Do I put new tires on to sell car or not?

[R22tech]

Just sold the house and need to sell the 911 for additional funds needed to get the home we are looking at. My car is a low milage concours car, so I will be asking above average price. The tires are close to needing replacement. Should I go ahead and replace them with Yoko AVS Intermediates for $450.00 +/- or should I let the new owner worry about that? The thing is, when I look at a car- I don't count the value of new tires, BUT I DO notice the tires that need to be replaced and try and get the price lowered. If you guys feel the same- I guess I should go ahead and replace them. What do you think?

[R22tech]

Oh. almost forgot... no biggie on the sale of the car. As some of you know, I've been contemplating selling it for over a year now. I'm looking for another 911 that I can have fun with DRIVING and competing in autox and DE events. I just can't bring myself to ruining a nice original example like the one I have. I can't afford (2) Porsches, so that is not an option.

[R22tech]

Quick snap, in case you forgot what car I had.

[makaio]

I would go ahead and replace them, but that's me. That way the new owner has new rubber, and doesn't have to worry about replacing them right away. Plus you don't have them trying to haggle about price, because of bald tires.

The only down side, is someone might want a specific tire, and Yoko AVS might not be them.

How much are you asking?

[Sergio Meza]

I recently purchased a very clean 87 Turbo Look that had a new set of Dunlop SP8000s. I would have preferred buying the car with the worn tires for two reasons:
1) An allowance could have been made for the worn tires so that I, the buyer, could choose the tires I would prefer (I am not a big fan of "DumbFlops".
2)A set of worn tires would show any abnormal wear that would surface an alignment problems - mine had no toe-in so the new fronts wore down their inside edges within 1,800 miles.

[Mike Feinstein]

Doug,

I will not argue that a house is a better investment than any car. I have frequent thoughts of selling mine to buy a 3.0 Targa for the same reasons you give. Heres the problem. If you sell your car for say, mid to high 20's (pretty good money for a pre G-50 Carerra), your options will probably be limited to pre-SC 911's if you intend to find a decent car (rather than a "cheap" SC, but we all know there is no such thing as cheap Porsche). A decent, rust-free car will run you mid to high teens. Without a doubt, you will need to do some things (brakes, tires...ref your own dilemma, valve adj, tensioners, etc.). Rule of thumb is to plan on 3-4K over your purchase price putting you close to $20K if you're lucky.

So, how much will you save? Once again, if you're lucky, 4 to 6 grand. If you're unlucky (as the guy in the office next to me has been with his 75"s"....bought for $3500, now up to $17K and still not on the road), you could easily end up with a lesser car and a bigger investment.

I've done the math in my case and, although I'd be more comfortable with a "cheaper" car on the track, the potential savings never seems to add up. But I do understand your concern and share your same thoughts on the topic.

To answer your question.....if you're hoping for top dollar, replace the worn tires. If I look at a "concourse" quality car, with a concourse price tag, I'd be real disappointed to see worn out skins on the road. Would make me wonder what else was neglected. Besides, if you can put nice rubber on your car for $500, it's a small investment comparitively (paid $1K for my last set).

Good luck. Your car is a stunner....study your options carefully.

[wckrause]

Don't put new tires on. You won't be able to get the money back out of the sale.

Make it clear to a prospective buyer that the car needs new tires, and that it has already been factored into the price of the car.

[skinnerd]

I 100% agree with Herr Krause, tell the buyer the price reflects the worn tires. Most people would want to be able to choose the make and size of their tires anyway. You'll never get penny for penny out of new tires you put on the car. As long as they are not safety hazards, and the buyer can drive the car to the nearest tire dealer... it shouldn't be a problem. My 2 phennings. -Doug

[pbs911]

I wouldn't put new tires on, but would use it as a "discount" provided to the purchaser. Besides, doesn't a concourse car need concourse tires. I am not familiar with this area of obsesion, but are AVS Intermediates used on concourse Porsches? Seems to me like you would have to stick with as close to the original tire as possible.

[Don Plumley]

As long as the tires are not a safety hazard, my vote is also for leaving the rubber and letting the new owner pick.

I don't know if Atlanta is as litigious as California, but if they really need replacement, I'd put a line item in the bill of sale that the new owner acknowledges the need for new tires. An ounce of prevention...

I understand your sentiment about a concours car versus a driver. My car started to become a garage queen ("oh, the streets are wet") - then one day I realized that as nice of condition as it is, it's never going to be in a museum nor really collectable - I need to enjoy the car which means driving it. I'm still paranoid about parking/door dings, but I've got to tell you, ever since I took it out to AutoX, I know what the car is for. If I loose a couple of grand in value for some more stone chips or for driving the car hard, it's paid back 10X by the enjoyment I get out of using the car as it is designed for. Not preaching here - just sharing my experience.

Good luck,

Don

[jrdavid68]

Keep the car, get some sticky tires and get out on the track with it!

My $.02

If a new set of tires is the only thing the new owner will have to worry about I say don't put new tires on. Make it clear to a potential buyer that the tires need to be replaced. He should accept that if nothing else will need spending on.

[pwd72s]

Just playing devil's adocate here...one of the oldest used car lot tricks in the book...a set of cheap, but new tires. Eliminates that potential buyer complaint...

[adamnitti]

just leave the tires on and use that as a negotiating point. ask the extra $500 or whatever on top of what you want, and when you get to haggling (you WILL get to haggling), make yourself look good by saying, "Ok, I guess I could slice another $500 bucks off in light of the tire situation", and be done with it.

[Argo]

When I bought my Targa, it had worn tires which I wasn't thrilled about - I felt that, after laying out the big $$$ for a Porsche, a PPI, air fare, hotel, etc. the last thing I wanted was the inconvenience and expense of taking it off the delivery truck and buying tires for it right off so I could get an inspection sticker (where I live the hassle with the local gov't to drive an uninspected car, even just to a tire shop, is outrageous). I haggled the price with the seller to get this done before shipping. After I learned quite a bit more about Porsche's and tires, I realized the advantage of buying just the right kind of tire for my intended use rather than the ones the seller chose. Kind of like buying a house - if you paint the inside to make it look nice the new buyer will inevitably not like the color you chose so your $$$ and effort went for nothing. I'd give the buyer a choice - if they're a relative novice I'd offer to take care of the tires for them at the full asking price of the car and slap on the Intermediates. If they are the type that know their Porsches, I'd give them the option also of getting a small price break so they could deal with the hassle and get just the type of tire that works for them. It really depends on what type of buyer you get - one that wants a Porsche or one that knows a Porsche.

PS - I got lucky with mine - seller got Bridgestone RE 730's all around which work perfect for me.

Argo
88 Targa

[R22tech]

Seems like I'm getting mixed opinions so here's more info:
the current tires are NOT to the wear indicators yet, about 1/8th" away. they are All Season Z-rated yokomama's that are quiet and work well for "normal" driving. They ARE NOT STICKY tires and could not be used for performance driving.

The Yoko AOO8P do not seem to come in a 205/55/16, so keeping it original is out.

I'd be willing to put the AVS Intermediates, the P7000 Pirellis, or the RE730s on it due to price( all would be less than $500.00).

The car needs only (1) more thing to be done: I have the Carrera main fuel line leak problem. It is fixed temporarly so there is no leak currently, but it needs a new line. I have a brand new line, the $500.00 one, that I was going to include in the sale. Maybe I should have that line installed instead of doing the tires- what do you think?

My mechanic recently went over the entire car and that was THE ONLY issue.

[adamnitti]

install the line, instead. the tire situation (which i personally don't think is too big a situation) is much less intimidating to a buyer than a leaking fuel line that's a pain to change or will cost them to have changed.

[steve911]

I agree with adam - MUCH less intimidating to deal with tires than a fuel line mechanical issue. Not all 911 buyers/owners are fully mechanically qualified (and I include myself in that category wholeheartedly).

If I were looking at a near perfect car but was told that it needed the main fuel line replaced (even if the part was included in the sale), I'd probably walk or insist that the seller have it taken care of prior to sale. Tires I can deal with - sophisticated mechanical problems I leave to others and that then becomes bigger $$.

Replace the line, keep the tires and go from there. My .02

[David Bahr]

Replace the fuel line. There is a big difference selling a car that is "perfect" from a car that is "almost perfect" or "just needs one thing." You'll get more value from being able to say the car was inspected and "had all issued taken care of" with receipts to back that up.

Tires - Thinking like a buyer, I'd prefer the worn tires for the indication of tire wear and hence alignment. Plus, IMO, prospective purchasers plunking down ~$20k for a seventeen year old Porsche are more likely to be knowledgeable enough, and, like me, picky enough, to want to choose their own rubber. You won't get the money back out of the tires.

If you get an unsophisticated seller, offer to install new tires for an additional $500.

Your idea of finding a car you can drive and enjoy is the right idea, whether it turns out to be this car or another.

Good luck!

[Argo]

Definitely do the line. Worn tires says the car was driven (with the presumption that it ran well). A bad fuel line means that the buyer's first outing in their "new" Porsche will be to a mechanic or up on stands in their garage. Bad Karma.

As before, let the buyer decide who deals with the tire replacement and adjust the price accordingly.

Argo
88 Targa