Carrera v.s. Boxter

[nolove670]

what is the reason a 20 year old Carerra is more expensive than much newer 1999, 2000 Boxster?

[livi]

Passion. Myth. Racing heritage. Fewer good cars left. 911 will always be Big Brother.

[Dantilla]

Supply and demand.

Heavy on the demand.

[JeremyD]

Originally posted by nolove670
what is the reason a 20 year old Carerra is more expensive than much newer 1999, 2000 Boxster?

Because one is handbuilt factory racecar and the other is a porsche with panties.

[rfn026]

The Boxster is this generation's 914

Richard

[wachuko]

Originally posted by rfn026
The Boxster is this generation's 914

Richard

Let me just first say that I think that the Boxster was a classic from the moment the prototype was conceived.

As to current price? There are a lot things that play into it.

Boxster production numbers... the market is just flooded of Boxsters.

Different customer target/segment. People that are only after a badge, status, keeping with the current trend or fashion and then moving on... Great for the second and third owner as we benefit from the first owner taking the depreciation hit.

Build quality. First Boxster's interior leave a lot to be desired when they came out and after a few years (unless the person has taken a very good care of the car, not much sun, etc) the interiors look like crap, stuff starts to break, seats seem to deteriorate faster.

Initial availability of parts… if something broke you had to replace it. Could not fix it. Engine - replaced if damaged as there were no parts for it, same goes with the transmission. I believe this is starting to change.

Water and oil do not mix… I just had to throw that in there, heehawed…

More complex electronics with not much diagnostic tools for the diy. Starting to change as well…

It is not a 911... To some that is important and makes the Boxster a second class citizen in the Porsche family.

No racing heritage… but I do not think that this matters to anyone but those hard core Porsche fans.

The old 911 (before the 996 came out) are true drivers car in the sense that the provide more feedback to the driver on what the car is doing. You are closer to the road, the car, all the internals. It is like you are one with it. These are classic cars, period. Racing heritage down to the core... hand built, old school, timeless design. A race car for everyday use. Can't beat that.

[Zef]

911 = MYTH It's the most admired/desired sport car ever made...!

[Wil Ferch]

A lot of it is that the "market" has spoken.... sure the older cars have myth and mystique, but make no mistake, the newer cars may have better chassis dynamics and perhaps better "design" on some aspects...but the older cars have the $$$ expensive build that only the top-line newer cars still have ( the Turbo and GT3, for instance, still retain the true dry sump oiling system and the 911/964 derived case, cam drives, etc, etc...all "race ready" unlike the newer, "almost Japanese" , more plebeian 911's and Boxsters are).

- Wil

[Dantilla]

Boxsters are far more modern, and part of that is isolating the driver from the driving experience.

There is a rawness about an air-cooled 911 that can't be duplicated by anything available today. Maybe the Lotus Elise, and maybe that's why I have to keep telling myself I don't need an Elise.

It's a very small segment of buyers who want the raw driving experience. It makes sense for Porsche to build for the main market. Far more Boxsters are being sold than the Elise.

[Jay H]

Other than maybe the Elise that Dantilla correctly identifies as a driver's car, even if you had 2 million dollars to blow on any new car in the world, you probably can't duplicate the feel and the sound of an air cooled 911. As you get into the '60's and early '70's cars, that point is even more important.

These older cars drive like tractors. Hard to steer at slower speeds, heavy clutches, poor ventilation, just plain freaky switchgear layout, an interior designed way back in the early '60's, odd rear engine layout, boatloads of oversteer, extreme durability of the mechanicals and cosmetics, etc., etc., etc. But, we love 'em that way.

There is nothing modern (within financial reason) that is bolted together as well as an air cooled 911 and the market speaks its mind on that when it comes to pricing. Boxster's are wonderful modern cars, but that's the problem, they are modern.

The Boxster is also the 944 of the '80's... Both the 944 and the Boxster are exceptional sports cars. They are not 911's though...

[GothingNC]

The Carrera has seats in the rear

Real answer is demand is higher for the Carrera's, it's air-cooled, has a racing heritage, more fun to drive.

.A lot more Boxsters were produced and more are being churned out the factory.

I've noticed the asking prices of air-cooled beetles are now starting to go for more then the early water-cooled beetles....

[crosby50]

Check out last month's Excellence where they compare a 3.2 to a Boxster and a 968. Good read.

[Christien]

The release of the 997 seemed to really affect market values, too. Very quickly 996 prices dropped as low as 30K, so people that were maybe shopping for a boxster found they could now afford a 996, so boxster prices went down, too. 911 Carreras are old enough to not be affected much by the modern cars' market.