Help Pricing My Car? 85.5 NA 93k 5spd

[phoenix_iii]

Need some help appraising my car. Specs

* 85.5 Metallic Black/Gray (W9) Option Paint
* Sunroof (working, no leaks)
* Timing Belt, Balance Shaft Belt, Rollers, Waterpump, all OEM parts, Conti Belts, done by a shop with a bunch of 911s and Mercedez clients
* Working AC (didn't break a sweat this summer), converted to 134A in 2001, easy access fill port
* New (used, 2yr old) Koni shocks in the rear
* New (<2k and still have the color dots) Yokohama ES100s (4 of them)
* Original FUCH Option wheels (Black with silver lip), good shape, two have some minor curb rash, nothing crazy
* All electrics work (just replaced rear hatch struts with OEM Stabilis so the defroster/rear hatch light works as designed
* No leaks, never a wet passenger floor, or hatch, or sunroof
* Clutch feels good, but I do not know if it is original
* New Pads, Rotors, and CALIPERS on all 4 corners, + SS lines
* New Mahle (Turbo) Motor Mounts installed
* Two New Rear Wheel Bearings
* CVs re-lubed at same time
* Porsche Filter, and OEM Cap and rotor installed
* 80% installed Lindsey Vacuum line kit installed, I have the rest to do, just didn't do it yet.
* 12 disc Alpine head unit
* Power windows, mirrors. Driver side window recently serviced with NEW oem power window assembly. My window is the fastest on Pelican, much better than original motor, which I still have)
* Replaced hood struts too, they are nice now.
* Porsche Script Door Handles
* New trans fluid.
* Carpet is clean/good shape. Original 'Porsche' Mats with tags. Rear hatch cover still works for covering cargo
* Great oil pressure through the driving range
* New radiator cap!
* New Shifter and Shifter Bushing
* Dash is pretty nice! half inch cracks starting from the corners of the defrost vents, but very noticable unless looking for it.

Bad
* Could use a new shift boot, just worn, not ratty.
* Looks like a power steering fluid leak, I haven't added any since I bought the car a year ago, though... (might just need a clean up, and you see it from under the car)
* Same thing with oil pan gasket, but I've never had to add oil, though I've only put 2-3k on the car, max, and I don't notice a mess in the parking lot, either
* I had to repair fuel injector wires when I rescued the car. Solder + heat shrink tubing
* There was a car phone installed back in the day (old school, if you will, passenger side mount), so you may want to pull out the mount/wiring.
* The cluster should probably be pulled and cleaned (footballs in the back as per clarks garage). Filled with gas going to about 4/5 full, I see temp fluctuations (but using laser thermometer everything is fine), and oil sometimes seems to 'bounce', but it's electrical, as sometimes (especially recently, after I cleaned the grounds I could find) it stays steady at 3 on idle when warm, and around 2.0/2.1 when super hot (heavy run then stop in traffic, but recently have not seen it below 3, driving back and forth to work), and it's stable.
** The paint, needs serious help. The option paints had clear coat, and the clear is failing. On the hood there are two patches (like the car sat under a car cover for a while), and spot between the windshield and sunroof, and sunroof and hatch. www.paintscratch.com sells the W9 paint, and with a little sanding and respray, and a top coat of clear, she'd be pretty sweet. Stone guards are cracked but still in place/look sturdy to me. There are other scratch/superficial marks on the car, and the PO drove through some 'white highway paint' it looks like, so one would want to remove that as well


I've had the car for about a year, and haven't put more than 3k on it. A sin, I know. My commute to work is short (5 miles), and I won't drive in the rain (though I have a few times to make sure she was water worthy).

I love how the car handles, so balanced...

I do have M474 struts/springs to go in the front, already assembled, included with the sale. 85.5 is early offset wheels with later interior/upgrades.

Pics to come at lunch. What else should I include when selling (information).

Thank you for your thoughts.

I was hoping post for $5500 and then get worked down a little ($4500), though all major services done and 93k should help... + it needs 'nothing' for some time.

[John_AZ]

I think your "starting" price is a little high and may take a while to sell. There are a lot of 944s on the market and paint appearance may hinder your sale to a "new" 944 owner. An experienced 944 buyer will want to know more about your clutch and head gasket with 93K on the clock and will offer less.
Your maintenance work is impressive.

GL
John_AZ
1988 924S + 1987 924S DD

[phoenix_iii]

John_AZ, thanks for your input.

My 'low-end' price was $4500, hopefully.

I keep remembering things and adding them, the car has a lot of work done. I should also mention the Dash... it's nice! (has half inch cracks starting from the defrost vents) Non-sport seats but not torn at all, just a little wear/worn. =)

[Ritzblitz]

Pictures would be helpful.

[phoenix_iii]

http://picasaweb.google.com/bencaputo/944855#


*edit Fixing Pics Stand by*

From 944 85.5

From 944 85.5

From 944 85.5

From 944 85.5

From 944 85.5

From 944 85.5

Some towel still clung to her after drying yesterday, but there are some white marks from a paint drive through by the PO.

From 944 85.5

From 944 85.5

From 944 85.5

From 944 85.5

[phoenix_iii]

From 944 85.5

From 944 85.5

From 944 85.5

From 944 85.5

From 944 85.5

From 944 85.5

[S-G-Covin]

Originally Posted by phoenix_iii

Pics to come at lunch. What else should I include when selling (information).

Most important information you can post to help you sell your car=Have receipts for everything.

Originally Posted by phoenix_iii

I was hoping post for $5500 and then get worked down a little ($4500), though all major services done and 93k should help... + it needs 'nothing' for some time.

With receipts, thats a respectable price barring serious problems with the clutch or gaskets. The fluid situation...its an old car. Old cars use fluid. No puddles, no messes, no problem really.

$5500 is high. Its doable if the car is what you post...and provided you can prove it. 4500...documentation of the timing belt and all those parts being properly replaced--stated on the bill--can help you stave off hagglers who moan over the paint job. That adds a lot to the price of the vehicle right there.

I don't see a pic of the dash which means I don't know how "nice" it really is. Either way you slice it, cracks have a tendency to=repair work where the dash is concerned. Whether they repair it with a cover or a full vinyl replacment is up to the next owner.

I'm not farmiliar with 944 interiors. My 924 has Porsche watermarks stitched into the front seats. Ya'll's don't?

[phoenix_iii]

I forgot dash pics! I can post some.

I have receipts for everything, I paid out the @$$. =) But it's documented.


Also Pelican Parts receipts for some of the minor stuff (wheel bearings, motor mounts, etc). =)

p3

Dash!

From 944 85.5

From 944 85.5

Adding stuff to list

[jkrustchinsky]

I wish my dash was that nice, thats a 3800-4500 car in my area. This is not a good time to sell a car though, with winter coming up that means people don't have the extra money to spend with christmas and traveling and all.

I suggest saving her till springtime if its possible, you should get an easy 4500 with the tax returns and people wanting a summer toy.

[phoenix_iii]

Originally Posted by jkrustchinsky

I wish my dash was that nice, thats a 3800-4500 car in my area. This is not a good time to sell a car though, with winter coming up that means people don't have the extra money to spend with christmas and traveling and all.

I suggest saving her till springtime if its possible, you should get an easy 4500 with the tax returns and people wanting a summer toy.

I might garage it at my parents house and do that. But you never know.

[jcommin]

I think mechanically you car is in good shape, Ditto for your interior, especially the dash is better than most. The power steering leak is a common problem; nothing unusual there. Personally, I hate oil leaks.

The issue is your paint. $5500 is high. If your low is $4500, I think you got a problem with that as I would start there.

I would look at ebay at closed auctions for a car similar to yours. The car market is really in the dumper and I'm not sure where the values of cars are now. Certainly not as good as 18 months ago.


Good Luck

[phoenix_iii]

I am wondering if I should buy some paint from paintscratch.com and redo the hood (biggest offender), and then possibly the sunroof sides (notice the sunroof itself is fine).

I have another car to practice on, but I'm not too familiar with adding clear properly, and then of course new paint vs original paint would probably stand out... not sure what would be best.

Then again, perhaps a good shop could polish off the clear and re-clear for a few hundred, which would increase value significantly.

[Paul_Heery]

Unfortunately, there are two major problems with your car that I focused on right away. And they are both costly, so they seriously devalue your vehicle.

1. The clutch. If you ask anyone knowledgeable about these cars, they will tell you that if you don't have any maintenance history on the clutch, plan on replacing it right away. So, you need to deduct the cost of replacing the clutch right off.

2. Paint. Your paint is not good. That is a considerable cost to rectify. Again, another major deduction.

If I were currently in the market, I would probably value your car between $3,000 and $3,500.

[S-G-Covin]

Originally Posted by Paul_Heery

Unfortunately, there are two major problems with your car that I focused on right away. And they are both costly, so they seriously devalue your vehicle.

1. The clutch. If you ask anyone knowledgeable about these cars, they will tell you that if you don't have any maintenance history on the clutch, plan on replacing it right away. So, you need to deduct the cost of replacing the clutch right off.

2. Paint. Your paint is not good. That is a considerable cost to rectify. Again, another major deduction.

If I were currently in the market, I would probably value your car between $3,000 and $3,500.

I both agree and disagree with this post. I agree that someone will point to the clutch and paint as serious strikes against its value.

But I disagree that they actually are. IF--and it is a big if--the clutch is in good shape, a simple test drive can usually prove it to a buyers satisfaction. Paint, while expensive, is less important than being rust free. Your car is relatively rust free.

I'd say its a 4500-4000 dollar car in my area. From someone who has been drooling over the car, you can get 5k.

BTW: nice dash.

[Dave L]

Emotions always play a factor in buying a car and first impressions are important especially with a sports car. I would find out how much it would be to have the hood and roof re-sprayed. I would also think about a shift boot. I picked up one off ebay and it looks great. You have a very nice well maintaned car and interior dont let it be spoiled by a ripped shift boot or poor paint.

If the clutch is still working well its still working.

[John_AZ]

Originally Posted by jkrustchinsky

I wish my dash was that nice, thats a 3800-4500 car in my area. This is not a good time to sell a car though, with winter coming up that means people don't have the extra money to spend with christmas and traveling and all.

I suggest saving her till springtime if its possible, you should get an easy 4500 with the tax returns and people wanting a summer toy.

Good advice from jk...,

Here is a PPI from our "Tech Section" radio button on top of page.
http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/911_prepurchase/911_prepurchase.htm

You could check the clutch disc per www.Clarks-Garage.com and pull the starter to check for chunks of OEM rubber disc that may be breaking away. Do you have any minor vibration at 3000-3200 rpm? I would do a clutch replacemant DIY base price $700 +-. If you need to take it to a shop-------take the first cash offer.

GL
John_AZ

[phoenix_iii]

I'm looking into shift boots (do not want to spend 'a ton' but want it to fit right too), and I think I'll visit a local shop (collision center) and see what they say they can do.

Now what's a reasonable price for a hood and the roof area? <$500 for a decent job, I would hope (or about that), and it should add ~$1k or so to the value of the car, yes?

[thekidd]

I think i saw this at dinardos, around late May maybee. I was looking for a car, and called about it and they told me it was in for service. It had a Pelican sticker in the hatch area with a blue 911. The car looked great, but I dont remember the slight oxidation, so I think the pictures make it look worse. But I would say you should be able to get atleast 5k for it, thats how much I though it would have cost when I looked at it. But the service, upgrades, and service should help you greatly. Maybee take it to Porsche and see how much they would give to you, probally less than you would want, but its a starting price. They might even take it in the shop and do a free PPI. Worth a try?

[Paul_Heery]

Originally Posted by phoenix_iii

Now what's a reasonable price for a hood and the roof area? <$500 for a decent job, I would hope (or about that), and it should add ~$1k or so to the value of the car, yes?

I believe that you are greatly underestimating the cost of doing some paint repair. I've got some real life numbers handy after my recent encounter with a deer.

Take a look at this pic. The damage was limited primarily to the header panel between the headlights. The header panel is being replaced and painted to match the car. But, the big part of the cost is blending the paint to the surrounding areas so the repair is less apparent. The header, hood, headlight panels, bumper cover and the fenders all need to be blended. Total cost for paint and blending only is $1,600. You have metallic paint as well, so I expect that you may experience similar costs.

To do it right, when you paint your hood and roof, it will need to be blended with all of the surrounding areas. Get an estimate from a good body shop and don't guess regarding the costs.

[phoenix_iii]

Originally Posted by thekidd

I think i saw this at dinardos, around late May maybee. I was looking for a car, and called about it and they told me it was in for service. It had a Pelican sticker in the hatch area with a blue 911. The car looked great, but I dont remember the slight oxidation, so I think the pictures make it look worse. But I would say you should be able to get atleast 5k for it, thats how much I though it would have cost when I looked at it. But the service, upgrades, and service should help you greatly. Maybee take it to Porsche and see how much they would give to you, probally less than you would want, but its a starting price. They might even take it in the shop and do a free PPI. Worth a try?

That was probably her, and now that Pelican Sticker is in my mini-garage on one of my shelves. =)

True on the 'paint blend'. but with clear coat too, how do you blend? You'd have a fun @$$ time... $... rats.

In the dark, or just driving by, she looks really good, but if you're a stickler, well, yes, the pictures make it look a bit worse than it is, but still.

It really seems that if one were to polish the bad clear off, and then just wax and buff, it would look pretty good, I'm just not sure if I want to be the one to try.


Thank you all for your input!! =)