CyCloNe!

Is it just me or does it seem like some of these 944 and 951 prices are getting a little ridiculous? I mean I see 951’s listing for 20-30k with over 100k-200k miles and still have things that need fixing. I have also seen 10-20k NA with over 100k miles and cars in fields for 3-5k that don’t run. I could be wrong but just seems like a bit much.

SamGrant951

supply and demand!

rsabeebe

did you see the recent 951 on BaT go for $55k?? things are getting crazy. it might be the seinfeld effect - he recently bought a 951. the maintenance costs on the 951 were always the killer - versus the overall value of the car. if prices continue to rise, more people will step in and buy knowing the repair costs might not put them upside down. they're great driving cars, so maybe this will help preserve more of them.

MAGK944

Same with any car it really depends on the model, mileage and condition. You can’t group 951 prices together 86 is different to 87-88 which are totally different market to 88S-89. Everything else being equal an 86-88 951 isn’t close in price to an 89. ROW cars fetch considerably more than US, this also applies to 924/944.

I still see running 951’s being sold locally for under $6k and running na’s for less than $3k, but I also see prime examples fetching the prices you quoted. Then I see pos na’s and turbos where the sellers are truly delusional.

CyCloNe!

I have only seen 2 5k 951’s in the past two years. I can understand 88 S and 89 951 being high makes more sense. I was going to build a v8 NA car but starting to think i should just get a 951 or 951 roller (actually have one I am planning on getting). Been a little rough finding a NA for cheap as a good donor canadiate (but I am picky just want 85.5 and up).

Chalt

In Texas I am still seeing NA's for reasonable prices, though most need some work. Ones that are pristine are going up. There aren't many 951's for sale around central Texas that are under $15K that I am seeing. I think it is more of a low supply of 951's in my area lately. I would like a 951 someday, but for $20K I might look at other P-cars.

CyCloNe!

Ya, that was kind of my thoughts as well I am seeing boxster's and 928 cheaper lately but maybe its just like mentioned the low supply and demand. May take more patience to find what I am looking for.

JackHB

Kind of reminds me of when I wanted a BMW 2002 and they were still really cheap, now its hard to find one in good working condition that doesn't need a ton of work for under 7k. 9 years ago I almost bought one for $1500. The Tii's and Turbos are another story.

But I agree the market for the 944's is going up but some of the prices I see them go for are a little wild

Heres' a 'Sold List' from Ebay for 951's and some 944's / S2's near the bottom if anyone is interested. Local sellers tend to be cheaper though than a marketplace like eBay. You'd be surprised how much people are paying for some of them and even the N/A's


eBay Sold 951's / 944's / S2's

CyCloNe!

Thanks for the list there were a few on there I was looking at. Some of those prices weren't bad at all especially for NA cars.

hacker-pschorr

Are 944 values getting stupid or ridiculous? No.
Are they rising on par with the rest of the market, albeit late? Absolutely.

How much of the rest of the classic car market do you guys pay attention to? It's kind of a hobby of mine to keep track of such things while endlessly complaining "I should of bought that when they were cheap...."
Cars on that list:

1. Acura NSX -
   I recall shopping for those in the $22k - $26k range. Now those exact same cars are selling for over $50k. The cheapest NSX on AutoTrader is $32k and it has 271,000 miles on it..... That would have been $15k not all that long ago.
2. 4th Generation Toyota Supra's.
   These were low teens all day long and twice on Sunday for nice examples. Now the best ones are solid six figure cars. Regular ones are starting at $30's with the median into the 50's and $60k range.
3. Air cooled 911's??? Think we are all well aware of this one.
4. Datsun 240Z
   At one time you couldn't give these away they were so worthless. Now mid 30's is commonplace
5. Ferrari 308/328
   This one really hurts. I have notes on the various ones I shopped with asking prices in the lower $20's. The cheapest one today between AutoTrader and Hemmings is $37,500 and it's not a nice example. You're shelling out $50k - $60k for nice ones now.
6. Austin Healey 3000
   I really wanted one of these, and they were less than $20k for a long, long time. Now similar condition ones that I would actually want are well over $30k or more.

I could go on.... So why shouldn't nice 944's be worth more than $4,000, especially Turbo's? Sure as far as vintage Porsche's go they are not rare, but in the grand scheme of things, nice ones are very rare (compare production numbers to say.....Bosxters).


Yea yea yea, I know some of you are chomping at the bit to find a few outliers that prove all this wrong. I'm well aware, there's always a few sprinkled around being sold by people unaware of the current market or they really need to move it fast. That doesn't change the overall market.

Hell, just recently a 1980 Corvette, the most worthless of the classic Corvette line (80-83) just sold for $43,000!!! Now granted is was a time capsule....I almost fell out of my chair watching that auction. Even the announcers were stunned when it passed $20k.

The MSRP on a 992 is $113,000. That's the starting price......everything has gone up in the car world. If you already have one, enjoy it. If you've been shopping during the price increases and never bought, well....that does suck. I've been there.

944's are great cars. One of the purest "affordable" sports cars to ever come out of Germany and the collector car world is finally starting to recognize it.

I guess the word "cheap" is relative. The days of finding a nice 32V 928 for $6,000 are long gone. Unless, again, as stated above you find that unsuspecting seller who's underselling their car.

The most pristine of 928 examples are selling for very strong money.

CyCloNe!

Honestly some of those I wouldn’t even put in the same list as they are supercars and fall under a different class to be honest. Some of those are massive achievmented cars as well for that oarticular company where a 944/951 though saved porsche was never really iconic but more like a step child. I don’t mind values increasing but some of these are terrible like 20k for an NA with 130k miles and torn seats is what I am referring to.

Wisconsin Joe

Sometimes a few cosmetic issues aren't a big deal, if the rest of the car is worth it. For most of these cars, mileage isn't all that big of a deal, the condition and records are more important.

That doesn't change the fact that there are some people who are well into the 'delusional' category about the value of their cars.

There was a 'barn find' 928 in Missouri a little bit ago. Totally trashed. Asking $6500. Car was worth a few hundred. There was another a couple years ago in Rochester. Again, totally trashed. Trees growing in the back seat. But it was an 'early 78' (S/N 'below 1000') and had a 'straight body', so the idiot was asking $5k.

"Asking" and "getting" are two very different things.

acgreen

If someones willing to pay 20k for my clunker 951 that I got for 4500 then I'm fine with that

CyCloNe!

Honestly I have found a lot of 951 owners asking over 20k for cars that are ok but still is steep in my opinion. Basically for cars I would expect in 10-15k range. These cars I would say are reasonable driver quality paint, 125-160k miles, interior mostly kept maybe a small tear, couple things not working like liftgate button. Some of these I’ve seen with 180-220k miles asking 20k for an 86-87 which I feel like is really pushing it but maybe I am weird.

Flinched

But the good news is that as values go up, the cars tend to receive better maintenance and repairs. That $7500 911 in the late 90's that's now a $45,000 car has likely had about $30k spent on it. Ratty 944s are everywhere because many can afford to purchase, but not to maintain and repair. Nice $5k 944s used to be easy to find and that was the problem. Kids that valued sub-woofers and led lighting over timing belt and suspension maintenances turned them into $1k parts cars.