2006 Ruf Boxster 3.8S X51 Conversion - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

webster132 · 11-30-2006, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MNBoxster

Hi, And, if you are one of those lucky few who inhabit the Socio-Economic Stratosphere, you're not concerned with Value, Resale or any such mundane things. All you know is that you have a want which needs to be satisfied and you satisfy it, period. That's RUF's true customer, who they market to.

I'm sorry to burst any bubbles, but that's simply not the case. At least not for me. And not for any of my high-end buying car friends either. Value is a huge part my car buying process. Whether I'm buying a Boxster or a Lamborghini.

You just compare it to other options in the same league or segment. So no, I didn't consider a Miata when buying the Boxster, but I did consider an SLK. And I didn't consider a Corvette when getting the Lambo, but I did consider the Ferrari.

So if you, like me, like Porsches and like convertibles, but you want more performance than a stock S, you compare a Ruf Boxster to a C2S Cab and try to assign value to either option. What I'm sensing from the crowd here is that paying ~$100k for a convertible Porsche is a bad deal for them. I have absolutely no problem with that judgement, but it didn't feel all that relevant for this discussion.

MNBoxster · 11-30-2006, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by webster132

I'm sorry to burst any bubbles, but that's simply not the case. At least not for me. And not for any of my high-end buying car friends either. Value is a huge part my car buying process. Whether I'm buying a Boxster or a Lamborghini.

You just compare it to other options in the same league or segment. So no, I didn't consider a Miata when buying the Boxster, but I did consider an SLK. And I didn't consider a Corvette when getting the Lambo, but I did consider the Ferrari.

So if you, like me, like Porsches and like convertibles, but you want more performance than a stock S, you compare a Ruf Boxster to a C2S Cab and try to assign value to either option. What I'm sensing from the crowd here is that paying ~$100k for a convertible Porsche is a bad deal for them. I have absolutely no problem with that judgement, but it didn't feel all that relevant for this discussion.

Hi,

I'm not saying your wrong, but clearly my experience has been much different.

I know several extremely wealthy people. Not just well-to-do Doctors, Lawyers, Businessmen, and such (though I know several of them too), but people with generational wealth. Such as the Grandson of the founder of one of the leading pharmaceutical cos. (in your area actually). This guy only gets the interest on the interest of his Trust and that amounts to $33M/yr. He owns 18 classic Porsches, not just a 550 Spyder, but the 550 Spyder driven by Hermann in the '54 Mille Miglia and such. His thing isn't so much classic Porsches as much as it is significant classic Porsches - even more rare. He thinks nothing of paying more than he should for such cars.

Another friend and former business associate is a member of the Pritzker family, again from your neck of the woods. He owns $4.3B worth of the Pritzker wealth (Hyatt Hotels, TicketMaster, Royal Carribean Cruise Lines, the Marmon Group (8% of all Rail cars in the US) and more). Again, if something tickles his fancy, he just gets it, often paying more just because he has to have it. In several of his acquisitions, I fronted for him just to keep the price from skyrocketing because the seller would know a Pritzker was involved.

I would like to think that were I in their positions, I would be a little more value conscious, and I do know several others who are, such as my buddy who just bought a Ford GT. But, you never know...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

webster132 · 11-30-2006, 09:39 PM

Quote:

I would like to think that were I in their positions, I would be a little more value conscious, and I do know several others who are, such as my buddy who just bought a Ford GT. But, you never know...

There's a pretty sizable audience of people who could spend $100k on a Porsche convertible, but who don't get $30M+/year doing nothing. I belong to the former, certainly not the latter.

In any case, I'm just speaking for me and my immediate circle of friends. And for me, it makes sense to compare a Ruf Boxster to a C2S Cab. And I'm still interested in any analysis on that split from someone who are not offended about the notion of a $100k Porsche convertible

.

MNBoxster · 11-30-2006, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by webster132

There's a pretty sizable audience of people who could spend $100k on a Porsche convertible, but who don't get $30M+/year doing nothing. I belong to the former, certainly not the latter.

In any case, I'm just speaking for me and my immediate circle of friends. And for me, it makes sense to compare a Ruf Boxster to a C2S Cab. And I'm still interested in any analysis on that split from someone who are not offended about the notion of a $100k Porsche convertible

.

Hi,

Yes, I agree there's a broader market for $100k Porsches too. So far as this comparison, I think it depends on where you're coming from, what your expectations are.

The Ruf Boxster is invariably the better of the two cars. Better Base Chassis, Layout, Weight Distribution, Lighter. And it's motor will be Balanced and Blueprinted, something the C2S Cab will not. You would likely have to do some suspension work though if you wanted to extract all it had to give, but out of the Box I think it'd smartly outperform the C2S.

I don't think you'd have any more reliability issues with the RUF over the C2S, assuming they were both similarly driven and maintained. In fact, because the conversion gets so much individual attention from RUF, I wouldn't be surprised if it was actually more reliable over the long run than the C2S.

As for the aesthetic factor, again I think the RUF Boxster wins, but that's personal taste. The 911 Cabs have always appeared mutated to me. Not surprising since it's an adapted, and not a dedicated, design. All the styling cues come from the Coupe and some may not translate well. But, many, many others love it's looks which is why it sells so well.

The C2S will have the greater Peacock Effect of the two among the masses. More people will erroneously recognize it as something more expensive and such than a Boxster is. Of course, those knowledgeable about RUF would know the difference and see it the other way around, but that's the minority.

On resale, I suspect the relative rarity of the RUF will weigh in it's favor, but to a much smaller market. The C2S would probably be easier to sell at it's BlueBook value just because it will have a broader audience. If you can wait for the Buyer, the RUF will hold it's value, but if you have to dump it in a hurry, you may have to discount below it's true worth.

Of course, these impressions are not very scientific, but I believe the reasoning is sound. Not an easy issue to decide...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

webster132 · 11-30-2006, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Of course, these impressions are not very scientific, but I believe the reasoning is sound. Not an easy issue to decide...

All great points, Jim. And thanks for the analysis. I'll try to call Ruf tomorrow and see what else I can get out of them. I believe that part of the package is that they alter the suspension and even lowers it a tiny bit.

In any case, Chicago just took on Winter today. So I'm unlikely to pull the final trigger before March where I could actually drive the car. But I'm going to the West coast in February, so perhaps I can track the guy down that did get this conversion made and ask for a ride.

I'll keep you guys posted.

Adam · 11-30-2006, 09:41 PM

Nice pics Perfect. The 911 cab looks good with the top up, but it looks like a butt heavy bathtub with the top down.

Bavarian Motorist · 03-02-2007, 02:36 PM

0-60 is a consumer statistic that means little to nothing.

Hopefully I can do this in near future if my business starts rolling better.

40 grand is a bargain for what you are getting.

This is an NA engine, right? Better be.

EPIQTodd · 03-02-2007, 05:27 PM

There has got to be other shops doing the 3.8l conversion - that price seems really steep. It would be really cool to have a 987S with a 3.8l engine in there...plus you could sell the 3.2l for something, at least...

03-02-2007, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EPIQTodd

There has got to be other shops doing the 3.8l conversion - that price seems really steep. It would be really cool to have a 987S with a 3.8l engine in there...plus you could sell the 3.2l for something, at least...

Todd, FYI, RUF's pricing assumes a core exchange on the engine. In other words, their pricing includes them keeping your old engine.

Bavarian Motorist · 03-02-2007, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EPIQTodd

There has got to be other shops doing the 3.8l conversion - that price seems really steep. It would be really cool to have a 987S with a 3.8l engine in there...plus you could sell the 3.2l for something, at least...

http://www.roockusa.com/products/boxster.htm