Is the Boxster the next 944? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Brucelee · 08-10-2006, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by longislander1

Brucelee, you would probably know better, but it seems to me that the late 968 cabs in good condition are holding their value better than the early Boxsters, even with the 968's four cylinder. I bought mine new in '95 (one of the last 65 made) for $44K (around $10K discount) and sold it last June for $20K. I've seen others advertised -- and purchased -- for around $20K or over.

I love my 987S and it is extremely refined, but it doesn't seem to have the heft and feel of the 968. I'm talking about steering wheel, clutch, shifter.

The values on very nice 968s do seem to be holding up rather well although I have not run an calc's on them.

They did not sell many 968s, only built them for 4 yrs and so they are a bit rare.

The Coupes are actually more rare than the Cabs and the Turbo S models are even rarer.

I am looking to find a 968 coupe with a trashed motor so that I can drop that LS1 or LS 2 motor in to it.

I think a 968 with 400 Plus HP is the deal for me.

Nicely balanced car too!

blinkwatt · 08-10-2006, 04:15 PM

When you guys throw these American engines in them do you put in matching American trannys?

Finallygottaporsche · 08-10-2006, 04:35 PM

ive also been looking for a 968 coupe. no luck yet, but i think if im patient i will find the right one. i keep seeing nice 968 cabs on ebay, but to me that car is meant to be a coupe-just like the 911.

Brucelee · 08-10-2006, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finallygottaporsche

ive also been looking for a 968 coupe. no luck yet, but i think if im patient i will find the right one. i keep seeing nice 968 cabs on ebay, but to me that car is meant to be a coupe-just like the 911.

I totally agree. I have driven the cab and the coupe. The cap shakes all over the place, the coupe is rigid as it ought to be.

Brucelee · 08-10-2006, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blinkwatt

When you guys throw these American engines in them do you put in matching American trannys?

No, the tranny in the 968 is reported to be very robust indeed.

Just an engine swap.

Rooooooooooooooooooooom!

ohioboxster · 08-10-2006, 08:57 PM

Im thinking maybe the Box will be likened to the 944. Before I get jumped on let me explain. The Box is already not held in high regard because of the 911 and now the Cayman is out. The Box prices are going to continue to drop Im afraid. How much?, I dont know. I really like my car but its just a fact. I think someone on this site was going to sell his low mileage box for low 20k. They are already not bringing very good money. well, 20k for a six or seven year old car is pretty good I guess. Who knows?

longislander1 · 08-11-2006, 05:34 AM

Early Boxster owners will probably shoot me, but I think that power, interior quality and looks are keeping those values down. The early Boxsters are nice cars and true sports cars when they're standing alone. However, there was a significant drop in horsepower from the 968 (despite the upgrade from a 4 to a 6). And while the 968 interior was certainly primitive by today's standards, the leather quality and sturdiness of the interior bits was superior to the early Boxster. Finally, the early Boxsters simply didn't look as aggressive as the 968s. Anyway, those were three factors that kept me away from the Boxster until the 987s arrived. (I also thought the droopy headlights were a turnoff.)

It's hard to say what will happen to future Boxster values. Porsche is sharing more 911 content with the Boxster now, and that may help. On the other hand, the numbers of cars being manufactured today are well beyond what Porsche has done for individual model lines before. That may continue to hurt values. We'll see.

Brucelee · 08-11-2006, 07:46 AM

Several factors will crater the older Boxster values IMHO.

Quantity-There are a TON of Boxsters out there.

Quality issues-the older Boxes have them in spades and the word is getting out. This is NOT a car to have with 120K miles on it for example.

Maint/repair costs-Porsche reputation preceeds.

Alternatives-There are increasingly more cars of similar ilk to buy.

I could be wrong but the lack of exclusivity and power in the older Boxes will hurt values.

Having said that, if I could buy a $15K Box that looked and ran good and didn't scare me to death, I would.

Ronzi · 08-11-2006, 08:00 AM

"I could be wrong but the lack of exclusivity and power in the older Boxes will hurt values."

I agree with the first point, but not necessarily the second. Not everybody wants/needs a car with 400hp. Or even 300.

The problem with sinking resale values is that eventually the car drops to a point where it can be purchased by people without either the inclination or resources to maintain the car properly. That, I think, is why you see a lot of ****************box 924/944s. The car has become, in a sense, expendable, so why put any money into it?

It is entirely possible this will be the fate of the Boxster, but, for selfish reasons, I hope not.