Jaay87S

So I assume most of you have probably seen my S2 for sale by now. Now that I'm out of school and have started a new job I can aford to put some money into the cosmetics of the car if I can be relatively confident that I'll be getting a return on my investment. Like I've said, the car really does run perfectly aside from the lack of power steering, I actually put 600 miles on it in the past week and half, but I'm wondering what you guys think it would fetch if it were brought up to par.

I have a family friend that runs a body shop and he estimates that for somewhere between $1000 and $2000 he could fix up the front end and fix the drivers side door and window--or I could save a couple hundred and do the door stuff on my own. I would also give it a good wax job which will get the paint pretty close to matching up--it's amazing how easily that faded hood buffs out. To top it off, I would do an official delete of the power steering--I really enjoy not having it!

So the question is: What's the market like for a '91 S2 with 138k in very good condition with all maintenance up-to-date?

I'll go ahead and say that I'm pretty sure it's not worth it. Not only will all the work take at least a few weeks, but I doubt that someone would be jumping on it right away and I would risk being stuck with it going into the winter--something I cannot afford to do.

All opinions are appreciated!

PorscheDoc

Sell it as is. You won't get the money back out of it in this market.

MadisonT

If I had been a little smarter with my cash I would be buying a car now instead of last summer, but there is no way you will make your money back. It might help you sell it faster but not for as much as you put into it.

V2Rocket

you might get half your money back by adding it to the sell price, a nicer car will get a nicer price even if its still crappy market

PorscheDude1

Sell it as is.
Or part it.
In this market, you'll be lucky to get half your money back.

Eastep

2k for a front and door!? :O dude you could get an entire respray for that a pretty nice one too, no maco

Jaay87S

Yup, this is the response I figured I would get--but you never know!

True, but at least half the work would be in fixing the front bumper and realigning the other panels/headlights up front.

roman944

better yet, keep it

amac944

Sell it on Ebay (again).

Jaay87S

I really do want to keep it, but I also really need the money to put toward a downpayment on a new SUV or Subaru (for the beach). I'm talking to a couple of people that are fairly interested, if they don't pan out I'll probably be giving eBay another try, despite the fact that I got screwed with it last time.

BTW, the price is $4300

Tom R.

look at it this way, you want 4300, get a used set of snow tires for the winter and you have 4600 into it.

use it for one year and it cost you less than 400 a month to drive a porsche instead of the suv or subaru.

keep it say a year and a half, then turn it into a track car. it will have cost you less than 275 a month plus what you put into it. then take the $500 a month you plan on spending on a subaru or suv loan and put it in the bank. in a year and a half you will have half the money for the car, and a track car.

And as far as track cars go, the S2 is just about the best DE car out there (if you are not a mile high that is).

so, have the body shop clean it up a little so you like it a little more, and drive it for a year and a half. you will thank me later.

944Ross

IMO the existence of $1200 944's (quite a few of them) that only need a fuel pump, or a set of belts, or whatever, should tell you there is little market for a car this old, even with the Porsche cache'. Anyone who is looking for a better than average condition, well maintained 944/951 has their choice of many. Sad but true...

I tend to agree with Tom, and would add that in a year the market "could" be better.

Besides, a Sube is a chick car

roman944

why do you need an SUV? or why do you want a subbie?

if its because of the "winters" then just get a beater car/truck for the winter ...

Jaay87S

You asked....The real reason I need something else is because I just started a new job that's 25 miles from home and I have to travel pretty extensively once or twice a week so I can't risk the '44 breaking down on me for a week or two.

The winter has nothing to do with the decision--I've loved driving the '44 for the past 4 winters! I want an SUV or Subaru for the over sand beach here on Cape Cod called Nauset Outer Beach--it's 5 miles of the nicest beach on the east coast but you have to have a 4X4/AWD with at least 6.5 inches of ground clearance and tires that are least 215 wide. In the summer you can meet some friends toward the beginning and party all day/night (as long as you have a fishing pole) or drive way out and get a quarter mile of open beach to yourself. Plus, there's decent surf in the summer and great surf in the winter and it's one of the only beaches on the Cape that you can get away with having an unleashed dog--paradise!

Sooo the reason for considering the queer-baru is because (1) it'll go on the beach (2) you can find them easily in a 5 speed (3) I don't like the sluggish and high riding SUV's (4) they're very relaible/cheap to fix annnd (5) they hold their value very well--especially in new england....I know, I'm a picky bastard.

The other option I'm considering (and will likely be popular here) is waiting for a couple paychecks to come in and buying a 4-5k used SUV or truck to use as a daily, but I really don't want to have to worry about owning two vehices, insuring them both for at least half the year, and both would be pretty liable to an expensive breakdown. Plus, in order to save up that $4-5k I'm missing out on most of the summer beach weather. Furthermore, I would be very inclined to dump that money saved into the S2 to make it track ready when I should be trying to put some money away.

So that's my life story, hope you enoyed it. This is the only picture I can find right now of Nauset Outer...

fortysixandtwo

OT
Jaay87S, Thanks for making me completely home sick during these hot Mid West summers.