http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/pts/5924768273.html

Hmm I have some ideas of whom it may be.

Same guy that thinks bare 914 trans cases are worth $250 each?

Is this the remainder of Otto's stash? I visited the collection a year ago in a hanger at the Long Beach airport. Most of it was crap, but I did by a 914 seat worth restoring

Doesn't look like 1.8 Million worth of parts !

There are a couple of these "turn-key" businesses for sale right now. I've seen enough of these to know that normally the stuff guys have left when they want to sell out is the stuff that doesn't sell. There was a well known parts dealer in Maine who wanted me to buy him out about 5 years ago. We made a trip up there and did a full inventory. it was stuff like he had 100 rusty coupe doors, I already had 30 in my collection, did I need 130? Or my favorite, he had 275 356 B/C steering columns, he said, "I get $100 each for those?" I countered with, "I would be able to sell 5 in my lifetime, so that leaves me 270 to make an Effiel Tower in my front yard."

If you are thinking of buying into one of those businesses do your homework and don't get wowed by the quantity, look closer at the quality. This stash looks like a lot of empty engine and gearbox cases, 914 Targa tops, and door shells. Try selling some of those items before you spend thousands to own a building full of them.
It's also important to look at who is selling the stuff. If the guy is in good health and just wants out of the business be wary. Most people get into this business based on their passion for the Marque and they normally only want out of a dream job if they aren't making any money. Now if the guy is in bad health and still passionate, that makes a deal more interesting so it's not the business that is sick, it's him, which means you can take the baton and keep the race going.

Steve, From the pics, it looks like the guy in San Gabriel. He used to be on here as Carreara6, but had changed screen name. I can't remember his new name...

Selling a biz on Craigslist for $1.8m is one of the craziest ideas I've seen in a long time. Like someone reading cl is looking for that sort of investment.

Not that I have 1.8M to invest in a company but changing your screen name makes me anxious

I think he is saying 1.8 million in inventory, I don't think that's his asking price.

Maybe AA will buy it and call it their new used lost wharehous

My guess is that is David Buhain, I don't remember his eBay name, but he used to have things on there with homerun or grandslam prices.

I have standing offers from a few people with sizable 914 stashes that want me to buy their whole stash of cars / parts. Unless there is a some valuable parts that can sell quickly to recover your costs it is not worth it. In all my years of buying parts cars & parts I have only jumped on two "collections" because of fair prices and quality parts.

If anyone is thinking about jumping in keep in mind you have to transport, sort and then store all that. Then there is selling, shipping and more. Doing it as a hobby is one thing, but when you try to make it a business that changes everything. It is a lot time and effort, more than you ever think it will be. As me how I know.

The ratio that normally works with large stashes is you will sell 1/3 of the stuff in the first year, the next 1/3 in 3-5 years and at some point in this break even, and then you'll sell the last 1/3 never ever, you will be buried with it.
But you have to have at least 1/3 of the stuff be quickly and easily sell-able, not empty gearbox cases and targa tops.
And yes you also have to figure in transport, storage, marketing, selling and then shipping. You can read about one such trip here, you can even pick out Pretty Boy Scotty B if you look close.
https://unobtaniuminc.wordpress.com/2014/07...sche-barn-find/

How valuation is done is everything. Even at .10 on the dollar you may pay too much.

Ask what his sales are. Typically a business is worth 2-2/12 X earnings inventory is just a ine item for equity

Even that can be tricky, he could show you good sales going back 5 years, except that might have been him selling off all the good stuff. These stashes are finite unless you continuously add to them, trust me I know, which is why I'm always on the road.

The headline says 1 dollar.

Maybe some lawyer type should offer a dollar, and sue him for false advertising when he won't accept.

I hate ads like that!

Some things best just to steer clear of

He is now down to 1.2 million and he is pumping it all over.

The website is http://www.carrerapartsonline.com/

He is saying the parts on the website is only 25% of the parts. Someone might want to buy the $225,000 917 stash.

Oh, Carrara6... he offered to sell me a cookie for $200 + shipping. I guess members get a discount


Inventory retail value that I've seen..... 1/10th of asking

1 cookie for $300 and it's cracked! What a deal!

Looking at the size of this part lot (see the listing on Pelican), a few things strike me:

This is a lot of parts!

There are certainly other big stashes like this out there - DC Automotive, Asse bros, etc etc

Ultimately my point is, the number of parts available way exceeds the demand for most of this stuff. Even if you were giving it away, there would be few takers on most of it.

Of course there are the few very desirable NLA stuff that brings big bucks, but again the market for that is small.

Makes me wonder about the whole dynamic of our little vintage Porsche culture. Maybe I am underestimating the size of the market but it all seems pretty fragile to me.

There is an insatiable market for certain parts, nice steering wheels, I can sell 1000 of them. Empty gearbox cases or steering columns, I would be lucky to sell one a year. The problem about buying a large warehouse of stuff is you actually have to move it, and then have a place to store it, both of those things cost tens of thousands, before you can even hope to sell anything. There is also a "doubles" dynamic that comes into play if you are already in the business and buying out someone else. A 356 parts seller wanted me to buy him out several years ago, I did an inventory, a couple of things stuck in my head. One was he had over 100 rusty coupe doors, I already had about 30 myself, did I really need 130, would I ever catch up to that, or he had 275 B/C steering columns, I figured I would sell about a dozen in my lifetime, that leaves me 263 to make an Effiel Tower in my front yard with. If you want to see what it takes to move a warehouse, check out this story on my blog, and if you look close you can catch a Scotty B cameo!
https://unobtaniuminc.wordpress.com/2014/07...sche-barn-find/

DC Auto has a 140,000sq/ft building and is busy selling new and used Porsche parts. I'm good friends with Rob - the owner, and he has a very good handle on the Porsche market. His inventory of new parts is growing daily. I'm down there about once a month. Trust me, there won't be any - going out of business sales at his place.

Even at $1.2M it still doesn't. But I'm sure half of that is what he values the "business" as with the fully operational website and customer list.

Or if all of a sudden it catches fire.

Here are some real examples of the "double" rule. When I go to a guy's place to buy stuff and has a pile of B/C tail light lenses, turn signals, horns, or a jack and starts quoting ebay prices to me I have to think, if I put his on top of the stack, is it really worth what he says it is, when will I get to the 200th tail light?
These are real things you have to think when you buy a large stash of parts. How many gearbox cases will you really ever sell, and if the guy has 20 of them on a shelf and has them in inventory being worth $300 each, is that really a $6000 shelf, or a $600 shelf because you might only sell two in your lifetime. So when someone says they have millions in inventory, is it real, or just paper?

Excellent points

Nice stash of jacks and horns.

Thanks, you should see the tractor trailer box full of engine sheet metal!