Selling your 911 privately

dear Sir,

We really appreciate the ‘Living the Legend’ owner reports each issue. The contributions are generally excellent and provide real insight into living with these cars every day. Fellow owners of these cars often empathise with the stories told, and I like to read all the entrants each issue, because I never know what 911 I’m likely to wind up buying next.

I change my opinion all the time – maybe I can blame the content of your magazine for that! I’ve seen two ‘Legends’ try to sell their car these past few weeks, with little success. First of all your own 996 C4S, and Joel’s 996 Turbo. Your C4S was eventually traded to a dealer, I assume for much less than originally advertised, and at the time of writing Joel’s was still for sale.

I noticed on both occasions the cars have been put up for sale privately. I think the value of the cars these days means someone turning up to your house, paying cash and just driving away is unlikely. Whenever I’ve sold cars I’ve used a specialist. That means I’ve never had to deal with a tyre kicker, I’ve had no unscrupulous visitors to my house and ultimately the car has sold. In return I pay a small fee to the dealers to take care of these privileges for me, which I deem good value. It’s too late for you, but perhaps Joel should try it too?

Kieron Webb

there are many advantages to selling via a dealer. If I was selling my own car again I would put it into a dealer from the outset. For some the fees associated can be costly, most charging £2,000 or 5 per cent, whichever is greater, and many who choose to sell privately aren’t necessarily in a rush to sell, prepared instead to play the long game. Wether selling privately or through a dealer, the market at present is tough – any sale is a good sale!