A neighbor wants to sell her '88 Targa. She describes it:
1988 911, 88k miles. Clean Car Fax report. Original Paint Job. Drivers seat is the only part of the interior that needs work. Everything else is clean. Gear has popped out of second on occasion

I have no experience in this arena. She has a $40k offer from a dealer, which sounds low to me.

Any advice appreciated.

 

thats lower than she can get on the open market. Depending on condition north of 65 is reasonable BUT... what are the seat needs? Whats the deal with dropping out of gear and lastly how clean is the paint and undercarriage? any drips? accident history?

 

i was gonna say 60 before reading any of the text... dealer trying to net a 50% profit

put it on PCA mart for her if you are a PCA member.

im in Canada and would fly there tomorrow to give her 40

 

The $40k number is way low. Either the dealer doesn't know anything about these cars, or is trying to steal it from her.

The seat issue is not much of a material concern from a value standpoint. The issue with the transmission slipping out of 2nd gear would need to be looked into. The G50 transmission in these cars is very robust and at 88k miles, there shouldn't be a problem with that. Clutch - maybe another story depending on how the car was driven. Perhaps only an adjustment is needed.

From the photo the car looks like a very nice one. Looks like original 16" Fuchs - 7's and 8's. The Targa top looks like it's in good shape - not deformed at the windshield header (which is a common problem). Black is a desirable exterior color. From the photo, it does not appear that the car has been "monkeyed" with.

If it's worth less than $70k, I would be surprised. If the issues noted above are minor in nature, and the body / paint check out, the car could be worth $80k or more.

If she has original documentation that came with the car originally, that would be a plus. Past maintenance records also a big plus. Any original accessories (tool kit, tire inflator etc would be a big plus.)

How many owners has the car had? One other question - is the odometer currently functioning properly?

 

She called me right after I posted this. She decided she didn't want the bother of the selling process. She accepted the $40k offer.