sigf

I am new Rennlist member looking to buy my first Porsche, ideally a 993. Thanks to all of tips on this site, I had to walk away from one recently when it failed its PPI. Unfortunately, available 993's are rare around here (Minnesota). However, I may have stumbled into an opportunity through a BMW dealership that made an unacceptable trade offer involving a '97 C2. The 993 owner was not happy about the deal and walked. I suggested to the BMW guy that he connect me with the 993 owner to see what might happen (ie 993 owner gets my cash to buy the other product and I get a 993).

The question is how reliable is the Kelley Blue BooK Dealer TRADE Value info? Will dealers offer more money on trade than Kelley reports? I am trying to figure-out how "badly" this 993 owner got treated. Kelley lists the Dealer TRADE VALUE on an excellent condition, fully optioned 1997 C2 Coupe with 18M miles at around $27.7K. There seems to be a "big spread" between this number and current market listings, beyond what is normally considered dealer mark-up. I would appreciate any comments. Thanks.

TRINITONY

KBB = unreal for 993's...they're on a different planet..

RallyJon

FWIW, I've never had a dealer offer me even as much as KBB or Edmunds trade in value on a trade. Given that the KBB values for 993s are so low, maybe he was offered that much, but you usually can't go wrong overestimating the avarice of a car dealer.

Arena993

I ran some wholesale numbers on the car if it is NICE it should be worth about 35-37K wholesale

95 C4 993

Expect to pay the highest price and get the lowest trade-in value on any car through a dealership. My guess is the dealership would put it on the lot at a minimum of $37k based on the information. Im sure the 993 owner knows the market value and probably wont let it slide for much less, if not more.

AM993

Let me guess... The dealer told the "993 owner" something like "these cars are hard to sell around here, they are known for having problems and are expensive to fix, therefore the best I can give you for it as a trade-in is $24K... But I will give you a good discount on a new BMW". That's how bad he must have been treated...

jackb911

A "book" (KBB, Black Book, Red Book, et al) or Internet pricing source (i.e. Edmunds) never bought or sold a car.

Book values are merely guesses based on some sort of unexplainable voodoo. If this is not the case, then why do the major books have different values from each other for every car?

Any valuation source is merely a guide. Dealers rarely give you KBB trade-in value when you are trading, but may sell below retail "book" to make you think you are getting a good deal, when in fact, you may not be.

For the best deal (and more often than not, the better cars), try to find a private sale. To determine the fair market value, check the Auto Trader or a similer source to get an idea of what asking prices are from dealers AND individuals. And know that the asking price will be higher than the actual selling price in most cases.

RallyJon

I'm not sure what that means. My newspaper never bought or sold a share of stock, but it can tell me a recent price.

jackb911

Simple: A stock price is actual. Auto guidebook values are not.

RallyJon

So they just make the numbers up? Or are they compiled/reported from some source?

jnx

I thought they were compiled from some source, however I think their source is a bit flawed.

DC from Cape Cod

They are more than a bit flawed.

If I ever wanted to sell my car, I would call 2 people.

1. Rennlist sponor Alfie from Ira Porsche - he would then call people on his list searching for a C2S.
2. Dave Maynard from European - the high end Porsche Broker in MA. He also has a list.

Trading in a clean 993 would be like selling an original oil painting at a garage sale. It happens, but that doesn't mean it is the best way to go about it.

grouchy

The KBB values are supposed to be compiled from dealers reported sales, purchases and trades. Someone hasn't been telling the truth.

Bull

Excellent....so, they rely on the reported sale prices...from the same guys who have a desire to buy low, very low. (and report low sale prices to many other "agencies").

ZombiePorsche44

I doesn't matter what any book says about 993 pricing, the actual selling price will never be anywhere close to the book.......but keep in mind that some insurance companies value your claim by the book so you could be upside down real quick if you total the car.

I'm with Allstate and my policy allows a replacement value NOT BOOK!

ZP44