Help valuing 996.2s (Targa and C4s)

Greetings I'm getting ready to go look a few cars this weekend and could use some help understanding actual market value. The pricing is all over the price and I have seen as much as 5-6k differences in asking price for what appear to be identical cars. I'm well aware that KBB is not particularly accurate when it comes to higher end cars so I've been trying to gauge values strictly through asking prices and watching some eBay auctions. I thought I had a pretty good feel for it and then I just saw an eBay auction for a fairly nice looking C4S that I expected to sell for around 24k end at 19k (reserve not met). Any help or guidance for a fair price range would be greatly appreciated with these two particular scenarios, assuming the cars are in good shape cosmetically and mechanically - but not necessary showroom condition like some of the cars I've seen members post on here: 02-04 Targa, 6 speed, in the 70k mile range. No IMS. Everything functions as expected. 02-04 C4S in the 80-90k mile range. No IMS work has been done. Everything functions as expected. To make this thread a bit more relevant for other people - any general guidelines for pricing based on specific problems and/or scenarios would also help. For example, is there a ballpark amount you'd expect to see deducted as a result of not having any IMS / clutch / etc records? Thank you! Hopefully I'll be posting pictures of a 996 in my garage soon. Charlie

Both of those cars listed above should be in the $20k to $25k range. (add $5k if the car is guards red)

If clutch is original on both it may be due soon. That plus IMS amounts to about 2500-4000 so that's a data point. Hopefully the water pump, spark plugs and serpentine belt have been replaced with that mileage as well. Google 60k and 90k service for 996 and see if anything else major was supposed to have been done.

As a bargaining point, when you mention IMS to a seller that does not use this board, he/she will think you have a few cards short of a full deck. Not so with the clutch replacement etc. I would take no notice of a price reached that does not reach the asking price on EBAY. Buyers on there low ball the real price of a car hoping to get a fantastic deal. It does not work in most cases. The asking price is actually the selling price which they require before closing the deal. Buying face to face deals can be reached easier. What ever that person asks, you can safely say that the person may come down between 2 and 3000$ depending on how desperate he needs to sell the vehicle. Not in all cases. If i was selling mine, which I am not, my asking price would be my selling price. No deals. Not all sellers think like I do. Some sellers NEED to get shut of the car in a hurry. Thats the reason you see great variation in the asking prices of used cars.

Personally, I think some of you guys are putting too much value on the IMS. It's a nice to have for the BUYER (assuming it was properly installed) but, as a seller, I'm not taking $2K less for my hypothetical 90K mile 911. It's not a 1:1 value especially after "I've" put 90K care free miles on the car. Unless the seller is trying to unload the car quickly, I wouldn't expect a major (if any) discount simply because the car has its original IMS. From my perspective, I would argue that the market has already driven the value of my 911 down based on the IMS risk (among other things) so the price is already reflective of the car having its original IMS...so take your discount and stick it where the sun doesn't shine. Please know that I'm not trying to diminish any concerns regarding IMS failures. My property is surrounded by trees...lots of them....and they're big. Any number of them, if they fell in the wrong direction, could take out a large portion of my home. I would not be moved by a buyer's request to diminish the purchase price by the cost of pushing back the tree line based on the risk that one of the trees could fall and damage the house. Yes, it's a risk but if you don't want a house surrounded by woods, look elsewhere. If you don't want to worry about IMS failure, look at a 996 with an LN (and hope it was installed properly by a authorized installer), consider a 993 or earlier model, or a 997.2 or later. My $.02, -Eric

Quotes source post: 13435183

Makes sense. Unfortunately anyone who spends 30 seconds researching 996s is going to be exposed to IMS hysteria. When I decide to sell, it will likely be the first thing a prospective buyer asks. Right or wrong, addressing it should have a positive impact on selling price. I'm approaching it like a shark attack, however unlikely it is still terrifying to think about and if it ever does happen it sucks big time.

Quotes source posts: 13435790, 13435790

Most people don't put 10% of the effort we, as enthusiasts, put into researching a car before they buy it. And, FWIW, I don't consider everyone buying a 996 an enthusiast simply because of the car they're buying. I'd bet that most 996 and 986 owners have never heard of it and the chances of someone asking you about the IMS will largely depend on where you advertise it. If you put it up on Rennlist then, yes, people are going to ask. If they find it in your local newspaper, Craigslist, or a non-enthusiast oriented resource, then it's a crap shoot but I'm betting most of these folks won't ask. If I fix the IMS, I'm fixing it for me...not because I think it's going to improve the backend sale. Do I think there's value to saying "new IMS" in an ad? Sure. Am I going to make an extra $2K in a sale with it done? I don't think so....especially if we're talking about cars with 100K miles on them. At that point, I'm more worried about how long the engine is going to last, IMS or not, and I'm looking at the overall condition of the cars, maintenance records, etc. I hate to say it but, really, at 100K miles, the IMS is now one of many concerns. If you're talking about comparing 996es with 30K miles on them, I think the story is much different. Just my $.02, -Eric

Quotes source post: 13435183

I agree with this. I didn't factor in the price of the actual part when I made my offer, but I did factor in it needed a new clutch and starter motor.

All valid points Eric - thanks for the input. I just finalized details over the phone with the dealership - flying to go inspect and pick up my C4S tomorrow! Cheers Charlie