Trade Your Cellphone for a Boxster

[tonycarreon]

i have to hand it to this kid...

http://jalopnik.com/5591644/how-a-17+year+old-craigslist+swapped-an-old-phone-for-a-porsche

after reading about the red paper clip to house a few years ago, i guess he got the idea.

trading an old cell phone that was given to him from a friend, he eventually ended up with a '00 Boxster...

maybe he'll join the forum

[Overdrive]

Well if he did and could be convinced to hang on to the car and do the maintanence himself, maybe he won't go and trade it for a friggin Escalade. Pretty neat how he managed to accomplish that.

Those wheels look terrible, though.

[ekam]

Other than the mismatch headlights and the huge gap on the rear clamp shell, I guess it's not bad. I hope he can afford to keep it running tho.

[blue2000s]

How is a '75 Ford Bronco worth $9000?

[davemon]

Originally Posted by blue2000s

How is a '75 Ford Bronco worth $9000?

Old Broncos have a good following. You can take the top off, making it sort of Jeep like. Old Broncos and Jeeps have held their value.

EDIT: I think he's going to have a harder time trading another old cellphone for a Raby replacement motor. (if Raby is interested in a barter, I'll offer up a not-so-old Blackberry with bonus second trackball!)

[Overdrive]

Originally Posted by ekam

Other than the mismatch headlights and the huge gap on the rear clamp shell, I guess it's not bad. I hope he can afford to keep it running tho.

Didn't watch the vid til I read your message. With what seems to be up with the car, I wouldn't say it's worth 9000. Missing signal light, mismatched lights (amber and clear) as you pointed out, though the clamshell thing might just be that he didn't close it all the way, and unless he didn't do the same with the front trunk lid, it seems he's got a good gap going there, too.

Not to knock the kid at all, cause there's not really many out there who make the claim of trading almost anything for a car, let alone a retro Bronco for a Porsche. We should really get him on here so he can button that car up nicely.

[ekam]

Actually if you look at the seats it's been redone with cross-stitching... doesn't this look like somebody's seats(or car) on here??? I'm pretty sure someone posted pictures of their seats that look almost exactly like that.

It also has painted bumperettes... previous owner was definitely an enthusiast.

Actually I forgot to read the rest of the article... it says he's already thinking about selling it since he can't afford to fix it. Well at least he can say he owned a Porsche at 17 and made it to the news.

[JTP]

Originally Posted by blue2000s

How is a '75 Ford Bronco worth $9000?

I have a '74 Bronco and I've been offered 10k and it's in heavily used condition. I've seen Early Broncos fetch 30k and higher.

[Lordblood]

Props to the guy, to be able to buy your own Porsche at the age of 17 without any help from parents or donations. America needs more people who can do this without taking out loans they can't pay back.

I wish him luck getting money for maintenance though, a Boxster is nice the first month until it breaks down and needs a gazillion dollars to repair, seems he got a bottom end one as well since it was apparently 9000 dollars for a 2000 Boxster.

[Blue-S]

If the IMS bearing grenades, he will learn a different economic lesson...

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by JTP

I have a '74 Bronco and I've been offered 10k and it's in heavily used condition. I've seen Early Broncos fetch 30k and higher.

I can find 3 of them for $3-4k locally on CL right now. A $30k 75 Bronco had better have it's seats stuffed with $27k in cash.

[Overdrive]

Originally Posted by blue2000s

I can find 3 of them for $3-4k locally on CL right now. A $30k 75 Bronco had better have it's seats stuffed with $27k in cash.

In the same way that one could find a 97 Boxster for 7k if it was driven regularly and has the kind of wear and tear you'd expect from a nearly 15 year old car, I'm sure there are plenty of examples of nearly 40 year old Broncos that don't sell for huge figures. At the same time, I'm sure any Bronco that old that's going to be sold for 30k is going to be in pretty immaculate condition, or someone just wanted it a lot more than the other guy. I personally don't feel that the condition of that kid's Boxster would have had it in the 9k range as it appears in the photos and vids, unless that's how it has ended up as a result of his ownership and not the previous owner. Someone out there obviously does, because that's what they valued the car at for trade. It's really a matter of what it's worth to whoever's interested in the potential purchase. Some people out there feel it's normal to shell out $22 million for a single Ferrari GTO based on condition and race history.

[Kirk]

Originally Posted by blue2000s

I can find 3 of them for $3-4k locally on CL right now. A $30k 75 Bronco had better have it's seats stuffed with $27k in cash.

One thing to consider is location. I live in the Great Communist State of California. Last year I had to trade off a SUV because it wouldn't pass their smog test and it was going to be way too expensive to make it right. After that I was shopping around to get an early 70's Bronco. Yeah you can find them really cheap, but usually in extremely poor condition. The ultra expensive ones are more in car show type of condition. In general they do carry a premium in my area simply because they're smog exempt! No hassles, no worries with an early 70's car. This was one of the primary reasons why I specifically got a '72 Porsche 914 last year.

Kirk

[JackG]

Originally Posted by Kirk

...Yeah you can find them really cheap, but usually in extremely poor condition. The ultra expensive ones are more in car show type of condition.
Kirk

You can spend the 30k to get a really nice one, or spend 3k to get a CL one, then 40k to make it as nice as the 30k one.

Unless you're capable of doing *all* the work yourself, it's always cheaper to buy an old car already restored than it is to buy an unrestored one then having it restored. Even if you can, it still doesn't make sense sometimes.

So you want a freshly built mild performance motor, transmission, rear differential, and a nice paint job? You're knocking on 30k already. What? No money left for new brakes, shocks, brake lines, suspension bits, bodywork, carpet, upholstery, wheels, tires, rust repair, upgrades, etc, etc,... ad nauseum. Welcome to the world of 40 year old car restoration... talk about being upside down!

(says the owner of a 1970 Torino GT that's in progress)

[JTP]

Originally Posted by JackG

You can spend the 30k to get a really nice one, or spend 3k to get a CL one, then 40k to make it as nice as the 30k one.

Here's a guy that restores Early Broncos. Some of the listed cars cost 30k or more to complete.

http://www.nickstrix.com/restorations.html

If I had the facilities, I would do most of the work to restore it myself but unfortunately I don't at the moment. Now, do I spend 15k on a Raby built engine for the Boxster or put the money toward restoring my Bronco?

Getting back on topic, that kid definitely traded down from the Bronco.

[Kirk]

Originally Posted by JTP

Getting back on topic, that kid definitely traded down from the Bronco.

Although I'm not a truck guy I would have to concur. However, for him it may have been a good personal choice. The boy's 17 years old! It's probably a lot cooler for him to own a newer Porsche than an old truck. At 17 I know I cared less about cars and more about putang. I bet his dates will be more impressed getting picked up in the Porsche than in an old truck. Based on the pictures the kid could use as much help as he can.

[davemon]

Originally Posted by reluctantmechanic

The only part of this story that strikes me as odd is, his own family calls him a "swindler".

Maybe sour grapes, or maybe he cheated a few people along the way. If you trade up a used cell phone and get a boxster, great - as long as you do it with integrity.

Meh, I wouldn't read too much into that.
He's 17 years old. Probably gets called all kinds of names. Not to mention, he wouldn't be the first kid who fell victim to overly critical and unsupportive parents.

[JTP]

Originally Posted by Kirk

However, for him it may have been a good personal choice. The boy's 17 years old!

I agree, he should get what he wants. He worked for it.
I just realized I've had my Bronco longer than this kid has been alive. I hope I can say the same for my Boxster 17 years from now.