88 944 Turbo - dealer price inflation....

[andrew_churcher]

have seen this car on the market for quite some time....looks nice...low mileage.....ex 911 virgin car...money spent etc....but it has been for sale for ages at £8.5k...and then down to £7.5k.....didnt sell....now on at a dealer.......for £10,995!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3155350.htm

interesting price strategy in the current economy and its lack of sale success at a much lower price.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

Assuming the advert is accurate that's a really good price. Why it didn't sell at £7.5k does raise questions.

There are a few low-mileage full-history cars in proper concourse condition with agreed values well above the £11K asking price of this car. The point of such a high value is to reflect how hard it would be to replace the insured immaculate example with the one of the very rare low-mile cars and then bring it up to the same concourse standard. We all know how easily a few bits of bodywork and some tatty trim can turn in to many £000s, so one that's advertised as "the paintwork is flawless with no dents or scratches and certainly no sign of any corrosion" is worth the asking price alone.

I guess it's not being sold by an expert, "The car features disc brakes all round" isn't going to inspire confidence that the seller knows the cars and expects to sell to a well-educated buyer. Well worth a close look though.

 

[pauly]

Looks like a Swiss Tony has whacked £4k on top, it's still a £7k car at best in the current market,

 

[JamesBall]

A perfect car...apart from it is due a service. This really annoys me.

 

[andrew_churcher]

I dont think the air cond is operational either. I emailed the guy when it was a private sale. I would want that sorted for the asking price and the service!

still with 996 C2's with autofarm and hartech rebuilds coming in at £12-14k.....i reckon i would go that option.

 

[david924s]

Nice looking Turbo and what looks like an overpriced S2 in stock at £7500.

Not sure but the seats in the Turbo look like those in my S2 which are not the usual deeper ones fitted to a Turbo.

Like has been said for over £10K and if they are willing to offer a warranty I would have wanted it servicing.

 

[944 man]

Sports seats were an option in a Turbo David. Frequently taken though, of course.

 

[david924s]

Shows what I know about Turbos then I thought they came with all the bells and whistles, thanks for the update. Shame the S2 they have for sale did not come with the leather as an option not a big fan of the coloured cloth seats but each to their own I suppose, still too expensive in my eyes for a 115K mile S2.

 

[scam75]

Most commonly seen in pairs but you could specify only one or the other to be a sports seat! There is currently one on e-bay with a sports driver seat and comfort passenger seat!

Stuart

 

[Dunners]

I've seen this car in the flesh and driven it.

It's an absolute time warp - every aspect of it is immaculate.

It belonged to the chap who produces the 'Fonejacker' series on Channel 4 . It was part of his collection that he kept in a secured car park in London.

It had just been serviced at JAZ in London who gave the car a complete going over. That's why the last service cost came to nearly 2k!

The last time I saw it advertised it was at 7k. The dealer is having delusions of grandeur if he plans on selling it at that price.

Although it's a 1988 model it's not a Turbo S spec... If I remember correctly it is a very basic model, with very few options.

 

[Ewan]

I thought about buying this car about 6 months ago at £7500, and spoke to the owner, but decided against it. Largely because I knew I wanted original Cup 1 alloys, Cup mirrors, a bridge rear spoiler and sports "turbo" seats - and to have had this lot supplied and fitted would have cost about £2000. Add a good service, and some inevitable small bits and bobs (every car needs something!), and another £1000 would have been spent. After this I would have taken it to JMG for upgardes (FPR, DPW, Chip set, boost gauge etc) for another £1500 approximately. All of a sudden it was looking like a £12,000 car as a minimum, all be it a very nice one.

I ended up buying a 90,000 mile 944 Turbo SE in white that already had my preferred wheels, mirrors, spolier and seats, for half that. The price was low as although it was in very good overall condition and had a thick file of service history, the owner needed the cash and the car needed a big service and various other work to get it through its impending MOT. I gambled I could get everything done and still be well below the £12,000 cost of the above mentioned car.

The reality is that my chosen car will, in the end, have cost not far from this figure. Mainly because I got carried away and decided to replace or upgrade loads of stuff. But, on the upside, having just installed new hand brake cables, brake pads, caliper plates, tyres, steering rack and pump, water pump, JMG performance cylinder head and gasket (plus rollers, tensioners, valve guides, springs etc), all engine and auxilliary belts and seals, anti-roll bar bushes, castor mounts, and repaired the glove box, sunroof, heater, exhaust back box and re-hung the drivers door (amongst some other stuff), I can be fairly confident that my car will need very little on going major maintenance. And of course, I had JMG do the engine mods mentioned earlier. I'm now just waiting on a rolling road test and a 4-wheel alignment before taking re-delivery of my toy.

This particular garage have a good record of selling top quality cars from the 1980's at top prices (such as £6K for a 205 GTI) and I predict that this car will sell quickly. The previous owner couldn't sell it at £7500 in over 6 months of trying, but I think the dealer will shift it at the £10K mark (including a basic service and a warranty) within a few weeks. Let's see.

 

[George Elliott]

I agree Ewan, it will sell at the higher price, (although some-one will probably get a strongly valued trade-in).
If the dealer has a reputation for good sound cars, they have the credibility to sell it, which as private sellers we struggle with.
The market is generally really suspicious that any used car sale is some kind of con, but in practise the greatest con of all is a new car (I regard savage depreciation and arrogant dealer staff (once you have paid) as a good definition of a con).
Its not cheap, but if we want cheap there is always the auction.
George
944t

 

[pauly]

The market for £10k+ turbo's is tiny and at the risk of repeating myself the ex SP car at JMG looks a much better buy, most people spending that money would do some research and want a 250 bhp model, of course £5k turbo's quite often unintentionally turn into £10k cars,

 

[George Elliott]

I have the sister car to the SPS car, that car is a steal, you get what you pay for.

 

[Suffolk944]

If its buyer is someone looking for a near concourse condition car to keep that way then I would say that the price while steep is not outrageous. If the buyer is someone who actually wants to drive the thing regularly and knows that you really need to mod a Turbo to some extent or other make it a much better drive than standard then the price is rather too much.

That said I hope it does sell for a very good price as the halo effect of good prices for top examples can only help the rest of the market, just as a load of tatty ebay specials can push it the other way. (ooh sound like sc0tty there !). Hopefully as the basket case cars disappear leaving the more cherished examples still on a the road, a gentle firming of prices will occur (for some variants at least).

 

[George Elliott]

Jon, mods cost a fortune so a reliable, turn-key solution, a sorted car, minus the detuned laggy spec Porsche released to the market in the 80's is good value at £14k.

You will be aware, but some people may not realise most of the good condition, tuned 944T's on the forum cost closer to £20k if the owners tot up the time and spend over a number of years.

The SPS car has all that done. Just turn up and drive it away.

George
944t

 

[Ewan]

Although it is possibly not the best way to proceed in financial terms, I have to say that I tend to buy a standard car and then have all the maintenance and upgrade work done to my own request and inspection, rather than buy a car already modded and sorted. Somehow I have more trust in the work if I've ordered and paid for it myself. I know this costs me more, but it gives me peace of mind.

 

[Suffolk944]

Does make me wonder what I should ask for mine if I were ever to think about selling ? (answers on a postcard please ! [])

 

[pauly]

ORIGINAL: Suffolk944

Does make me wonder what I should ask for mine if I were ever to think about selling ? (answers on a postcard please ! [])

Put back to standard £7.5k + £2k for the bits, as is £8.5k, but make sure it hasn't got a "Ring" sticker on it [].

 

[Suffolk944]

This guy has what is claimed to be a top condition S and wants £5250 for it so perhaps there is a trend for the top end of the market moving up a little...

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C248023

ETA. I was going to add some sort of dismissive comment but to be honest I think there's quite a fetish for talking down 944 prices even amongst owners and perhaps its time we simply wish these guys well. Successful sales at even half decent prices can only help the both the long term prospects of the cars in general as well as our own respective machines values in the future.