I hate trying to selling a car!

[ChuckNorris]

Hi, I was wondering if you could give me some advice, please. 

I am currently selling my 2004 Boxster S Manual and seem to be hitting a roadblock with virtually no inquiries, just had two so far with over the last three weeks, one wanted to px me something naff when it states on the advert no px’s and the other person wanted to swap their financed agreement on to my car, but it all just felt like to much hassle to me and possibly dodge as there’s just so many scams around these days!

Generally, I’m not sure if I have got my pricing wrong or if the market in is just a bit slow at the minute. The car is priced at the top end of the market as it’s got a phenomenal spec and I haven’t seen one like it for sale to compare. The car comes with the highly sought after (XAA code) for a factory fitted Aero GT3 Kit and BBS Sport Design split rim alloys wheels. Not only that it was also specced with the (M030 code) Sport Chassis for greater handling, along with the Sport Crested Seats, extended leather pack, extended aluminum pack, and the premium Harmann sounds package, to name a few, totaling well over 8k.

I have had a couple of people tell me that they can buy a 987 S for the same price as my car is advertised for but when you look at the market there are a number of 986 s boxsters priced similar or higher than the 987’s.

Has anyone tried collectings.com or any other marketplaces other than the usual sites such as eBay, Autotrader and FB marketplace etc to maybe get some better results?

Thanks in advance.

[iborguk]

Get your post count up to 40 and you could try selling it on here...

What's it mileage and current price ? 

Edited September 17, 2023 by iborguk

[Mattman42]

Sorry to say - if it’s not selling, it’s probably priced too high.

Difficult selling time, summer ending, high cost of living, winter bills on their way - boxsters aren’t really a necessity.

I’ve been watching the market for a few weeks and things are not moving unless they are priced keenly - so it depends how much you want to sell it, or whether you may be better off holding on until next spring when the weather gets better and hopefully the financial environment is a little more positive.

oddly, I have found most success recently when I have 8-10 good photos and a pretty concise description rather than the long descriptions I used to do.

You can try pistonheads and carandclassic as alternative websites - both free to advertise on 

[greenman986s]

'They' may buy a 987s for similiar money but it will cost nearly x2 the VED...

 

My guess is private 986s are £6-8.5k for well maintained low ownership. I'm not convinced that 'extras' add value although they may improve the kerb appeal to the nerds.

Edited September 17, 2023 by greenman986s

[Nobbie]

Not a great time to try and sell a Boxster and suspect your car will have a limited appeal at nearly £10k. It might be worth that to someone that really wants those options, but I’m not sure many do. MO30 at 94k is probably due a refresh if someone was after sharp handling and the body kit is not necessarily a selling point to most of the market. Either drop the price or be prepared to wait for just the right buyer.

[brillomaster]

Yeah im not really sure factory extras add a great deal to a 19 year old car... its the big ticket items like mileage and service history that make a car a good buy. Plus, theres a heck of a lot of competition, and to be honest, i normally start with the cheapest cars that fullfil my brief when buying.

[Boxer boy]

Asking too much .Extras are worth diddly squat . Try WBAC or car WOW or Equivalent to get the auction prediction.

 

Price it in the lower quartile , compared to other same modal / age / milage .

 

The extras might prove kerb appeal that’s all .

[greenman986s]

If it is RX04ZZU the MoT history is average at best and doesn't read as a well loved and maintained car

[½cwt]

If it had half or fewer the miles and had complete provenance including a totally garaged life and everything done by Porsche, over £10k might be fair.  Make sure you have lots of pic and a well composed ad, give lots of detail then you might hook an enthusiast which is what you'll need to get value for the extras you have.  There are plenty of 987 sub £10k if someone just want a newer Boxster for their budget.

A 19 year old car with 94k miles even if you have maintained it well is still possibly going to need work to freshen it even if not to keep it running.  Suspension refurb fitted by an indy will set you back in the £2k-£4.5k range depending on aftermarket or Porsche parts.  BBS wheels look nice but cost a fortune to refurb.  Has it had a clutch, has the IMSB been done (people are paranoid and put off even if the grounds for doing this are shaky) what are the tyres and brakes like?  Mid-September is not a good convertible selling time.  And you are in dealer and therefore warranty territory at that price.  Hold on 'til May if you can and catch a rising rather than dropping market, but it will be 20 years old then.

Oh and there will always be time wasters.  Plus we're quite harsh critics as we are familiar with the cars.

[greenman986s]

To the OP - would YOU pay £10k for the car?

[TV8]

It took me 3 months to sell my 996. Similar spec with the codes and options you mention plus high miles and no IMS which most people seem to ask about. It did a good history file and lots of recent maintenance, plus it looked fantastic but that only matters when someone is standing in front of it!.  I bought the till its sold option on Autotrader and just left it there. I didnt change the price and had it advertised for £20k and at least 2 cars with recent Hartech rebuilds where advertised around that price and non-rebuild cars were around the £13-£14k mark.

I sold in the end for £18k and didnt change the price on the advert at all. Two dealers were interested at £13k and £14k respectively but the higher one wanted to put it on the ramp. The lower figure was after looking at the car.

If I were doing again, I would change the advert pics every couple of weeks and probably the headline.

I wanted to sell but didnt need to sell. If you need to sell, then lower the price or consider an auction. 

[ChuckNorris]

On 9/17/2023 at 8:04 PM, iborguk said:

Get your post count up to 40 and you could try selling it on here...

What's it mileage and current price ? 

I had the car up for 10k and the mileage is 94k. But tbh I'm totally open to offers at the minute as i think the market is really slow and it is priced at the top end for a 986. 

[Bike Loon]

As said.... if it has not sold its too expensive. 

£10k for a 986 is a lot

[ChuckNorris]

On 9/17/2023 at 8:19 PM, Mattman42 said:

Sorry to say - if it’s not selling, it’s probably priced too high.

Difficult selling time, summer ending, high cost of living, winter bills on their way - boxsters aren’t really a necessity.

I’ve been watching the market for a few weeks and things are not moving unless they are priced keenly - so it depends how much you want to sell it, or whether you may be better off holding on until next spring when the weather gets better and hopefully the financial environment is a little more positive.

oddly, I have found most success recently when I have 8-10 good photos and a pretty concise description rather than the long descriptions I used to do.

You can try pistonheads and carandclassic as alternative websites - both free to advertise on 

Yeah, I think the price could be the issue but also it's a very slow market at the minute, a lot of other Porsche marques seem to be sticking as well. I'm open to offers but lets just see what happens.  Thanks for the heads up about carandclassic I think I might try it on there. 

[ChuckNorris]

Just now, Bike Loon said:

As said.... if it has not sold its too expensive. 

£10k for a 986 is a lot

Yep, you could be right but the market is very slow at the minute, I'm open to offers so let's see if that will help to get things moving. 

[ChuckNorris]

On 9/17/2023 at 8:58 PM, greenman986s said:

If it is RX04ZZU the MoT history is average at best and doesn't read as a well loved and maintained car

 

On 9/17/2023 at 8:31 PM, greenman986s said:

'They' may buy a 987s for similiar money but it will cost nearly x2 the VED...

 

My guess is private 986s are £6-8.5k for well maintained low ownership. I'm not convinced that 'extras' add value although they may improve the kerb appeal to the nerds.

Yeah, I think if someone is after a drive-focused car with curb appeal then this is the one, but obviously, budgets and extras which are rare do add up to the right enthusiasts.  Particularly with the 996, they command more money if they have the factory aero kit and split rims than non-areo kit cars, then things like no sunroof, C2 over C4, pre-2000 cars that come with a throttle cable, and dual row IMS really push the value up.  Maybe it's slightly different with the 986 Boxster and it's more about low owners, maintenance history, etc that is valued more over anything else. 

[ChuckNorris]

On 9/18/2023 at 9:26 AM, TV8 said:

It took me 3 months to sell my 996. Similar spec with the codes and options you mention plus high miles and no IMS which most people seem to ask about. It did a good history file and lots of recent maintenance, plus it looked fantastic but that only matters when someone is standing in front of it!.  I bought the till its sold option on Autotrader and just left it there. I didnt change the price and had it advertised for £20k and at least 2 cars with recent Hartech rebuilds where advertised around that price and non-rebuild cars were around the £13-£14k mark.

I sold in the end for £18k and didnt change the price on the advert at all. Two dealers were interested at £13k and £14k respectively but the higher one wanted to put it on the ramp. The lower figure was after looking at the car.

If I were doing again, I would change the advert pics every couple of weeks and probably the headline.

I wanted to sell but didnt need to sell. If you need to sell, then lower the price or consider an auction. 

Thanks for the heads up on that, I have just listed on Auto Trader at £84 and lowered the price slightly so let's see what happens.  But I think the market is defo flat at the minute as a few car traders have been moaning at how bad it is out there at the minute and there are still a number of other Porsche marques that I have been looking at that seem to be sticking and not selling. 

[ChuckNorris]

On 9/17/2023 at 8:41 PM, Nobbie said:

Not a great time to try and sell a Boxster and suspect your car will have a limited appeal at nearly £10k. It might be worth that to someone that really wants those options, but I’m not sure many do. MO30 at 94k is probably due a refresh if someone was after sharp handling and the body kit is not necessarily a selling point to most of the market. Either drop the price or be prepared to wait for just the right buyer.

Yep defo not the best time to sell, as the market is very flat. The M030 has been refreshed so at least that's covered. Shame most Boxster owners don't find the Aero kit in your opinion desirable. I think I like and prefer them because I have owned a number of 996s with aero kits and I think they really lift the look of the car but each to their own and all of that. Have dropped the price on the auto trader advert and I'm open to offers so let's just see what happens. 

[ChuckNorris]

On 9/17/2023 at 8:42 PM, brillomaster said:

Yeah im not really sure factory extras add a great deal to a 19 year old car... its the big ticket items like mileage and service history that make a car a good buy. Plus, theres a heck of a lot of competition, and to be honest, i normally start with the cheapest cars that fullfil my brief when buying.

Yeah, it's a shame that the options in your opinion don't add a great deal to 20-year-old cars. I guess I'm different as specs and options will always sway me more over a pristine service and maintenance record. Obviously, you take each car on its merits when you physically view and drive a car, as there are many examples I can give from my own personal experience when I have bought and sold older cars over the past 20 years. A lot of people seem to get really stuck on high mileage and high owner cars and seem to think they can get a much better car with low owner and low mileage ones instead. Defo, not the case from what I have seen. 

[½cwt]

14 minutes ago, ChuckNorris said:

 

Yeah, I think if someone is after a drive-focused car with curb appeal then this is the one, but obviously, budgets and extras which are rare do add up to the right enthusiasts.  Particularly with the 996, they command more money if they have the factory aero kit and split rims than non-areo kit cars, then things like no sunroof, C2 over C4, pre-2000 cars that come with a throttle cable, and dual row IMS really push the value up.  Maybe it's slightly different with the 986 Boxster and it's more about low owners, maintenance history, etc that is valued more over anything else. 

Your assessment for 986s is about right there.  Not really heard of a buyer prioritising the aero kit.  You might get good money if you can find a buyer wanting the spec you have but that is almost unicorn hunting so unlikely to move quickly.  If you need to sell, about £8k is probably the limit and even that might be keen in the current market.  986s are usually a second car so with rising mortgage rates and inflation few people have spare cash to put into them at the end of the summer season unless they want a winter project to be ready for the spring.

[½cwt]

1 minute ago, ChuckNorris said:

Yeah, it's a shame that the options in your opinion don't add a great deal to 20-year-old cars. I guess I'm different as specs and options will always sway me more over a pristine service and maintenance record. Obviously, you take each car on its merits when you physically view and drive a car, as there are many examples I can give from my own personal experience when I have bought and sold older cars over the past 20 years. A lot of people seem to get really stuck on high mileage and high owner cars and seem to think they can get a much better car with low owner and low mileage ones instead. Defo, not the case from what I have seen. 

But if it is priced to high for the market no one will come to see how it drives....

[ChuckNorris]

On 9/17/2023 at 8:52 PM, Boxer boy said:

Asking too much .Extras are worth diddly squat . Try WBAC or car WOW or Equivalent to get the auction prediction.

 

Price it in the lower quartile , compared to other same modal / age / milage .

 

The extras might prove kerb appeal that’s all .

lol I tried WBAC for a joke, I asked them to price my up 993 they came back with £12k haha I sold it for £60k Yeah I just think the market is very flat at the minute and I guess potential boxter owners seem to be not too fussed with aereo kits and all that.  Will lower the price and be open to offers and let's see what comes from that. 

[ChuckNorris]

On 9/17/2023 at 8:58 PM, greenman986s said:

If it is RX04ZZU the MoT history is average at best and doesn't read as a well loved and maintained car

You can't have everything I guess. The last owner who owned the car for the past 10 years didn't drive it much and just seemed to live with MOT advisories. One of the biggest issues I bang on about for people wanting low mileage cars, is that it doesn't necessarily mean that they will be as well looked after as high-owner cars. I find high-owner cars people seem to spend fixing issues when they buy the car, then sell them on as they get caught in that maintenance cycle trap of affordability so the next owner then fixes the next lot of issues before selling and passing on and so the cycle continues That was by the time you get to a 20-year-old car most of the components have been refreshed at some point and most the gremlins have been ironed out so to speak. Anyways I'm rambling but yes the MOT history is average at best. 

[ChuckNorris]

On 9/18/2023 at 9:16 AM, greenman986s said:

To the OP - would YOU pay £10k for the car?

Yes i would but that's me lol

[ChuckNorris]

On 9/17/2023 at 10:53 PM, ½cwt said:

If it had half or fewer the miles and had complete provenance including a totally garaged life and everything done by Porsche, over £10k might be fair.  Make sure you have lots of pic and a well composed ad, give lots of detail then you might hook an enthusiast which is what you'll need to get value for the extras you have.  There are plenty of 987 sub £10k if someone just want a newer Boxster for their budget.

A 19 year old car with 94k miles even if you have maintained it well is still possibly going to need work to freshen it even if not to keep it running.  Suspension refurb fitted by an indy will set you back in the £2k-£4.5k range depending on aftermarket or Porsche parts.  BBS wheels look nice but cost a fortune to refurb.  Has it had a clutch, has the IMSB been done (people are paranoid and put off even if the grounds for doing this are shaky) what are the tyres and brakes like?  Mid-September is not a good convertible selling time.  And you are in dealer and therefore warranty territory at that price.  Hold on 'til May if you can and catch a rising rather than dropping market, but it will be 20 years old then.

Oh and there will always be time wasters.  Plus we're quite harsh critics as we are familiar with the cars.

Yeah, I was pricing at 10k when I was seeing similar cars in the marketplace either with less spec, more owners, or maybe dare I say not as popular color combinations, etc, however those cars too seem to be not selling. So I guess it's a case of either dramatically reducing the price of my car to stand out from all the normies out there or just stilling it out and waiting. Though I am very much open to offers at the minute so let's see if that brings anyone to the table.