motosteveo

I posted this in the General Discussion too:

tossing around the idea of letting my 968 go.. Since the 968 is a limited production model with many combinations I have no idea what the valuation is. Should this be posted in some kind of 968 thread?

The Car:
1993 968 Coupe
tiptronic
guards red / tan
72k mi
second owner (5 years)

It's in storage for the winter, but when I get it back the 1st week of April I may consider selling it to help finance the kid's college. It is in need of the vibration damper replacement (typical tiptronic 968 issue) started last year and haven't driven it since, my out of pocket cost to have it done is about $2000... Should I try to sell it as is to someone that may be able to do the work themselves and save some $$ or should it be perfect before I sell? I buy and sell a lot of cars/motorcycles but this car is a little more unique.

Thanks!

RajDatta

How about leave it up to the potential buyer. If they want it fixed, you get it done, if not, let him take a go at it himself.

chudson

As a dealer I always prefer to show a car with "no apologies", but Raj's advice is good. If someone really wants your car and can perform the repair, they might not hit you up for the full 2 grand discount.

On the other hand, some buyers get scared when being pitched a broken car. They know that if they purchase the car and the repair exceeds the estimate, it's their problem. So as I'm sure you already know, be prepared for the "You get it fixed and I'll buy it" pitch.

chudson

And if not already done, top up the engine coolant

Spokayman

My opinion is that you will lose a significant percentage of potential buyers if the car has "needs".

If you change out the part, use that fact as a bonus.
As you noted, it is a known issue that will probably affect all tiptronic vehicles at some point, and therefore it is an important repair item you can note in your advertisement.

potent951turbo

I see both sides of this but will lean towards having it fixed. The car looks great from the pictures, has nice mileage and is in a very sought after/classic color combo. I think the people who are probably looking for a clean tiptronic car would prefer one that is already sorted and ready to go IMO.

odurandina

you our the next owner would be best served putting that $2000 toward converting the car to manual.

jeff968

Some buyers do want the tips so unless he is keeping it and HE wants a manual I would say no. i would get the car fixed so it is 100%. i have a buyer for a 968 tip coupe but he says no to red. Oh well.

motosteveo

Thanks for the advice all, I would never convert this car from its original specs though I prefer 6spd over tip personally.. I know that I'm on my back so to speak to sell a car with a known issue, however I prefer to buy a cars/motorcycles that way and go through them myself.. This repair is a little over my head though.

soltino

If you want a quick sale fix it or wait for the right DIY buyer.

tino

motosteveo

The back story on this car is that the original owner contacted me to sell it for her.. I picked the car up from her to photo it and list it.. At that point I have never heard of a 968, while researching it I fell in love with everything about the model and the history of it so I bought it for myself.. Soon there after I joined the local chapter of the PCA (EBR) and met some pretty awesome people, most of which have never seen or sat in a 968 in person.. Going on the dinner drives and other PCA events my wife and I were hooked on Porsche and the club... With my heavy work schedule I never had time to enjoy the car or the club so now it just sits.. Last summer while driving it to work is when I discovered the "rattling" noise from underneath.. I assumed it to be a loose heat shield or something.. After finding nothing and researching (with the help of Ron Carr our zone rep) I discovered it to be the damper.. Having already put 14k mi on it myself I decided that this would force me to park it and let it appreciate in value rather than fixing it and putting more miles on it. I was ready to dump it for $7000 last year when someone made me an "as-is" offer on it.. I'm glad I didn't and it seems that if I fix it to be near perfect again and hold on to it then it might be worth decent money down the road.. With all that said is 71k mi considered low mileage on this? In perfect condition (fixed) is it a mid teens $$ car? I just found out from reading on here that I have the full leather option, didn't know it any other way.. I guess that I'm trying to figure out is should I hold onto it longer (fixed or not?) I had no faith in this car appreciating in value but reading on here has made my optimistic.

jeff968

Steve,

Here's a production profile for the car:

North American 968 Register production profile – Coupe PS820366
• NA 968 coupe 1992-1995 Production sequence number of 2,234: # 955
• NA 968 coupe 1993 Production sequence number of 608: # 306
• Exterior Color statistics: 1 of 548 G1 Guards Red coupes (second most popular color on coupe)
• Exterior/Interior Color combo stats: 1 of 208 G1 Guards Red coupes paired with a Cashmere interior (second most popular combo on the coupe)
• Factory options with option codes:
o LC partial leather in Cashmere
o 139/340 Dual heated seats
o 249 Tiptronic transmission
o 418 body colored side moldings
o 437/438 Dual full power (8 way) seats

Spokayman

In my opinion, 71K miles is not low, but then it is not even close to high miles either.
I think cars with 60-75K miles are desireable because they don't command the price of 30-40K mile cars, and yet they are still fresh enough to be good reliable drivers.
It seems like values are location dependent and time-of-year dependent too.
I think a figure around $13K is likely if it is in really good condition mechanically and aesthetically. Maybe more in the Spring?

Unfortunately it doesn't sound like you have the full leather option from Jeff's report. Apparently nearly all US 968s came with the "partial leather" option.

GLWS!

PS, I looked thru your photos again and it looks very nice. I would think you should get higher than the $13K I noted above.

jeff968

Only 50 of the 4,242 North American 968s had the full leather option so they are RARE!

3,966 of the 4,242 got partial leather so you are right!

motosteveo

so I looked at the back seats of others and noticed that some of them had the full leather back seats (like mine) and some had carpet in the middle.. Therefore I assumed that mine was "full leather"!