There comes a time when a person either trades in his car or sells it . Since all of us have these cars selling it is closure . Selling a Porsche usually has so many mixed feelings .Some may be thrilled at the new car or sad to see the car go . In fact I can think of many times walking away from my Porsche and looking back at it one last time .

Now I didn't write this thread to get all melancholy . Instead I want to focus on what's the best way to sell it because when I read a for sale ad there are some which really impress me . Others do not. For example I do wonder how a seller thinks he could sell a 150K Turbo with a one sentence ad , no options listed, and mediocre pictures .

Reading the ads there are some common things which I like -

1) I like when the owner lists the car's features but also includes enough sincere sentiment about his car that would let the person know that he really cared about it . I just read an impressive ad on a Gt3 that shows such dedication where the guy clearly reveals how he drove and cared for that car .

2) Standard items -- "garage kept , non smoker" this tends to be a common point made by private owners and it's good to write it . A car left outside can stil be well cared for though but those who smoke not just take the health risk but really ruin the interior too.

3) Ownership - I like to see that the seller specifies that he has the car's title and all books and service records.

4) Dislikes -- (not in order of preference)

a) when someone says "Hot , Hot Hot !!!!" --That's about as far as i get to read before I ignore the rest . It just strikes me as shallow and chances are it ain't that hot .

b) when the seller patronizes -- I once read an ad that said something like "if you don't like this car then you don't know Porsches" . Geeze !!!

c) when the ONLY compliment is vague -- For example "runs great" .

d) when there is a clear and visible ERROR -- for instance if the person says the car has sport chrono but the photo shows none. Or when they say a wheel is forged when it isn't. Or when they describe a BMW interior color instead of the correct Porsche description.

e) when they only place one photo -- I would rather see no photos because that at least leaves the benefit of doubt that they haven't taken any yet.


Any thoughts ? Things to add ?

This is my first Porsche so I can only add my experience in selling other cars.

"Adult owned" is a nice way of implying the car was not abused. Number of owners should be disclosed

Accident history, really the lack thereof and providing a carfax is a clear sign the car has not had any or not any major work.

If the car has not been tracked most people will list that.

Pictures, exterior and interior help a buyer bond with the car.

Warranty status, and if it has new tires, brake pads, etc tell the buyer.

I sense people in the used Porsche market know a fair amount about the car and what they are looking for.

When I sold my M5 to buy the Porsche I said something to the effect "If you don't know about these cars don't waste my time or your time." Sold it in 48 hours, as it turns out to the son of someone very active in the local PCA chapter who owns a gorgeous 996 TT.

Agree w/ all your observations. One can't really evaluate the car w/o evaluating the owner as well.

Great thread! Two things to think of are "who am I trying to sell to" and "what am I selling", since the substance and tone of the advertisements will vary; an $80k GT3 is probably not going to a 1st time Porsche buyer whereas a $12k boxster may be very attractive to relatively unknowledgeable kids but not so much to existing owners. Either way the old but widely accepted credo 'sell the sizzle and not the steak' seems most appropriate: stress fun, enjoyment, satisfaction, 'snob appeal', special friendships, opportunities, to get them "in the door" - then back it up with accurate data on service, options, mods, etc. And.....multiple pictures in appropriate locales are a must! I'm amazed when I see postings of great cars parked on a deteriorating driveway in front of a run down duplex or ones with an old factory or landfill in the background.

+1
The more info about the car's use / lack of abuse the better. Owner profile is a big factor. If seller is a dealer, the dealer's reputation and the time they take to provide this previous ownership info. would also garner more points with me as well. If the owner took the time to preserve documentation of the vehicle and it's history in detail, that would be a plus. Meticulous ownership=the right car for me.

Sold 2 cars in the past few years. Both on Autotrader with very clear, detailed pictures of every inch of the car and clear descriptions of every factory and aftermarket option. Sold both of the cars sight unseen to out of state buyers. Expect this 997 will probably get sold the same way. When you talk honestly and knowledgably about your car, it automatically instills trust in the buyer. As a buyer though, I'm much more apprehensive!

ryem3. I'm curious to know how long it took you to sell each of your cars using autotrader. I'm still enjoying my new '09 cab, but I know I'll sell it one day.

Also, what is your opinion on how well guards red cars sell in the private owner market?

yrralis1,

im reading between the lines here. are you thinking about selling the S?

Interesting thread . Nope --not selling it .

I do look at the cars for sale though because so many ask me about pricing and I find it an amusing hobby to follow the market value of these cars . I've done this ever since I owned my first Porsche --usually trying to guess how much it wold cost to buy my next one .

I came across all types of ads this time and one very well written one that stood out so above the rest that it had me evaluating the others . In case you are wondering about the ad i liked .. here it is -
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

He listed here too in the classifieds

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...s-997-gt3.html

I had not looked but having read it on auto trader it really stood out favorably.

In contrast --auto trader lumps all the 911 cars (cabs coupes Gt3's even Turbos) into a general search and the manner in which the cars are presented adds a lot to the sale.

Glad I came across this thread...trying to figure out the best way to sell mine

Sorry to take long to get back on this thread. I've had pretty good success selling cars within about a month. Mind you, I haven't been selling $50k used cars. These will surely take longer to move, simply because there are fewer buyers and financing may be needed. I've found that pictures move cars. Lots of them, bright and in focus with a good camera, not an iPhone. People love to see reflections. I was actually mistaken, sold one of the cars on the M3forum. Always worthwhile to check out the free classifieds first, like 6speed before moving to pay advertising.

Guards red is a special color. It is awesome, but also has a limited audience. Silver sells the easiest because it has universal appeal. Red doesn't appeal to everyone, but then you will find a buyer that falls in love with it. Next worst is speed yellow, but again there are people that love it. Red shouldn't significantly affect your value, but may add some time to the selling process. If you check KBB, you can see the plus and minus affect of colors on value.

When looking for mine (the search took over 6 months ) I found myself looking at Autotrader, cars.com, and also the Porsche Website for CPO cars.

I also looked at eBay to get a sense of what these cars sold for. eBay seems to be good barometer for car values IMO.

Hope this helps.

I think you can actually break out the cabs from the coupes in the search function (but not the GT3's and Turbo's).