Price to fix vs roller value - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Welp… I have a 986 that has sat since Jan 2018. 2000 speed yellow boxster S with black hard top. With the supple leather interior, deviated stitching and belts with nice coco floor mats. 18 inch turbo twist rims. 110k miles if I remember. It’s a fantastic chassis! However, idk what price would be for either an engine rebuild or swap. I don’t know what all else would be involved with cleaning out cooling system or the fact the car has sat. What’s a general idea of roller value? Or instead the price to fix or swap the engine. I’d love to keep the car but after some lifestyle changes me and my wife may would rather enjoy putting the money towards a macan.

As a roller 4k - 5k . Buy a used engine around 7k and have someone R&R for about 3k . Rebuild the existing engine correctly 25k . Just rough numbers .

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Any idea on the value once it’s cleaned up and fixed? I know prices are on the up and up.

It isn't just the engine you need to cost out. It could be the brake system, the radiators, the tires, etc. Even little things like the struts for the hood and trunk. The shocks. A lot will depend on how and where it was stored.

In the middle of one of those right now. After one, two, three, bad engines, I am rethinking my decision to take on this project. And what's a "welp?" Did you mean, "well,"?

as a roller, maybe $1500 from the way you describe it. As a roller it has to be assumed the engine, trans, brakes, etc are all shot and need repair or replacement. Engine price being the most valuable to a scrap yard to recoup any money if that isn't working then it's just scrap metal. Bought a few in this condition and it's a gamble. Sometimes it can pay off, most times though it's just parting out the car to break even hopefully. In a non pandemic world with it running and 8/10 condition inside & out with a good top, worth maybe $9k-$10k because of mileage.

Thoughts on hard top value alone? From what I’ve seen those are treated like a rare earth metal on eBay sometimes.

If the hardtop was in good condition in my area it would be worth $2000.

I look at the market just about every day. Stl-986 is in an alternate universe from the one I'm living in. Maybe there's a glut of beat up rollers where he's at, but I'm not seeing it. On the other end of the spectrum, here's a roller with 180K miles that the seller is asking $7,000 for. I don't see that as realistic pricing. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/364668785461283 In working condition, your car would probably sell for around $20k in a lot of markets. I'm not going to speculate on repair cost. I remember your car well and followed most of your posts. If I was listing it 'as-is' I'd detail it and get a lot of pictures, then start with an asking price around $5k. I wouldn't expect to get $5k. You can take a lot less, but it's hard to go higher once you list it. I'll give you $2,000 for it as-is minus the top. Serious offer that you should easily turn down. I've never had a yellow one. :dance:

I go by auction prices not FB or CL and definitely not BAT. $20k for a 986 with 100k miles is insane. Someone could get it I am sure but that is 996 market territory. For a hard top, yea, those bring a lot of money, even more in spring when the track guys start wanting to buy them after getting their car prepped over the winter. $1500 is about average, but depends on location also. replacement engines for an S will set you back around $3k with shipping/core on average with about same miles., but you can find them for less. For the above...not even sure what a torque sensor is but if someone lists a radio as a selling feature above any issues (and who knows what they even mean by the issue) I would run fast. As an example, I bought a 2000 tip with 94k miles on it that had a split coolant hose and a top with a faded/scratch back window for only $2500. Hose cost all of $5 and top was $400 from a local yard. Did the typical tune up (coils/plugs/o2 sensors) and only got $9k for it after having it listed for 2 months. It really also depends on the local market. Winter is not a good time to sell one of these. Great time to buy but not sell. Spring will be better.

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I was surprised how quickly this '03 base sold with a $19,400 asking price. http://986forum.com/forums/boxsters-cayman-cars-sale-wanted/81877-fs-2003-speed-yellow-boxster-excellent-condition.html Yes, it has 54K miles vs 110k miles, but hard top and a few other options and details on Jake's S model put it on par or above in my view - if it was repaired to it's previous condition with everything working correctly.

I just sold my 3.4 2000 S for $12,800. It was on the FB marketplace, Craigslist and here for almost three months and I only had one person come look at it. Sold my major basket case 911sc for $5000. I've sold some other vehicles this last month too. I'm not completely buying the pandemic inflation. Sure prices might be higher, but no one is buying. I say let it go as a roller for $2500-4500 and don't look back. I don't see the reward worth the hassle unless you're also doing it for fun.

I was on Autotrader last night - many pre 00 are going for 15k, 00-02 are 18-20k, and 03-04 20k+. Mileage is always a factor of course, and that search was limited to veggies under 60k miles. Asking price and selling price are two different things though, and this price surge isn't specific to the 986. Rather, the 986 is riding the surge of used car prices in general. This definitely doesn't reflect increased interest in the cars, though. Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk

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Isn't Autotrader comprised of 95% dealers now days? Probably not the best place to get private party pricing as dealers quite often have an unrealistic mark up.

For reference if you aren't familiar with Jake's car: I assume it's still in the same cosmetic condition other than some dust from storage. Clean with tasteful options and mods that enhance the stock look rather than conflict with it. I'd expect a cracked head, but I don't think it was ever looked at beyond seeing the intermix. https://986forum.com/forums/boxster-general-discussions/70672-milky-coolant.html

Yea, he should be getting it back on the road/running. That is too nice to sell as a roller.

Thank you guys for the replies. I am surprised how valuable the complete car would be. My first boxster was bought at 6k (not the one listed.) I am also surprised how surprisingly cheap a replacement engine may be… I would love to keep an analog car running and in fleet. In the short term I don’t have room for it or budget (if I want to buy a house in todays stupid market), but the car has space to sit for now and I expect to have plenty of “fun money” in the near future thanks to a recent switch to an employee owned company. I’d hate to let it go if in tip top shape it could be a beautiful and quality car worth around 20k and inflating. Honestly makes me want to put a 3.4 in it… but priorities you know. It’s a great car with litronics and the right rims from factory, given the right restoration it could be a great example of the legacy that has lead to 718 spyders and more today. (When I drove the car only the 981 had just come out.). This is coming from someone that could walk away with a barely used 718 base in cash tomorrow but has different priorities. I would love to have a house first and a down payment is much more today than it was last year, much less 8 years ago.

So that's a "No" to my $2,000 offer?

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Thanks for pulling these pics out. It was in great condition and frankly the litronic, hardtop, and supple leather combo really were foretold of the cars Porsche planned to sell in the not too near (but my whole lifespan) future. It has been outdoors but under a cover and on a battery tender. Below is one of the last pics I took. I personally think speed yellow will age very well.

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I heard engines are 3k which is such a temptation. But labor, that I myself can’t offer. Sounds very expensive independent of that. This is coming from someone who packages and resales “labor” for a living. I can’t imagine that’s not the most expensive part these days.