ryangambrill

I have never purchased a used vehicle. With that being said it is much easier on a new vehicle to compare apples to apples.

I starting some research on 2004 (996) C2's & 2005 (997) C2's. I am trying to establish a baseline value.

Where do I start?

I have been looking at the completed listings on EBay but it seems like there are few.

Has anyone recently purchased a 997 coupe? Can you give me any insight as to the real market value?

I am sorry for this vague post, I just feel like the more I look, the more confused I get.

Eric - Plug Guy

Check the Porsche.com site to see what dealers are selling pre-owned for, that's a high benchmark, then work back from there by perusing autotrader.com, cacars.com, etc.

wetstuff

Back when - I used autotrader.com and cars.com as data source to find out what sort of Boxsters were available. When I sold it a few years ago .. I believe there were about 400 nationally for sale. Edmunds.com is another: look for valuations as if you were both a buyer and a seller

Eliminate the 996 right now unless you're bottom fishing ..and resale is also meaningless to you. I only buy 9+ condition - most options - lowest mileage - cars ..because I know I will also become a seller at some point. Besides, if I'm not buying new then emotionally I also want: the best condition - most options - lowest mileage - car?! Luckily, you're looking at the sort of car that is clearly out there to be found.

I'd also scout the dealers in depressed markets with lotsa of foreclosures. I suspect dealers selling 2nd-hand, aspirational cars/suvs in those markets don't hold their noses quite so high these days. Call Chris Sanner at N. Olmstead - he'd be straight with you about current values. (Problem is: He might have something .. Oh No!!!)

j i m

abe

I use autotrader and car.com to get an idea what the asking price is. Then I figure that 5-10% lower to be the selling price...not an expert advice just a guess.
abe

eljeffo64

Wait outside the dealers for someone to arrive who's looking to trade their car for a new one - stop them on the way out and offer $500 more than the dealer offered! - then you'll have a good deal (and so will the seller).

abe

..told him what kind of car I was looking for in case a new car buyer was not happy with what the dealer was offering for the trade in. One day I got a call from someone and we made the deal happen. It was a win for the salesman because they purchased a new car and a win for buyer and me. I do not know if that is ethical or not...but I do know that others have bought their car in the same way. Maybe someone in the industry may want to add their 2cents. You can always argued that the dealership was screwed out of the trade...yet again maybe the buyer would not bought the new car without a better trade in offer from me.
abe

ryangambrill

Can you please explain? Why would looking at a 996 not be as good as an option as a 997?

Nicolaasdb

there is no reason not to look for a 996, but you are posting on a 997 forum..so what do you expect! They will slap you with 996 is outdated etc.

I would go for the newest you can afford, but I rather have a 996 c4s than a standard 997 c2...just my 2 cents.

wetstuff

Ryan: Nico pretty much summarized it.

When I was first looking, I figured I could get two automatic levels of depreciation on a 996 vs. 997. The first, the first mile off the lot ..the second, the model change. Luckily, I held off long enough to hear rumblings of an emotional spread between the 993 and 997 ...that the 996 did not seem to fill. ..then, the 996 looked, to me, much like my Boxster at twice the price.

With added bits of information, prejudices develop - then once you join a tribe, they tend to become facts. I'm sure there are some fine 996s out there.

ji m

dog_tired

If you're certain that you want a used P-car, you should really consider the benefits of certified pre-owned as part of your analysis. If I recall correctly, you can't obtain the extended factory warranty unless the car is CPO'd and purchased from a dealer. Depending upon the year/mileage and remaining warranty, it may be worth the extra $ to buy from a dealer.

Alan Smithee

Just sold my 2005. 34k miles, minimal options, very good condition, sold it for $52.5k.

bbrc76

I don't know how sales tax works in CA, but in IL, that would like be a losing proposition for the trade in. In IL, we pay sales tax on the sales transaction - for example, if you trade a car in for $50k against a purchase of an $80k car, you pay sales tax on $30k. As such, the private party equivalent for a trade in must factor in the sales tax not paid on $50k (at ~ 8% here that's $4,000 on a $50,000 trade.)

ejdoherty911

At least over on the 996 board you would get actual help. He's asking for market values, prices, numbers.

So here they are:

2005 997s are worth between 39K-62K max. If you look at completed Ebay auctions, virtually none of those over priced cars sell. Only 3 997s sold over the most recent 134 auctions. The other's didn't sell becuase they were asking way too much.

Get a nice 997 for about 55K or get a REAL bargin and go for the 996 for thousands and thousands less. You will enjoy it just the same. Or get a TT 996

Alan Smithee

You won't find a 997 worth buying (if you can find one at all) for less than $50k.

Alan Smithee

Unfortunately it doesn't work that way in CA. We pay sales tax on the full purchase price regardless. Tax basis doesn't get offset by trade-in.