986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners - View Single Post - Discussion about a Boxster being an "investment"

Prelude Guy · 12-30-2015, 01:17 PM

Hi all,

First off, I wanted to introduce myself. I am new to the forums. My name is Andy. I have been a car-guy my whole like. I was 9 when my dad bought his new 1986 Honda Accord and it's the car that got me into cars. Obviously, I am a Honda guy at heart. I love all cars though. My username is because of my old 1992 Prelude Si 4WS with a JDM VTEC swap in it. To date, the most enjoyable car to drive and own to-date that I've owned.

I currently have 4 cars. 2 projects cars -1989 240SX hatchback with an SR20DET engine swap with basic bolt-ons and a Garrett GT2560R turbo and a 1997 BMW M3 coupe with minor bolt-ons. My daily driver is a 1997 Honda Accord LX station wagon with 275K miles. I installed several OEM Prelude upgrades as well as a 2.3L SOHC VTEC Honda Accord F23A engine from the 1998-2001 chassis. Planning to do some minor suspension upgrades and possibly a 220HP Euro R Accord H22 swap with LSD trans soon. Finally, I still have the first car I bought brand new. A 2001 BMW 325ci automatic. Completely stock with OEM 18" wheels from a 2009 335i. Never driven in the snow and rarely in the rain. Fantastic shape.

Ok, with that out of the way, I have somewhat of a weird question for you. As you can see based on the cars I drive, I like cars from the 80's, 90's, and early 2000's. I am a little older now and have decided, even though I can afford ~$100K car, I prefer to buy older cars. There's just something about the older more raw cars from that time. I don't enjoy the driver-assisted cars of today. In fact, I think my attitude towards new cars is widely shared and is growing in popularity. I think the trend we will see is car-guys will likely still buy new cars, but they will also look to own an older car as their "fun car"/weekend car.

A little background on what I do with cars. I have been buying up older cars, fixing them, keeping them as close to stock, but mainly focusing my efforts on refreshing the car and bringing them up-to-date on the maintenance. The emphasis is on making the car better than when it came from the factory. Like with my 240SX. I bought a clean chassis that had a blown engine. I planned on swapping out the engine. I did the fewest modifications to make more power, but still be as reliable as possible. The rest of the money went towards refreshing the suspension with as many OEM/300ZX OEM upgrades/Nismo parts as possible. Things like shocks and springs are aftermarket, as well as exhaust, strut tower bars, anti-swaybars and wheels. The end goal of my cars are to be a car that enthusiasts want to buy since most older cars are hacked up and pieced together with aftermarket parts without any attention to normal maintenance.

My three used cars have proven to be good investments. I can sell my 240SX, M3, and Accord wagon for as much as I have put into them, if not more. I bought all 3 when the market for them hit rock-bottom. Bought my 240SX for $750 12 years ago, M3 for $4K 4 years ago, and my wagon for $2500 4 years ago. I think as time marches on, they will continue to go up in value as clean cars from that era will become harder and harder to find, especially in good condition.

This thought process has led me to here. I planned on adding a 1987+ 928 and a 1987-1989 944 to my collection and do the same thing to them a few years ago when they were selling for next to nothing. I missed out on those two cars. I noticed the Boxster has hit the bottom. I never really cared for the Boxster because I preferred the S2000. I think the 986 Boxster is an under-rated car - then and now. I feel this car will become more desired as the years pass by, mainly because they will become rare since many are blowing engines at an alarming rate.

So my question is, do you guys think the 986 would be a good car to do what I have done to my other cars? Pick up a roller for around $2500, focus the money on making the engine reliable (seriously considering a rebuilt and upgraded 2.9L from a company like Raby). Can you see a 986 with all of the engine issues resolved, everything works, and is well-taken care of selling for around $20K in the next 5-7 years? I can see that happening.

Your thoughts?

12-30-2015, 01:17 PM	#1
Prelude Guy Registered User Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Maryland Posts: 46	Discussion about a Boxster being an "investment" Hi all, First off, I wanted to introduce myself. I am new to the forums. My name is Andy. I have been a car-guy my whole like. I was 9 when my dad bought his new 1986 Honda Accord and it's the car that got me into cars. Obviously, I am a Honda guy at heart. I love all cars though. My username is because of my old 1992 Prelude Si 4WS with a JDM VTEC swap in it. To date, the most enjoyable car to drive and own to-date that I've owned. I currently have 4 cars. 2 projects cars -1989 240SX hatchback with an SR20DET engine swap with basic bolt-ons and a Garrett GT2560R turbo and a 1997 BMW M3 coupe with minor bolt-ons. My daily driver is a 1997 Honda Accord LX station wagon with 275K miles. I installed several OEM Prelude upgrades as well as a 2.3L SOHC VTEC Honda Accord F23A engine from the 1998-2001 chassis. Planning to do some minor suspension upgrades and possibly a 220HP Euro R Accord H22 swap with LSD trans soon. Finally, I still have the first car I bought brand new. A 2001 BMW 325ci automatic. Completely stock with OEM 18" wheels from a 2009 335i. Never driven in the snow and rarely in the rain. Fantastic shape. Ok, with that out of the way, I have somewhat of a weird question for you. As you can see based on the cars I drive, I like cars from the 80's, 90's, and early 2000's. I am a little older now and have decided, even though I can afford ~$100K car, I prefer to buy older cars. There's just something about the older more raw cars from that time. I don't enjoy the driver-assisted cars of today. In fact, I think my attitude towards new cars is widely shared and is growing in popularity. I think the trend we will see is car-guys will likely still buy new cars, but they will also look to own an older car as their "fun car"/weekend car. A little background on what I do with cars. I have been buying up older cars, fixing them, keeping them as close to stock, but mainly focusing my efforts on refreshing the car and bringing them up-to-date on the maintenance. The emphasis is on making the car better than when it came from the factory. Like with my 240SX. I bought a clean chassis that had a blown engine. I planned on swapping out the engine. I did the fewest modifications to make more power, but still be as reliable as possible. The rest of the money went towards refreshing the suspension with as many OEM/300ZX OEM upgrades/Nismo parts as possible. Things like shocks and springs are aftermarket, as well as exhaust, strut tower bars, anti-swaybars and wheels. The end goal of my cars are to be a car that enthusiasts want to buy since most older cars are hacked up and pieced together with aftermarket parts without any attention to normal maintenance. My three used cars have proven to be good investments. I can sell my 240SX, M3, and Accord wagon for as much as I have put into them, if not more. I bought all 3 when the market for them hit rock-bottom. Bought my 240SX for $750 12 years ago, M3 for $4K 4 years ago, and my wagon for $2500 4 years ago. I think as time marches on, they will continue to go up in value as clean cars from that era will become harder and harder to find, especially in good condition. This thought process has led me to here. I planned on adding a 1987+ 928 and a 1987-1989 944 to my collection and do the same thing to them a few years ago when they were selling for next to nothing. I missed out on those two cars. I noticed the Boxster has hit the bottom. I never really cared for the Boxster because I preferred the S2000. I think the 986 Boxster is an under-rated car - then and now. I feel this car will become more desired as the years pass by, mainly because they will become rare since many are blowing engines at an alarming rate. So my question is, do you guys think the 986 would be a good car to do what I have done to my other cars? Pick up a roller for around $2500, focus the money on making the engine reliable (seriously considering a rebuilt and upgraded 2.9L from a company like Raby). Can you see a 986 with all of the engine issues resolved, everything works, and is well-taken care of selling for around $20K in the next 5-7 years? I can see that happening. Your thoughts?