What's a good price to pay?
 

thinking of getting a hardtop for my box...what's a good price to pay or what's the usual these things go for???

$1k+ Used, I have no clue what they cost new.

There $3k new Used in the $800-1200 range (depends on color rarity)

The dealers run about $3100 new, factory painted. I did find out you can get them unpainted from the dealer for $2400.

I was told last week at least in this part of the country there are no tops in inventory.

$800 to $1200 for a hardtop? I'd love to find that source, I would get one in a heartbeat for $1200.

I have watched Ebay everyday since December and have yet to see one go for less then $1600 plus shipping when the bidding war is over. There is a Red and Artic Silver one on there now for $2200 and $2000 but it now.

It pays to be persistent. I located 4 Arctic Silver hard tops last summer in a range of prices. I suspect that AS is one of the most abundant colors, so I'm sure it would be harder to find other colors.

Here's my strategy:

1. Check Craigslist, Autotrader, Cars.com and eBay frequently.
2. If you see a car being sold with a hard top, inquire about buying the top separately. (A hard top only adds about $800 to the value of the car when you use the pricing guides, and not every prospective Boxster owner wants one.)
3. Be flexible. No one wants to ship a hard top so you may need to be willing to make a road trip to pick one up.

I actually bought my hard top from a gentleman in South Carolina. He was moving to Georgia and didn't think he would use it again. The closing date of the eBay auction was July 3 and he wouldn't ship. So I got a good price because of the time of year and location.

Good luck.

They are out there, you just need be diligent. You might also seach car for sale ads as some folks may be willing to seperate out their hard tops. I almost bought one from craigslist in this manner, then I realized, I don't really want a hard top - that's why I bought a Boxster and not a cayman ;)

After losing numerous auctions or bowing out after computing hardtop price + shipping + painting as too expensive, I found mine on CL for $700.00. I immediately called the guy to check on availability and when he said yes, I went to my bank, got the cash, drove over to meet him and had him help me put it on my car to take home....ordered the spinlocks at that time as well.

Diligence and perseverance is definitely the key to finding a hardtop and when you find one that is priced right...don't hesitate. If you end up not wanting it, you surely won't lose any money on it if you decide to sell it...that is unless you buy it from the dealer... ;)