Naplesguy06

I sometimes like to put my car on ebay to see where the market is for such a fine classic as the 951. Eventhough most ebayer's are cheapskates looking for a steal and dont have any real money to begin with. It is hard to understand how some folks offer me up to $13,000.00 for my guards red 86 missle with 88,000 miles and others think it isnt worth a nickel over $5,000.00. Some refer to it as the "poor mans porsche", which I thought was the 914. Anyways, to me the car will never leave my garage for the price of a used corolla and that is just the way it is. What other car offers the prestige,performance,stealthy looks and legacy as the 944 turbo for $5- $15,000?. Give me a break and get out of town, we now live in the era of the $35,000 hyundai and kia, what does $5,000 buy, heck in Naples we have golf carts that sell for more than double that. It is too bad that the car has such a wide range of perceptions from good to not so good. My car is currently listed on flea bay right now, it's the red one with the naplesguy06 seller info, please check it out and share your feedback. I see these cars vanishing from the streets and on thier way to the recycler or dismantler almost on a daily basis. At least one new car per 2 days is parted out on fleabay alone, How many are in the U.S? when will they become truly rare? They have to eventually diminish and become endangered species like most cars correct? The car has been out of production for about as long as most of todays teenagers. Maybe I will hold it for another 10 years and see where it it in value in 2017 God willing I live to see the day. In the meantime Naplesguy06 will boost the respect and the value of this awesome auto, I dont give my cars away. I actually like it more than my 86 3.2 carrera! and thats no bullshizzel.

icat

Gotta say I couldn't agree with you more...

TRWright

I think the 951 would get a lot more respect if it wasn't for the NA 944. . .

I just traded in my 996, btw. My 951S is more of a 'true porsche' than my 996 was !!"

yellowline

A similar late 911/964 would bring about 20-25k, and it has the Porsche halo. How much more than 13k are you looking for?

Prestige- most people mistake the 944 for an RX7 from 20 paces. Not that cool. It's also 4 cylinders, for crying out loud. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the most expensive 4-cyl out there today is an S2000. A new 951 adjusted for inflation would sell for double that.

Performance- you're right, with the possible exception of an E36 M3. You can mod the 951, but it'll be that much less reliable than the BMW.

Looks- debatable

Legacy- Porsche got rid of the front-engine models for a reason. The 911 is fundamentally different from just about every other sports car. It's the oddball, and some people want this. In contrast, the 944 shares its driveline character with a modern Vette...there isn't much that is unique. Also, don't forget that 99% of 944s were built in an Audi factory.

None of those vehicles will hold the value of a 944 NA, never mind a 951, in 20 years.

For the price you're probably asking, I'd rather save a few pennies more and get a car like the 911.

The above is a somewhat jaded 944 owner and buyer's perspective. Below $10k, nothing touches these cars. Harder to say that once you get well into the teens. And if you as a seller want these cars to sell for $20-25k, almost all the young performance-minded buyers would get a WRX or Evo that'll run circles around a 951 at autocross, carry multiple people, and have working AC. Hate to break it to you- the 944 is a nice car, but not THAT nice.

Naplesguy06

Like I said before, I like my 951 more than my 86 3.2 and my 86 928s. As far as an Evo, nothing to me but a lancer with a turbo, looks like crap, dont care to autocross and my a/c blows cold after 20 years. Id like to pay the EVO a visit in 20 years and see where that rice burning piece of dukie ends up.

yellowline

I don't like Evos either, but the new Subarus are pretty decent and well-built. If you're going to buy a $25k car on performance, it's tough to discount them.

What can I say- I like 911s better. I don't see 951 prices going lower, nor will they go up unless a lot of them are scrapped or parted. Considering the number and variety of decent sports/performance cars at the 20-30k price point, there will be a pretty small market for 951s if prices were to go that high.

Mamooguy

The market is a mysterious, fickle thing.

I like to think that people will one day wake up about the wonder of the 951 and 944 (including the N/A, thankyouverymuch), but it's been 20 years and hasn't happened yet, so methinks it never will. Which is fine, it doesn't change the fact that I love my car.

V2Rocket

Once the numbers of 944s still on active duty falls below the number of 911s they should make money

marky522

[QUOTE=marky522;4600535]
Porsche slimmed down to the 911 for reasons relating economics, basically they didnt want to get taken over.

Mark

wi54545

I'm trying to help with the appreciation side of the 944. The problem with the 944 is that there are so many ratty cars around that brings a stigma to the model. As they go forth into the great unknown and only nice examples are around, you will see an increase.

CARNEXUS

Welcome to my world I have been a dealer for a long time, and trying to convince some one to that your car is worth so much is a trade on its own. That is why used car dealers don't have the best reputation.
Here is where you can find the production and how many ware imported in the USA.
http://www.cantonia.com/prod_numbers.html

But don’t wary the 951’s will be worth lots of money. Our kids are going to be able to get some good money for them, maybe our grand kids.

Yabo

Anyone tell you that it's fall, and it sucks to sell a sports car in the fall? plus, it's a poor man's porsche, just as much as the boxster is. If you're not the poor man, you get the 911 turbo. Lower end models are always the poor man's version, by design. That doesn't mean they aren't good performing.. Your 'classic' 'missle' is worth what the public will give you, and if that ends up being what a corolla costs, that's what it's worth.

Naplesguy06

I am not an economist nor a car dealer but I know how to spot a trend,so how bout this school of thought. 10 years ago when the 69 camaro,challenger,mustang fastback,charger,etc,etc,etc. where abundant and plentiful they sold for $3-20,000 all day long, even a barracuda could be had for 20,000, maybe not the larger hemi or an rt model but it could be done, Now ten years later, when the car hit almost 30 years old, 10,000 gets you only a rusty roller with no motor or tranny and a good example sells for $30,000 to $60,000 all day long. I have an interest in American muscle as well and I am currently importing 3 69 camaros and a Z-28, personally I dont understand why people are shelling out this kind of money for them but they are.I dont buy the original selling price theory either because the 69 camaro was $2500.00 and the Z-28 about $3,300.00. Adjust for inflation and the 86 Porsches started out much higher in price, about half the price of an average american home.The 69 camaro was never half the price of an American home in 1969, it was about a tenth.So I expect the high horsepower 951,911 and turbo to do the same as time goes by. Especially when the price of a new Porsche hits 100,000.00 for an entry level,poor mans model,which should be soon based on current market level prices and the Euro continuing to destroy the greenback. I predict that one day a small market will exist for the turbo, the technology will always be appreciated, and it will always be a turbo. A Porsche turbo.
and I bet a nice well kept N/A will be appreciated and valued as well, it is still a Porsche. Not a chevy.

yellowline

When 944s rust to the point that finding a rust-free one is a big deal, the market will go up.

Problem is, a significant portion of them aren't going to rust.

And a correction to my post above- I believe the most expensive 4-cyl car sold by a true car manufacturer is the Elise.

CARNEXUS

It’s all supply and demand. The only 944’s that will be worth serious money is a 1990 951, 1990 S2 coupe, and the 1989 S2 cabs.

I have a 1975 Pontiac trans am 455 4 speed matching #’s that will out handle out run and out last any MOPAR (opinion), yet it’s worth $35k on it’s best day. Why because there are 857 made in 1975. It’s all about production and availability.

I think the 951 is one of the best cars Porsche have ever made, handling wise and HP per a liter potential. But there are not that many of them out there to make a statement ( and the NA’s ruin it for the 951). When was the last time you have seen a 951 at NOPE, Or battle of the imports. The 944 community is small and not exposed enough to open the public’s eye.