Thoughts on selling 86 951

[zooklm1]

I am looking for thoughts/input on selling my 86 Turbo, Guards Red. It original, not modified, has approx 195k miles. Recent major maintenance includes clutch, water pump(Porsche), belts/seals, Koni sport shocks/struts, all coolant system hoses, turbo cooling water pump. Tires were replaced in 2018. Interior is a 9 out of 10 with some wear on drivers left bolster and some dash cracks. It has the original paint and needs repainting (of which I had planned to do in the near future). There is no damage to the body and has a great condition bat wing and the underfloor panels. It has some dripping from the steering rack and oil pan. There may also be some leaking from the “cam tower to head” gasket, too. It gets oil residue on the crossover, which burns off. The hatch glass has separation along the top.

Reason for the sale is because I recently bought a 94 968 cabriolet with 78k miles and in excellent condition.

I am trying to decide if it would easier to sell/have more value to go through with getting it painted prior to selling or sell it as is. I am thinking the value without painting would be $10-11k. Painting (complete strip and base/clear coat) would run $8-10k and take 6 weeks. All the needed seals and gaskets associated with the repaint is $2k (of which I already purchased). So if I got it painted, I would be trying to sell it at $23-25k. Is my current value of $10-11k reasonable?
Is $25k for the car completely repainted realistic?
I know pictures would be helpful and can add some but really looking for thoughts on my options. I still will have a 951 that I need to repair from a failed timing belt.
Thank you,
Lee

[996C438]

My 2 cents- it's a lot easier to sell the car " as is " for 10-11k vs all pretty for 25k . Just my opinion it really depends on the buyer . A guy just wanting a hot rod or convert to race car may not care about cosmetics . A concourse guy wants it perfect . And when it's all shiny and pretty you may change your mind about selling .

[944m3]

It’s getting more difficult to find the answer to these questions because values are all over the place and generally rising.

My 2 cents is not to paint it. I believe doing a complete engine reseal would do more for the value. But that is time consuming and costly as well. So basically sell it as is and see what kind of offers you get. My guess is you might be pleasantly surprised as 10k is on the conservative side. But as you already know, pictures would help a lot here.

[Tom]

On a 195k mile 951 with leaks, I kind of doubt you'd get your money back on a full, quality, repaint. Hard to say without seeing the car and knowing all about it, but my guess is that you are as likely to lose a couple thousand on the deal as you are to make a couple thousand. Putting the $10k into an S&P500 fund seems like a better bet to me.

[Belgian951]

I don't know the US market for 951s but here in Belgium it seems prices are going up. Ok-ish cars seem to be on sale for 20K+.

A few years ago, I bought mine for 14K. It was OK looking but no maintenance records (and actual maintenance for that matter from the looks of it lol).

I'd sell as is, but if still needed, change the old fuel lines over the heads. If you can tick that off, including water pump and belts, you'll have tackled the big issues that most first time buyers will look for.

[ROB III]

I'd go with sell as is, I doubt you would recoup your cost to paint in the sale. One thing I've read many times about buying an older car is the best car to buy is one that was just restored, because the seller has more tied up in restoration than what he will get for it in the sale.

[zooklm1]

Thank you everyone for the input. You bring up a good number of points that I did not even consider like someone might want it as a track car and the value without new paint could be more than what I was originally thinking. I already had braided fuel lines over cam tower but they are over 20 years old, so I will look at them and brake hoses, too. I had recently replaced the clutch hoses and earlier this month retensioned the balance shaft and timing belts. Also, I can relate to Rob III’s comment on buying the recently restored car. The 968 I mentioned in my original post probably had over $35k of work performed in the past 5 years by the POs and I purchased it for substantially less. However I need to do the belts (time cycled out) and inspect the cam chains/guides as that is the one item that did not show up as having been done in the maintenance records. Excuse me for rambling.
Back to my original question, I am in agreement with not painting my 951 and selling it, essentially as is.
Thank you again for the inputs.
Lee

[996C438]

How bad is the paint ? Have you had a pro detailer look at it ? A good detailer can do amazing work with paint correction and detailing . Just a suggestion you may not have thought of .

[zooklm1]

It is probably 90% okay and will buff/polish up. It is thin on a lot of edges (primer showing. There are 3 spots that need more than buffing. Here are a few pictures. The car is a little dirty as I have been adjusting belts and doing an oil change. It has been cold as well.
Thanks,
Lee

[996C438]

Yeah you are past simple paint correction. I say cut bait and sell as is . Good luck