Best cars for quick sales...

[Wayne 962]

By now, you guys have heard me rant on about cars for sale. I thought I would summarize by saying what I thought were the best resale cars (the most popular, and easiest to sell). In no particular order:

- Cars with black interiors. Tan gets dirty, plain and simple

- Coupes. People prefer coupes to targas. Cabs are almost in a league of their own - most people are a) deciding between a coupe or Targa, or b) want a cab

- No tails. Most people don't like the tails. I like them, but I'm not most people I suppose

- Fuchs Alloys. The standard wheels, 16" a must for the later cars.

- Dark colors. Black is very popular. Dark blue looks good too, although it often came with the wacky blue interior inwhich replacement parts are impossible to find nowadays.

- Upgrades. People like the things that make the car more reliable. Like chain tensioners, turbo tie rods, oil coolers. Engine mods can often be a detraction, as you never know who was in there or what they did.

- Engine Overhauls. Somewhat contradictory to the previous bullet, major engine faults that were fixed (like bad valve guides, or potentially faulty rod bolts) are a good thing, especially when the paperwork is there.

- Paperwork. Documentation can sell the car. Period. If you do your own work, this is a negative to a potential buyer, because they will assume you don't really know what you're doing. I assume this when I look at a car that has been worked on by someone else (Leland's fuse box comes to mind).
There are lots of hack jobs out there.

- Good stereo. Not one that you would normally think of. Everyone listens to the radio or CD player in the car, and it's one of the first things that gets installed if I buy a car that doesn't have one.

- Cars one year into an upgrade. Example: 1987 Carrera with the G50. 1978 911SC (oldest, and presumably the most affordable SC you can buy, condition absent from the equation).

Based on this info, I would think that the easiest cars to sell (have the best chance of getting the highest price, and selling quickly) are:

- 1987 Carrera Coupe, no tail, black on black
- 1978 911SC, no tail, black on black

The older cars are harder to tell, as condition accounts for about 85% of the total equation...

Flame away!


-Wayne

[CamB]

I think for all the blousy people living in places where it gets hot (hardly ever cracks 90 deg in New Zealand... so I can say this soooo easily)..... working air con.

Same tyres all around.

[Wayne 962]

Right, I did forget that one. Working heat and A/C. A broken or mediocre A/C is indeed a *big* negative. Could be a simple recharge (in which case the owner should have fixed it), or a major $$$$ repair...

-Wayne

[CamB]

Actually, the latter is just a "me" thing - I always view mis-matched tyres as a careless owner.

[NZ9Iwon]

I fail on most of Wayne's criteria. And CamB's, but I can fix that tomorrow. Having had aircon in all my cars for as long as I can remember, and not having it in my P car, it would be nice, even in frosty NZ.

[CamB]

Hahaha, I fail most of them too. But my tyres match.

[john_colasante]

I'm surprised about the tail thing, I always thought this was desirable. On 993's one of the hottest options to have on a used car is the factory aerokit. Maybe because it's rare compared to the 3.2 spoilers?

[Jim Richards]

Stereo - good or otherwise NEVER enters the equation for me. It's not that big a deal to put what you want in the car. I laugh every time I see an ad for a Porsche like this:

19xx Porsche 911 Coupe, runs good, looks great, $x,000 custom Earblaster audio system with 50-CD changer and remote control, $xx,xxxx, 555-1234

It's all about the car...

[thrown_hammer]

What about a 1975 with the renowned 2.7 liter. With no heat or A/C? Throw in a brown/black interior and paint it Silver and some aftermarket wheels with a completely fiberglass body. Oh yeah a BIG honkin' wing? I think that would move fast...any bidders?

P.S. I love my car and it's not for sale.

Wayne,
2 things:

Color - I think the demand for silver and red is as strong as it is black

Year range - I see 78 - 81 SC's in similar condition sell for very close to the same price.

Otherwise, I think you are spot on to what appeals the the masses.
Mark

[ebrownson]

Wayne:

I agree with most of your points with the following exception. I think the last year of the model will sell better (even though it will be higher priced). Examples being 1983 SC and 1989 Carrera. All the bugs are ironed out of these models (out of the factory that is). All of your other points are pretty accurate. Especially the one about doing your own work. I hope that one doesn't come back to bite me (or anyone on the board) when it comes time to sell our little gems!


Eric
83SC

[89911]

I am always amused at the "Cars Wanted" section of Panorama. Goes something like this..."Car wanted, 1997 Black C4S, must have motorsound package, Turbo wheels, black interior, no more then 2000k/miles year, no exceptions. I wonder if these people ever find there ideal car with no flexibility. My thoughts are, if your that picky, order it new. Wayne, I would agree with your post. Most Porsche buyers are educated to a degree and usually have narrowed their choice at the onset, 69-72, 87-89, 96-98, are usually what they see first, then the details to follow.

[Joeaksa]

Wayne,

Agree with Mark on this one. You need to add silver to the mix on color. I have paperwork on my car since day one and agree that this helps.

Not that it matters, doubt that my car will ever be sold, especially after I backdate it to early bodywork...

Joe

I agree that red and silver are also popular colours. Actually I can't agree completely on black being very popular. A lot of potential buyers would never buy a black car. Black is sensitive to scratches and stone chips and many know that.

Here in Denmark the most popular SCs are the 81-83 models due to the 204 hp engine.

[David McLaughlin]

Like many others, I agree with you, Wayne, on most accounts. Except color and year.

ebrownson said last year of model, and I agree. IN looking for a car myself, I would look at an '83 SC, but not and earlier one. More realistic for me is an '87-89 Carrera as it has the G50 and with luck fewer bugs. Unfortunetly, I'm not overly bright, so my desired car is a 964 C4, but that's another story. Maybe most people don't like tails, but I do. If I were looking for a SC or Carrera, it would have to come with a tail.

As to color, I own a black car now, and won't own another. It always looks dirty and shows every flaw. My ideal 911 color (other than silver) as a dark grey, dark blue, or other dark color. Red, yellow, and white stand out too much. Also, there are a ton of red cars for sale at any given time, so a rarer color sould sell faster?

[roGERK]

I'm basically in agreement, the only point I would stress with the older cars is originality.

Nobody minds practical "invisible" upgrades, such as the oil-fed chain tensioners. But buyers seem to hate lots of "in your face" modifications such as spoilers, upgrades to make the car appear more recent than it is, non-original wheels, etc etc.

The other key thing is lots of service history - bills not only shwo you the car has been cared for, they frequently confirm the millage.

Finally of course, condition is critical - particularly the condition of the body and interior.

Just common sense, really...

- roGER

[NapTownSpeedy]

I hope that one doesn't come back to bite me (or anyone on the board) when it comes time to sell our little gems!

Sell it! Are you FRIGGIN' kidding me! I have wanted this car since 1981. For the little amount I paid I'm never going to get rid of this puppy. But add more to the stable. Now this info becomes valuable.
IMHO I agree with the last year of the evolution sells for the most $ the quickest. People willing to fork over extra cash in a hurry for '89 3.2's and '83 SCs.

[old_skul]

Don't forget the tires. Cheap tires don't hurt the sale, but spiffy tires are another little thing that can help sell a car. "Comes with Goodyear All-Season Radials" doesn't have the same ring as "Equipped with serious Yokohama AVS Sports" or "S-02s" or "Toyo Proxes".

[Leland Pate]

.... my car is not a hack job.

[old_skul]

I dunno, Lee - it's a Targa, it's not back, and it's got wheels designed to make it look newer than it is. And the recent work wasn't done by a shop!

I'll give you $4000 for it.