Boxster "S" prices too low to be ignored?
 

I recently saw an add for a local Mercedes dealership that was selling a 2000 Boxster S with Sport package, 18 wheels, and 26K miles for $29K. I've been kicking around getting a convertable that my wife could drive. Is this price relevant to your area?

My brother in Oklahoma just bought an '01 S with 19K miles for $32K. I think the prices have come down quite a bit.

You have to wonder why the value has dropped soooo much. I bet most of those Boxster S models went out the showroom door for $65k new. I've heard of some that were optioned well up above $70k. I have no point to make except that the market usually rewards good cars with good resale value.

The Boxter was often the first Porsche for many of their owners. If you factor in the lease ending timing for '00 & '01 cars as well as the novelty wearing off there is an abundance of used ones on the market. For the money it's a great car.

John

Exactly. Lots of inventory. And reasale price can't award the Boxster too much at 25,000 copies/yr. It is a good car.

BTW, Boxters don't command as much money as Boxsters do.:D

Shouldn't this be in the Boxster forum?

I've found better to post here on rare occasion and risk OT banishment, then post in a forum like the Boxster one and get zilch replies. You'll get more responses anyway. The 911 board is the most knowledgable, informed group, bar none. I've tried the engine rebuilders forum and even the BMW X5 forum (Ha!) and got barely a look with no replies. Fractionation of the forums isn't always helpful. Hasn't any 911 owner thought of a companion car anyway?;)

I have thought of a boxster as a daily driver, should reconsider if prices are that low.

Michael

Re: Boxster "S" prices too low to be ignored?
 

Yep. Prices like you're seeing are equivalent to what i'm seeing around the Chicagoland area. Heck, I saw 91 C2 Targa Tip w/97K miles for an asking price of $14.5K! Prices are indeed coming down. On everything.

I just checked the Orange County area, and there was an 01 S with only 3K miles, for 33K.

Michael

A "friend of a friend" bought a '00S in that price range here a month or so ago. Black on black. Very nice car. At that price point it does make you stop and think about them, doesn't it?

Everyday I look in the local paper, looking for a 964, and there are plenty of Boxsters/S and 996 being sold locally.

Similar prices in the Portland OREGONIAN as well. Coming off lease, plentiful supply seems to be as good a reason as any...

One reason I think they are so low is they are also coming of warranty.

I wonder what typically breaks on Boxsters? Anybody know? It looks like 996s have their fare share of expensive problems. I subscribe to European Car magazine and both of their long-term test drive 996s (a Carerra and a C4S) have had the engines fail under "normal" driving conditions.

Like the 996, probably rear main seal - AKA "RMS failure". Problem is allegedly bad enough where some of the 996's are on their 4th seal before 50K. $800 each time to replace out of warranty. Some insist it's a chronic problem.

Beware.

RMS has been an issue. Seems like by '00 that was solved. Apparently a bad machining process led to the problem. Early tops have had issues. Seat belt warning lights that won't go off has been one of the biggest problems. Once fixed, they seem to be OK. Mine is, anyway, and it did need repair.

Warranty is another thing. Warranties and leases seem to be about the same length of time. I guess many folks just figure why chance it and let the car go back.

If you really want to get serious, you would look for an S. But, if you really want to get serious, why buy a Boxster? What I am saying is, for a mode of fun transportation, the normal is the way to go except for resale value. Non S Boxsters are $3-5000 less as '00-'01 used cars and ride better. They stop great, are down on HP a little and have one less gear to shift. No active suspension gizmos either. As strictly a road car, I don't know that I miss these things. I know my wife doesn't.

It is what it is, and that's no GT3. If the things cost $15,000, which they will soon, everyone will want one. That is if you can find one that isn't thrashed. Not too many 100,000 mile units out there yet. We'll have to wait and see how they hold up.

IMO from years of car sales: Never buy a lease car. As a friend of mine used to say "there are no speed bumps with rental cars or lease cars"
I suspect that the market is flooding with Boxters coming off of lease. Also, the "spyshots" of the new Boxter is pretty hot! Looks like a 911

30k for a used car is a lot of money. You can get a lot of great used cars for that money. I just saw a 98 Mercedes SL600 AMG with 40,000 miles advertised for $33,000 at a local dealer. It was well of $100,000 new. I thought that was a smoking deal (for a non-Porsche) until I started looking at the new cars you could get for about $35,000 and noticed the veritable cornicopia of near exotic late model used cars available in that price range.

A 2000 Boxster S for $30,000 is competing with slightly older M5s, any 964, some 993s, new Saabs, 2 year old Corvettes, Mercedes SLs, and nearly new M3s. Not a bad time to be a car buyer.

I think 'misposting' here truly was a good idea. I am very impressed what everyone has come up with!

I talked to a new old boxter s owner recently. RMS went out in his car. The car will come out of warranty soon and he seemed seriosly considering selling it. The warranty claim he had was serious $, and he wasn't up to be paying that out of his pocket next time around. He was thinking about buying an older car that he could work on himself... :D He wasn't under the impression he could easily work on a boxter S.

So, obviously that story goes right along with what others have said. I am sure these will be quite popular in 10 years from now, when we all found out how to work on them and when they are really cheap to get into. They may be the new 914, I am very impressed how well they do in AX but also on the big track.

Talking about the track... one thing I noticed on a boxter S was the fact that it didn't pull away from me on the front straight at the track? I may have had some head way coming out of the turn faster, but there was no noticeable difference in acceleration. Why doesn't it pull away from a 81 SC? Is that the gearing? The car has 60 more hp than mine (on a good day) and doesn't weigh much more, probably 300 pounds or so?
So, unless the guy at the track wasn't going full throttle (yeah right!) or had old spark plugs, the car may not be as powerful (straight line) as we all think? If you have driven next to them WOT, I'd be interested to hear how they compared to your car!

Cheers, George

there was a regular Boxster at Streets today and it (or the driver) was pretty slow). In fact, there was a Toyota Vibe station wagon that was pulling it in the straights *and* corners.