Selling Etiquette & Ideas..
 

I'm about to start the process of selling a 996 C4S (I know this is a Boxster forum but please bear with me, don't throw anything hard at me; we're keeping the Boxster).
I need some advice, I'm hoping to sell it privately. Now obviously I don't want any joe off the street driving an exotic car like a 911. What sort of advice would any of you give? There doesn't appear to be any way to put it on the potential buyers insurance whilst they take a test drive. I'm sure some of you have been through this. Also, where's the best place to advertise an exotic? Just AutoTrader? I live in Houston, Texas.
Any other generic advice on selling a car like this is VERY welcome.
thanks in advance

Good question. Here are a few suggestions:

1) Place an ad in the Porsche Panarama

2) Place an ad in your PCA Local Newsletter/Magazine

3) Take the potential buyer on a test drive, don't let them drive

4) Take potential buyer on test drive, let them drive, but go with them

5) Require a significant refundable deposit, prior to any test drive.

6) Sell it to BruceLee!!

I would post on ebay with detailed pictures and descriptions. You will have a large pool of potential buyers that way. A lot of deals are closed off ebay that were originally on ebay by individuals making contact with the seller and progressing from there. Selling a car these days is definitely a nationwide event in my opinion. I've actually purchased 3 Porsches that originated on ebay and only one went to completion of the auction.

Also, if you feel comfortable with the individual after speaking with them, talking with them, etc, I would not hesitate in letting them have a test drive, you can accompany them of course. After all is said and done, a Porsche truly is just another car (not trying to be blasphemous, just realistic) and I know that personally, if I took the time to go see a car in person and ask all the appropriate questions, that if the seller would not trust me to drive it, then there is no way they should expect me to trust them enough to purchase a car from them.

I understand your feeling of not wanting to allow joy rides, but in this day and time, it is very difficult to ascertain if the person is serious and has the financial means to complete the transaction 100 times over, or if the person is only just interested in a joy ride. You can't tell this from age, sex, attire, etc, etc, etc. If there are any particular aspects of the car that you want to warn them about before they drive, ie rear engined handling, shifting style you are comfortable with, etc, then make your wishes known before they set off for the test drive.

I personally think the best way to sell someone on an item is to let them experience the experience.

Best wishes and good luck on your sale,

Mike

I think you can pretty much tell who is serious buyer by talking to them. Obviously, a 16 yr. old kid is not. Personally, I would NEVER purchase a car that I did not drive myself or have it inspected.. Just my two cents...

"Sell it to BruceLee!!"

Thanks for the plug buddy!

;)

The first thing I would advise is to wait until May to sell your 996. You will fetch a much better price.

I would also forget EBAY, which is a great way to get an offer below wholesale.

And yes, you will need to let a legitimate buyer drive the car and have a PPI.

Good luck! :cheers:

Brucelee is right . . .
 

on everything. I would add that, in addition to national and regional PCA sites, you should put an ad on Autotrader. It costs about the same as ebay and you can keep it there until the car is sold. I was getting a few calls a week on my care.

As for tire-kickers, it comes with selling any car. I had one guy who spent two hours with me and did a lengthy test drive. I thought he was serious, but he never even called back to say he wasn't interested. The eventual buyer made me an acceptable offer over the phone, based on the pictures only. I was skeptical, but it turned out to be a great experience. You never know.

Hi,

All Excellent suggestions. One more venue to consider listing the Car would be in Hemmings (Online, or Print Ad). This is probably frequented by more true Enthusiasts than Autotrader and you'll likely get some good traffic from an Ad placed there. Check them out at: www.hemmings.com

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

My experience with selling a 911 was:
1.) Local newspaper ads were a waste of money.
2.) Best response was from on-line ads, in my case Cars.com.
3.) Most respondents were Porsche enthusiasts.
4.) Tire-kickers were weeded out the first time you briefed them on maintenance costs.

Cars advertised in Panorama must all be primo, because the prices tend to be over-the-moon.

If you put it in AutoTrader or something like that, add something like "buyer must be a PCA member and present the card for a test drive". That may be a way to weed out the guys you don't want.

Thanks!!
 

Thanks everyone for your help, there's some great suggestions there!! :)

Sharke22, I too live in Houston.

Are you sure you don't want to take that 996 out with me for a spin before you sell it? :D

Do not jump to conclusions on the younger people,some may be more professional then you think. I was 17(I look 16) when I started looking at older 911s and Boxsters among other cars. The internet area has made it easy for many young people to become succesful and make decent money at a young age, with me it was eBay.

Well put, Blink! :cheers:

RandallNieghbour: Sorry my friend, but the 996 is my wife's and the strict orders are that it doesn't get driven between now and the time of selling. When you helped me with the Boxster, I mentioned the C4S and you didn't seem that interested, you should have hollered then, sorry!

blinkwatt: Out of interest what did you do on ebay to become so successful? Just intrigued..

I buy and sell guitars,guitar amps,and other related guitar equipment. Most of the time I buy old guitar amps that need repairing for cheap and I fix them. There is a HUGE international market on eBay for musical instruments. I also sell items for alot of family and friends and take a small portion of it for myself. I dont do it so much in the winter, as the concert season is slow and so guitar amps are not in demand as much. The best case scenario occured when I bought a old Ampeg V4(same amp as Rolling Stones) for $40,spent $50 on it and sold it on eBay for $750. The market is not consistent,some months I make $400,others $2000. Thats why I have a "real" job working for Raley's, they provide my health benefits and a portion of my income,and eBay supplies me with the money to have spoil myself.

I wouldn't say Iam succesfull till I buy my first house at the age of 23 like Iam planning,but spoiling myself is more like it.

Guys,
Thanks again for all your input. I'm not a card-carrying member of the PCA myself, is there anyway I can still advertise via them?
Obviously any other good ideas are welcome too.
thanks

For less than $100 you can become a member. The PCA takes about $45 and the local chapter has a membership fee too! FYI.

The PCA Web site lists a lot of Texas chapters, but one contact name is William Wong- 281-332-2965. You may want to call him, and ask.

my local PCA has a newsletter called Porscheforus with a classified section.
Also check Excellence Magazine I think they have a classified section as well.
Ebay done correctly can be the best exposure you can get. Most PCA members I know check it regularly and refer cars to non-Porsche owning friends when they see a good example. List it with a firm price for starters and see what happens.
You have a certain amount of time to remove the listing if you get a better offer outside of Ebay. I think most people become of aware of the Porsche on eBay and make a deal with the owner outside of Ebay. A cheap way to get your car noticed.

I would scrap the Ebay option. If you sell it or do not sell it on Ebay you still pay $ to list the car.

I would stick to Auto Trader and state specifically the price you want is FIRM. Otherwise you open ourself up to be haggled before and after the test drive.

Perhaps you can request to see a letter of Loan Pre-Approval. I was given one from my bank before I bought my car that let me know how much I could finance.

Being a member of PCA definitely narrows the potential test drive, however you potential buyers will be from all walks of life.

Being 26 at the time when I bought my 986 S, I narrowed it down to 2 vehicles, one from a private party and the other from an Audi dealership. After I paid $180 (each) for a PPI I ended up going with the Boxster S from the Audi dealership (same price) because the Private party vehicle had an RMS Leak that needed to be fixed, AGAIN, which was within the 2/24000 warranty.

Just my experience, hope it helps.

KRZ

Sharke, at the end of the day 16 or 77 you still have to get the best price for your car, when i got my second boxster the priveteer gave me the key and let me go driving his car (okay he kept my wife while i was gone) but i thought that was very nice of him and bought his car

olly986...how long were you gone? That was pretty risky!

Just long enough for a quicky!!

olly986, you got it all man...great food & chef, great car....and a great wife!

did I mention the short shift too :cheers:

I am sorry to hear about your short shifter! I thought you were going to tell us you had a big wanker.

you should know that the right size is when your feet are firmly on the ground ;)