Price Advice Needed - Parents 2000 Boxster

[mf168601]

So my parents have said that their hunter green 2000 Boxster is up for grabs.

Details
- Bought and used in Ohio since purchase
- Stored in garage w/ cover throughout the winters
- 10K miles
- No discernible marks of any kind - the interior and exterior are both nearly perfect
- No accidents and runs fine (mighty fine)

Request
- Researched prices and came up with (visited the sites listed on the Mike Focke site):
- Edmunds - $15,381 (PP); $17,364 (Dealer Retail)
- KBB - $18,575 (PP)
- NADA - $20,875 (Clean Retail), $22,150 (High Retail)
- Ebay (Completed Listings) - $18,200

I want to give them a fair price without going crazy. Any advice? I was thinking maybe between 19K and 21K?

Thanks in advance for the help. I hope to be a Porsche owner soon.

[Lil bastard]

Well, you've done your research and so know what range you should be in.

An inter-family sale has a few more facets to it than a public sale (both good and bad).

The fair price is that which both the Seller and the Buyer agree to.

Good luck

[mf168601]

Hey Lil bastard (that's fun to type),

I am just trying not to insult them. Most likely they will just sell it to me for whatever my research indicates it should be; so I am just trying to make sure I am being thorough and not paying them way too little (or way too much).

Does $21K even sound fine? Is that too much? From reading around on the forums it sounded like between $16K to $20K for a Boxster and between maybe $20K to $24K for the S?

Thanks again.

[kabel]

I don't' suppose there is any warranty left on it at this point is there? That could be factor.

[mf168601]

Nope; No warranty left.

[husker boxster]

Welcome to the forum (hopefully as a new owner).

Here are a couple of items to consider before making an offer:

~ The pricing guides are based on data that's 2-3 mo old. They don't always reflect today's market.

~ The economy is not getting better and people are wanting to unload their "toys", including Boxsters, in these uncertain economic times.

~ Not everyone lives in sunny CA. Summer's end is approaching and conv weather will be diminishing in the northern half of the US. The onslaught of fall (and winter) causes Boxster prices to dip.

When you put these nuggets together, I'd say a fair offer would be lower than the $21 you're thinking about. I know you don't want to low-ball your parents but they have to consider the time and expense of trying to sell their car in a crowded market from a rust belt location.

Plus there may be some immediate expenses once you purchase your new Box. An 8 yr old Box with 10K mi is not the same as a 2 yr old Box with 10K mi. These items need to be factored into the equation:

tires - are they the originals? If so, they're probably close to being worn out and should probably be replaced anyway because of their age. Price: $400 - $900

antifreeze - Porsche claims it uses lifetime antifreeze, but they expect the water pump or coolant tank to break, resulting in a flush. If you are mechanically inclined, this is not an expensive job ($30), probably $250 - $300 at the stealer.

age related parts that could need replacing - water pump, timing belt, spark plugs.

I don't mean to scare you away from buying, I just want you to be sure you factor the cost of ownership into you price. If these items have been addressed by your parents, then their car is worth more. If not, you will need to pay for them. You will find Porsche parts are WAY more expensive than your garden variety auto and Porshe mechanics are paid handsomely. You need to know this going in and price your offer accordingly.

Good luck with your purchase.

[mf168601]

Hey husker boxster.

Thanks for the reply. The KBB value ($18,575) seems to be a pretty good one to go off of and since I am not having to pay sales tax (family sale), I think I will just offer $19,500 with my parents paying for any items requiring repair from the Porsche dealer (which would have moved it into the $1K-lower "Good" bucket anyway.

Thanks again for the advice, I really really appreciate it.

mf168601, are the values you researched based on a car in California or Ohio? There will be a difference. The Ohio car willl be worth less.

[mf168601]

Hey bmussatti

Thanks for the insight. You are right, it's value is $17,360 in Ohio and $18,660 in California (I wonder why that changed in the last couple of hours?).

So how bout this:

Average between Cali and Ohio - $18,010
I don't have to pay sales tax - $500
Vehicle inspection - $500
Total Price - $19,010

Sound fair?

[E Kaplan]

Don't know if this helps, but I bought a 2000 triple black boxster in mint condition about 5 months ago. 31,000 miles and recently had the 30,000 service at the Tampa Porsche dealership. Found the car on autotrader. He was asking $19,500 and we agreed on $18,250.

I think I got a fair deal, not a great deal. With the economy the way it is and since your are purchasing it from your parents (assuming you have a good relationship with them), I think $16,000 to $17,000 is a fair price.

Good luck.

[husker boxster]

This could stir some debate, but if you already know the history of the vehicle, why give $500 to someone to tell you what you already know? The inspector won't be able to tell you if the IMS or RMS are getting ready to shoot craps. Unless you want to see what the potential expenses might be, I don't see a reason to spend that money. Definitely get a PPI if you're buying someone else's car, but not in this case.

Use the $$$ you save as the initial deposit in your slush fund.

[Lil bastard]

This may seem too obvious, but you could always ask your parents what they want for it, then go from there.

[Wingnut2u]

I purchased my 2001 Boxster S for $21k, so I would be inclined to say that $18k is a fair price to offer and you definitely would not be taking advantage of them at that price.

[racer_d]

Silly question, but, is it the car YOU want? Do you want a Green Boxster?

Also, factor in how you will get it from OH to CA? Fly and drive? Transporter? Eitherway, that could be $600-$1600?

I know its only got 10K miles, but I'd have a hard time paying more than $16,5k (but then again, that's what I paid for my MY2000 with 40K miles in 2006!)

Are they considering trading it in on another car or wanting to "cash out"? I would be curious what "trade in" money the car would bring. It could be a "harder" sale in Ohio given what I hear in the papers about their bad economy.