your trying to talk me out of it?"
"Sell as is"

[Elombard]

Man I cant find any more rust. I wonder who could look at it locally and see if ther is any more. The two rusty spots were for very specific reasons, leaking rear window and batteries. Not just general road salt or something. You might be right though.

[dd74]

I'm not clear. If you're selling it, why are you putting monoballs in it?

Whatever the case, I agree with Wayne: I don't read "sell" in your description.

FWIW: I'd offer $12K, but much of that is based on how you present the car. If you want $16-$17K, you have to talk the car up like it's worth that much.

Here's what I'd say: very strong 3.0 RS Carrera-look '73 w/ 7.31 r/p transmission. Guaranteed 0-60 in low 5s (which is probably true) for a 2300-pound dual-purpose street and track car. No mechanical issues, no rust. Baby blue (or whatever color is).

Now, if someone attached $16K to a description like this, I'd still look at the car even though I already have a 911.

[gt3racerich]

dd74


I'll make sure I never buy a car(Or anything) from you.
Rich

[aleng888]

HI Elombard,

I wish you are over here in CA. I have been looking for a blue prosche for some time now. IF you still want to sell can attach some pic?

[jluetjen]

BTW -- Someone much wiser then me once pointed out that customers don't care was the seller's cost is. That's the seller's problem.

The only thing that sellers are concerned about is how does your item compare to the competition. If what you're selling in some way provides more value/$ then the customer's alternatives -- you should be able to get the sale. But if the customer has an alternative which has better value for the money then what you're selling -- you're facing an uphill battle.

If the purchase value of the parts that you listed equal 16K, and you're asking for 18K, and the car has issues -- why are you expecting a reasonable buyer to give you their money? Or are you just hoping to happen upon a sucker buyer?