Why showcase the MSRP ?
 

Just wondering why sellers feel compelled to showcase the MSRP on older 991's, 996;s or 997's. The options from the window sticker are important, but the original MSRP is interesting but not valuable IMO, unless you are into calculating depreciation.

Otherwise, the market dictates the price. I am missing something?

I think it has to do with often $25k and sometimes as much as $50k variations in how a car is trimmed. It helps to define perceived value since the cafeteria shopping style of recent years introduces a lot more variables than our old T, E, S models.

Imo msrp is very important on newer cars.

It'll help make comparisons when shopping. I would also like to see if the car depreciated or appreciated.

Because they were freakin' a lot of money 17 years ago - like $70K for a base 996 coupe vs. $20K for a more pedestrian car like a fully loaded Honda Accord - ie. $50K difference.

For $70K in 2000 you could have bought a house in Florida or Arizona...

Someone on here had a pic of a 996TT that had a sticker of $186k...no joke. These were very expensive cars (and a bargain today if I may say so).

My '99 base Boxster was a $55k car.

Wow! My 08 base Boxster was just under $56k.

Exactly to my point. Wax poetic about the MSRP, but really, there is no set depreciation schedule on any car 4+ years old car that makes the MSRP mean much.

If your $32K car was once $125K...what difference does it make whether it was $100k or $125K, it is still worth $32K.

Sorry, just one of those unanswered questions! Kinda of like, why don't people vacuum out dirt, leaves and trash from their cars before posting them for sale???

Not seem to many, if any, new used cars that appreciate... GT3RS, 918, etc. excluded.

Nobody is waxing poetic. A base Boxster when new was a $41k. You are basically saying that my car, with nearly 2 dozen options that cost $14K is worth the same as a plain jane no options car. That's just not true in the market. While the delta sure as hell isn't $14k today, it does make the difference if I were to sell. It's a $2-3K delta and money is money. I'm not going to sell you the car for $8k because you tell me that 1999 base Boxsters are $8k cars.

"Waxing poetic"; I like that term.
COA's don't list options prices. In lieu of a Window Sticker, I see no harm in posting the MSRP's.
I also see no reason for trivial posts.

When its a dealer a lot of times the system they use to publish to the internet automatically pushed out the original MSRP.

I am not saying a base is worth the same as a fully optioned car. While subtle, we are talking about the same thing. Options and condition matter more than MSRP. While More Options = higher MSRP, the MSRP by itself is rather meaningless for an older used car because depreciation is not straight-line and value is determined by many factors.

I just see it as "look at what this car cost new & you're only paying X now". Just a sales tactic I feel, but mean no disrespect to those that show the MSRP.

I agree with others who like to see MSRP. I use it as a base line when shopping. car A was xxx new, car B zzzz. More applicable to newer vehicles.

In Excellence, I read an article about a new 911 Carrera S has a base price of about $100k. The test car with options was $140k! Was getting close to the base price of a Turbo.

I'd keep that window sticker for when it comes time to sell.

I wonder what a base, stripped down to the bones with zero options, plain old Carrera (no S) is these days? I wonder if you can even buy one?

I'll go out on a limb to say that would be a great 10 year, DD beater.

Right around $90k. And you can buy most anything except the special cars by going to a dealer and ordering it how you want it. They tend to be pretty well equipped on the dealer lots, but order one up and you can get a stripper.

I'd be game to find a 991 targa in a few years. :D