Market Trends-Prices

scottevest

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Have prices generally held over the past 5 years or so? I am considering selling my 1974 3.0cs black in great but not show condition. I just don't drive it that much. Wondering if I should store it indefinitely or sell it. My Porsche 964 seems to have appreciated quite a bit over last several years. Looking to get rid of my excess vehicles and maybe buy a Alfa Romeo 4C.

I really don't want to go through the hassle of selling it online, but if I do, what method do you recommend?

I still love it but just don't drive it much any more.

Scott
 
Yes prices more than held lately, I believe classic cars are a great hedge against inflation, but then again there is the theory that classic cars peak when the generation that lusted after them in their teens can afford them. If that were true the optimal strategy would be to sell the coupe now and replace it with say two 1987 M6s, and ten years from now sell those and replace them with four 1990s M5s and mutatis mutandis keep doing that.

Some say that is how you become a billionaire, you keep doing this year after year very patiently until an old aunt passes away and leaves you a fortune...

As for selling, word of mouth is the best, and for coupes this board of course.
 
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I have my insurance with Hagerty; bought my car two years ago. Having spent the three years prior to my purchase looking for my car, I thought their valuations were too low, in the range of 20 to 25%.

I recommend that you sell through this web site. Collectively we can give you a good idea of what it is actually worth, and I believe you will be more likely to avoid troublesome buyers here. Sometimes folks here know of potential buyers as well.
 
Nice CS, but the all the motion of the camera made me seasick. ;-)

Love the color combo of black and tan leather.

What is your interior wood trim?
 
Scott, very good way to post/sell, My brain hurts a little from watching the video but it looks like a really nice solid car. Some under car shots would help but I think it would sell between 50 & 60 from what I'm looking at on the forum and other sites. The 60 would be if everything was perfect underneath but she looks close. Question; it looks like you have spent some time on her, why would you sell "MY BABY"?
 
Scott, very good way to post/sell, My brain hurts a little from watching the video but it looks like a really nice solid car. Some under car shots would help but I think it would sell between 50 & 60 from what I'm looking at on the forum and other sites. The 60 would be if everything was perfect underneath but she looks close. Question; it looks like you have spent some time on her, why would you sell "MY BABY"?

At that price point I would expect a survivor paint job without flaws, or a recent restoration that included paint. The veneer appears to be oak, which hasn't fared well in the kitchen and furniture market.
 
Scott,

i think it looks like a very nice driver - much, much better than most - you have done a good job sorting out some of its original gremlins. black is not everybody's favorite, but i have a black coupe and when the paint is very smooth i like them ... especially with great chrome bling - which you have.

here are the thoughts that take away from value
- its a '74 with big bumpers
- significant paint chips in several places (seems like these could be fixed for a reasonable amount that will increase the value more than the cost).
- the wood is oak, which is presentable, but does not look original or correct
- the door panel / interior appears to be a different color than the door pulls (the interior is lighter - probably replaced and why the leather looks good)
- slow windows (normal and a PITA to live with and even more of a PITA to fix)

here are a few things that add to value
+ chrome trim appears to be in excellent shape
+ leather looks very good
+ with the exception of the paint chips, the paint quality looks very good
+ tires / wheels in very good shape
+ excellent nardi
+ sunroof that works

unknowns
* does the a/c work
* undercarriage rust (rockers look like they are scraped but look solid)

my take is that your coupe is that this isn't a 50-60k coupe ... but in current condition is probably a 45k coupe +/- 3k. get the paint touched up, and you might have a 50k coupe. The bottom line on price is how soon you want to sell it - the higher the price the longer it takes to find the right buyer. but as i believe, this is more solid than most on the market.

good luck
scott
 
See responses in ALL CAPS

Scott,

i think it looks like a very nice driver - much, much better than most - you have done a good job sorting out some of its original gremlins. black is not everybody's favorite, but i have a black coupe and when the paint is very smooth i like them ... especially with great chrome bling - which you have.

here are the thoughts that take away from value
- its a '74 with big bumpers
AGREED. I HATE THESE AND WAS CONTEMPLATING SWAPPING THEM OUT BUT NEVER GOT AROUND TO IT.
- significant paint chips in several places (seems like these could be fixed for a reasonable amount that will increase the value more than the cost).
ANY THOUGHTS ON HOW TO GO ABOUT THIS WOULD BE APPRECIATED.
- the wood is oak, which is presentable, but does not look original or correct
LOOKS PRETTY GOOD, BUT CURLING AT BOTTOM A BIT
- the door panel / interior appears to be a different color than the door pulls (the interior is lighter - probably replaced and why the leather looks good)
- slow windows (normal and a PITA to live with and even more of a PITA to fix)
IS THIS FIXABLE? SOMETIMES THEY JUST STOP BUT START WORKING AGAIN SOON

here are a few things that add to value
+ chrome trim appears to be in excellent shape
YES
+ leather looks very good
YES
+ with the exception of the paint chips, the paint quality looks very good
ACTUALLY YES
+ tires / wheels in very good shape
YEP
+ excellent nardi
+ sunroof that works
THIS TO ME IS KEY. THERE WERE A LOT WITHOUT SUNROOFS. I'D RATHER A SUNROOF THAN SMALL BUMPERS

unknowns
* does the a/c work
YES
* undercarriage rust (rockers look like they are scraped but look solid)
THEY APPEAR SOLID TO ME

my take is that your coupe is that this isn't a 50-60k coupe ..
I AGREE

. but in current condition is probably a 45k coupe +/- 3k.

THIS WOULD BE AWESOME AND IF TRUE, MAY JUST KEEP. I PAID ABOUT $21K IF MEMORY SERVES ME SEVERAL YEARS AGO AND PUT ABOUT $10K+ INTO IT, SO THAT IS A GOOD INVESTMENT AND IF SO, WILL LIKELY KEEP IF IT CONTINUES TO APPRECIATE
get the paint touched up, and you might have a 50k coupe.
WILL LOOK INTO. ANY ADVICE

The bottom line on price is how soon you want to sell it - the higher the price the longer it takes to find the right buyer. but as i believe, this is more solid than most on the market.

good luck
scott

THANKS
 
Sorry guys, but the price fork you use here for a car that shows no proof of ever having received a professional body restoration to me seems a little bit steep.

Before buying my cars I looked at dozen of such cars and I was never prepared to pay asking prices of between €30-35K because what you saw underneath these car indicated that the really difficult work still had to be done.

If a document restoration file of the body is present I'll gladly take back the above.
 
in all fairness, we are putting a price on pictures without having laid hands / eyes on it in person. the paint looks good - the reflections are pure and crisp which is a good sign. if / how much rust is lurking is the big question that will impact value. pictures of the backside of the firewall will tell a lot, as well as the inside of the wheel wells and the underside of the floors.

what we are seeing in the states for sale for 35 to 40k is not that great ... i think we all think that they are 25k cars at best. if memory serves, Scott bought his coupe about 4 years ago, when 20k to 25k bought a really nice coupe. 40k at that point was rare and it was a beautiful car (for comparison - peter tackas' ceylon and the white cormier 2800cs ... now 40k should buy you a solid car, not a perfect car ... a fully restored coupe is 55k to 100k (depending on level / completeness of restoration).

Scott - to answer your questions, yes the windows can be made to work better, it takes a little time + effort. you have to take the motors apart and clean the hard grease out of them and re-lubricate them. you also have to clean + grease the tracks / regulators. before you take them apart, you want to mark where all of the adjusters are located as realigning them is a major PITA.

sunroofs in a coupe that has been well maintained is great - provided the drains have been rerouted away from the rockers, the gaskets are new.

non-metallic paint can be spotted if you have a really good paint guy. i have seen a porsche gt-3 that has had some rock chips fixed that i could not find the spots after the fact - and i knew where to look. the better the paint guy, the better the result ... i'm not saying its easy ... just that its possible.

swapping the bumpers can be expensive - getting new bumpers will set you back a 2 to 3 large ... decent bumpers will cost you 600 to 1500 ... new chrome work is expensive, so getting bumpers that are in good shape saves in the long run. and then there is fixing the holes for the big bumpers ... it isn't for the faint of heart. i think it makes a significant value increase but might not equal the cost of the swap.

am i on the high side - a qualified maybe ... but to me, if everything is truly as good as it looks then its a 42k / 45k coupe.
 
thanks for all the help on valuation

see below

in all fairness, we are putting a price on pictures without having laid hands / eyes on it in person. the paint looks good - the reflections are pure and crisp which is a good sign. if / how much rust is lurking is the big question that will impact value. pictures of the backside of the firewall will tell a lot, as well as the inside of the wheel wells and the underside of the floors.

I WILL TRY TO SHOOT THESE PICTURES AND POST, BUT I THINK IT LOOKS GENERALLY GOOD, NOT PERFECT

what we are seeing in the states for sale for 35 to 40k is not that great ... i think we all think that they are 25k cars at best.

NOT SURE I FOLLOW THIS.

if memory serves, Scott bought his coupe about 4 years ago, when 20k to 25k bought a really nice coupe.

CORRECT

40k at that point was rare and it was a beautiful car (for comparison - peter tackas' ceylon and the white cormier 2800cs ... now 40k should buy you a solid car, not a perfect car ... a fully restored coupe is 55k to 100k (depending on level / completeness of restoration).

THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE AND MAKE ME VERY HAPPY.

Scott - to answer your questions, yes the windows can be made to work better, it takes a little time + effort. you have to take the motors apart and clean the hard grease out of them and re-lubricate them. you also have to clean + grease the tracks / regulators. before you take them apart, you want to mark where all of the adjusters are located as realigning them is a major PITA.

I WILL LEAVE THIS FOR THE NEXT PERSON...

sunroofs in a coupe that has been well maintained is great - provided the drains have been rerouted away from the rockers, the gaskets are new.

WHEN I WAS LOOKING AND BOUGHT THIS, I WOULD ONLY LOOK AT SUN ROOF VEHICLES. WITH THE SUNROOF, YOU REALLY DO FEEL LIKE A CONVERTIBLE IN THIS CAR WITH ALL THE WINDOWS

non-metallic paint can be spotted if you have a really good paint guy. i have seen a porsche gt-3 that has had some rock chips fixed that i could not find the spots after the fact - and i knew where to look. the better the paint guy, the better the result ... i'm not saying its easy ... just that its possible.

GOOD TO KNOW. THERE IS ONE ANNOYING DOOR DING AND A SMALL PAINT BUBBLE BUT OTHERWISE REALLY LOOKS GOOD

swapping the bumpers can be expensive - getting new bumpers will set you back a 2 to 3 large ... decent bumpers will cost you 600 to 1500 ... new chrome work is expensive, so getting bumpers that are in good shape saves in the long run. and then there is fixing the holes for the big bumpers ... it isn't for the faint of heart. i think it makes a significant value increase but might not equal the cost of the swap.

NOT GOING TO BOTHER BUT WOULD IF I HAD TIME. I WENT WITH ALL THE CHROME I COULD

am i on the high side - a qualified maybe ... but to me, if everything is truly as good as it looks then its a 42k / 45k coupe.

IF THAT IS REALLY THE CASE, THAT IS AWESOME, AND REPRESENTS A PRETTY GOOD RETURN ON INVESTMENT, WHICH THE ALFA WOULD NOT DELIVER. IF I HOLD IT ANOTHER 5 YEARS AND IT CONTINUES TO APPRECIATE AT THIS RATE, SEEMS TO MAKE MORE SENSE TO JUST KEEP IT. I HAD ASSUMED IT WAS NOT APPRECIATING MUCH AS IT SEEMS STAGNANT FOR YEARS.

NEXT UP: WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH MY 1990 PORSCHE C2 CAB, WITH ABOUT 55K ORIG MILES AND GREAT SHAPE. SEEMS THIS IS APPRECIATING NOW TOO, ALTHOUGH IT IS A TIP, WHICH I HATE.
 
More pictures...

Here are some hi-res images.
Let me know if you need to see more
Frankly, I really appreciate all your comments here. Seems like the car has almost doubled in value from what I paid, in which case seems to make sense to keep it. Still not sure, but won't make any fast decisions I would regret. Seems that I might keep this and sell the Porsche for the Alfa, which I love.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vpekgsbhrri5giv/AAA-V7mIbCdPRvVCEgqgChyla?dl=0
 
I have 8 cars and any time I think of selling one, I take it for a drive to remind myself why I bought it in the first place. Then I fall in love with it all over again.

Glad you have decided to keep yours and enjoy it a while longer.
 
Good decision!

Now about that rear antenna...

How about putting a power retractable one there?

AAA-V7mIbCdPRvVCEgqgChyla


https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vpekgsbh...yla?dl=0&preview=Photo+May+05,+1+10+50+PM.jpg
 
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