What's the value of a 1969 911 "S" in excellent condition

[Paul Franssen]

Dear Ladies, Sirs,
Gullible. After 51 years of being just that, I bought a 911 for $7800. Turned out to be (in incremental steps of realization), a 1972 body with 1971 2.2 l engine with Zenith carbs, with... (save you the trouble of reading this)...an assemblage of mixed year doors, mirror, (real) Fuchs of different years, 1970 brakes, rust in the chassis, etc. etc.
Ok - I paid too much. This car is, agreeably, not a good candidate for restoration which, in all truth, I cannot even consider do myself.
Now, I have asked the person who pointed out a lot of this to me (a very reputed winner in classic endurance races, that information belongs to the verifiable public domain, and reputed by asking around to be a spotless perfectionist), to make me an offer for this car, against his offer of US$ 24500- for a 1969 silver metallic 911S, matching numbers (chassis and engine), engine fully restored, black leather interior, with 0 km run since restoration.
Of course I'm not asking anybody to make my financial calculations other than the question whether 24500 greenbacks is a reasonable price. My (tainted) reasoning is that the "S" has an investment value, whereas my present car is, well, I won't spit on her but it's a l-o-n-g way from being "immaculate".
I'm -not- a mechanic, I'm 51 and my back is shot from running those marathons, It's a one more shot thing and I want to hear the opinions of amateurs of the Porsche heritage.
Please don't hold back on your statements, I've had a very bad day and night behind me in self-judgment. What’s up, is the “S” car something to consider? What’s her worth?
Much appreciate the advice of experts…

[Doug Zielke]

Hi Paul,
There are quite a few early 911 owners on this board who will also give you useful info, but here is the most recent '01 values as posted by the Porsche Market Letter, a respected source for Porsche price trends:

1969 911S
Low: 6,500
Median: 9,711
High: 12,500

Their report indicates there has been a substantial drop in this particular model/year since last years rating. Oddly enough, the 1968 S is experiencing a huge *increase*, according to PML.

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'81 SC Coupe (aka: "Blue Bomber")
Canada West Region PCA
The Blue Bomber's Website

[pwd72s]

When you are talking P cars this old, it's always CONDITION, CONDITION, CONDITION. That said, early 911S models are going for prices higher than those listed in B.A.'s writings in EXCELLENCE. I"ve had serious offers for my car that are much higher than those lowball listings...I mean, MUCH higher.

you might want to visit: http://www.early911s.com/ It's a fun site, and I think you might find the "year rankings" portion interesting.

[This message has been edited by pwd72s (edited 06-17-2001).]

[epbrown]

I'm with pwd72s on the price listing being a bit off. I'd say that cars in lesser condition are bringing the average down. If this car doesn't require restoration, it's a rarity. I've been window-shopping early 911s (66 and 67) and just about everything I've seen for sale is, to varying degrees, a project car. I'm also a bit surprised to hear that the 69s are dropping in price, since that's the first year of the longer wheelbase - it would seem that if you wanted a really early S, the 69 would be your first choice; maybe not a lot of people want one :-)

I say have it inspected by an unbiased 3rd party you trust and go for it if it's the car you want. And I wouldn't expect more than $4000 or so for yours, if it's as you describe. I'd say he's planning an "Olsen" for the chassis.

Now, what's this about a bad back from marathoning? We long distance types develop bad knees, not bad backs! (So says the guy who just finished 10 miles in his new Nike Air Maxes).

Emanuel
PS: what did Seinfeld pay for the first 911? I never heard...

[Jens Wendorff]

You should know better what you want, but here are my 2 cents:

Do you want a real collector's showroom car? Then the offer might be not that bad, although a bit high. But for this price, not only numbers should match but ALL details (original screws, rubber caps, tool-set etc. etc... Not to forget that ANY "upgrades" like turbo covers, hydraulic tensioners etc. are NOT WELCOME.

Do you want a car to drive?
Than be careful about "0km after rebuilt".
Who confirms that the car is "well done"-performance whise? Look at several engine trouble posts, starting from leakage to overheating. I would never put so much money in a car when I cannot have an own insight in the history of rebuilding and the final outcome...

..But I don't have a collectors car anyway...

Jens

[9XI]

25K sounds a bit steep without more info, but not too far off. 20ish is more like it.

Iris on the other hand would be a steal at 25K.

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1969 911S Targa
1999 Eurovan Camper

[Jim T]

In the US, $25K would certainly be on the way high side for a '69S these days.

I think a *very* nice example, would sell for more like $15-$19K. For a very nice example.

That being said, it really does depend on the condition. A low mileage, rust-free, fully restored '69S could sell for that much and be a good deal. But it would have to be a truly exceptional car, fully and properly mechanically restored and cosmetically close to a national level concours car.

There are not a lot of cars like that, thus, while the car you are looking at may be worth $25K, the odds are definately against you.

That's in the US, which probably has no relevance to the pricing in your country.

[Paul Franssen]

Thanks a lot for your considerate replies. I've of course slept a few (bad) nights since, and have decided that I do not belong in the "classic car collector" league (said with respect!). I'm discussed it continually with my youngest son and Porsche partner in crime (he got me into this P. thing in the first place!), 12-year old Haroun, and he agrees to lend personality to what we've got and the old lady (the 1972 Porsche) is not to blame for her condition. We'll see if we can run her for one or two years, see if we can get some money, and maybe meanwhile have a look at more recent (and less expensive) cars to be paid with the newly saved money. By the way, my wife granted permission for me -merci beaucoup Irene- to buy the 911S, but as said - we've decided against it. By the way, went to see Neil Young & Crazy Horse concert yesterday...I like the "ballads" even more than the heavy guitar stuff, mother nature's still on the run... Some off topic stuff, but life's more than just a steel body on 4 wheels! Love to my wife and kids.

[911pcars]

Paul,
Since you've got an early 911, take a look at the Early 911S Registry's website. They have several "lesser" and "better" 911s to choose from their classifieds as well as an early 911-specific forum for your questions.

http://www.early911sregistry.org

Sherwood Lee
http://members.rennlist.org/911pcars

[pwd72s]

Sherwood just gave a blatent plug for the early S registry. Paul, should you ever end up with that '69 S? Join the registry..it's a great source of info. The newsletter alone worth the price of admission...