AM I asking too little? my Boxster going on ebay... - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

KevinH1990 · 09-04-2006, 03:00 PM

I like your car, but it seems like it would be tough to get the money you've invested out of it. In my area, $29,000 will buy a 2000S with under 40k miles on it from CarMax. You should be able to do a little better from a private seller.

So, it will be up to an individual buyer to decide whether your car is more or less attractive than an unmodified car. For me, I would buy the 2000S and use the $5000 difference to make the modifications I wanted.

Also, your listing says the hardtop cost $4000. I think they were only about $3000 if purchased with the car. I recently bought a used one, and I think they are readlily available for $1200- $1500. A dealer offered me a new one for $2400.

Good luck with your sale.

Brucelee · 09-04-2006, 03:20 PM

In general, EBAY is not a place to get a high price for your car UNLESS it is very unique and rare.

Otherwise, you are simply posting along with hundreds of others.

Jeph · 09-04-2006, 03:45 PM

"The chance of a lifetime?" Wow. Sell it!

You've got an NSX... That's cool! So are you keeping that?

If I didn't know you were posting this, I'd want to guess it's fake. I only say that because as an avid ebayer, I caught a red flag: Item location is San Fran. Plate on Boxster is PA... and I can't quite make it out, but the plates on the Acura owned by the seller look like NJ. Anyway, on to your question...

The more customized your car is, the smaller your market will be. Also, Brucelee makes a good point about getting a high price. It seems like eBay is good for leads, but not transactions.

The car's book value seems kinda high to me. 27k. My prediction is that the bidding will top out at just under 25k.

Ronzi · 09-04-2006, 04:47 PM

One of the highlights of this demon machine is it's supercharged 3 liter motor.
How 'bout a picture of that?

In spite of all the hyperbole in the ad, I think this is going to be a hard sell.
Many people are going to look at it the same way I do ... as a $35,000 hand grenade with the pin pulled.

MNBoxster · 09-04-2006, 10:57 PM

Hi,

I agree with Ronzi on this one, a very tough sell. Typically, one can expect to recoup no more than 10% for aftermarket performance upgrades, but in the case of the Boxster, I suspect these will not recoup anything.

My guess, is that you'll get a top bid around $20k. That said, I see the listing already has 10 bidders and is at $15k+, so who knows. If this trend continues, I suspect it means you have some uneducated bidders. Best of Luck!...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

SD987 · 09-04-2006, 11:05 PM

It looks like you spent a lot of time and money modifying your ride but unfortunately prevailing market conditions are definitely not in your favor. Some points...

* Edmunds TMV for the car is about $20,000 in a private transaction.

* Your buy-it-now price is between $6-15,000 more than the 90 other 1999 Boxsters in the state of California (Autotrader).

*...and between $9-20,000 more than the 24 other 1999 Boxsters on eBay.

As Ronzi indicated, your hyperbole (an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally) doesn't help the ad. Here's some constructive criticism.

I'd suggest deleting the following lines and references (with the reason):

* "...Was actually just detailed yesterday"
(sounds like John Lovitz "yeah...that's the ticket!")

* "...Car new was around 55K"
(are you sure about that?)

* "...is a real mans car"

*...I'd delete all mention of tires.
(Kumho Ecstas on a Porsche is not a selling point, and you spend the rest of the paragraph justifying it. Just don't mention the tires period, most ads skip them.)

* "OH THE TORQUE!"
(unless you're Colonel Kurtz, this just comes across as corny - actually you may want to replace the entire power/torque soliloquy with some dyno numbers or performance figures. A 2003 NSX with a manual does 0-60 in about 5 seconds and does about a 13.5 quarter...)

*"...Here is a chance to get a deal of a lifetime!"
(I'd suggest deleting both instances. Actual "deals of a lifetime" are seldom advertised as such)

Don't be shy about running the text of your listing through Microsoft Word spell-check. You have about 30-35 spelling and grammar errors (and that's not hyperbole!). You may say, why bother...but it undermines your credibility when your ad includes gems such as"...I am a porshce enthusiast ".

Norminhouston · 09-05-2006, 09:08 AM

Tough crowd!

MNBoxster · 09-05-2006, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Norminhouston

Tough crowd!

Hi,

Yea, doesn't sound like there's too many potential bidders...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

BuffaloBoxster · 09-05-2006, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Norminhouston

Tough crowd!

Do you ever watch that show on HGTV where they have some real estate lady come through peoples' houses before they go on the market? She generally trashes the sellers and the property, but in the end her criticism makes the house sell for a lot more than it would have before.

There's a couple good and simple suggestions towards increasing your value, starting with tidying up the listing.

I would also say that unless you need cash, don't be in a real hurry to sell. That car may eventually appeal to someone who's looking for a car exactly like that, and that person may pay significantly more for it.