Why is this '97 Boxster unsellable at $6900 ?
 

1997 Porsche Boxster

This car has been for sale since the early Summer, around 4 months.
What gives? It even has the IMS done.

Non-S 1997 with 130k is just not a good combo?

Probably because the ad lists the amount of money that was spent on it in the last few years and a potential purchaser would be worried they will need to continue the trend.

Do better and more detailed pictures that show the condition of the car.

For example - which seller would you call?

This one:
http://www.vau-max.de/thumbs/lib/10/...wide/18010.jpg
http://www.vau-max.de/thumbs/lib/12/...wide/18012.jpg
http://www.vau-max.de/thumbs/lib/15/...wide/18015.jpg
http://www.vau-max.de/thumbs/lib/16/...wide/18016.jpg

Or this one?
https://images.craigslist.org/00R0R_...OF_600x450.jpg
https://images.craigslist.org/00k0k_...1m_600x450.jpg
https://images.craigslist.org/01111_...hD_600x450.jpg
https://images.craigslist.org/00E0E_...IZ_600x450.jpg

And please remove that ugly black bra (if it's one).

Regards, Markus

+1 on ditching the bra. Also, white isn't the greatest color. GLWS

Agreed. If I saw a car for sale with that much money put into her in the past 5 months, my first thought is 'money pit'. List the important updates, such as IMS, but some of that stuff is just fluff...and don't list the costs.

And the black bra has to go.

/ he's spent $ 5601 - not counting the bra & wind deflector
lots of good stuff done but as said 1997 - 130k + not a great combo color is blah

The more I look for a 986 the more I question my sanity

I bought mine this spring, 97 base with 64k on it for 3k, sold the hardtop it came with for $800 so now I have 2200 into one with half the miles so I think you are way optimistic on the price. I see lots of them listed with over a 100k for around the 4k mark so they are probably being traded around the 2500-3500 mark. You can get an S few years newer with lower miles for what you are asking for yours. It looks nice I just think that you are overestimating its value, these cars are so common and there are lots of them out there and the cost of maintenance keeps people from paying much for a 20 year old car.

Agree that the biggest problem for me is the ad itself. They're selling a semi-exotic convertible., But the ad has it parked under a porch with the top up, and then tells how expensive it is to own. Oh, yes, and the bra. The bra hides the beauty of the car and looks dated. It is for protecting the car, not for selling it.

The seller should get a large number of good photos, of the interior and with the top down in a pretty location. The buyer should want to envision themselves sitting in the car in the photos. The text should emphasize how fun the car is and how a lot of work has been done to get the car in top shape. Odds are that the prospective buyer will be someone young who wants a cheap, fun car, or an older empty-nester who wants a low-hassle weekend toy. Nobody buys a Porsche for the repair bills, but that's what the ad talks about.

BTW, OP, Ijust noticed you never said if it was your car or just one you've noticed for sale. If not your car, sorry for the lecture.

I agree with all the previous posters. Take some nice low-angle pictures, all of the ones in the ad are from above, and that makes any car look less attractive.

White is not the best color for Boxsters, but the interior color is desirable. Take some pictures of the interior if it is in good shape.

You can mention that all the maintenance has been brought up to date, but don't talk about the expenses. That would scare me away!

And yes, lose that bra!

I agree with the rest, better pictures without the bra, top down and skip the maintenance price list. I think the price is ok, considering the recent maintenance but I wouldn't expect to get that price. It basically gives you room to negotiate. Advertise it in Wisconsin, the Badgers colors are red and white!

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I like it!
I like the white and I like the red!
I always wanted a white with red convertible.
And yes, lose the bra!
The one good thing about a bra is you know the car has been loved. They are trying to protect it. Few people would spend money on a bra thinking it makes the car look better.
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I think everyone is wrong about the maintenance list, anyone who knows Boxsters knows these are maintenance items that are required at some point and I’d think a buyer would (or at least should) appreciate knowing this work has already been performed, that it would be reassuring to a buyer. Just my take.
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I don't have a problem with listing what has been done, but the dollar amounts can be shown when the buyer shows up. It's always good to keep receipts, but listing the dollar amounts only highlights the cost of ownership and not the fun part :D

Yes, I see what you're saying.
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I really like the white/red and like that so much maintenance is done. In my BMW days I was always looking for a white/red E30/E28.

Because it's a '97 with 130,000 miles.
Because of that ugly faded orange interior.
Because there aren't enough pictures (interior).
Because someone put a circa 1985 bra on it (what's the paint like underneath? Not good. If it was fine before, the rubbing of the bra will ruin it).

You jerks who said "because it's white", better check yo self! :D
Everyone know silver/grey is the worst! There are just so many of them... :p

White is the shiz-nizzle!

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...5178984C0B.jpg

Um silver with a ugly faded orange dyed to black interior is way better :D





http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1476900549.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1476900649.jpg

I'm assuming this car does not belong to the OP. There may be some horrible defect that is not disclosed in the ad - bad AOS, torn top, trashed seats, obvious paint repairs, hidden damage under the bra, smells like mold, etc... "Runs and looks great" tells you essentially nothing about the actual condition of the car. Maybe there's something scaring away the people who see it in person? Sometimes what the ad *doesn't* say is more important than what it says.

There is an art to making good Craigslist ads. This seller could use some assistance.

The poorly written ad reads like this to me: "I've owned this car for 5 months and had to throw a bunch of money at it. Here's a few examples of the kind of money you can blow on this thing [...]. Now I'm dumping it to buy something else. It runs, and it looks okay in the shady photos I took under the porch. Either I don't care enough about this car to remove the bra and take good pictures, or I'm hiding something." Not that any of that is true, but that's how it reads.

At least he didn't put his thumb over the license plate in the photos. :-)

I feel the opposite about a car bra. Most applications I've seen end up TRASHING the paint underneath. I always pegged the owners as careless.

Agreed.
In my experience, a bra is often used to hide some defect(s). If it was genuinely used as a protectant, the owner did not research as the downsides often outweigh any perceived benefits (paint will be marred and scarred from rubbing).

Ooooohhhhh!!!!
I stand corrected! :D

Oh I agree that a bra does more harm than good. There are only two reasons I can think of to purchase a bra, one the owner loves the car and is trying to protect it from rocks, or two the nose is trashed and the bra is a easy camouflage of the fact. I believe most owners that purchase bras do so out of love.

I’ve driven to Alaska a couple of times and I see all these $100,000+ motor homes where people have installed chicken wire over the front to protect the headlights and windshield, what do you think the wire does to the motor home, but the owner didn’t really know what the heck he was doing, odds of a busted headlight or cracked windshield are small, chances of damage from chicken wire 100%. And same with people who put bras on their Boxster, their motives are in the right place but the results can be disastrous.
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Let's see...

5 month ownership.
Out of state car.
Lots of repairs.

Way too many red flags. Probably being sold by car flipper who bought the car at auction.

Bra
 

I got a bra with a salvage car that had sat with it on the lot for a few months. I left it on the car to cover damage until I had a new bumper painted.
If a damp bra sits on one of these cars it will cause bumps in the paint. It mostly recovered over time, but still has some minor spots on the frunk lid. Now I use the bra for a long road trip, but never leave it on the car.

+1 to what all the others said.

Pretty soon, I'm planning to list a 99 tip with no issues, but high miles for about $4,800 (Retro's old car). I still expect it to be a slow sale due to low demand for such cars. That car may sell for around $6k, but money spent on maintenance isn't going to add much to the value other than being able to say, "well maintained with receipts."

If I were selling it...

You need to give the potential buyer a hint about why you are disinvesting in the Boxster...what your reason/motivation for selling is. I don't want to buy a car you are giving up on, I do want to buy the car you have a life change reason for selling. (Bought that way twice. Sold that way once.)

Omit the prices. Show the car without the bra. Stress the positives which are many. Something like this.

"Recently updated suspension, brakes, tune-up. IMS replacement done. (Was the clutch done?) Recent oil/fluids change. Receipts available. Life style change (baby on the way) forces sale for 4 door econobox."

It is the leaf looking season in NY, so prices barely hold with people expecting snow.

Bingo!

This is not convertible buying season in NY. In addition to all the other stated reasons the ad is poorly written.

It's funny how irrational the typical buyer is.

When I see an ad with listed costs and repairs, I think:
1) This seller has maintained the car. Not some teenager.
2) Look at all the stuff I won't be needing to do.
3) The bra shows the seller spent money to protect the car. Another huge plus that tells you everything you need to know about the seller.

It takes a special kind of fool to think since there are no repairs, there will continue to be none, and to prefer a car with no maintenance done.
But, I can see irrational people thinking one car is "cursed" and one where nothing went wrong (yet) is somehow better.
The reality is the opposite. The more repairs, the less you need to do yourself.

You seem obsessed with 986 prices, judging by practically all of your 19 posts since summer. What gives? Still looking to buy, or is this your car? You asked for opinions. :rolleyes:

The counterpoints to all of your points have already been made. It takes a special kind of fool to think that a bra on a car is a good idea. ;)

If you think the car is such a steal, then you should buy it.
Let us know how that works out for you. :p :p :p

No wind deflector or mesh inserts...that thing will never sell!!:p

Sorry guys totally disagree. I like the white with Boxter red interior. I have seen many white Spyders. Yes the owner has put a lot of money into the car recently, and that is too bad. Much of that work could have been easily performed by the owner at a fraction of the cost. As far as the bra goes I use one on my 99 regularly and so do many at the local PCA events on their 911 turbos. 130k is a lot of miles and that would have made me wary in the first place but if the price was right I would have bought it and done the work myself. If I were in the market I would low ball him and see where it goes. at the right price I think its a good deal.

First, we don't know the seller has maintained the car - only that he has fixed some things...who knows what else lurks, hence all buyers should get a PPI. And he just changed out the IMS prior to selling - hmmmm, why? Because he found metal and it's already in the engine so he's hoping to sell quick before it explodes?? Have to wonder.
I've had bra's on cars before. They aren't pretty - but they can also damage the paint underneath, and they also cause the paint to fade slower on the front than the rest of the car.

It takes a special kind of fool to think that because some work has been done then all the work is done and the car is perfect.

Yeah I think your right...good thing i'm not trying to sell the car :). I personally don't think they do much, so I sold them. I think it looks way better without them anyway.

Maybe it's the angle but that thing looks like it has a lift kit on it, wow is there some air under there.

1) Apparently this seller has only owned the car for 5 months. Replacing a bunch of parts over a 5 month span does not have anything to do with long-term maintenance. Especially in a car with 130k miles.

2) Look at all the deferred maintenance and worn out items on this car when the seller bought it.

3) With the availability of excellent and relatively inexpensive clear bras today, the fact that the seller strapped a piece of $200+ black vinyl over the front of a Porsche does indeed tell me a lot about the seller.

Your posts suggest that you have done a lot of looking at these cars for sale. However, I think it is overly optimistic to believe the ad in question indicates that this car has been well maintained. Overall maintenance was not addressed in the ad.

It must be the angle. It actually sits a little lower than stock because of the Aero kit.


http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1476986716.jpg

My last Boxster was sold in 4 hours with people fighting to get it on the basis of a 2 line craigslist posting. The buyer drove 50m miles to see it, and paid cash (in hundred $ bills). He didn't even drive the car but bought it saying he could tell from the way I talked about the car and insisted that he know some things he probably hadn't even thought about that the car had been maintained. He told me he based his decision on me and didn't need to even test drive the car! He already owned several exotics that would have been priced at 10x what I was selling mine for. He was buying this for his girlfriend.

I don't think that is a valid conclusion. He could have owned the car for 10 years, but have replaced just these items in the last 5 months (this driving season)

Do you have a copy of the ad verbiage saved on your computer?

Sure, which is why I said "apparently".

But I'll guaran-damn-tee you he hasn't owned that car for 10 years.