Ebay advice?

epbrown · 02:50 PM

I'm thinking of bidding on this car:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2443968248&category=6434

The car seems to be solid mechanically, could use an exterior detail , and has a rough interior, so the BIN price seems about right. The main reason I'm interested in it is that it's a Guards Red 1983, same as my 911.

I'm not an expert on 944s, and was looking for impressions on this one. Anyone happen to know the car itself? Thanks.

Emanuel

rammstein · 11-22-2003, 06:32 PM

I bet you could find one in better shape, as least visually, for almost the same as whatever this one goes for.

epbrown · 11-22-2003, 06:58 PM

Well, the roughness in the interior is the front seats (as usual, the rears were likely unsued). I happen to have a spare pair of black Porche seats from when I upgraded my SC to sport seats, so I was thinking that with a carpet kit and my seats, the car would look nice enough as a daily driver. (I've also got my original 15" Fuchs, black with silver paddles, which I think would look nice on it...)

The real appeal of the car is that it has had a recent top-end rebuild and a new timing belt - fewer worries with the expensive work done.

Emanuel

speedracing944 · speedracing944's Garage

man the whole car looks negleted. Wheels missing center caps. cracked front spoiler, very rough interior, custom exhaust that looks like it came from Midas, custom shifter. I think I would want to check the car out in person before purchase. All these cost cutting maint, items would make me wonder about the rest of the car.

epbrown · 08:17 PM

So sell me yours, SR944

It's the right year, right color, and you're only one state away. Twenty-five hundred bucks would come in handy for Christmas, wouldn't it?

You guys are likely right - I didn't notice the cracked spoiler, but that cheesey gear-shift did give me pause. No point asking for opinions and ignoring them. Besides, Autotrader's got a couple of decent cars up as well.

Emanuel

rammstein · 11-23-2003, 01:11 AM

When you look at all the cracks and dings and dents in the pics, and the pep-boys parts on there, you KNOW deep down the bad vibes are there. You seem genuinely concerned about the engine top-end rebuild and the belts. I still bet you can find another one with even better recent maintenance and that isn't beaten to high hell.

I did a quick search of the PCA Mart-

there's a bunch of VERY good looking cars. $2500 for the car you were lookin at is WAY over.

Hell- for $4500, there's a guards red, 83 944 on the mart with an 87 2.7 motor in it. No pics, so it could be messed up, but it sure sounds interesting. And its in Michigan, so you could drive out to see it!

Good luck with the search.

epbrown · 11-23-2003, 03:58 AM

I checked the Mart in this month's Pano but I don't see any 83s advertised. I'm looking for an original car, so the upgraded one you mention (which I've seen advertised in a few places on the net, I think) wouldn't work.. Thanks for the suggestions, though.

Emanuel

speedracing944 · speedracing944's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by epbrown
So sell me yours, SR944 It's the right year, right color, and you're only one state away. Twenty-five hundred bucks would come in handy for Christmas, wouldn't it?

You guys are likely right - I didn't notice the cracked spoiler, but that cheesey gear-shift did give me pause. No point asking for opinions and ignoring them. Besides, Autotrader's got a couple of decent cars up as well.

Emanuel

I won't be ready to part with mine for a while yet. (Love it to much) But if you want to swing up sometime and traded for a day that would be cool. I've never driven an SC. There are some twisty roads around here.

jts924s · 11-23-2003, 08:13 AM

How many times have you gone to look at a car and it wasn't as nice as it was made out to be? Now imagine you've already bought the car before you saw it's true condition. That is eBay in a nutshell. I have gone to look at a few eBay cars that were for sale in my area. In every case the picture and description made the car appear better than it was. That said, this fellow's description is better than most and he's only PO'd one eBay buyer (who appears to be a wacko).

I imagine there are plenty of 944s for sale in the Chicago area. You will be able to see and drive these cars, perhaps even get a PPI. You won't regret those opportunities. Don't forget to add the cost of shipping the car to you. Could be close to $500.

SoCal Driver · SoCal Driver's Garage

eBay: "A fool and his money are soon parted."

epbrown · 12:53 PM

Actually, eBay's not that bad provided you're careful - part of which is asking questions, and knowing the questions to ask; that's why I posted. I bought my SC and RR on eBay, both around 1000 miles away. I've been happy both times with condition and price. Frequently calling the seller will set off your bull-**** detectors. I eliminated a lot of nice-looking 911s after calling the owners...

As for the Porsche market in Chicago, the Porsches I've seen here are either ratty one's dogged out by young guys (one kid down the street has a black 85 that's had a green hood for over a year, for instance) or over-priced garage queens from PCA members who, imo, often feel the Porsche badge itself is worth about five grand (I've seen nice 951s for the asking price of some Pano 944s).

And of course, the field narrows considerably when you're looking for a specific year, color, scheme, and spec (1983 Guards Red with black interior, 5-spd), even though it's a pretty common combo.

Emanuel

vital-transform · 11-23-2003, 08:00 PM

lot's of good cars on E-bay keep looking