How much can I expect for my 944S?

[Guest]

I am thinking of selling my really nice guards red 944S. It's an 88 F reg with only 45,500 miles. These are genuine miles, I know the previous owner personally and the service book is fully stamped by a Porsche main dealer.

Good points: drives really well, I had the cambelt changed last year together with the tensioners - just in case as it was stored for 7 years. It has been serviced every year by the same Porsche main dealer, only 50 miles covered each year while it was stored. It starts every time and pulls very nicely. The body work is excellent, very bright and only a little dulling on the bonnet & front wings. The alloy wheels have just been refurbished and look excellent. I fitted a new Bosch silver battery 2 months ago. The brakes were re-cut and overhauled & engine serviced by the previous owner before I bought it (cost over £1300 and I have the receipt)

Bad points:
1. Drivers seat will require a re-trim - I have the original fabric in bag, I just haven't had a change to book it in.
2. Digital clock had the usual "water" feature in it and will require replacing
3. there was a car-phone installed and there are 3 screw holes on the left of the dashboard.
4. The sunroof raising catches need re-aligning as one goes up higher than the other.
5. Small dent to left front wing, can be pulled/massaged out by a specialist, I just haven't had time to book it in.


That's it. It is a really good, genuine car and with this mileage I think it's quite rare. It has only covered 2000 miles in 1 year since I have had it and only fair weather driving!

Does anyone have a good estimate on what I would expect to get? Thanks!

 

[Guest]

here are some pictures

 

[Guest]

more pictures:

 

[Fen]

Between £3,000 and £4,000?

 

[Guest]

Hmm, I was expecting a bit more - don't lower mileage cars fetch a bit higher?

 

[Fen]

My figure was based on the fact that nice Turbos are (apparently) struggling to fetch £7k and there's the S2 sitting between them and an S.

Maybe someone would pay S2 money for a really nice S but to be brutally honest 45k miles doesn't tally with a ripped seat; the 944 interior is harder wearing than that. Add the fact it has a small dent, broken clock and holes in the dash and it isn't exactly concourse which it would have to be to get somebody to pay over the odds for it. Get all that fixed and it may well increase the value by more than it costs but what you described is a reasonable S with low miles on the odometer.

Lastly if it was stored for 7 years and you changed the belts because of that then I'm guessing it wasn't serviced for those 7 years. In other words it has 45k on the odometer and a huge hole in the service history. I'm not suggesting 45k isn't the real mileage but you see how you might struggle to convince someone that it is enough to put all the money and then some on the table for it.

Personally I always think if a car is being sold needing an "easy fix" that hasn't been done there is probably more to it than meets the eye.

 

[Fen]

Sorry, re-reading the first post I see it was serviced every year by an OPC during storage. Good, that helps a lot, but I have to ask how an OPC could consider they are servicing a car that has belts the manufacturer lifes as 48,000 miles or 4 years without changing them. As it still has only 45.5k miles was it on its original belts until last year?

 

[Guest]

I can assure you it is 45K, I saw it most weekends outside my friends dad's house. They had it outside with the drivers window slightly open with a wire for a cigarette lighter trickle charger to keep the battery going and I can only imagine that the seat became damp over time and perished when it was driven. When I got it it did smell a bit damp but that has gone now with a valet and some regular driving. The only other explanation is that it was driven on mainly short journeys and that "twisting" ones bum on the seat quite a lot to get out may have worn it away! I have also spoken to many people who said the cream pinstripe is a really thin linen like fabric and that it was not made for long because of durability isues, not sure if this is true.

The car was serviced every year at AFN Chiswick (now the Porsche centre West London), basically they came to pick it up, drove it to the garage, serviced it and then drove it back! Doesn't make sense really but the car is fully serviced and stamped up.

Anyway, maybe I'll get the seat re-upholstered soon, it took me 6 months to track down some fabric so I did not have to replace the seats & door cards and turn it into a non-original car.

I'll take your good points on and try to fix the problems. Does anyone know of a clock going?

Anyone interested in buying it? It's be a shame to put it on Autotrader...

 

[Guest]

Good point fen - I did ask them and I believe that the cam belt was changed before they stopped driving it so I did it as a precaution. I called them and they know the car as it was purchased there in 1988 so I backed up the service record before I bought it.

 

[944Turbo]

It is worth what some one will pay for it, if you are not in a hurry to sell it price it higher and a buyer might turn up eventually, however they handle the high mileage well so a lower mileage example may not attract much of a premium. Full OPC service might make selling easier especially if you have the paperwork to go with the service book arranged in a nice folder.
Tony

 

[Alpine]

ORIGINAL: HowardL

Bad points:
1. Drivers seat will require a re-trim - I have the original fabric in bag, I just haven't had a change to book it in.
2. Digital clock had the usual "water" feature in it and will require replacing
3. there was a car-phone installed and there are 3 screw holes on the left of the dashboard.
4. The sunroof raising catches need re-aligning as one goes up higher than the other.
5. Small dent to left front wing, can be pulled/massaged out by a specialist, I just haven't had time to book it in.

it sounds like only the seat is a problem.

I wouldn't worry about replacing the clock if you are selling - its hardly a major problem . The sunroof needs new gears - Hartch in Bolton did mine for £50, and the dent and dashboard holes I bet can be fixed by one of those mobile dentwizzard people.

 

[Fen]

My point though Phil is that top money for an S is £4k. If Howard wants more than that his car needs to be absolutely perfect and it isn't going to be perfect with a broken clock. OK so it's only £50 and easy to fit but people paying over the odds for a perfect car do not want to have to do that. None of the problems listed are the end of the world but it needs the paint addressed for oxidising and the dents popped out (Paul!) and in the inside the seat needs fixed and the clock, dash holes and sunroof sorted. At the moment it's a reasonable S but when I suggested it was worth what a reasonable S will fetch that wasn't enough. It needs to be made something special then. Special cars don't have broken clock displays.

 

[Guest]

Thanks Phil - how easy is the sunroof gear to fit?

I think Fen is right I really need to make the car special and that may attract someone wanting a good genuine example. I'd better start booking it in!

Thanks for all your comments - taken onboard from the guys who know!