Is a running 911 worth more parted out than sold complete
 

Here's my dilemma...

I have an '86 Carrera targa that has been a California car its whole life until two years ago.

The car has no rust and, as far as I can tell, has never been hit.

I just had the topend of the original 3.2 done (heads redone, case was split, resealed, new clutch/PP, new heat exchanger, etc.) AND had the 915 rebuilt. I have receipts for everything. Car runs and drives great.

Installed PMB rebuilt calibers, pad wear sensors and new brake lines all around last year.

Replaced the boxster wheels the car had on it when purchased with Fuchs.

The car is tired cosmetically. It needs new paint (garnet metallic) and the interior is tired. Seats look pretty good but dash is cracked and carpet is worn. Driver's side mirror is cracked (glass..not the housing).

Gas gauge doesn't work but everything else does.

I have a little over $30K in the car as it sits.

So, based on current trends I imagine the car would struggle to sell for what I have in it. However, I think if I parted out I would get more for the car. I would hate to do that to a numbers matching car. But, money is money.

Thoughts?

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1501888105.jpg

I'd like to see the breakout where you part it for $30k. Please include your hourly rate you value yourself at and hours per job. I don't see the money in it.

I think you may be able to get $30k for it but you might have to work a bit.

Selling parts is a pain in the you know what. Packaging, tracking, dealing with the occasional difficult buyer. One and done selling the car as is may be an option. How much is your time worth. Looks like a cool project for the right buyer. You don't show the mileage, but if you lose $5k and get it over with, will you care in a year or two? The money is already gone. Not trying to be a jerk.

Why not post it on the cars for sale section here on Pelican - see what happens

Why do you want to sell? Once you answer this question, your path should be clear.

Mechanically the car sounds alright - please don't part it out. Some people are looking for a car that's a little tired (cosmetically).

Please do not part it out. Sell to the highest dollar and move on. Life is short so enjoy it while you can.

Whoa! We have two mad maxes. Mind blown.

My targa was tired inside and out and Im happy to have it. Dont part it, its not too far gone for a motivated buyer to spruce up.

If you want to get out of it, take your lumps and sell the whole thing for what you can get for it. It shouldn't be for a lot less than you have in it, and you won't be breaking a good numbers matching car. JMHO

People always overestimate what they can get for parts. Take for example your brake calipers. They may be rebuilt but now they are used again. Running to the post office to ship a $5 part. Lots and lots of time when all is said and done.

Even a brand new car's parts are worth WAY more than the car itself.

But you have to find a buyer for each of the parts first! It isn't as easy as the first beer would have you think. Yeah the engine, trans, and wheels go with the snap of the finger. You very quickly get down to parts that you can sell only when the right buyer comes along and that could take years. And you are talking about hundreds of parts that you would have to keep advertised. I think it would be WAY more of a P.I.T.A. than almost anyone with a life would want to deal with.

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The bigger issue I see here is that anyone who would consider hacking up a running vintage car for money isn't the type of person who should have a vintage car. You aren't supposed to profit from a hobby you enjoy. It is a well considered expense where you pay to enjoy something that makes your life fuller.

Most cars are worth more parted out than sold whole. It's aways been like this but parting out and selling a car from your own garage is a PITA.
What you get is a procession of tire kickers and idiots that want to steal what you have on offer meanwhile they've scoped out your garage, tools etc.

This is also one of the big reasons I DIY as much as possible in my house. I just hate having strangers hanging around.

Selling a car is bad enough. I've got better things to do with my weekend.

My wife just pointed out that you could have put $30K in an SUV that would be worth only $5K in 5 years. Your "money pit" is WAY more cost conscious than any other vehicle parked on your street.

It sounds like you have a sensible lady there!

I said the same thing to my ex wife when I bought my 78 SC 20 years ago. I paid $18k & at the time it seemed expensive considering its condition. She moaned about it for ages and said things like "That car is such a waste of money" but that didn't stop her for asking for a piece of it when we divorced. Meanwhile I've spent about $30k total in 20 years of ownership. This includes insurance, registration, maintenance & repairs. ;)

Fast forward 20 years and my SC is now insured for $75k but good luck finding a comparable car in Australia for less than $100,000!

WOO I love my Porsche!:D

Thank you for all the input. When the time comes I'll sell the car as is...no parting out.

Years ago I thought the way you do. I was caught in the romance and idealized view of driving and collecting cars. The reality is that if you aren't careful you reach cross the point where it becomes a chore.....old cars always need something and you spend more time wrenching than driving. If you have Jay Leno money you can afford the facilities, mechanics, helpers, etc. to balance the load. When you don't have those resources (and you have too many cars) you find out there is truth to the old saying " too much of a good thing". :)

Parting a Porsche out usually only makes sense if there is something really bad like.
1. Rust
2. Wreck
3. Title problems

But if the car doesn't match any of those you will probably not do better parting it than you would selling it whole. Not to mention that is one less Porsche for future generations to enjoy. Just remember all the guys who scrapped Speedsters and early 911's back in the day, because it wasn't worth fixing them. Ask Jim at EASY about the 356A Carrera he scrapped or Bruce Baker about the Speedster he buried under the PA Turnpike, bet they both wish they had left it in the backyard.
I can honestly say I've never scrapped a Porsche, though some people question that logic when they come to my place sometimes...

---Adam
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1501944101.jpg

Well said.

It's not just about the expenses.

When folks start counting hours spent on their p-cars and thinking about how much that's worth, it's no longer a hobby.

I agree, it can get warped how people look at these cars. My $40k new car depreciates to $30k in the first 3-4 years. But if my $30k Carrera goes down in price that's an issue? If it was just parked that whole time that is an issue. But if I drive it 3-5k mi a year a couple thousand "loss" on resale makes total sense.

There are a lot of angles here and nothing is black in white.
People who can not take a loss on a hobby car but easily takes a loss on a a to b car, there is a disconnect in logic in that way of thinking.
But making the wisest exist from something you have money in makes sense, wither a toy car like a 911 or a needed shelter like a house or any thing of value like a boat, motorcycle or tool like a to b car.
Just because a guy does not want to walk away from money does not make him less of a enthusiast.
Maybe I just never had that kind of money to afford the luxury of being able to do the equivalent of throwing the keys and the title on the seat of a car and being happy with what ever money the next owner gives me for it.
No, I am like the OP, I need to recover as much money from what ever thing I bought before moving on to the next thing. If that means parting out the car I would do it.
On this particular situation I do not believe the most can be recovered parting out the car, factoring in time.
I had a 400I 5-speed Ferrari that I would have most defiantly almost doubled my money if I parted it out instead of selling it as a running car. I let emotion get in the way on what was best for my family on selling that car.

How much is your time worth? You only live twice!

Parting a car s*cks bigtime. You'll have a ton of glass, bumpers, seals, and unknown lines leftover - and it will turn a garage into a s**tstorm that will make the move Twister look tame. Sell it whole unless you value your time, dignity, and car to take the boxes of greasy crap to FedEX and Greyhound all day. There are certain people that can do this. I did it with several motorcycles, made money, but in the end it was one thing I regretted in life.

Yeah, this isn't the greatest example, because parting a 400i is something in this world that very few ever gets to part. The engine alone was probably worth the entire car (I know from experience that the front glass is worth $$$ too), but that's Ferrari.

I have driven many 400s and 412s - and let me tell you you did the world and Ferrari a service by not parting it because if it still exists as a whole, then it's awesome and I commend you - you can sleep well at night. You did what was right for the entire Ferrari hobby. They are awesome and fun GT cars, and a whole lotta Ferrari V12 for little money. Since your car had a standard trans, its UBER rare - and I'm doubly happy you didn't part it. A 400i 5-speed makes a 928 standard look common. I have driven silver, white, black and red 400s/412s - and I am very happy you never parted it. Great car. Very, very underrated- and now that I'm a family man, I wish I had one. I even drove a convertible conversion 400 and that was freaking awesome...

On the OP's 911 I would not part it out, margins are to close. Sell as is.

Salparadise, I agree with you 400/412's are great cars. On my 400I, I put lot of miles on it, it was really fun to drive and I drove it every where. It had 72,000 miles on it when I sold it. Almost unsellable with that many miles. If it was a Porsche 911 we would talk about how low the miles were at 72,000.
So I sold the 400I for $25,000, good AC, all the services up to date and it ran very strong, but the miles freaked out buyers. Now I could sell a 5-speed trans with the rear end for a easy $10,000 if not more. The engine for $10,000 and the car with out the engine and trans would have sold for $15,000. I left $10,000 on the table.

Great car but the parts and maintence was consuming me. Here is a picture on a road trip in the winter to New Mexico and me doing an engine out service.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1501994175.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1501994230.jpg

You don't know how many times I've gone to a guy's house to buy his "parts stash" and he has a mountain of this stuff, he parted out 4-5 cars and sold all the good stuff. I'm a nice guy but I want to ask, "If you can't sell all this stuff, how the F*&K am I supposed to?" But I don't ask. I politely say that the part you have three of, I have thirty of.
It's like buying out an old parts seller, he has all the stuff you can't sell in large quantities, so it looks like a lot of parts, but it really isn't. I looked at a guy's stash one time and the thing that stuck in my mind was he had 275 B/C steering columns, stacked like cord wood. He said he gets $100 each for those. I agreed, but added I would probably sell 5 in my lifetime, so that leaves me 270 to make an Effiel Tower in my front yard. I surmised that he had probably parted out about 280 B/C's over the years, and had sold about 5 columns.

---Adam

You guys are right....I've listed the car on ebay. I'll take my lumps and move on :)

It's a good color. I think it might surprise you. GLWS.

With 3.2 and 915 rebuild, this is going to be a nice find for someone!

Bill, since you're interested in money, I think vacuuming the interior and taking a new photo would pay for itself.
Also, photographing a wet car right right after your hosed it off detracts from the presentation, and makes it look hurried.
You may considering taking a few new pictures now that the car is dry.

I've been watching here and eBay, looking for a new aircooled 911 for the last 2+ months and I have to say, there are some cars on there that seem to sell better because of the photos than the actual car being sold. I have to agree with sugarwood, I think you are doing the car an injustice with the pics you have with the car being wet.

Check out these photos:
1984 Porsche 911 Base Coupe 2-Door | eBay

Find somewhere open and inspirational, like the beach, park, manor house, modern villa etc and take some glamor shots of the car. Remember that with a 911, not only are you selling a mechanical classic, but also a life style and dream!

I have to say, your commentary about the car does leave the reader happy in the knowledge that you know the car, and that it's been well looked after.

I think you are right. It's been raining off and on all weekend. I'll update the pictures tomorrow. Thank you for the advice.

Changes made...hopefully for the better!

I think it looks better. Nice job.

I put a coat of P21S on it...really brought out some of the shine. I'm starting to like this car again...:D

The replated engine fan is a nice touch.
But the wide angle lens of the interior is a killer photo.

It's a great color and best year of the 915 Carreras. If I had already sold my 86 Coupe I could be tempted to bid.

Wow, not even a bid at $25k?

Is there a link to the listing?

I probably talked the car down too much. I think I'll clean it up some more, fix the gas gauge and other smaller issues and try again later. Of course, at a higher price! ;)

Try this
1986 Porsche 911

There in an unintended consequence of this statement. The reader infers that you are selling the worst of your collection.

This statement is moot considering you have addressed these issues with Bruce.
(What was the issue with the smoking on startup?)

Same thing.

I would get an estimate for a paint correction.

Have you listed this car on Pelican?