986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners - View Single Post

gschotland · 04-01-2010, 08:45 PM

Keep in mind that asking prices vary an awful lot from from what cars actually change hands for. You'll pay absolute top dollar from a dealer and then CPO is icing on the cake - for him. Every low mileage Boxster (private) owner thinks his/her car is the best out there and worth far more anyone else's. Prices are literally all over the place (nothing new), but the bottom line is it's a buyer's market - big time. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise.

When my brother was looking for an '02S (now mine) in '06, we researched prices quite a bit through various sources including eBay and Manheim Auction in PA. At that time we found KBB.com's trade in values to be spot on for what he eventually paid at Manheim ($23.4k + 5% used car dealer's fee). And when his wife made him sell last October (baby on the way), I again did a lot of research through eBay other sources before we settled on a fair price for both of us ($16k). And as I continued to follow prices a few months after that I felt even more sure that I'd paid FMV.

Not a lot of cars are actually sold through eBay, but where the bidding stops and where there were no bids at seemingly reasonable starting prices, these are very telling regarding fair market value. For example, there's a red '05 S w/9.9k mi CPO from Suncoast Porsche in FL that got no bids at a starting price of $27,880, and for an '07 S w/16.5k CPO from Porsche of Naples, FL bidding stopped at $30,975 (no sale). Research closed auctions over the course of a few weeks and you'll see a pattern. Sure, options have an effect on value, but not that much unless the car's really loaded with 15-20k of options. With the common options you're talking about, there are loads of low mileage choices well into the $20s. If your budget is higher, go for the newer car with some warranty left.

BTW, this is where I got the trade in and private party values quoted in my previous post:

http://www.kbb.com/used-cars

Take a deep breath, relax, try to put your emotions aside (yes, it's hard) and take your time shopping. You're in the driver's seat. Your attitude should be "there's always another car around the corner" and there are plenty of motivated sellers around, both absolutely true.

04-01-2010, 08:45 PM	#14
gschotland Registered User Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: nj Posts: 389	Keep in mind that asking prices vary an awful lot from from what cars actually change hands for. You'll pay absolute top dollar from a dealer and then CPO is icing on the cake - for him. Every low mileage Boxster (private) owner thinks his/her car is the best out there and worth far more anyone else's. Prices are literally all over the place (nothing new), but the bottom line is it's a buyer's market - big time. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise. When my brother was looking for an '02S (now mine) in '06, we researched prices quite a bit through various sources including eBay and Manheim Auction in PA. At that time we found KBB.com's trade in values to be spot on for what he eventually paid at Manheim ($23.4k + 5% used car dealer's fee). And when his wife made him sell last October (baby on the way), I again did a lot of research through eBay other sources before we settled on a fair price for both of us ($16k). And as I continued to follow prices a few months after that I felt even more sure that I'd paid FMV. Not a lot of cars are actually sold through eBay, but where the bidding stops and where there were no bids at seemingly reasonable starting prices, these are very telling regarding fair market value. For example, there's a red '05 S w/9.9k mi CPO from Suncoast Porsche in FL that got no bids at a starting price of $27,880, and for an '07 S w/16.5k CPO from Porsche of Naples, FL bidding stopped at $30,975 (no sale). Research closed auctions over the course of a few weeks and you'll see a pattern. Sure, options have an effect on value, but not that much unless the car's really loaded with 15-20k of options. With the common options you're talking about, there are loads of low mileage choices well into the $20s. If your budget is higher, go for the newer car with some warranty left. BTW, this is where I got the trade in and private party values quoted in my previous post: http://www.kbb.com/used-cars Take a deep breath, relax, try to put your emotions aside (yes, it's hard) and take your time shopping. You're in the driver's seat. Your attitude should be "there's always another car around the corner" and there are plenty of motivated sellers around, both absolutely true. Last edited by gschotland; 04-01-2010 at 10:32 PM.