Problems with selling the 996

Well as many may remember I am selling my uncles arena red '00 996 for him. It has been on ebay 2 times and advertised in a few other places. The first time on ebay I had a gentleman who was buyng the car for 42k but at the last second he decided against it in favor of a cabriolet. The second time around I had a gentleman who was buying the car for 43k but again at the last second he decided against it in favor of buying in the spring. What do I do? The car has 12500 miles on it. Ive been getting serious offers of 35k but thats nuts to me - especially for these miles. Do I advise my Uncle to hold the car until spring? Do I take one of these low ball offers? Kind of sad to see these cars slumping in the market. Toyota Supra TTs with these miles would be selling for a crazy premium. I personally think the porsche is a much better car. Suggestions? Thanks Jeff

How about negotiating one of the "low ball" offers and settling in between? A 2000 model year car is still depreciating $4K or $5K / year just sitting in the driveway, so if you wait it out you're going to be taking less anyway.

I tried negotiating with the low ball people and they honestly feel that is what the car is worth. So... Its either keep pumping money into advertising it or hold it through the winter and try again. By the way the car is located outside of Denver so no one drives these cars in the winter here - well at least not a C2 Thanks Jeff

Ebay is a joke. Sell it locally in the autotrader to someone who knows these cars and the value, especially a low mile one like yours.

or put it up on cars.com. I'm selling my cab as well

the market for older 996's is very soft. i'm in the same boat, trying to off a nice '00 c2, but wid lotsa miles. take your lumps now while you can still get $40k for it.

I just traded in a 2000 996 coupe with 7800 miles, dealer gave me $40K. I shopped it around with others dealers, Galves book says it worth $36K.

No offenses, but when someone emails me that they are selling their car for their "uncle", I pass. If I am dropping +$30K, I want to hear to from the owner. Sorry, I think that might have something to do with it.

No offense taken because I think your point is null. Anyone looking for a good car doenst pass on it just because someone is helping someone who has zero time and zero experience sell their car. If you doubt that I am selling it for my "uncle" as you put it then you are sadly mistaken. Thanks Jeff

If I coudn't speak to the owner of a used car directly, I would probably pass also.. FWIW

No one who has actually inquired about the car had any problem with me selling the car for my Uncle. Anyone with interrest in the car was told my Uncles name and number for more information. Thanks Jeff

IMHO I don't think who is selling the car has any importance. When you buy a car from a Porsche dealer you don't know who the original owner was. As long as the service records are available and Porsche certified, I don;t see the problem. Good luck Cheers and safe driving

It was just an opinion. Actually, when I bought my used car from a dealer, I did talk to the previous owner, all the dealers that serviced it, etc.... Jeff emailed me when I was looking, and that is why I passed, along with the fact that I opted for a C4.

Sold my '99 C2 a few months ago...31k miles, excellent condition, well maintained. Had it on eBay and got 1 guy that was serious but didn't have the $. Put it in the local paper and the first guy to call bought it on the spot (without even driving it). Sometimes the old fashioned way works best. FWIW, I too wouldn't buy a used car without meeting & talking to the owner.

I'm in the market for a 996 but I'm on the east coast and based on everything I have learned from posters on this Board, I would want to take a thorough look at any 996 before buying. Good luck with your sale. You certainly have it priced right.

Fast1 fly on out The car is worth it!

Jeff, I've seen your auctions on ebay and watched your posts. The car is certainly nice but you've got some serious challenges facing your efforts. I've been waffling between buying a '98 993 or 996 for a couple of months now. It's a very hard decision! So far I've elected to sit on my cash drawing a lofty 2.2% in my ING Direct account I've been seriously studying the market for a while. The problems you're facing are: 1. Timing - it's the onset of winter in most of the country...you've missed the season peak 2. The car is a 2000 and is out of warranty. The posts I see on this forum about engine failure scare the hell out me. Most people won't buy one w/o a warranty....factory warranty preferred 3. 2002's (with all the improvements) are all over the place for around $50K...full warranty, more HP, revised nose, better interior, etc. 997's are dealing the death blow. 4. $35K might be low but it's cash. If you are tracking current depreciation rates you know the longer you wait to sell the more you are losing. Would I pay $35K for your car? Probably...based on the descriptions I've seen. I would have to buy an extended warranty (around $2k) and have the car shipped (another $1500 via Intercity)....Now I'm at $38,500. Add in the fact that I would probably buy "sight unseen" (add in $2K for risk mitigation) after a PPI ($200-$300) and I'm pushing $41K ...which is on the high end end of what the car is worth IMHO. Good luck!

billh...do u still have that 993? MY LORD that is one awesome color!!!!

Jeff, where are you? Because many 996 are available, it's likely people are able to find what they need locally. Against a local car, you have losing proposition (more costs and risks and not being able to touch and feel is huge). Depending on where you are, if you have missed your season you should perhaps wait for spring. If not, you may have sucesss advertising locally. If the car is indeed in great shape, then seeing may motivate buyers. Good luck!

Selling a porsche is damn near impossible right now. I have been trying to sell a boxter S WITH a 3 year warranty for less than 30k$ with zero luck. Been at this for 6 months. A wholesaler offered 26k$, and I may just take it. I am in the chicagoland area, and I have never had this much of a problem trying to sell a car. It goes on EBAY next... For what its worth, I have seen 996's selling for low 30's in Chicago, and this was from a dealer, not wholesale...

I paid 50k 1.3 yrs ago for mine with 11k on it and in mint condition... So i lost 10-15k over a couple of years...better than buying new one and losing your behind to the tune of 20-30k... In Calif. market is not so bad if its nice and low milage w/ good history of maint.

Bang on. If your uncle wants to sell his car, let him sell it. An uncle, a nephew and a porsche = the offers you are getting.

As I said the car is not in my possession so anyone interrested would have to talk to him anyway. He travels often for business and so he is rarely home. I offered to sell the car for him because I love cars and Ive normally had good luck selling my own. Hes not really a car guy and knows very little about them. He bought the car when he sold his first company as a present to himself. Since then the car has sat in his garage most of the time. If hes home hes playing golf and a golf bag doenst fit in the porsche. Basically its just sitting and he has no idea what to do with it. I never said he was off limits to talk to. Thanks all who were constructive, Jeff PS Im not 12 so its not as if Im some real young'n selling an expensive car for a family member.

It it a very difficult time to sell any type of high line auto. Ask anyone in the business and cars are very slow right now. I just picked up a 04 Cayenne TT with 10K miles for $73,500. That car had a $93K sticker and $8K in dealer add-ons. I still cannot believe the price and they were probably happy to move the inventory. If you, or your uncle can afford it hold on until spring. But remember there are tons of 996's and with the new 997 the prices have been dropping steadily. As for ebay, I don't think it's a joke like the above post said but I do consider it to be wholesale pricing as opposed to retail pricing. Ebay can also be good just to market your car. It might not sell in the auction but it does get seen and someone might bite after the auction. I've sold four cars using ebay but none sold in the actual auction. I also like to use Auto Trader. Pretty reasonable price and you can run it until it sells. If you don't need the money stick to your guns and wait until you can get what you want for the car. It should sell especially with the low miles. Good Luck!

[QUOTE=sgtpeper] If hes home hes playing golf and a golf bag doenst fit in the porsche. Basically its just sitting and he has no idea what to do with it. I never said he was off limits to talk to. FYI - In my 01 I put 2 sets of golf clubs behind the seats and my wife and I travel to golf courses everywhere.

Unfortunately, no. I sold the Turquouse Blue C4S last year. Sold it to a Rennlist member and the car is now in Korea!

I saw C2's going in the 20's on autotrader these days. Scary.

coupes are getting pretty low in price. i just bought a cab 02.

So you are now the salesman. Your purpose is to increase the perception of value. But first you must find those buyers out there who are interested but don't know you exist. E-Bay is a tough sell for a Porsche. A local market is better. I wanted to find an original owner when I bought, but eventually settled for a dealer, as there were so many more cars to choose from. I would not buy a car I could not see in person or drive. Getting a BMW or Mercedes owner to drive it, definitely gives them a perception of value and the desire to part with their cash. You might have your Uncle show up when the deal looks close to help close the transaction.

i WOULD CONSIDER TRAIDING MY 95 993 IF 996 UNDER WARRANTY. bOTTOM LINE IS 996 IS NO WHERE NEAR TEH RELAIABILITY OF THE 993. tOO MANY ENGINE REPLACEMENTS. HOWEVER, I LIKE THE INTERIOR.