951's forsale

[nize]

randy;
buy mine.

weee151;
i'm curious, how do you determine a 951's value?

[weee151]

By the condition of the car but another huge factor is mileage.. no matter how well a car is taken care of the engine will still tire out... i wasn't meaning to sound like a jerk i was just saying mileage is a huge factor in a cars value..

[nize]

what would be your idea of the value of a 1989 turbo that has 10k original miles on it and is in otherwise good condition?

[weee151]

In that case i would say probably 11-13k all things considered..

[bet993]

weee151

I too have been looking for a 951 and I understand why you think these cars over priced. More than likely this impression comes from the fact there is some real crap for sale in the $6500-$8000 range. But you have to realize that the concept of what a car is worth is what the market will bear not what a book or the perceived value of a car is. IMO you are a little out of touch with what the market will bear for low mileage examples of these cars. Most 951 are approaching 20 years old. The number of low mileage unmolested cars is very low and the demand seems to have picked up for these cars in the last year. Low supply and high demand equates to higher cost. A car like hypothesized above with 10k original miles in pristine condition would more than likely sell for twice the $11-12k you suggested.

The biggest problem with the 951 is the cost of maintenance and the age. Even lower mileage cars (say 75k range) require maintenance merely because of the age. Many of the cars for sale are cars that someone can’t afford or doesn’t want to spend the money on performing major maintenance.

It is not that the 951’s themselves are over priced it is the fact that the examples that are for sale are over priced given the conditions of the cars. I think if you talk with people who have actually sold one of these cars recently that $7500 is going to get you a car with somewhere between 105-150k miles. With varying degrees of maintenance done on them.

That said there are definitely some owners that are out of touch with reality in their expectations of value. There are many cars with mileage in excess of 130k where the owners are wanting top dollar even though, the cars are definite need of attention.

Good luck in your search. Everyone is looking for the bargain but if you find a 951 with under 100k that needs no maintenance for $7500 or less you will be extremely lucky. Be prepared to act very quickly because the car will not be for sale long.

[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.

[K9Torro]

I will add one last comment to this post which I think has been beaten like a bad horse into a coma...

IF you find a " cheap " low mile's 951, and I define cheap based on your comments of what you would pay, I would take a LONG and somewhat HARD look at the car, I will bet you any amount that you want to suggest that there is a problem with the car and it will not make 1 year or 12K miles which ever comes first, or the person selling the car has lost touch with this reality.

Todd

[weee151]

The car(s) which i looked into were in excellent condition inside and out, the engines were still extremely strong, i even had one of them throughly checked out throughly by a mechanic who's speciality was 944 Turbo's and he said it was perfect there wasn't anything wrong with it at all that he could find. And for the 7,500 and 84,000 miles i would say it would've been a good steal.

[nize]

shoulda bought it when you had the chance.

[schmedes1]

weee151,

Sounds like you are looking for someone down on their luck and desperate to take a lowball offer or find someone who doesn't know what they have (even if it says Porsche on the hood)... Ya gotta be incredibly lucky since there are a few folks like yourself trolling the waters for such an incredible "steal". I paid $10.5k for a 1989 951 in March 2005 with 113k miles and in excellent condition in, out and under. Nonetheless, it needed several cosmetic pieces (have invested about $1500 in replacement and proactive maintenance parts), and it still has a miniscule oil leak at the back of the cam cover that I need to repair at some point. The PO really felt that he was giving it away at that price and the shop owner that did the PPI said he would have snapped it up if he knew it was available at that number.

Most of the cars on Autotrader are unrealistic on price, but you have pretty steep competition on Pelican and Rennlist... good luck to you.

[WaA420]

Weee151,

Don't worry, you can find a 951 for any amount of money you want to pay and in any condition you want. If you are in the right place at the right time you can score big time on a nice car that will last for a long time. I have done it myself a couple times. Just try to pass on the total beaters at any cost because they will never be worth a crap for any amount of money.

[weee151]

didn't want them sitting around for 3 months while i was gone.. unforunatly i should've taken the summer months into consideration. but owell it happens i'll just have to keep looking and when i find one i'll let you guys know.

[944freak]

I am willing to sell my car for $ 5000. Its an 86 turbo red with turbo twist rims and good paint. The car has 109,000 miles on it. Interior is perfect black leather. The car needs some work. what it needs is the thermostat replaced and it should be good as it was just running a lil hot and i got started on it and i have no more time to mess with it. email me at stevensmithnc@yahoo.com if you are interested.

[nize]

replacing the thermostat takes what, 10 minutes? why not fix it yourself if that's all it needs?

[gobogie]

944Fest Grandchampions 2004 & 2005 are for sale over on Rennlist

2004 - http://mall.rennlist.com/scripts/featured/ads.cgi?db=aporsche&website=&session_key=&search_a nd_display_db_button=on&results_format=long&db_id= 4523&query=retrieval

2005 - http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/showthread.php?t=232482

[nize]

okay if i had the money i would buy both of those rennlist cars.

i can't believe they're for sale.

[sellingporsche]

This horse has been beaten up pretty badly but I wanted to put in my .02 cents....

I just bought a paper trail and serviced 2 owner 1986 951, last owner had the car for 16 years and was previously owned by his close friend. I got ALL the books and service records on the car since it was brand new, I even got a drivers log book which accounted for EVERY one of the 110K miles the car had on it.

The car needs a clutch (has a bearing noise when clutch is enganged), needs to be repainted (too many rock chips), and driver seat needs to be re-covered. The car overall is "Average" at best and I paid $6000 for it.......and I think I STOLE it!

951's that have the extensive amount of records like mine has are certainly are worth $6 - $7.5K all day. If I fixed all the minor issues with mine then IMO we are talking about a $10K car. If you find a better deal than that you should buy it on the spot. Turbo production cars of ANY make are getting harder and harder to find......Auto maker are just not making turbo cars anymore.... I wouldnt sell my 951 for $9K if it was offered to me as it sits....I waited too long and looked too hard to get what I got...

Good Luck!

[A81Sturmer]

951 prices are all over the place. Stock US '89 (or '88 Silver Rose S) is probably worth the most. But I would not be surprised to find a nice one for under $10K, or one advertised for $20K. I think finding a good car at the right price has everything to do with research, luck & patience.

[Dougster]

Originally posted by A81Sturmer
951 prices are all over the place. Stock US '89 (or '88 Silver Rose S) is probably worth the most. But I would not be surprised to find a nice one for under $10K, or one advertised for $20K. I think finding a good car at the right price has everything to do with research, luck & patience.

I agree, keep your eyes out for value & be ready to buy fast if you find what you like.

[cottonyzf]

Two months ago I bought an 87 951 with 95k. This is the second 951 I have owned. It had some bodywork at some point, but it was repaired well. It had chips, exhaust, boost and a/f gauges, 968 wheels, and a few other extras. It did not have much for records, but the mechanic that works on my 911 had worked on it for the past few years and said the car was is excellent mechanical condition.
The good news: I got it for 6600 and the asking price was 10k.
The car ran excellent and was everything I expected and more. It needed nothing.
The bad news: Yesterday an 18 wheeler was merging, clipped my driver's rear quarter and spun me into the wall. My 951 is totalled, so after we settle I will be looking yet again.