What do you think this is worth? 1988 Porsche 944 104K R-Title (but excellent condition)?

Question

I have been in the car business for ten years and am a manager at a new Honda dealership.

I sold my father an '88 Red Porsche 944 (not turbo, Lthr, PL, PB, stick, SR)) back in '98 for 6K. The car is in excellent condition (and I truly do mean excellent) and has only had about 2000 miles put on it since he bought it. It is inspected, and runs well. Everything works. The body looks perfect. the interior looks new. Even the rubber spoiler is still factory black (not faded).

I ran a Kelley and it is coming between 3500-4700 private party (he wants to sell it privately). It has 104K. The thing that is really throwing me off is that it was a reconstructed vehicle (but the best job I have ever seen - I would know it was an R unless I really checked the body during an appraisal.

Normally I would cut the value in half because of the R brand, but I am not sure what would happen on the private market.

How much do you think he can reasonably expect to sell it for?

Answer 1

I've always found KBB or similar sources to rather low when it comes to used Porsches. Not sure for the reasoning here, but their numbers are always quite low compared to what I see from my involvement with Porsche Club Of America.

From what you descibe, I think it would be reasonable to see about $4800-5500 for the car. However, the title issues is something that would make quite a few Porsche buyers run away and could seriously devalue the car - no matter how well the work has been done.

The more information you have on work done the better (I know many that go so far as to document all major work and repaints with photos at each step of the way so that future buyers can see that the work was done "right."). At least having info on who did the work, when, and receipts would be needed to get close to the value you might be looking for. Without that the KBB numbers may actually be high.

Answer 2

As a generalization, the 951 is a strong, reliable car. However there are some major caveats to that, and I think I can see some red flags in regards to your situation. As said, the 951 is a good car. They are capable of some pretty good performance and they are well engineered and reliable. However, the newest ones out there are now more than 20 years old. So while it's safe to say they were reliable when they left the factory, how reliable they are now will depend very much on how they were cared for over the last 20+ years. A 951 in good condition will normally fetch at least $9-10k... so buying one for $2-3k suggests one in relatively poor condition. From experience with older Porsches, the easiest way to buy one that will cost you a massive amount of money is to buy one that is cheap. If you want one, spend the $10k up front... otherwise you'll spend the $2-3k to buy it, and another $7k in short order taking care of problems (and if you wanted it in the same condition as the car that cost $10k in the first place, you'll probably spend that amount over again). Going cheap seldom winds up being less expensive. And the second part is expense... while you can get these cars at cheap prices, keep in mind that adjusted to modern exchange rates, this is a car that would've been $60-70k new today. Expect parts, repairs, and upkeep to reflect this value, rather than that of your purchase price. Which is to say that even though these can be good reliable cars, do not try to own one if you have major budget limitations. All that said, I would also give a little worry to running a 951 as a daily driver in the AZ climate. Turbos add heat and stress to an engine, as well the high ambient temperatures. The car can handle it, but at the same time it will add to the maintenance cost and will add to the wear and tear on the car. It could work, but a 944S2 or 968 without the Turbo would probably be better suited to daily use in this case.

Answer 3

1988 Porsche 944 Value

Answer 4

The 944 is an entry porsche, and a good looking one at that with a 4 cyl up front and a transmission in back to balance the car.( what a selling point) To a young kid or first timer all they see is PORSHE I would ask 5000.00 and push its a PORSCHE, in great condition, and keep in mind 944 in good condition are hard to find. Let the buyer know its been reconstructed but professionally then change the subject on how much your dad loves it and how he hates to see it go.
Its a beautiful reliable car that happens to be a PORSCHE Its worth every bit of 5000.00. I can already see you driving this car and enjoying every minute of it. what price do you put on happiness?

Answer 5

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An oil change and a tune-up on the Porsche can cost you close to 1.5K! And, when it breaks, and it will break, repairs will cost you more than the car is worth. Fix the Honda. Best wishes and good luck.