84-89 Carrera Prices on AutoTrader

[gregwils]

I was curious about prices, because they seem to continue to creep up in my opinion. (I notice the same thing with used parts too.)

I decided to look at AutoTrader because I can sift through data without too much difficulty. There are only 4 cars (84-89) below $30,000, there are another 18 that are below $40,000, but there are 78 over $40,000. These quantities are for the entire country. I think most amazing is the small number of sub-$30k cars. 10 of the 18 cars between $30k & $40k had over 100k miles.

I do understand that these are asking prices and most likely reflect exuberant sellers, but I can tell you those ratios have changed even since summer. It will be curious to see if there is stickiness to these values or, if like the American muscle phenomena not too many years ago, the number of buyers dries up to allow prices to trend back down.

[GothingNC]

Glad I picked up my Targa when prices were reasonable 10 years ago for the same price as a rolling project car in 2015 asking prices...


If I had $50K to burn on a toy car, I would rather have a Cayman R then an air-cooled late 80's Carrera.

[CountD]

Thing about this is that everyone who has an aircooled 911 thinks they are in the game. The game has reached such a feverous pitch that everyone is trying to get in and out . They have no idea what a 1, 2, 3 or 4 car really is.

It will slow down. Where it does is up to the market. If people are buying at that Autotrader price and it's a good car it's probably worth it. Mileage doesn't have much effect on an aircooled 911 - these aren't Ferraris.

People can ask whatever they want. A good car you can find, a great car is hard to come by, and if I was in the market I'd look for a great car, and that great car probably wouldn't be in Autotrader.

[ab1752]

I am in the buyer's category and CountD nailed it. There currently is, in my opinion, a vast divide between sellers and buyers particularly in the G50 Coupe area. These seem to be the models in least supply and sellers are going the extra step in pricing their cars. I am slowing down my process after seeing only one or two cars all across Canada and the States that might fit what I am after and anticipate (read hope) there will be some movement on the supply side of higher grade cars. I have no problem paying for quality and history but I do not want to be pushing the market higher based on cars that are not "as represented".

[ficke]

Originally Posted by CountD

Thing about this is that everyone who has an aircooled 911 thinks they are in the game. The game has reached such a feverous pitch that everyone is trying to get in and out . They have no idea what a 1, 2, 3 or 4 car really is.

.

This is right on.

[pmax]

Originally Posted by CountD

Mileage doesn't have much effect on an aircooled 911 - these aren't Ferraris.

The price ratio between a 60K and a 200K mile Carrera is anywhere from 2-3X.

[2cam]

I have an '86 Carrera Coupe that is pretty close to all original (other than the radio and front speakers - but still have the original Reno). It's Meteor Metallic with a black, non-sport seat interior (no cracks in the dash or significant damage to the seats). It's a life-long Texas car (DFW and Austin) and as a function of that, has no rust. It has a clear Carfax/Autocheck and no evidence of prior collisions. A local, high-end paint shop that I approached for some chip touch-ups and also a high-end detailer both stated that they believed the paint to be original. While it appears to have dodged rust and collision issues, the black exterior trim pieces have faded from the Texas sun. They look great when they've been treated, but it does begin to show again after a few washes. It also has a nice dent in the front, lower valance on the passenger side by the foglamp from a parking block that I failed to see and pulled too far forward. Along with that, it has its share of parking lot dings and rock chips, etc.

I've had it a year and a half and have put 6K miles on it in that time (it has 104K miles). There are no records prior to my ownership (the previous owner moved and lost the documents at some point). It does have the jack, manuals, and tool kit, but no compressor. I had a baseline service completed when it was purchased (valve adjust, oil, trans fluid, motor mounts, shifter bushings, filters, and a few other random small repairs). It's a solid driving car, with inop A/C and cruise (I haven't looked into the causes yet but was planning to address the A/C this coming Spring). It has a slight oil drip on the passenger side (I think it may be a rocker shaft seal and plan to pull the valve cover to check the 1st week of December when I change the oil).

The car is far from a show car, but is a nice, solid, presentable, original driver that regularly gets compliments when I'm out in it.

I'm thinking of picking up an older F car and would be selling this to help fund it. I was thinking $30K for the Carrera. Does that seem reasonable?

Thanks!

2cam

[ab1752]

$30K is very reasonable for that car for sure based on what I have seen to date. GLWS and the F car.

[NYNick]

Originally Posted by 2cam

I have an '86 Carrera Coupe that is pretty close to all original (other than the radio and front speakers - but still have the original Reno). It's Meteor Metallic with a black, non-sport seat interior (no cracks in the dash or significant damage to the seats). It's a life-long Texas car (DFW and Austin) and as a function of that, has no rust. It has a clear Carfax/Autocheck and no evidence of prior collisions. A local, high-end paint shop that I approached for some chip touch-ups and also a high-end detailer both stated that they believed the paint to be original. While it appears to have dodged rust and collision issues, the black exterior trim pieces have faded from the Texas sun. They look great when they've been treated, but it does begin to show again after a few washes. It also has a nice dent in the front, lower valance on the passenger side by the foglamp from a parking block that I failed to see and pulled too far forward. Along with that, it has its share of parking lot dings and rock chips, etc.

I've had it a year and a half and have put 6K miles on it in that time (it has 104K miles). There are no records prior to my ownership (the previous owner moved and lost the documents at some point). It does have the jack, manuals, and tool kit, but no compressor. I had a baseline service completed when it was purchased (valve adjust, oil, trans fluid, motor mounts, shifter bushings, filters, and a few other random small repairs). It's a solid driving car, with inop A/C and cruise (I haven't looked into the causes yet but was planning to address the A/C this coming Spring). It has a slight oil drip on the passenger side (I think it may be a rocker shaft seal and plan to pull the valve cover to check the 1st week of December when I change the oil).

The car is far from a show car, but is a nice, solid, presentable, original driver that regularly gets compliments when I'm out in it.

I'm thinking of picking up an older F car and would be selling this to help fund it. I was thinking $30K for the Carrera. Does that seem reasonable?

Thanks!

2cam

Talk about hijacking a thread...but yes, $30 is reasonable.

[nicctric12]

I have been trying to buy an air cooled car to go with the 997 for over a year and have consistently run into the same problem. Sellers thinking their #4 quality air cooled car is worth what a true #2 quality car is. I'm waiting for the right car but considering what I'm prepared to spend I don't want to see a re build anywhere in the horizon.
For the moment i have given up with the car sites and ebay. I made some connections at a C&C in Connecticut and having chatted to some of the older long term owners I got the impression the good cars change hands behind the scenes so to speak. I think ill attend a few more events and see if by next spring i can be a proud owner.

[2cam]

Originally Posted by NYNick

Talk about hijacking a thread...but yes, $30 is reasonable.

Yeah, sorry for the hijack, but it is on topic, right? I just want to make sure that I'm not one of those crazies with out-of-whack price expectations...

2cam

[Nachtfalter]

Originally Posted by 2cam

Yeah, sorry for the hijack, but it is on topic, right? I just want to make sure that I'm not one of those crazies with out-of-whack price expectations...

2cam

Those are low miles and that's a nice car, 30K is low. To hijack further, 360's are cheap, mine has been bulletproof. Probably best bang for the buck in the F world.

[NYNick]

Originally Posted by nicctric12

I have been trying to buy an air cooled car to go with the 997 for over a year and have consistently run into the same problem. Sellers thinking their #4 quality air cooled car is worth what a true #2 quality car is. I'm waiting for the right car but considering what I'm prepared to spend I don't want to see a re build anywhere in the horizon.
For the moment i have given up with the car sites and ebay. I made some connections at a C&C in Connecticut and having chatted to some of the older long term owners I got the impression the good cars change hands behind the scenes so to speak. I think ill attend a few more events and see if by next spring i can be a proud owner.

This is a great idea. Further, frequent your local Porsche specialist shop, bring donuts, hob nob with the PCA guys, go to the socials etc. The last two cars that were purchased by me and my son were from tips and behind the scenes. I have another one working (fingers crossed), and it should never even hit the marketplace before it's in my garage.

[specialtyoneinc]

Originally Posted by Nachtfalter

Those are low miles and that's a nice car, 30K is low. To hijack further, 360's are cheap, mine has been bulletproof. Probably best bang for the buck in the F world.

Anything less than $30k is a steal if the engine checks out. Think you can get $33k or so. A dealer would detail your car and ask $40k plus most likely. GLWS.

[biosurfer1]

Originally Posted by pmax

The price ratio between a 60K and a 200K mile Carrera is anywhere from 2-3X.

In the F world though, you could be talking about the difference between 20k and 60k to see that same 2-3x ratio.