Need advice

[Brucelee]

It is very fair to say that the Boxster is no Honda or Toyota. By that standard, these cars are fragile and require repairs at a rate much higher that the Japanese standard.

This could be said about all German cars in my mind.

Having the CPO warranty is a very good thing IMHO.

However, if you are the kind of guy who loves the Lexus experience, you will likely be disapointed with the Boxster experience. The dealers are nowhere near the Lexus way of life, so all in all, it feels like a comedown.

Having said that, we love our Boxes here. We simply don't lie about them.

PS-the valve cover gasket means nothing in my mind.

Good luck.

[super66]

woah....I believe Dr. Burton has his 987S on this board for sale at about 43K......that price may be a little steep......I would spring the extra 3K to get Dr Burton's S.....but that's just me....

Secondly, I am on year #2 of my 987.....and so far fairly bullet proof....the little problems it does have I think are more a dealer that is too sloppy to fix a car than the car not being reliable....

2 years and the only cost of ownership was my 20K mile service so far.......

[Perfectlap]

CPO is the way to go in my opinion. I lucked out and found a car with barely 10K miles in showroom condition. In 40K miles I have only had one repair that cost over $300. That's nearly as good as my previous Japanese cars. But the problem is that if something does go wrong the parts are much more expensive and the labor is not cheap either, although Japanese car labor is now well over $100 per hour at some dealers too.

That being said I think you're dealer is being way optimistic with that price tag.
This market is terrible for car sales and particularly sports cars. All these years of unsustainable leverage have bitten the banks and credit markets in the butt big time. Now its hurting car sales. A 15% cut wouldn't surprise me for that Boxster.

I would agressively pursuit this CPO car, but start your offers VERY low. There is absolutely no point in negotiating lightly when you have EVERYTHING in your favor.
They can't afford to let a four year old previous generation car just sit around and they need to get rid of all this old inventory otherwise it will hurt new sales which is where they make their real margins.
I'd take at least $6K off my initial offer just to test the waters. They will surely say no and come back with $39K or something. If they go lower than $37K you know they are feeling pain. Which means you have them right where you want them. Offer $500 more each time they say no. Even if this goes on for weeks its worth it. That car aint going anywhere. I think most people in a position to buy a luxury car now are buying new not used. Whatever happens demmand they stick to the CPO...no compromise.

[baseball]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

otherwise it will hurt new sales which is where they make their real margins.

While I agree with the rest of your analysis, dealers actually make money in this order:
1) Parts & Service (contributing over 70% of operating profit)
2) Used Car Sales (contributing over 25% of operating profit)
3) New Car Sales (contributing less than 10% of operating profit)
Source: NADA.org

Also you may find a better deal on a new car than a used one right now. In recessionary times, new car sales decrease while used car sales increase. According to Automotive News, franchised dealerships sold 675,100 used cars and trucks in January 2008, an 8.0 percent increase from the year-ago month.

If the dealer comes down substantially from 40K (which I agree is too high), make sure you're still getting the CPO. I had one dealer drop the price on a used one I was considering, only to discover he was trying to recoup his profit by dropping the CPO on me. Read the fine print and good luck.

[Perfectlap]

yes you're absolutely spot on. I should have said Porsche make their bread and butter on new car sales, even in a slump they're still the most profitable car company in the world. The dealers on the other hand really feel it when the numbers come down. Pimps always get the lion's share!

You can get a better new car deal in this type of economic down turn but that's assuming the big hit of new car depreciation is not an issue to the buyer. In the present tight credit market with much fewer buyers going forward then just one year ago, you can surely expect there to be even sharper drops in new car depreciation. So you almost HAVE to get a really good deal on a new car sale. Meanwhile trade-ins are what they are and the dealers have allot of room to negotiate and right now they are struggling to show revenue. So from a consumer's point of view, the even lower entry price of a CPO Porsche has most of the upside of warranty protection with much less of the downside depreciation.

[kennedi]

I appreciate the feedback from you guys! So should I start negotiating the price now BEFORE I go to Connecticut to see it or once I get there? I would kind of hate to have to go out there twice.

R/
Kennedi

[super66]

I wouldn't go near the car without negotiating....as I mentioned and PL seconded...that asking price to me sounds ridiculous.....

I say my porsche and left it at the dealer and dealth with them primarily via the phone, the last thing you want is to be at the dealer and starting your negotiations.....the dealer will always play the why would you come this far and not buy it over 1000 dollars....what's a thousand dollars.....and after awhile you'll agree and buy it....

negotiate and then go see it if the price is right.....or fly to Minnesota and buy the good docs arctict silver 987S

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.j...rice=&cardist=0

try this link
http://986forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15900

[baseball]

I agree with those that said to negotiate over phone/email before you go to look at the car. Cars are seductive and none are more seductive than a Porsche Boxster in the springtime.

Once you get them to agree on a price, have them email/fax you the "out the door" price which includes all the documentation fees, prep fees, etc. they expect you to pay. This is how I bought my boxster and it's a good technique to use if you and the dealer are far apart in the negotiation. And as someone said earlier, it's a lot easier to say "No" when you haven't traveled a long distance to buy your dream car.

[renzop]

Originally Posted by kennedi

I appreciate the feedback from you guys! So should I start negotiating the price now BEFORE I go to Connecticut to see it or once I get there? I would kind of hate to have to go out there twice.

R/
Kennedi

Kennedi,

Never tell the dealer you don't want to make 2 trips. And never think it yourself. Unless they sell you the car for 34K with CPO you MUST WALK OUT without buying. Then call them back a week later and let the negotiations begin. Your strongest bargaining position is with your back to them and walking away.

You do not want to go there with your checkbook. You do not want to go there thinking you will buy it. You want to go there to inspect and drive the car. Then you want to go home and think about the purchase rationally without the dealer's pressure.

If they say that they can only give you such and such a price if you buy now then politely ask them what's wrong with the car that they want to get rid of it so quickly.

Regards,
Alan