Good/Bad experiences with e-Bay Motors?
 

We are considering selling "Car Zero"--number #0000 of the 2004 Limited Edition Boxster--to help put our son(s) through college. Does anyone have any good/bad experience with e-Bay Motors, or other advice on selling this car? It's obviously not "just another used Boxster", and we want to maximize the uniqueness of the vehicle.

wow tough time to be selling toys. If you do sell it I would suggest investing the money and letting the money grow while junior is in school. Selling the car low to immediately hand over the cash to the bursar's office is a real double whammy.

Value of Unique
 

I have followed car prices in general and Ebay prices extensively for the past ten years. Being car #000 will add virtually nothing to its value. In fact, I have read several reports that special edition and special interest vehicles actually lose a higher percentage of their initial cost than do other models.
Having said that, I have bought two vehicles through Ebay and have had excellent luck (as a buyer). But, you have to be careful.

I bought my 2000 Boxster on Ebay after searching locally. The seller was about 80 miles away so I had the opportunity to first see the car prior to purchasing. Another bidder had out bid me but failed to come up with the money so I bought it with my lower bid. It worked well for me.

I've sold two cars on ebay and bought two, all good experiences. Provide PLENTY of hi-res photos, be very honest about any drawbacks (dings, scratches, interior blemishes) and provide any service history. Even if your car does not meet reserve, the exposure will likely provide a buyer. I bought my Boxster S 2 weeks after the auction was over, the car did not meet reserve. Good Luck.

I've sold three cars on eBay. Just make sure you give a very accurate representation of the car and do not be afraid of putting a reserve on the car. And relisting if it does not sell.

My success has been to start the bidding at a lower (albeit) reasonable price without reserve and take my chances. It worked out well all three times I put a car on eBay. But that can back fire on you too, if the bidding does not take off and someone ends up getting the car on the cheap.

So...as you can see, there are several different strategies you can employ on eBay.

But consider this: there are a lot or resources to sell a Porsche (that are not called ebay): rennlist, National PCA classified / Local PCA chapters newsletters and websites, PPBB, right here(!), Craigslist, autotrader, cars.com, performancecarmarket.com, and others. Give yourself and the car a chance to sell before you decide on eBay. I would use eBay as a sales channel of last resort!!

You should post some pictures here and see what the interest is. The one thing this site has are Boxster people, one might what #0000.

Ebay no longer charges upfront fees - $125 if you sell it. But be careful of adding extras to your ad since those will cost you.

I have my '08 Boxster S on there now and this time I did not set a reserve, which costs $7 - I started the auction at what I would take at a minimum.

Over the years I have bought and sold cars on ebay and never had a bad experience.

look at listing on cars.com, autotrader.com, this forum, renntech, rennlist, local PCA, excellence's web page

I'm afraid for what these cars are going for today, plus the fact that yours is an auto, you may be looking at taking a big hit. You mentioned that you paid $55k when you bought it, I'd guess it'll sell for $25k on the high side today.

It sucks because yours is a beautiful car, the floor has just fallen out on these. I've taken a $7-10k hit in the last 3 years.

Yes, if you are a buyer, it is amazing what you can pick up a "S" for. I recently bought my '01 S w/ 43K miles, M030, Sport Seats and other options for 18K.

^ well that's somewhat good news for current owners. Although i plan to hold onto my 986S (in Charlton Heston voice) until they pull it from my dead fingers.
Hopefully by then I'll have a porfolio of 'cheap' Porsches. "Remember when all the sports cars got soooo cheap". :cheers:

Lots of scammers out there. Watch out for fake checks that initially clear but bounce a few days later (after #000 is long gone). With all the stuff going on now, I'd hate to sell a high dollar car. Hard to know whats real and what's not.