Valuation question

[thstone]

Scenario 1: Car #1 is worth around $10K running. Around $5K as is (as a rolling chassis).

Scenario 2: Car #2 is worth around the same $10K (assuming that the immobilizer is repaired and the car is fully operational). Lower mileage adds to price but the salvage title subtracts - those two items will mostly cancel each other out, so its about a wash.

The on-board computer might add $200-$300. Individual options tend to add very little by themselves in re-sale unless the car is fully loaded.

Scenario 3: An S model rolling chassis is worth around $5,000. The problem is that a replacement 3.2 engine is around $4K plus installation which will likely exceed the value of the car.

Only the base 2.5 97-99 Boxster can be used to build a Boxster Spec racer. Someone could make it into a track car but they wouldn't pay more than $5K for the rolling chassis.

If it was me, I'd throw the cheapest engine I could find into Car #1 and sell it (it is the easier to sell of the two with the legit title and hopefully a replacement engine with lower mileage than the chassis). Then I'd keep Car #2 to drive for myself (its the nicer car and you don't care about the title). And then I would stop buying broken down Boxster's.