Porsche Boxter 3.2
Scooby Regular
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,387
Likes: 0
From: Scoobynet
Originally Posted by billythekid
Depreciation can be a real killer on these cars. I lost IRO 14 grand in 18 months. That is serious money.
One of the main reasons to buy Porsche is excellent residuals, but thats serious depreciation!!! Im guessing you bought it just before the 987 came out, and sold after the 987 had been out for just over a year? Even so thats too much to lose.
Scooby Regular
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 757
Likes: 0
I've had my 987s just over a year it's dropped 10k. They're just making too many and don't have the huge waiting list they used to have. I certainly won't be playing the options game next time around, total waste of money.
Still great % wise something like 65% after 3 years. Think I'll keep it another year and get a 3.4 or a Cayman.
Still great % wise something like 65% after 3 years. Think I'll keep it another year and get a 3.4 or a Cayman.
Scooby Regular
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 3,574
Likes: 0
Yep just before 987, upto about 2004 (when I got mine 
) there were 2 "normal" cars that you could buy and not lose loads of money, BMW Mini or Boxster.
I tried to sell mine twice, first time for rough "screen price" that others were selling at, after a couple of weeks and only 2 non serious viewers I reduced it to about 1k under all other similar models - sold the next day. There are buyers out there but they dont want to pay top prices.
I still reckon they are good buys but as said dont get stung by options. There were other similar 986s in the same dealership for about 3k less - but they had way less options. So I went for the higher spec car. But come sale time the options made almost no difference to price and the PX values I was being offered were silly - a good 5k under sticker. If I went for another one it would just have the basic options that people look for - wheels, leather and climate. The rest is a waste of money.
) there were 2 "normal" cars that you could buy and not lose loads of money, BMW Mini or Boxster. I tried to sell mine twice, first time for rough "screen price" that others were selling at, after a couple of weeks and only 2 non serious viewers I reduced it to about 1k under all other similar models - sold the next day. There are buyers out there but they dont want to pay top prices.
I still reckon they are good buys but as said dont get stung by options. There were other similar 986s in the same dealership for about 3k less - but they had way less options. So I went for the higher spec car. But come sale time the options made almost no difference to price and the PX values I was being offered were silly - a good 5k under sticker. If I went for another one it would just have the basic options that people look for - wheels, leather and climate. The rest is a waste of money.
Scooby Regular
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 259
Likes: 0
I lost 5 k in 7 months on an e46 m3
the problem is you have a reasonable amount of money locked in a car and although they may even drop a few % that equals big bucks still....i.e. 35% drop on 43k is a lot of money!
in addition theres very much a catch 22 situation, the cars are really hard to sell without the corret speck but you never gain the value of this back come resale. Also the markup for these cars is in the order of 3-5 k per car. The warranties and prep are expensive and they retail far fewer numbers then other cars hence the margins.
Whichever way you look at anything fast, sporty with a premium badge is gonna cost you lots of money, to be honest it left a bitter taste in my mouth.
in addition theres very much a catch 22 situation, the cars are really hard to sell without the corret speck but you never gain the value of this back come resale. Also the markup for these cars is in the order of 3-5 k per car. The warranties and prep are expensive and they retail far fewer numbers then other cars hence the margins.
Whichever way you look at anything fast, sporty with a premium badge is gonna cost you lots of money, to be honest it left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Scooby Regular
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 14,758
Likes: 0
From: Home
Originally Posted by billythekid
Hi, I had a 986 2.7 for around 18 months. I px'd my 03 WRX (TEK3 c.270bhp) for it, my 2.7 was a 2003 car with 12,000 miles on the clock from an OPC. Paid £34k for it, had almost every option incl nav, leather, 18s, met paint, sound pack etc. Origional invoice was 42k 
Speed wise it felt very similar to the WRX. I had 156mph out of it, gps verified. 0-60 wise its quick, not AWD quick but once you get into 2nd gear it will show its light weight and really start to wind up. Handling wise its just about the best you can get, mid engine RWD with perfect balance. I was very impressed and I have driven lots of decent cars in my time. Most impressive was the handling in the snow - perfect. It was more than fast enough for me anyway and most people who had a drive of it also said it felt a lot faster than 230bhp.
Anyway I digress, another reason I went for the 2.7 was the fact that the 986 3.2 I drove did not feel that much quicker. Sure the in gear acceleration was a bit better but for me it was not worth the extra 5k. Insurance was also a lot more - I was 24 at the time and it was £1600 for the 2.7 or £2300 for the 3.2.
Service costs were high, I wont lead you up the garden path. The 24k miles service cost me a £1000. The base price was £600, then add £180 for brake fluid change and £200 ish for front pads. However a basic service should be IRO £300 from an OPC. Tyres are expensive too, IRO 200 a corner. If you do low miles these things are not an issue but if you do anything like "normal" miles i.e 12k a year or more then I would look at putting about £100 a month to one side for running costs (on top of fuel).
If you get a 986 make sure you get one with a good warranty, RMS is a well known issue along with front shocks. Gear selector cable can also go. Engine failure can happen - its rare but it can go - this costs £7k, so make sure you have a good policy.
If you go for a 987 then make sure the OPC give you extended warranty FOC.
Hammer them to a good deal - its possible.
The only reason I got rid of my 986 was because it had done 30k miles and the warranty was up. I knew it was going to depreciate quickly at 30+k so sold it before I lost too much. I managed to get just over £20k for it, which is where my final comment comes in. Depreciation can be a real killer on these cars. I lost IRO 14 grand in 18 months. That is serious money. So buy smart, if I had known that the 987 was going to depreciate the 986 so much I would have waited and just got a 987 to start with.
I have been considering another Porsche recently and I think the Cayman S might be a good buy in another 6 months when Boxster sales are strong.
Check out Welcome to BoXa.Net... for more info.
Final note, try if you can to buy from an OPC - they are more expensive but it gives you a lot more leverage if something goes wrong and you are a proper customer then and you get a lot better service - IME.
Speed wise it felt very similar to the WRX. I had 156mph out of it, gps verified. 0-60 wise its quick, not AWD quick but once you get into 2nd gear it will show its light weight and really start to wind up. Handling wise its just about the best you can get, mid engine RWD with perfect balance. I was very impressed and I have driven lots of decent cars in my time. Most impressive was the handling in the snow - perfect. It was more than fast enough for me anyway and most people who had a drive of it also said it felt a lot faster than 230bhp.
Anyway I digress, another reason I went for the 2.7 was the fact that the 986 3.2 I drove did not feel that much quicker. Sure the in gear acceleration was a bit better but for me it was not worth the extra 5k. Insurance was also a lot more - I was 24 at the time and it was £1600 for the 2.7 or £2300 for the 3.2.
Service costs were high, I wont lead you up the garden path. The 24k miles service cost me a £1000. The base price was £600, then add £180 for brake fluid change and £200 ish for front pads. However a basic service should be IRO £300 from an OPC. Tyres are expensive too, IRO 200 a corner. If you do low miles these things are not an issue but if you do anything like "normal" miles i.e 12k a year or more then I would look at putting about £100 a month to one side for running costs (on top of fuel).
If you get a 986 make sure you get one with a good warranty, RMS is a well known issue along with front shocks. Gear selector cable can also go. Engine failure can happen - its rare but it can go - this costs £7k, so make sure you have a good policy.
If you go for a 987 then make sure the OPC give you extended warranty FOC.
Hammer them to a good deal - its possible.
The only reason I got rid of my 986 was because it had done 30k miles and the warranty was up. I knew it was going to depreciate quickly at 30+k so sold it before I lost too much. I managed to get just over £20k for it, which is where my final comment comes in. Depreciation can be a real killer on these cars. I lost IRO 14 grand in 18 months. That is serious money. So buy smart, if I had known that the 987 was going to depreciate the 986 so much I would have waited and just got a 987 to start with.
I have been considering another Porsche recently and I think the Cayman S might be a good buy in another 6 months when Boxster sales are strong.
Check out Welcome to BoXa.Net... for more info.
Final note, try if you can to buy from an OPC - they are more expensive but it gives you a lot more leverage if something goes wrong and you are a proper customer then and you get a lot better service - IME.
I'm looking at Boxsters at the moment; whilst not blisteringly quick, the dynamics are outstanding. Also, I'm happy to admit, I quite like the idea of owning a Porsche and can't afford a similar age/mileage 911.
I shook my head at the numb steering comment and can only assume it was tongue in cheek.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Mike Rainbird
ScoobyNet General
22
Apr 23, 2001 10:55 PM
