Introduction and Questions to aid my search Options

[Mikey914]

Like most car buying you tend to do better on price with private party sales.
The orange car is missing a few things (thresholds looks like is one). The way the pictures are taken tend not to show this. So rather than out the parts in they have taken the pictures to not highlight this. Even if this is not their intent to not have them shows they don't really know the car. For $1http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showforum=200 and some change for a car of this level just doesn't make sense.

There are a few for sale here in the classifieds, and occasionally they pop up in craigslist too, I missed out on a real 6 locally, still kicking myself.

And yes I'm a blue guy too!

[gereed75]

A quick look at the cars and my quick opinion

The blue car is way overpriced IMHO. Non standard exhaust (and one I have never seen before) means no heat in this car. That and other clues (the personalized cosmetics, the over the top radio, the average looking mechanicals) make me see this car as possibly "screwed around with" by a PO. I think that is a $16000 car at best

The orange car seems a much nicer car, cosmetically and mechanically. Looks pretty solid to me, well maintained and cared for. Maybe just slightly overpriced as you would expect from a "dealer car"

Assuming I am looking at the same green car as you at AA, it s very hard to tell anything from the presented pictures. At that price you should be getting a pretty primo car. In general I can not believe AA would present so many cars with very few pictures of mechanicals!!!

Neither the blue car nor the green car appear to be of the quality to warrant the premium car prices being asked.

My current market perception is that you could expect to find good solid presentable drivers in the $10,000 range, above average in the $14000 range and premium cars in the 18 - 22 range. To me, only some special car (low mileage, exceptionally presented, special provenance, very original etc) warrant a price above that.

As you are aware, you will pay a premium at the dealers. I would be very comfortable looking at cars offered by individuals on this site and would expect to get much closer to "market value" as opposed to "high retail"

[Tom_T]

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On the blue car, I have a hard time looking at at because of that entirely stupid and poorly applied rear trunk stripe. What kind of idiot did that? It looks like (IMG:style_emoticons/default/stromberg.gif) Hopefully it is just vinyl and can be removed with no evidence if its existence. Aside from that, the body color valances and rockers do nothing for the look of that car.

Then on the orange car they have the Porsche emblems on the sail panels....really? Hopefully the are just installed with emblem tape and can be removed easily.
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I would always prefer to buy from a private party, actual enthusiast/owner, and know all of the hidden issues than go to a dealer and just see lipstick on a pig. Be patient and thorough in your research. Better to know exactly what you are getting before it is parked in your garage. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif) Michael

Good input. Yes, the rear trunk stripe is a vinyl and can be removed. It was on my list of questions.

I'm going to look closer at the orange car.

I'm also wanting to buy from a private party. I'll keep watching classifieds here and other places. And quite frankly, I've posted like this on other forums and pretty soon a PM arrives from a member wanting their car to go to a good home. And I'll give it a good home. (a secondary purpose for this thread....bait). I've bought 2 cars from consignment houses and one was lipstick on a pig that needed more than expected and the other was a very good car after going through a miserable buying experience and negotiation. All my others were private party.

Again, thanks for the welcome. Having fun in the hunt. Every "new" car has two exciting phases - the search and the discovery of ownership.

Actually, both the positive "PORSCHE" side stripe & the wacky trunk stripe were accessories sold back in the day at P+A dealers, but I always felt the trunk stripe looked stupid IMHO. You can see them at Jeff Bowlsby's site in the Accessories section.

The lack of info on the blue car is a flag to me, & the mileage is a "No F'ing Way" issue on any car with a 5-digit odometer, unless there is unbroken & complete documentation to prove unequivocally that it is as claimed - cuz there is no way to know how many times it has "turned over", nor that some enterprising flipper/seller/dealer hasn't hooked up a drill to the speedo cable running to a new mileage, opened the gauge & reset the dial, etc., etc. (resetting the new electronic odo's is possible too BTW).

I'm also not sure that the blue one is the correct Alaska Blue metallic color, or another repaint, & the stripe in white would look better.

Also, I didn't look at any detail at the pix, since in that price range you really need to see them in person.

As for the contention that private parties are necessarily better priced nor more trustworthy than dealers has not been my experience, & in some state you have legal protections with a dealer transaction, that you don't have in a private party sale (CA being one).

You have to be wary & on your toes in all cases.

We've been looking off-n-on for quite some time now for a 2008-14 Cayenne S (previously 20005-06 too), & I've found that the most overpriced cars are from the PP's who think that they can get Porsche dealer pricing with a Porsche CPO - for their cars with or without any kind of remaining new/P-CPO warranty & the legal protections. The PP's tend to look at the values at NADA & KBB etc., assume their care is Excellent/#1 & list at top prices, & then they sit for months as the values drop (most cars are depreciating assets, after all).

I often see that with PP's in 914s & other classic cars too, but that market tends to have more knowledgeable buyers & sellers, so not as often.

The next most overpriced are certain Porsche dealers & those which (allegedly) specialize in luxury & sports/exotics - especially those in high income neighborhoods/towns. Rusnak (Thousand Jokes & Pass-adena), Beverly Hills & Newport Porsche dealerships are notorious around SoCal/LA/OC area for this BS, as is CarMax anywhere.

Bottom line - everything is negotiable - so find the car you like, research the value & condition issues, set your limit on that car, then bargain like you're in a local swap meet! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
.... & be ready to walk away, since that's often the ultimate deal maker, or savior of big dollar mistakes! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

BTW Drinkman - there seem to be a few other nice 73-74 2.0s - as well as other 914s - out there right now worth further perusal. Plus you can probably find someone on here in just about any area to do a preliminary PPI look-see for you, if you find one far afield, to determine if it's worth a further consideration & full shop/pro PPI & look-see by you. Just do a new post &/or in here where it is & request PPI help. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
Tom
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[Tom_T]

PS - I realized I didn't do any kind of link above for that C.H.O.M.P.S. movie with the white/light ivory 914 as the lead Valerie Bertonelli's car in several scenes, so here is one, & there are several U-tubers out there of trailers & scenes, but I'm not going to search them all.

It's not a great movie, as you can tell from the link below, but it does feature a 914 in scenes throughout the movie, & perhaps the or one of the most featured 914s in any movie.

If you watch it all the way through, then you'll notice in one or more scenes that they could've used one of Mark/Mikey914/914Rubber's rear bumper top pads on it! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078924/

videos -
https://www.google.com/search?q=C.H.O.M.P.S...280&bih=542

914 scene about 0:0:20 -
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&a...148073327,d.bGs

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
Tom
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