[nize]

having purchased a 951 brand-new from the dealer in 1988 and having owned it since (that's seventeen years), i've been pretty active in the 951 community in particular. i know what kind of maintenance these cars require, how much it costs, how they can be neglected and abused, and i have a pretty good idea about how much these cars are worth today.

i can tell you that although mileage is a factor, it has very little weight in the sale value. unless the buyer doesn't know much about these cars other than what they've read in the bluebook and/or heard from friends.

my original one-owner car which was in pristine showroom condition, running all-stock factory parts, with meticulous maintenance records (i even kept a logbook of every single roadtrip, even grocery trips, as well as every single gas fillup starting at 15 miles on the odometer), original paint, etc. had 165,000 miles on it when it was appraised. last year it was professionally appraised at $15,000 value. keep in mind that the appraisal was MORE THAN DOUBLE the 'bluebook' value at the time.

i have several friends who have 951's with over 250k miles that run like new cars with zero problems.

on the other hand, i've seen plenty of 951's listed for sale in the $6k-$7k range with under 70k miles on them that ran like junk and i wouldn't have even paid $5k for them.

with the 951, mileage is a factor, but it's not the most important factor. the most important factor is maintenance. of course you've got to be 'in the know' to know this about these cars.