Crazy Ebay Prices

[sithot]

I have too many cars!!
Best,
Don

Not too many cars. Too little room. Why not build a warehouse? You got 'da skills.

Tom

[NiceT]

I know I'm one of the new kids on the block here I'll put my .02 in here as I have first hand knowledge of the exact CIS "T" the Hot Sitter speaks of. I am not a fan of ebay and I found this car recently by placing a "wanted" ad saying exactly what I was looking for ( a mint CIS "T") and the owner responded directly. Never made it to the open market. Would have sold in a day if it had. He owned it two years and after purchase price, Sales tax in Fla, and shipping and good maintaince and services he only made a profit of $3500. Pretty poor return on your money for that kind of original outlay. It is what I consider a gentlemanly sports car... not a screamer but a real pleasure to own and drive. Half the price of a comparable "S" and in my opinion a bargain. I have messed with cars and vintage bikes for 20 years and these blips in price come every few years (and usually right BEFORE I decide to buy). They will stabalize but rarely dip but you still have to shop smart. I have this idea that it is the dollar's value that is changing rather than the cars... The 67 beetle I drove in high school in 77 and paid $750 for is worth close to ten times that now if it were in the same perfect shape. Face it, every thing costs more. I don't hear any one complaining about thier houses going up in value while they live in them untill it's time to move and replace it..
There just aren't many truely good dependable cars out there for $30,000ish any more. Austin Healys, mid-year corvettes, Sunbeam Tigers, Panteras, had em all and the good ones are out of my confort range now. Don't know who would pay $100,000 plus for a Shelby, I mean come on... it's a Mustang!
OK I'll stop now, but if you want to play, you've got to pay. Just be smart about it.
Daron

[pwd72s]

Don,

I do not think E Bay is the place to find a car. Right off the bat because of the tremendous exposure the seller has, you lose. The best way to buy a vintage Porsche is to fly under the radar. E Bay makes the car the biggest blip on the screen! Find the cars that have not been exposed to such a huge market. It has worked for me. I have never placed a bid for any car on E Bay. Happy hunting, which is part of the fun.

Best,

Don

So, if you want to buy, fly under the radar? If you want to sell, go ebay?

[preS]

I would like to add my $.02 regarding 2nd chance offers/ buying outside eBay.

About a year ago, I bid on a not good looking 912 w/ sport seats. I was interested just for the sport seats. After the auction I was contacted by the seller claiming that the highest bidder backed out. Although the 2nd chance offer was good, I passed since it was outside eBay and the seller his feedbackrating was not 100% pos.

6 Months later I saw an add for used Sportseats. I called and set up an appointment w/ the seller. Long story short, these were seats that I had been after. It appeared that the seller had tried to back out, most likely since he had put the 912 on ebay w/o a reserve and the selling price was disappointing to him (for me realistic). The highest bidder on the 912 (incl. the sport seats) had to threath with legal actions but as it appeared now, the seller had in the mean time tried to sell the car to me (at least).

So be aware at eBay. You can find some nice things but when it comes to cars it seems to be different.

Funny thing is that eventually I still ended up w/ the seats.

Richard

[NiceT]

"I have a feeling that these cars have reserves going as high as $49k . Don"

Have you thought to ASK?
The green car's is HALF what the red car's is. I asked and the difference is dramatic. It is being sold by a fellow enthusiast who is just trying to get a fair price for a car he will have a hard time replacing. Bid is getting close to reserve and worth every penny of it for a similar car. The red car already sold on ebay for "over the top" once (more than the green car's reserve) and seller threw more $ at it. It's on his web site for $69,500.
These two cars are quite similar in quality but one is going to find a new home and one is likely to remain in the dealers private "static collection" for a while.
We all have our opinion of what creates value on any thing collectable but there is a big difference in a mint unrestored car and a worn out heap that has had a fresh paint job and looks similar from 10 feet away so be prepared to pay accordingly if you really want a NICE car.

[gruen911]

Well put T. It also makes one (well me anyway) wonder what relative value either of these cars has based upon their colors. Irish green and red are both pretty popular period correct colors. Would Sepia do as well?
I also wonder what extra value either would have if they had any rare factory options. For instance, how much MORE would either car be worth if it had a factory sunroof?
Frankly both of these cars are nice if you don't have any early 911's and want a low milage orig example, but both are pretty plain Jane examples. They are not going for any premiums because of spine numbing performance. I am also a big fan of almost all early 911's in green, but since I already have an irish green 67, that itch has been scratched. But a nice lwb 69-73 911 targa or coupe in aubergine would get me interested. I'd also prefer a roughed up rust free 911S runner anyday...

[72targa]

What I'm seeing now on eBay with early 911's is what I saw literally 10 years ago when I first started using eBay. I'm referring to little toy cars called Hot Wheels, specifically, the variation known as "redlines" (produced from 1968-1977) that started showing up on eBay. I used to search far and wide for specific, rare variations. I went to toy shows, subscribed to newletters and generally just searched everywhere I could. Then the market saw that a large group of buyers was out there and started posting cars. In a relatively quick time, stuff started "coming out of the wood work" that was truly amazing. Now, most of the really amazing stuff shows up on eBay and most of the toy shows and newletters that focused on "redlines" are gone. I see the same phenomena now occurring with our beloved early 911's. Food for thought.

[dhopkins]

There is a saying in business which goes something like this: its good business to leave some money on the table. To me, what this means is that even though it might be possible to milk a couple of extra bucks out of a transaction to do so will not lead to residual goodwill when all is said and done. If we are all pursuing this interest out of love of the design and performance of the brand its bad form to squeeze every last cent out of a sale. You give me a reasonable deal now and I will give the next guy a reasonable deal in the future. The Porsche community consists of some who are truly interested and have passion and others who are more concerned with the financials. I think there is more of a tendancy for Ebay sellers to emphasize the latter compared to someone who is selling on a Porsche community website like Early 911S Registry, Pelican, or whatever. I refuse to pay over $30k for a T regardless of condition.

don

[lkadams]

The problem with eBay is that for those of us who live in areas sparsely populated with Porsches, it is sadly sometimes the only option. But the prices of early 911s on eBay leaves me loving the bargain that my 912 was I boguht my car to drive it and enjoy it. I don't ever expect to make a cent on it. But it seems like I'm in the minority.

[pwd72s]

"I have a feeling that these cars have reserves going as high as $49k . Don"


We all have our opinion of what creates value on any thing collectable but there is a big difference in a mint unrestored car and a worn out heap that has had a fresh paint job and looks similar from 10 feet away so be prepared to pay accordingly if you really want a NICE car.

Daron? Extrememly well said, IMHO. Don, if you're looking for a keeper, an original car that you'll enjoy detailing out, bid your rear off on the green one. But you still might lose in the bidding. Some folks out there have a TON of money, and they don't mind spending it if it's a toy they want...(edit) I'm saying this assuming that you are an enthusiast looking for a car you wish to keep for a long time. If you're thinking of selling the car within a few years, I'd advise against bidding. You see, when I bought my '72S back in 1974, I was advised by well meaning PCA friends that I "overpaid" for this then 2 year old car. Well, $9,300 was a lot of money back then, but it was my dream car then, and continues to be so today.