I want to sell my '04 996 but don't want it to get ruined during all the test drives

Carmax offered me $28k for my '04 996 w/33.9k miles, dealer maintained, no mods. The 7 day offer expires Monday and I want to use the weekend to see if I can get more. Realizing that C/L would be a waste of everyone's time, any buyers would still want to test drive it. What are the best measures to have in place to ensure that a buyer doesn't drive it, break something, and walk off leaving my Carmax offer invalid?

You are not a car dealer! I would only allow someone to drive my car who was serious about purchasing and ready to put up the money. Send people who want to see how a 911 drives to a dealer so its not your problem and only allow someone who is dead set on your car and ready to make a deal. At no time allow anyone to drive the car without you! And do not allow them to beat on it.

Thats not a bad offer... Im quite surprised actually. I tried to sell them a truck once and they lowballed me. How much better do you think you can do?

You Tube "You listed this midlife crisis on the Internet....How hard can this be?" -Eric

I've sold 2 cars on Craigslist. It's not hard to qualify serious buyers. You have to let them test drive your specific car or no one will buy it - would you? Just sit in the passenger seat. if you want a completely 100% risk free experience then sell to carmax and be done with it. Retailing yourself - I bet you could sell it for low to mid 30's.

You might also try auto trader or cars.com I thought one had a car buying service too. I used a place here in Houston called IQ auto buyers. Gave me 30k for my 04 40th with almost 70k on it last year. They started at 28k and I said I need more than that. 2k just for asking. Are you buying another car? If so a trade might be better because of sales tax. In TX you only pay tax on the difference. So you could save more there then the diiference in an out right sale.

I was never a big fan of test rides. I would take you (the potential buyer) for a ride, show you that it shifted as should, let go of the wheel at speed to show no shimmy, slam on the brakes with hands of the wheel to show it stopped straight and anything else I could think of that would concern the buyer but all done at my control. ( idon't need Mayhem test piloting my car) That usually was enough to convince them if the car was good or bad. Most will want a third party inspection and if they are willing to pay for it I know they are serious. I have a very well respected mechanic and suggest they use him. I fully trust him with my car.

I've always found Carmax to give low offers, and I think this is another example. You could get low-to-mid 30s privately. Any dealer is going to make $4-5k on you. Put it on Cars.com and Autotrader. Also try Pelican Parts and Rennlist. Reserve the right to do the test drive yourself. You'll know whether the person can drive when you meet them.

Not sure where you are, Mr.Q, but C/L is pretty strong where I live. I sold a Mercedes and a 67 MG there, as well as found my 996. I wouldn't discount it as a very inexpensive tool to cast a wider net. Other advice here is sound. Good luck!

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Take the carmax deal!

That seems like a very strong offer from CarMax. I am surprised. What do you think it would sell for privately?

You need to be a good judge of character. When I was young(er), I never knew when a buyer was serious or not. These days I can spot 'em pretty well, I think. When I sold my 996, as it happens, the first guy to look at it (saw it via an eBay auction) was serious, called me that night, drove it the next morning (in the rainy darkness) had a PPI by lunch and I had the money by 2:00. If you're going to be all nervous about potential mayhem "buyers", then Carmax is your best bet. Then again, I've sold a lot of cars, and I've never had anyone beat it up on a test drive. Corvettes, Porsches (3), BMWs... most people are respectful. Now dealer cars, they get beat up a lot more I'm sure.

You drive it first with them in the passenger seat. Tell them p cars need to warm up. While ur driving you can guage if he/she is worthy of switching positions with you.

I just finished my search for a 996 - and I drove every car that I looked at - several without the owner in the car. I would never buy a 996 I hadn't driven and your competition that is selling as well will absolutely let them do it. That is a solid wholesale offer for your car - at least in So Cal. I don't think they 'lowballed you' - All dealers pay wholesale for the car - they have to resell it. I looked at an 03 cab with 40k miles on it at carmax at the price was 29.9. If you want to see other offers - autotrader will put it out to other dealers in your area and you can see what they would be willing to pay.

I'd probably take the Carmax deal and be done with it. That seems like a reasonable offer.

I've always opted to sell rather than trade my cars. If the price is right and the Porsche has no issues, you'll only be letting one or two people drive your Porsche. I haven't even gone with the buyers in the last 3 cars that I've sold and never had any issues. GL

Srsly??? Get in the passenger seat and sell the damn car. A test drive is your best opportunity for a potential buyer to turn into THE buyer. Now that doesn't mean they get to rag your car but I would encourage some runs through the gears taching about 5k. I myself, as a buyer, would be offended by a seller who acted hesitant about letting me drive the car. I would start to wonder what they were hiding too.

From what I've seen, without knowing much about your car, the CarMax offer seems about right for a dealer purchase. As pointed out, they've got to resell the car and they want to make a profit. I think it's interesting that so many people seem to be surprised by the offer. The fact is, while you might find a $30K Turbo on the market, most people should run like the wind (away from it) when they find it. I've also noticed a recent uptick in 996 prices...or maybe it's just been a bit of a leveling...not sure. Regardless, I've never seen a group of owners want to diminish the value of their cars more than this one. As for the mayhem concern, I agree with everyone who said you've got to let a potential buyer drive the car if you want to sell it. You can always tell people who trigger some kind of personal alarm that you're not offering test drives...or, perhaps, just not without you in the car. Selling a car can be a headache. For that reason alone, the CarMax deal might be worth it for you. -Eric

When you sell a boat, you finalize the deal, pending a "sea trial." So, by the time you take a boat for a spin, you've committed to purchase, at a specific price....given no surprises during the sea trial & inspection. You might be able to do a version of that approach. Take them for a ride. Let them inspect the car. Then create a sales agreement--pending an inspection by a mechanic and finally, a drive by them.

It's just a car. An 8 year old one at that. I'd like them test drive the car with me in it. If you can't judge a moron looking for a joy ride from a potentially legitimate purchaser the problem is on your side. I wouldn't ever buy a car without driving it personally. RF5BPilot is on the right track. In a few instances, my 996 included, I basically agreed to a price pending inspection and test drive. Both turned out fine so I bought it. S.

I bought a used 1986 Saab SPG with 45k miles on it in '89, drove it until I decided to sell it in 1994 with 150k miles on the odometer. The ONLY interested buyer from Boston showed up at my house and I drove it about 3 miles or so, and the guy says" turn around" , take it back to your house. I said, "what's wrong"?, He says nothing, I can tell you have maintained the car and I'll pay full price for it.

Send me a pic,advertise it here and ebay.

Anyone who would buy a used 996 (or any car for that matter) without test driving it is missing a few marbles. Same can be said of anyone trying to sell one that won't let a serious buyer drive it (unless they are trying to hide something).

I would never buy a car without driving it first. Which part of the 911 do you think is so fragile that a test drive will break it?

Every time I've sold one of my cars, the first person who comes to see it always wants to buy it - and, in addition to the fact that I do take good care of my wheels, I think it has a lot to do with the approach I take in selling cars. Firstly, I list them on Kijiji and Craigslist as this is the best way to get local exposure - for free. Obviously, there is a lot of screening involved - for example, I automatically eliminate anyone who is not local, or is obviously not using a "real" email address. Once I get to talking to people on the phone, I also eliminate people who start "negotiating" before even having seen the vehicle. Before they arrive to see it, I make sure that it is clean, and parked in a complimentary fashion on the driveway. The first thing I do when they arrive is quickly point out the main features and if there are any issues (I once had an SUV that had been in an accident so I showed the door that had been impacted first so it wasn't an issue). Then, finally, once I get the sense that they are interested and qualified, and that I want them as a buyer, I hand them the keys, jump in the passenger seat, and we go for a ride. I've always found that test drivers are almost too cautious, and that I usually have to encourage them to open it up a bit - but it is always that test drive that clinches it. By the time we get back to the house, they usually make me an offer. I've used this approach on about 6 cars, and it has worked every time. I can't imagine buying without a test drive - I mean, would you?

As others have said, if you don't want to hassle with the process of selling it yourself, the car max deal is a good one. One other alternative is that I have used a private broker to sell vehicles. We agree on a target price and a commission. The broker does all the work and keeps the car. When he gets a serious offer, he presents it and I make a decision. I've done this twice and it has worked well both times, getting at the upper end of KBB retail values.

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I normally try and negotiate over the phone after talking to the owner and getting a feel for the person and the history of the car....reason for me is that I normally end up finding cars that are really far away and I only intend on making one trip......I basically agreed to buy mine over the phone, agreed on a price over the phone pending a test drive/inspection and had a bank check with me for the exact amount. Spend over 2 hours looking over the car bought it and have not been happier

take the carmax deal

Sounds like a fair offer for a quick and hassle free transaction. My local P-Car dealer offer me $29K for my 04 C2 with 72k miles on the clock - outright purchase - not as a trade. Of course they know the car, purchased there and they are the only dealer who ever touced the car. I was considering it but just not ready to sell - I'll probably kick myself later. For me it's the hassle factor - I just sold my Harley and probably took 10 to 15 percent less because I didn't want the hassle of advertising and dealing with people. A guy saw it in my storage building, asked if I would sell it ( I can't ride for physical reasons and hadn't ridden it in 3 years), and all I could say was maybe, let me think about it. I gave him my number and he persisted in calling me for about 6 weeks, I finally gave him a price and the bike is now gone. And no test drive - sorry but the Mayhem commercial Eric posted was in my mind. So if you want more dollars there is a price to pay in terms of time and effort, if you want quick and easy there is value in that as well. In either case I hope all goes well for you and you end up satisfied.

Although I agree the carmax offer is valid... and fair... I understand not wanting to leave money on the table. When I was looking, I was allowed to drive a 2003 targa by myself, but that was from someone who had a newer GT3 and a cayman in the drive way... this was clearly an "extra" car. On the car I bought, the seller drove me first, then we switched. He knew I had done homework, and trusted me. It's a gut check thing. Make sure you take them somewhere that you are familiar with, and if at all possible as safe a place as you can. A super windy back road should be on his (or her) dime, not yours. Good Luck!

I thought about it all weekend, one gentleman from Dorkiphus came to check it out, and then I decided to go for one last farewell drive. It was that drive that convinced me to keep this money pit.

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hah! good choice

You think the cars a money pit, try a wife and 3 kids....my pcar is cheap!

Here's a trick I came up with: advertise it outside of your area, in the surrounding counties. People out there who see it and are willing to drive the distance have the potential to be more serious than those around the corner from you. Likewise, if someone in your area is searching adds that are outside of their own area, then they're also likely to be more series buyers as well. Just my 2 cents.

996 a money pit? My wife has a horse. Over $25k last year in vet bills alone....not to mention stable, feed, shots, shoes, etc., etc. My airplane costs a fraction of her horse. The 996 is a fraction of the airplane. This is a good deal for the amount of enjoyment and practical use you get.