Hard to sell a Boxster these days - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

xavier405 · 06-13-2006, 09:39 AM

I never imagined it would be so hard to sell my Boxster here in So Cal. Its an 02 with Tip, and xtd warranty, and priced under KBB.

The car has been great, and it breaks my heart to part with it. But my wife and I are buying a house and must lower our car payments.

I've had it on a major sales website for 6 months now. Of course in the winter months there were few calls. In Jan-Feb-Mar I got calls from consignment dealerships, and one call from a buyer who ended up not interested. In April and May I got more calls from dealers, and about 4 or 5 calls from private parties.

Of those people, I have set up meetings with three of them and they stood me up. Pretty weird!

So I am getting an average of one call every two weeks since springtime. Is this what you guys would expect? Has anyone else had such a tough experience selling a car privately? Any tips?

Thanks
- Xavier

porscheracer · 06-13-2006, 09:50 AM

probably because you have a tip. i think people in southern cal prefer to drive stick because of the enjoyment on the twistys.
Try ebay or autotrader.

SD987 · 06-13-2006, 10:06 AM

As I mentioned to Mach Schnell, also post to Craigslist autos in OC, SD and LA. It's free and pretty widely read. I see more good "deals" on there, then on Autotrader which seems to have been overtaken by small dealers.

Perfectlap · 06-13-2006, 10:07 AM

see if any of Cartagena's friends want to buy one!
With Porsche's selling at a huge markup overseas I have to wonder why
there isn't a place to sell cars abroad.

Marc Gelefsky · 06-13-2006, 10:16 AM

Seems like the used Porsche market is a little soft, I see many of the same used cars sitting on dealers lots for a while.
I have been trying to sell a friends 90 964 Targa, it's a damn nice car but I have had very little action on it.

MNBoxster · 06-13-2006, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by porscheracer

probably because you have a tip. i think people in southern cal prefer to drive stick because of the enjoyment on the twistys.
Try ebay or autotrader.

Hi,

I doubt that very much. 50% of Boxster production (both Base and 'S') is Tiptronic S and Porsche has no trouble selling them.

Of course, someone looking for a manual won't be interested, so I concede that you will appeal to only 50% of those looking for one...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

mach schnell · 06-13-2006, 10:28 AM

Xavier - On my VW - ran a 10 day ebay ad - continually lowering price - in the end - 2 watchers - no bids. Then autotrader - 3 weeks - same guy from some non-profit wanting to match sellers with buyers calls me once a week - no one else. Craigslist - got 1 email - some dealer who had a buyer and wanted my lowest price - i told him to make an offer - never heard back. Samba - got nothing! In fact, since I paid for the Autotrader add to run unlimited, I'm gonna keep it running (even though I traded the car in this past weekend) just to see how long it takes until I actually get an actual call on it. Interestingly, I had actually debated running ads for the 987 thinking it would sell in a heartbeat and I'd make a few grand over what I got when I traded it with the VW - I got the dealer to give me KBB on the Porsche and since I bought it for almost $11000 under sticker, I didn't loose much on depreciation! My thought for selling it outright is that I may have sold it for what I bought it for.

In my opinion, its the market here in soCal - houses aren't selling and cars aren't selling. The 911 I was looking at, although a new addition to the particular dealership, that dealer had some of the same cars he had when I shopped his lot in January before buying the Boxster. The dealer in Newport where I ended up trading the Porsche and VW for the BMW said they've had some of the slowest months ever!

Re: Porscheracer's comments about the Tip - actually, I think in soCal you have a better chance selling a (sports) car with an auto. Although I disagree with the philosphopy of an automatic in a sports car, most soCal drivers prefer the ease when stuck in traffic! I shopped 350z a bit before buying the Boxster and for the life of me couldn't find their top of the line version equipped with a 6 spd anywhere in soCal - dealer explanation - no one wants to shift in traffic!

Have you approached CarMax - if you are already listing it below KBB - you may get a do-able price from them and the car is off your hands!

Anyway - good luck!

Perfectlap · 06-13-2006, 10:38 AM

climbing interest rates won't help matters either. Mortgage payments will be cutting into people fun budgets!

xavier405 · 06-13-2006, 11:35 AM

Thanks for the quick responses....

I did walk through CarMax and talked about their appraisals. They say they only mark up 1500-2000 on their cars no matter how cheap they got them. So if I am already well under KBB then once they add their markup then it should still be a fair price.

Also it appears that tips are rather popular around here. For the past two years every time I see a Porsche I can't resist but to look in the window and check out the interior color, any cool options, whatever. And I've noticed more than 50% as tips.

Sorry to hear about the other troubles you folks have had selling your cars! Lets hope that a sunny summer changes peoples spending moods.

Any other car sales stories?

Cheers
- Xavier

denverpete · 06-13-2006, 11:44 AM

I constantly scan the Denver websites that sell Porsches. It's amazing how long some of those cars have been up for sale.

I think the only vehicles which are guaranteed to sell, and sell quickly, in Colorado are Jeeps (Wranglers & CJ's). Those things go so fast here regardless of the season - and for a nice premium. I honestly thought about buying Jeeps out of state and bringing them to Denver to sell for a couple grand profit each.

xavier405 - I feel your pain. I wish I could offer some advice beyond what's stated here.

Good luck!

06-13-2006, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

see if any of Cartagena's friends want to buy one!
With Porsche's selling at a huge markup overseas I have to wonder why
there isn't a place to sell cars abroad.

If someone else bought a Boxster here then there would be two of us so it is not exactly a booming business.

All imported cars in Colombia are about double the price due to importation taxes not to huge markups. Only new cars can be imported also which keeps the price of used cars way up. I was looking at a 1997 BMW 318 that would sell for $6000 in the states which is $24,000 here.

blinkwatt · 06-13-2006, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cartagena

If someone else bought a Boxster here then there would be two of us so it is not exactly a booming business.

All imported cars in Colombia are about double the price due to importation taxes not to huge markups. Only new cars can be imported also which keeps the price of used cars way up. I was looking at a 1997 BMW 318 that would sell for $6000 in the states which is $24,000 here.

What cars do you have available locally in Colombia?

longislander1 · 06-13-2006, 03:48 PM

Try advertising it in Canada, especially on some of the local Porsche club sites (not sure if you have to be a member). I believe prices are higher there for local cars.

mjw930 · 06-13-2006, 04:34 PM

I would go down to Carmax and get one of their offers. Consider that as your bottom line. Run a 10 day ad on ebay one of 2 ways, use a straight buy it now with offers (flat rate) or a regular auction with a reserve price set at the Carmax price.

Also, consider selling in Canada (state that in your auction). With the strong Canadian dollar officially imported cars are going for as much as 30% more than the same car in the states.

Another thing to note, if you are leasing then make sure you understand the buyout / tax implications, especially if you sell to Canada. If you want more info on that just PM me.

porscheracer · 06-14-2006, 06:50 AM

Re: Porscheracer's comments about the Tip - actually, I think in soCal you have a better chance selling a (sports) car with an auto. Although I disagree with the philosphopy of an automatic in a sports car, most soCal drivers prefer the ease when stuck in traffic! I shopped 350z a bit before buying the Boxster and for the life of me couldn't find their top of the line version equipped with a 6 spd anywhere in soCal - dealer explanation - no one wants to shift in traffic!

I live in NYC and i drive a stick. what a rush! i get a around traffic no problem.
everyday feels like i'm autocrossing.
i can't get the same rush with a tip.. I rented a 05 Boxster in France drove from Nice to Monaco and almost feel asleep.

toddhata · 06-14-2006, 02:48 PM

Give Carmax a try, I just sold my 05 Corolla to them, got the same price I paid for it, minus tax & license, when I bought it 8 months and 14k miles ago. I know I got a really good deal when I bought it, and with the gas prices it kept its value.

I tried Craigslist and Autotrader, only got calls from auto brokers posing as private parties trying to knock off 20% to 25% of my asking price. So I got fed up with it and went to Carmax.

EPIQTodd · 06-14-2006, 03:12 PM

Hard to sell most anything nowadays - the economy (despite what the Republicans state, and I'm one of them, just a realistic one) is in the dumper, and inflation is a big scare. Consumers know inflation, and therefore spending is down, particularly on big items.

Marc Gelefsky · 06-14-2006, 05:24 PM

Finally sold the 90 Carrera 2 I had for sale, got less than I thought it was worth.
Oh well.. soft market on 964's I guess.

CA_Boxster · 06-15-2006, 10:46 AM

I also recommend craigslist.

I bought mine used a couple years ago and I can tell you it's no problem at all shopping the whole country looking for a low mileage, excellent condition Boxster. A LOT of people bought them as 3rd cars and eventually just got tired of them or decided to turn them over and buy a new toy after a few years. Mine was 3 years old, 20k miles and dealer-inspected. This wasn't my only option, either. If I raised my price range by about $2k I would have had all the options I needed to be able to pick a good one.

As a result, I think it could be tough to sell them, especially in CA where there's no shortage of used supply for the people who aren't willing to buy one and have it shipped.

franz229 · 06-15-2006, 02:28 PM

My personal experience selling a Boxster (tiptronic) in Oakland and bay area is not
Very good. It is very difficult to sell in this area. I had mine for sale for 6 months.
I advertised in craigslist and cars.com. Cars.com was the worse. I got a lot
o solicitation from other website offering to sell my cars if I advertise with then
for a fee. I asked the were they got my number, and it was from cars.com.
Most of the people that came at check the car, can’t afford or them
Looking for thrill and drive a Porsche. I soon they ask how much the change of oil or the Maintenance I new is a waste of time. I they never call back or show up.
Some buyer will offer a price below the trading price of the car.
So… I just tired of this game and I went to local dealership and trade in 986 for
A new 2006 987..