I've been trying to sell my sister's 02 S, yellow, hard top, Bose, 70k miles. Nice original condition. I replaced the fuel sending unit due to smell. Potential buyers low ball due the the IMS bearing not being done. Is this really a shortcoming where I should lower price? My research says this was only an issue for 5% of the cars.

What's the car really worth?

Any comments appreciated.

Joe

 

How much does your sister want for the car?

My stock reply to questions like this one is use the online sites to get a range of wholesale/private and retail prices for the car in question and try to make a case for asking for as much as one believes the market will bear. Stock, well-optioned, regular servicing, reasonable miles -- not a garage queen nor a big miler -- and no stories go a long way to helping justify the asking price.

It helps if the car is up to date on its servicing and isn't close to needing tires or brakes.

For the IMS issue you can try to gather info from say the lawsuit that show the issue is rare for cars in the same VIN range as your sister's car. You can try to find info that indicates the engine came with the better bearing from the factory. (Sorry I'm not up on the IMSB lore so I can't just give you this outright.)

There are threads here and elsewhere that list the various model years and the odds/percentage of cars (responders at least) that give one an idea of the chances of something going amiss.

Look for threads with the title: Porsche Boxster reliability - better info; started by: mkaresh

You have to have at hand counter arguments or info that helps to brush aside the IMSB concern.

Admittedly this makes selling one of these cars tougher, which means you have to work harder. IOWs, as much as a buyer will try to use the iMS against the car you have to have a counter to this.

Also, keep in mind if the iMS was *that* big of a concern the "buyer" wouldn't be talking to you about the car in the first place, he'd be looking at another car. To my mind then this suggests the buyer is just using this IMS issue as a negotiating ploy and is not that concerned about it. With some preparation then you might knock the underpinnings of his IMS ploy out from underneath the buyer.

Be sure you practice how you react to the the mention of IMS. Avoid any change of expression and treat the mention like you would a general comment about the weather, then have your well polished response ready and follow with a question like when you are thinking of buying? How much are you looking to pay? Be a car salesman.

 

Just go to EBay "Completed Listings" and look for the green sold prices for 2000-2004 Boxsters. You'll be surprised by:
1. How many are unsold because of excessive reserve prices(often dealers)
2. How low the actual sale price is of those that find a buyer.
IMSB - Perception is (unfortunate & misguided) reality. Just be grateful most potential buyers seem ignorant of the 29(?) other "Modes of Failure". If anxious potential buyers start Googling "Modes of Failure" for both the 996 and 986 ,watch prices soften more.
Best strategy is to keep the car and enjoy -but keep reading the wisdom on Rennlist to ensure you are best positioned to promptly deal with any issues. Or try listing it for sale here on Rennlist ?

 

The color is one someone wants or not and most don't. So that limits the prospects.

You haven't listed the options, condition, service history, transmission, tire brand/model and tread depth, etc.

The hardtop will add $800-1200 to the value.

A car is only worth what someone will pay. I bought two Boxsters on the used market and didn't pay asking or anything like it. I sold one and didn't reach for the top dollar but by doing that I sold quickly.

Sight unseen, ~$13k.

 

What's the asking price? Link to ad? Agree that options and especially condition are critical to the value. The latest Excellence guide lists 12k to 17k for an 02 S. Moderate mileage is in your favor. Suggest also check the Edmunds, KBB and NADA sites. Assuming very good to excellent condition and no apparent issues (oil leaks, coolant leaks, torn CV boots, overdue maintenance, etc.) then retail of 15k may be reasonable and a bit less for private sale. The IMS is a negotiating tactic. When I was shopping a couple of years ago the vast majority of cars for sale have not had this done.

 

Agreed. People are either shopping for a yellow car, or don't want a yellow car. Not much middle ground.

Detail is everything when selling a Porsche. Figure out the exact options, document the maintenance, outline any needs, be thorough and honest. Take lots of high quality photos. No maintenance records is more harmful than the original IMS, so hopefully there are records. Also remember that you are selling a convertible in the winter, it's going to take longer.

I vote $12-14k if in excellent condition. If it's dirty or well worn expect much less, there are lots of these cars available.

 

Thank you all for your responses. I thought I had a serious buyer and lowered my price to $10500. He came back with $8k. I guess I'll list it again on Ebay. It's on the Rennlist for sale forum.

I've sold lots of cars in my day. This one kind of stumps me.

Thanks again,
Joe

 

Thank goodness I'm 2K miles away. At $10.5K I'd bet sorely tempted.

 

Road trip...

 

Currently on a road trip. Been away since Dec. 16. Trying to get home soon. Will be in the Sunnyvale area later this month. Hope the car is sold by then.

 

It will be interesting to see what the Market says.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/111567953775?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AITThe Ebay biding stopped at barely over $9000 .That seems alarmingly low considering the miles,hardtop and condition?

 

Well, IMO, this time of year is not the time to sell any sports car if you are looking for the highest sale price. If you can hold off until May, then more people will be looking for toys.

The sports seats are a selling point, but the tear in the driver's seat is an eyesore and I would probably take it to an upholstery shop and have taken care. You want it to be a no excuses car that looks like it was always kept in tip top shape. Service history helps as well. Small things can be the difference between a $15k car and a $9k car.

As for the IMS, everybody that thinks they know about Porsches seems to know that IMS bearings fail. One of the first things my car friends ask when they see that I have a Boxster now is if I have replaced the IMS bearing yet. Credit goes to the guys selling the replacements for that. If it hasn't been done, someone WILL beat you up on price about it.

I bet if you took care of the seat, got some good pictures somewhere where the potential buyer would love to drive it (not pictures of it illegally parked...), emphasize the rare options and put some time into making a good ad, I bet you could get $12k+. Show a picture from behind. Tell what tires it has and how much tread is left. Show the Bose rear speakers. I would think that the hardtop, sport seats, Bose stereo, yellow seat belts, yellow roll bar (?), cruise, intermittent wipers, gold crest hub caps, etc., are all excellent selling points that sets it apart from the rest of the cars available. That said, if you are looking to sell it quick without putting any effort into it, what you saw with the ebay bids WAS (IMO) its value at the time for how it was presented.

YMMV.

 

what Qmulus said !
and I am biased - I have a yellow S 6 speed - as you may have guessed !
Good Luck selling it.

 

That ad is not conducive to getting top dollar. I've taken the pictures down already (bandwidth limited), but here's the ad for my last 987. Pictures were high quality DSLR photos, and I had over 100 of them available via email. I sold it in December in three days.

https://rennlist.com/forums/vehicle-...hrono-19s.html

You need pictures and detail to sell a car online. I would also get that seat fixed, that sort of obvious damage will be a deal breaker for many.

 

In November of 2013 I thought I wanted to sell my 2001 Boxster S. Original owner, highly optioned, well documented, tasteful mods and 23,000 miles. I was asking top dollar ($23,000) and knew it was a stretch. I received two solid offers of $20,000 and passed on them. In the end I kept it and I am extremely happy it did not sell.

I agree with onewhippedpuppy, the why you present the car in the ad is a big part in the selling of the car.

http://986forum.com/forums/boxsters-...er-loaded.html