"Hey, how much for your Porsche?"

Earlier this week I got an unsolicited e-mail: Do you want to sell your M3?"

And the day before I got an unsolicited PM asking about a BMX frame that I have--and the note included a very fair offer. 

Today I was fussing around in the garage. I admit, it's been a mess in there. 

An SUV pulled into my driveway, and a guy got out. "Hey, how much for your Porsche?"

Well, I'm not really looking to sell it, I explained. It would take "a lot" of money for me to part with it--like, a lot. Can't think of something else I'd rather have than this '84 Carrera. A 996-chassis GT3 might be the only thing I'd consider, and that's a big "might." And, even so, I think I'd be happier with the air-cooled car. 

How much is a lot? he asked.

A lot, I said.

Like how much?

Finally I said, Like six figures.

"What, I figured it was worth $15,000 or $20,000," he said, leaving in a huff.

Hey, dude, I just wanted to clean up my garage today. 

maybe he was all trolled out for the day on CL  

Yeah,  that type of thing is really annoying.  

Wow. And $15-20k... maybe ten years ago if the car was pretty high mileage and rough... and they’ve sure come up a long ways from there in recent years

I once blocked in a guy parked in my drive because he thought some of the cars might be for sale. You don't just park in someone's drive in my hood. 

I told a guy 8k, berkeley you, get off my property once.

He came back 3 days later with the cash.

I miss my neon....

I live in derby country, about 30 times a summer someone asks if I wanna sell my zephyr because all wagons are derby cars. I don't even reply anymore. 

Dusterbd13 said:

I told a guy 8k, berkeley you, get off my property once.

 

He came back 3 days later with the cash.

 

I miss my neon....

Yeah, I didn't want to name a price and have him whip our cash. In my eyes, at least, it's the right year, the right color and the right condition. It even has the Turbo wheels. That car would be hard to replace. But for stupid money, I'd at least entertain an offer.

I actually always have a price in mind for all my cars that I’ve owned. Most of them it has been reasonable—and no one has asked. There have been two that have been unreasonable, but those were the ones I didn’t want to sell. Although one of those unreasonable prices is probably becoming realistic now. 

I had temporarily removed the exhaust from the collector back from my F150 and my wife had to go out and yell at two guys carrying it to their truck one day. WTF???

In reply to ebonyandivory :

and that's why I have a fence.  

Stampie said:

I once blocked in a guy parked in my drive because he thought some of the cars might be for sale. You don't just park in someone's drive in my hood. 

And you didn’t let him leave until he’d bought a couple?

I explained to Tiger Mom the other day that all the cars are “for sale” all the time if the price is right.  (Heck, some of the teenagers might be as well, we have 4.)

She thought it was weird to be trading cars like that but if I can make money on an exchange i’ll Almost certainly do it.

Anyone want a quadrasteer Suburban? 

When I drove an EG Civic hatch I'd regularly get people asking if I'd sell it, at just about every gas station. A few cash offers. Always the same cash offer though - $500. 

For several years my wife would have a garage sale, and that made all of our vehicles visible to anyone who dropped by. I managed to sell two cars (one was hers) and a trailer when someone would casually ask if they were for sale. Everything has a price. The people that would tick me off were the ones who asked and were given my price and then proceed to argue about how I was trying to screw them. I finally smiled at one guy and told him "I wasn't the one who started this conversation. Buy it or leave."

Being on the job hunt, I learned that many employment software platforms will filter out any applicants not currently employed.  Yep, if your LinkedIn profile shows that you are not working, you can't get a job.  Perhaps the same applies for cars, people assume that if it is for sale there is something wrong with it.  They only want to buy cars that are not for sale.  

I had that happen at a dealership.  I was there to test drive a Focus ST as a potential daily driver when the salesman asked "how much for your Miata?"  I told him I hadn't really decided whether I wanted to sell it or not, although selling it was a potential piece of any Focus purchase, and I knew the dealership would offer chicken feed for a used 24 year old car.  "Not for the dealership, for me.  How much?"  I again explained I hadn't even decided whether I wanted to sell it, let alone a price, so throw something at me.  (This probably wasn't entirely true, at the time, $5K was probably my "here's the keys" price)  "How about $4,500?"  Glup, way too close for comfort without even a counter-offer.  Fortunately, I gathered myself and said "let me take your card and think about it."  Here's the funny thing, at some point, I'll probably sell the Miata.  I'm discovering I'm probably waaay too OCD to own a quarter century old car.  What's more, I'll probably get less than the $4,500 he offered me.  Since that conversation, though, my son and I have autocrossed it a several times (with him coming perilously close to beating me), we've had it out on a track day, it's turned 100,000 miles under my ownership, I've fixed some of the nagging issues with it, got a fair number of compliments on it and done the "headlight wave" at more other Miatas than I can count.  

I'm guessing a collection of similar experiences is why your Porsche is currently worth every penny of $100K.  

Pete Gossett said:

Stampie said:

I once blocked in a guy parked in my drive because he thought some of the cars might be for sale. You don't just park in someone's drive in my hood. 

And you didn’t let him leave until he’d bought a couple?

I actually felt bad afterwards. It was an older guy and I kinda scared the E36 M3 out of him. At the time nothing was for sale but now I do wish I'd sold him a couple or more. 

Having gone through this multiple times with the old V, to multiple people who didn’t flinch at the “I don’t want to sell it, but would sell it for this price” price, but then wasted hours of my time lowballing/bailing in the 11th hour, my new standard response is “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.”

DeadSkunk said:

For several years my wife would have a garage sale, and that made all of our vehicles visible to anyone who dropped by. I managed to sell two cars (one was hers) and a trailer when someone would casually ask if they were for sale. Everything has a price. The people that would tick me off were the ones who asked and were given my price and then proceed to argue about how I was trying to screw them. I finally smiled at one guy and told him "I wasn't the one who started this conversation. Buy it or leave."

Friend ran into this when he had his 240Z.  Which was completely rust free, and I didn't believe it either until I saw it.  Still had the original, unperforated floors and battery box and such.  People would ask how much for it.  When he'd hem and haw and throw out a completely reasonable figure for a solid 240Z at a time when rusted out basketcases were clearing $1500 and climbing, the guy on the street would get insulted.  "Man I can find those all day long for $500!"

Tell you what.  Find them for me.  If you find them and they are in as good a shape, I will buy it and give you a $1000 finder's fee per car....

"More than you can afford pal. Porsche."

I've had people ask me that on a number of my cars over the years. I usually take their info and tell them I'll let them know if/when I decide to sell. I've sold a number if cars that way, months and even years after the initial contact. 

I have the opposite problem. At least twice a year, someone approaches me and asks if I want to buy another RX7, or some parts, or a parts car. I mean, I would, if I had somewhere to put them, but its still sort of a WTF moment. I guess you see someone with an RX7 and just assume they need spare parts...

I've tried that a couple of times, but I never toss an offer.  Usually just introduce myself, complement the car, tell them if they ever consider selling, here's my card and I won't insult them with an unfair offer.  Always in public, not on their home turf.

Tried it on an MR2 Turbo, twice on an E28 M5 and once on an M6.  Never works.

Tried on an 83 SC a few times...would never sell it.  A couple years later he sold it.

If you're respectful, worst case you make someone feel good about their car.

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TheRX7Project said:

I have the opposite problem. At least twice a year, someone approaches me and asks if I want to buy another RX7, or some parts, or a parts car. I mean, I would, if I had somewhere to put them, but its still sort of a WTF moment. I guess you see someone with an RX7 and just assume they need spare parts...

Me too.  I think it's kind giving kittens to a cat person.  Hey, I see you know how to take care of these cars, I have one and can't bear to scrap it.

This is exactly how I got my RX-3, and my '81.

Still no berking clue what I want to do with the RX-3.  But I don't want to sell it because OMG RX-3.  But the things I want to do with it would have crowds coming down upon me with torches and pitchforks.