Selling car woes

[dem00n]

Hey guys, I haven't posted on here in a long time since selling my FRS. I suppose I'm looking for advice on selling my Porsche 944.


I posted my Porsche 944 over a month ago online on both Craigslist and eBay, I've gotten three messages but were short in detail, but no one has offered a price or wanted to see it. I've sold about four other cars in my life, all sports cars and typically I get offers and etc...but this car has been ghosted. It does have 3-4 watchers every time it relists.



Here's a link to the eBay link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/323365356684


When my car was at a Porsche specialist in late 2016, I was told the car was worth $7500. Recently the Porsche 944 market has gone up for early cars, so i felt $7400 is fair. There was a 83' 944 with 30k miles that recently sold for $13k on BaT.



My father argues that my description is long and confuses people, but I felt it is necessary since the 944 is a car that has its fair share of issues, which is why I address my issues and the things that were fixed. I've always sold cars in this manner though, very detailed. The internet says these cars sell on average 7-14 days per listing. Perhaps I'm crazy and in a rush?



Let me know what you guys think, and thanks.

[Kimsey47]

I don't know about other folks, but reading words just doesn't sell online like seeing photos. I would suggest expanding the amount of pictures on your listing, especially showing the interior, trunk, under the hood etc. These are things I would want to see on a car I was potentially going to consider buying via an online purchase! GLWS!

[Tcoat]

I would get rid of about 95% of your text. The commentary such as parking next to the other and noticing the bumper lost me in the first paragraph.
The list of things you fixed seems like a good idea at first but reading through it I started thinking "boy that thing had issues". It may be having the opposite effect to what you were trying to say.
Showing all the updates makes it seem like you are desperate to unload a problem vehicle.
Just go with the basics like year, colour, general condition and leave it at that. Anybody that knows the cars will know what to ask about for repairs. Those that don't know it don't need a shopping list of issues to worry about.
And pictures. Lots of pictures.

[Mr.ac]

More pictures less about you.
I don't need to know what you do for a living or what you want the money for.
Personally anyone saying their an engineer and working on your phd just reads wrong.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Mr.ac

More pictures less about you.
I don't need to know what you do for a living or what you want the money for.
Personally anyone saying their an engineer and working on your phd just reads wrong.

Yes. Saying you are an engineer is the worst way to get people to want to talk to you!

[Impureclient]

Word too much, head go hurt. Pics and a simple description and if they are interested, then more words but not that much.

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Yes. Saying you are an engineer is the worst way to get people to want to talk to you!

Why else do you think we tell people?

Demoon, you have an undesirable year tired base model coupe with issues. It's $15k away from being a $15k nice 944 and $5k away from being a nice $10k driver. imho you've got a >$5k car if you can prove its Stout mechanically and truly rust free.

idk if the photos are compressed in eBay, but if they're not, get a camera from the last five years and take higher resolution photos, cut the description to just the highlights and save the sob story for the people that care, drop the price to $7k and in a month drop it another $500 and in another month drop it another $500, I bet the car gets snapped up for $6k if it's as mechanically sound as you present it.

Location and titling may have a few buyers wary not wanting to deal with much bullshit, an Ohio/NY car doesn't bode well for sheet metal, especially without any pictures to back it up and it already having one rust repair, I bet many were scared off by that story and went off to look at cars South of the rust belt.

If you want $7k+ you'll have to fix the fundamentals of the car, the mirrors, the AC, and prove it has no rust. There are probably dozens of people who read every word of your description and thought long and hard about contacting you but decided to wait for something easier, cheaper, or nicer with a P badge on it.

Also I wouldn't call that a nice driving road, but the demo video is probably what it should be. At the very least cut the description down (zero personal b.s. about bumpers and shops and why you chose oe struts, the enthusiast who buys it will ask if they care) say you have a long list of stuff recently replaced but just post the highlights and say you can send the rest on request. Good luck

[dem00n]

Good points, I'll give the listing a look over with making it shorter. Pictures are maxed out as well, can't add anymore without paying.

I keep toying with the idea of Bring a trailer auctions, but I'll keep trying eBay.

[GrantedTaken]

You are selling a Porsche, not a ricer car.
This is not your target market here
Buy the seller. Keep the PhD, that's huge.

[dem00n]

Originally Posted by GrantedTaken

You are selling a Porsche, not a ricer car.
This is not your target market here
Buy the seller. Keep the PhD, that's huge.

I'll have what he's having.

[GrantedTaken]

Did you post on Craigslist?
That will be your best bet for a car under $10k.

You do need to cut the ad down.

Selling because you are in grad school.
Nothing wrong with the car.

Remove the big list of service items because people are idiots. The more you fix, the worse the buyer thinks the car is. In reality, all that work regents a good owner and it's all the stuff that won't go wrong for the next guy. Provide that list to the right butter upon request.

Your looking for ONE buyer. And that buyer will appreciate the details.

[ls1ac]

By the way, if you want to find out the low whole sale value go to CarMax and ask what they will give you. You are not a dealer with any warranty so high retail is not reasonable, but some where in between should be good.
Book has:
loan value
whole sale value
retail value
With modifier's for mileage, and condition.


Remember the adds that sail only driven on Sunday to church by a little old lady, that is the same feeling given by a verbose description.

[GrantedTaken]

CarMax is not the place to price out a 1983 Porsche 944.
You are in the right ballpark at $7k with an sub-100k mile base 944.
Try to sell it on BAT. That is your best bet. Then CL.
Take what you can get and move on.

[Kiske]

I'd try posting on rennlist.