By Tim Harris · May 4, 2026
“Where horsepower meets conversation”
👀 The Problem With Modern Sports Cars No One Wants to Admit
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A friend of mine in Northern California recently decided to sell his Porsche.
Not just any Porsche.
A 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera coupe.
87,000 miles
four owners
fresh service completed
strong driver-quality condition
honest 8/10 car
Exactly the kind of air-cooled 911 enthusiasts actually want.
Not a museum piece.
Not a project.
A real car people buy to drive.
His question wasn’t:
“What’s it worth?”
It was:
“What’s the smartest way to sell it?”
Those are completely different questions.
Because the smartest sale isn’t about the highest number someone says your car might bring.
It’s about:
the most money in your pocket
with the least hassle
in the shortest amount of time
with the least risk
And once you evaluate selling methods that way, consignment starts to look very different.
The First Call Everyone Makes (And Why It Sounds So Good)
Like most air-cooled owners in California, his first call was to a consignment dealer.
They were enthusiastic immediately.
“Great spec.”
“Strong market.”
“These coupes are hot.”
“We’d list it around $89,000.”
That number sounded fantastic.
Which, of course, was the point.
High prices win consignment contracts.
Then came the pitch:
professional photography
premium exposure
storage
buyer qualification
market positioning
inspection prep
Commission:
10%
Sounds reasonable.
Until you do the math.
The Incentive Problem Nobody Mentions
If the car sells for:
$89,000 → dealer makes $8,900
$82,000 → dealer makes $8,200
That’s a $700 difference.
Seven hundred dollars is the dealer’s incentive to protect your price.
Meanwhile you are risking:
months of time
market movement
interest rate changes
auction comps shifting
buyer hesitation
seasonality
They get paid either way.
You don’t.
They have almost no skin in the game.
Then the Fees Start Appearing
Next came logistics.
The consignment dealer wasn’t local.
Shipping the car:
$1,500–$2,500
Then came the prep package:
photography
detailing
listing setup
storage
marketing exposure upgrades
Another:
$1,000+
Now he was already $3,000–$4,000 committed before the car even hit the market.
And those fees get paid whether the car sells or not.
Meaning the dealer can make money even if the car never sells.
Let that sink in.
Then Came the “Recommended” Inspection
Next came the suggestion that the car should undergo a pre-listing inspection.
“We like to disclose everything to buyers.”
Sounds responsible.
Except there is no state anywhere in the U.S. requiring sellers to provide a PPI.
Inspection responsibility belongs to the buyer.
So why push it?
Because many consignment dealers maintain relationships with local Porsche shops.
Sometimes those shops kick back referral commissions — occasionally around 20%.
And even when money isn’t changing hands, favors usually are.
Send enough work to a shop and suddenly the consignment dealer’s own cars get priority scheduling and special treatment.
Funny how that works.
The Moment the Whole Model Fell Apart
Then came the sentence that changed everything.
“We’d probably list the car on Bring a Trailer.”
Think about that.
They were going to:
take the car
store the car
photograph the car
charge prep fees
charge transport fees
charge 10%
…and then upload it to an auction platform.
Where the platform would do the selling.
The bidders would determine the price.
The audience would create the demand.
And the dealer would still collect 10%.
Meanwhile the platform charges the seller nothing.
At that point the structure becomes obvious.
They weren’t selling the car.
They were acting as a paid middleman between the seller and a marketplace he could access himself for free.
It’s a great business model.
For them.
Here’s something else most sellers never consider.
The moment your car lands on a consignment lot, the clock starts ticking.
Serious buyers track inventory.
They watch:
how long a VIN has been listed
how many times it’s been relisted
whether pricing changed
whether auctions failed
whether listings expired
If your 911 sits for 60–90 days, buyers assume:
something is wrong
the seller is unrealistic
the market rejected the car
Their negotiating leverage goes up.
Your price goes down.
And if the consignment dealer fails to sell the car?
Guess what they recommend next.
“Maybe we should wholesale it.”
And Now the Wholesale Price Drops Too
Here’s the part most sellers never anticipate.
Once your car has failed to sell publicly, wholesale buyers know it.
They’ve seen the VIN.
They’ve seen the listing history.
They’ve seen the price reductions.
So when you finally decide to sell to a dealer…
the offer gets lower.
Consignment didn’t just fail to sell your car.
It weakened your negotiating position everywhere else.
The Dealer Offer That Changed the Conversation
Out of curiosity, he called Dodi Auto Sales.
Simple question:
“What would you give me for the car?”
Answer:
$72,000
They came to him.
Picked up the car.
Handed him a check.
Done.
No shipping
no prep fees
no storage
no listing risk
no waiting months
no uncertainty
Just:
transaction complete
Why Dealers Can Do This (And Consignment Dealers Won’t)
Here’s the question nobody asks:
If the consignment dealer believes the car is worth $89,000…
why don’t they just buy it?
Because they don’t want the risk.
They would rather earn:
transport fees
prep fees
inspection referrals
storage fees
commission
Whether the car sells or not.
That’s not dishonest.
It’s just how the business works.
But it’s not aligned with your outcome.
The Truth About Net Proceeds
Most sellers focus on headline price.
Smart sellers focus on net proceeds.
After:
transport
prep
storage
commission
inspection referrals
time
market exposure
failed listings
consignment frequently produces the same net result — or worse — than simply selling the car directly to a dealer.
But with dramatically more hassle.
The Real Efficiency Ranking
If your goal is the highest possible theoretical price, sell the car yourself.
If your goal is the best combination of net proceeds, speed, certainty, and simplicity, sell it to a dealer.
If your goal is to introduce the most variables, the most delays, the most fees, and the weakest incentive alignment into the process…
consignment will do exactly that.
The Only Metric That Actually Matters
The smartest sale isn’t the one with the highest asking price.
It’s the one that puts:
the most money in your pocket
with the least hassle
in the shortest amount of time
And once you evaluate selling methods that way, the answer becomes obvious.
— Tim Harris
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