Whale tail adds to the value of a vehicle or not?
 

My vehicle came as a duck tail delete and I was wondering if having a tail available and maybe on the vehicle, will add to the saleablity?
Correction - Whale Tail.

If your 76 European MFI Carrera came from the factory with tail delete, it will be most valuable as it originally came from the factory.

It took me 9 months to find front Koni struts and rear shocks date matched at the 23rd week of 1975 for the 76 Carrera 3.0 we are restoring. Details, big and small, matter these days when talking about interesting and rare models. My $.02.

No increase in resale if it was sold as not having a duck tail.

Condition and originality are far more important.

Good to know, I believe in leaving it as factory original as financially possible.

An RS tail is NOT a whale tail.

The Burzel is smaller and the whale tail makes a great tea tray.

I have a Grand Prix White deck lid, brake light and new OEM Porsche rubber 930 tail for sale.

SOCAL

First of all what car are we talking about? You say whale tail in your title but ducktail in your first post. Either way my opinion is you should install the tail as it will make the car look 100 times better and will appeal to more buyers. Offer the deleted decklid with the sale

While there is some confusion about what car or tail, adding one will add no value. If it’s a 76 Carrera that’s a damn expensive tail to go out and find. If you’re about to sell the car just sell it. If you’re concerned about future value leave it. If you like a tail and are going to keep the car for a while go buy a replica tail or a factory whale from a later car.

Shaun is right - if it did not have it, it's better not to put it on.

If it were my car and it could have or would have had it, I would put it on because I like duck tails - I cannot stand whale tails of any sort. By '76 it would have been a whale tail anyway (as '75 Carreras had whale tails) so I would not put it on or otherwise waste your time on finding a correct one and painting it - etc.

I can appreciate the first owner's taste in deleting the whale tail and not having one in the first place.

Another thing - if it's really a '76 MFI Euro Carrera it would not have had a duck tail on, since they were outlawed in Germany years before this time so I would leave it.

I maintain that a tail makes these cars and would easily be a zero sum game at worse and make the car appealing to more buyers

If the COA says "Duck tail delate" it will be more valuable with out the duck tail.

+1

This era Porsche took a Whaletail. My second thought was to do exactly as you said as some people have both - a Whaletail and a flush lid.
76 Carrera 2.7 mfi

I like your thinking.
You're right that it didn't have a duck tail, but some or most did come the Whaletail. I made the correction in the OP.
I would put one on just for the fun and looks if I could find one that was so inexpensive and it wouldn't have to be an original.

Yea I would do it if it wasn't so expensive.

I’ve got whales that don’t belong, whales where ducks should be. Modified whales. It’s a whale of a tail.

It sure sounds like you get a lot of tail - nice! :eek:


As far as the OP's question about added value, well I guess that depends on who's buying - like Nathan, and unlike SexySal, I consider a tailess 911 to be sorely lacking, so for me, having a tail on one definitely adds value (and I don't give two shiits about the gear a car originally came with being in place).

Just to be clear, personally I do not care what is on the COA to a car I will keep and drive. I enjoy a heavily modified car that is one of my favorites and I have no plans on ever selling it.
But that is not the question the OP asked is it? "Saleability" was his question.
Original cars with matching numbers and the options as on the COA including color consistently have realized more money than ones modified. Saying otherwise is either personal choice not the markets or I believe an incorrect observation of the market.

^^^

Totally agree IckyFicke - my personal choice observation was influenced largely by my ever present desire to yank chains, buttofcourse. :)

I took the tail off my M491 for a standard decklid and it looks soooo much better without it.