Hardtop owners, I have a question??
 

for people out there who have hardtops, i was just wondering how much you guys paid for it?? looking for one but want to make sure i'm not being scammed...thanks.

$610, but I was really lucky with an eBay auction. I think $900-$1500 is a more likely price range. If you have a less common color and need to match it, you might have to pay more.

kevin, did the $600 include shipping cost?? if not how much did you have to pay to ship it out...also do you know the weight?? thanks.

well where u located i have a black one i might sell. im actually trying to sell the car kno anyone in the market??? it'll help get u the top :D lol

http://a524.ac-images.myspacecdn.com...ef357099f3.jpg

It depends on the source. I have watched Ebay everday since December. They have gone from $800 to $2400. As said it also depends on the color.

Shipping cost depends on distance and whether or not they have to crate it or just pick it up. The weight is about 85 lbs and about 125lbs crated.

There is a company that will do both if the seller will not crate it:

http://www.cratersandfreighters.com/cf/locations.do

One of the reasons I got such a good deal was that the owner refused to ship it. I had to drive 300 miles to South Carolina to pick it up. (I don't think too many folks in South Carolina wanted a hard top for their Boxster, so that partly explains the scarcity of other bidders. Another factor was that the auction ended on July 3 - not a time of year when a lot of folks are looking for tops.)

The weight is around 45 pounds. The trouble with shipping is the size and the potential for damage.

I lucked out and found one local on CL for $700. Most tops I have seen on ebay go in the $1200+ range with the cheapest I have seen was $600 but then you have shipping and having to have it painted in most instances.

While I was following hardtops on ebay, I checked on shipping and painting to factor in my total price for how high I would bid.

Every shipping quote I got was $400-500, which I though was ridiculous as my car shipped to me was only $650. Painting quotes were also in the $400-500 range.

The explanation for the high shipping cost I received was because of the top's bulk as opposed to it's weight which is only 50-55 lbs and the extra care needed to transport it.

Here's a recent thread on shipping a hardtop that includes pictures of a properly packaged top: http://986forum.com/forums/boxster-general-discussions/11880-hardtop-dimensions-transportation-ideas.html?highlight=hardtop

If you decide to have a top shipped, don't try to cut corners on packaging. When I was looking for a top, I found one that had been shipped in a cardboard box. It would have required several hundred dollars to repair the dents and scratches.

I've attached a couple of pictures.

Mine was $2,295 as an option with the car.

if you guys decide to sell the car, will you include the hardtop with the car or sell it seperately?

Depends on whether the buyer wants it. Don't think the price would change much, but to me as a buyer the hard top would be a plus.

The hardtop only adds about $600 to the Kelly Blue Book private-party value of my car. So, I'm presuming that I would sell it separately unless the buyer was willing to pay a premium over KBB.

Of course, I have no plans to sell for the next 5 years, so conditions could change.