SilverSteel

Jeremy, I pulled down a similar deal in Atlanta and had it shipped to me in Dallas. When the local dealer found out I was shipping one in, they played hard into my hand to sell me a car, knocking off 15% right away--too late since I bought the used CPO 05 997S Cab for $22G's off sticker. I am a master at buying cars, two to three a year--car *****. That said, sometimes it pays to buy out of town. Enjoy!

jeremyr4

I wish I could go out of state - I would have saved thousands (literally). California cars command a premium but I've learned the hard way that it pays to buy one here in LA because it matters when you sell it. Some dealers won't buy anything but a California car out here... It's a very different market than in most places in the US out here, which makes getting a decent deal that much harder!!

Enjoy your ride!

allegretto

That's been my thing too. My only vices are women and cars. Since I always own two or three at a time and typically trade them off when they are less than one year old. I take a small hit on the turn but what do I work for?

That's why I don't lease either, it would really be expensive with my habit. The problem is, there is not much left to buy unless I waant to get silly with big iron F-cars and L-cars (they are however a hideous waste of capital, or at least tie it up when there is money to be made elsewhere). But with the performance of the 997 and my race car at the track, I am in a good spot...for now.

The women thing dwarfs cars in expense however. A lifetime of hookers would have been cheaper, that's for sure!

SilverSteel

Jeremy, I was unaware of the state situation with Cali cars. There is only one state I will not buy cars from, FLA. They can actually re-issue titles on totaled cars. Dallas is similar in pricing structure to Cali, in that the 997's go for 10-20% more than other states. I try to buy here, but sometimes you just have to venture out.

Allegretto, keep on telling yourself what you want to hear. You're a drug addict. Fortunately for me and you we can't get arrested for our addiction because we'd both be in jail. I agree with you; there are more exotics (F & L's), but for the money, you just can't touch the P. Maybe one day I'll just freak out and buy one, but I still remain in control of my faculties for now and own the right car for the moment.

allegretto

Amen, bro. However the Ferrari TR I bought in 88 was one of the two cars I actually made money on. Bought it for $145K with the dealer surcharge and some useless fitted luggage they would only sell it with (I'm sure they squeezed a few K more out of me with that) and then Il Commodore went to sleep for good and and the prices briefly skyrocketed (what, did guys think they would not make them anymore?) and I sold that big assed horse for $225K!!!

I believe that prices briefly bounced off $275K (yes Mr Barnum, they did). F and L-car buyers in my experience are looking for something I've never found in a car.

SilverSteel

Good for you getting some buckaroos. I've made some on very few, usually I end up using the pleasure amortization table. Of course the IRS doesn't recognize this form of deduction, but that's ok.

Chris C.

Keep in mind that some of you guys are talking pricing on 05 cars, and some on 2006s. 2005's should have an additional 10-12% depreciation factored in, more if you wait until the 2007s start rolling in.

Yes, the market does determine ultimate pricing, with supply and demand and pricing strategy in your local region making a big difference. The websites are showing the book value of the cars based on depreciation schedules used by banks in financing the vehicles. The true market value can be estimated by getting access to the Manheim auction data to see what price the car is demanding on the wholesale market at a given time, then adding in a fair profit for a retailer (broker, etc.)

Condition, records an options on a used Porsche can also account for up to a 15% range (lowest to highest, wit a wider spread as the cars get older) on a given year/car, as shown in Excellence magazine's market assessments.

M3s in my opinion are a very active, liquid market. There is a much broader market (supply and demand) for M3s due to their practicality and lower price (compared with P-cars). Used Porsches tend to hold their value well, too, but they take longer on average to move off a lot...thus dealers build in more margin on their asking price to cover the higher carrying costs. This is also why you see a wide range of prices - many private sellers and dealers will work closer to their cost if they want to move the car quickly.

jeremyr4

You're correct about Manheim, which I have access to, but if you look up 2005 and 2006 years then you'll see that due to low volume some of the models aren't even listed (ie. you can't look up a 2005 or 2006 C2S Cab - the category isn't even there). Manheim is a great guide but doesn't work as well with a low volume car like these. M3s are much easier to understand due to the volume and, to your point, lower pricing...

ronmart

KBB doesn't do a good job of accounting for the $10k - $20k of options people put into their cars, nor does it account for the fact that someone who paid $11k in sales taxes is already taking a big hit even if they sell the car for MSRP!!!! I think you'll find that people ARE going to be insulted when they paid $110k for a car that KBB says is worth $80k when KBB doesn't account well for those options and taxes the original owner had to pay for. Wouldn't you?