Prices sure have gone up!
 

Thinking of getting a fun, reliable and trouble free car for fair weather days. Loved all the Boxster and S cars I've had over the years and occasionally think of getting a 350Z, Miata or some other fun convertible.

What I've noticed is the prices have gone up!! Not sure of my exact budget but thought for sure 8-12k would get me a decent 00/01/02 S manual. Most of these are advertised for 16-20k. That's a lot of a 20+ yr old Boxster.

So...I am officially shopping for the right car and deal.

If you find one in drivable condition in that price range...buy it. Prices have been up over 30% the past 2 years, even more in some places. I have seen these selling for twice what they would have prior to the pandemic which is just insane. Love my 986's but they just aren't worth what they are selling for right now. Have been offered a few times to sell either of mine for twice what I paid & have into them and should have pulled the trigger but it will be at least a year before prices start to come back down to normal. It's the same really for any car not just these.

I look at cars every night and cannot find ANYTHING I'd be willing to buy at today's prices.
I sold a 2000 S for $7,200 4 years ago. The car was not perfect but way better than most with 10 garage kept years of service records. I'd bet I couldn't buy it back for under $12K now. The 2003 911 Cab I purchase as a replacement for $19K is worth at least $25k now for no good reason.

Hell, even the 2021 Santa Fe we bought new at the end of January of 21 is worth about $4K more than we paid for it. That's stupid and should never happen to a mass produced vehicle that you drive off the lot.
I'll look, I'll wait, but the longer I wait, the less I care about any of them.

Good luck with that. Hope you're not in a hurry because there won't be any whole mkt price drops until the bubble bursts, whether that's by readily available chips or a stock mkt crash / interest rate hike. The chip shortage is still 6-9 mo out (although you're starting to see dealer inventories increase). I saw a '99 Box with low mi and a TIP for $15.9 last night. Holy Crap!

The '14 Cayman S that I sold 3 yrs ago for low $40s is now worth $55-59. Heck, even base 981s are mid-40s now and "worth" more than that CS. The C4S that I helped my friend sell late last summer for low $60s is now going for $70. After I sold his car, he wanted me to help him buy a 987.2 Box S. This was mid-fall time frame. I said I'd start looking but chances were our best bet was to wait until winter for the best price. A wk later I found an '11 Box S manual with 17K mi that he bought for low $40s. Good thing he bought it because the prices continued to rise over winter and now that car would be $48K.

The good news with paying $12K for a 90s Box is it won't drop much even if the mkt corrects. The 996 is the hot mkt now and 986 Boxs will follow in their wake. Both have probably hit the bottom of the depreciation curve. Looks like the 997.1 is the next mkt to heat up.

I guess I go back to lease deals....
Most cars have a depreciated value in the low 50% range off of MSRP after three years. How is it that we're suppose to accept two year old cars that still sell around sticker? Even the car companies are telling you the cars aren't worth it.

Welcome to supply & demand.

In all seriousness I dont expect prices for new or used cars will drop for at least 2 years, most likely 3. SUV's will once again be on the decline in demand due to gas prices...which will stay high at least through summer and most likely till winter.

Just watch what happens on the commodity market with Lithium. within the next 2 years you will see the price double I bet and supply start to slow. Demand will do nothing but go up but since majority of Lithium is in China they will eventually slow down the exports to raise the price. Demand for electric/hybrid cars will do nothing but go up and when demand outpaces supply even more gas cars will start to get swallowed up as well, which in turn will raise those prices. Eventually the bubble will burst, but it is going to a few years (if ever) things return to "normal"

Agreed...prices are stupid right now.

I was watching some 996's and when I bought my Boxster S, and a decent one was in the low $20's...now they are in the $40's.

Maybe I should list my Boxster for $25K and see what happens for ****************s and giggles. If I get that, it would be over $10K more than I paid for it in 2018.

Problem is...I'd need a new toy lol.

Just raise the minimum wage, ad infinitum, so everyone can afford a 986. :cool:

The reason prices are up is because US consumers are paying elevated prices for everything without blinking an eye. $40K 996 Turbo's now selling in the $60's. 20' boats are now into the 6-figures and there's a 2 year backlog. $100K pickup trucks, and the list goes on. I evidently got skipped when the money trees were planted in everyone's back yard. The February consumer credit number was astonishing.

I thought about selling mine as well, but I could never replace it, likely at any cost.