First of all, I am abit surprised how quickly used prices are firming up...maybe its all perception but I find it hard to believe that the stock mkt going up is having this much effect...because unemployment keeps going up not down(although rate is coming down)....but enough about the fake recovery and economics....

I am seeing the exact same car I bought a few months ago on ebay with asking prices almost 10K higher than I paid...I could see if we were into spring and it was getting sunny but were right in middle of winter....granted I got a great deal but this is strange...they are selling well optioned 06-07' C4S's for 60-70K now...crazy.

I would be quite annoyed if I was looking for a used Porsche right now given the price changes...anyone else notice this also??

 

I bought in early December and have noticed that prices started heading back up as soon as the new year hit.

 

Well, I can only speak for myself but, when the prices dropped I was able to get into a p-car. I think the downturn in the economy combined with over production and a dried up credit pool enabled people like myself to start looking into what had always been out of reach.

 

seems to be happening on 996 cabs too. from what i've seen, at least $4k-$5k higher than what prices were last fall.

 

1) CPO sales were very strong the first half of last year. Prices then were rock bottom (less than now) , the DOW broke 7K , real estate tumbled ,, the first thing to go was luxury cars . That was the time to buy a used car . New cars priced high without discounts were not selling THEN.

2) After the dismal June numbers --Porsches were literally piling up in inventory . That led to huge incentives , big discounts and that was the time to buya NEW car. The second half of 2009 was very strong in new cars sales.

So CPO record sales + New cars high volume = CONFIDENCE .

So when will this sense of entitlement diminish ?

It's only Janurary and 2010 models still have 8 months to be sold. Production is less too.

With used cars the low mile well kept cars with great options are already BOUGHT and yep there are plenty of cars but try and find one with nice options , low miles , well kept .. and there aren't many .

Lower supply of quality used cars + Lower production of new cars + sense of entitlement + 8 months until model year 2011 = high prices for everyone .

This is the time to SELL a Porsche --in my opinion .

 

I can agree I think 2009 was the time for many to get into the car of their dreams or thoughts whether it was a Porsche or BMW or any other luxury car that may have been outside reach.

Agree with most of that but don't think its the time to sell unless you don't want your car...its still time to buy but with less discounts and you'll need to be more flexibile on cars and choices IF you want to get a good price (if that's your main concern) I flexed a bit and just picked up a 2009 997 w/PDK nicely optioned for about 22% off! So its doable but yes production is decreasing and CPO values are rising thus accordingly so finding some models may be a little more difficult.

 

Of course most of us would rather keep our cars but if there was a time in the last year where one could ask top dollar --it's NOW.

I am not sure if 22 percent off on an 09 at this time is such a great deal if one factors in the one year of depreciation and pits it against a discounted 2010 car. I am not saying it's a bad deal either but it would have been a better deal if bought earlier in the model cycle .

One point to consider is economic climate as it correlates to a porsche purchase . If one had to pull money last year --everything was down (real estate, investments , even the banks themselves) . Compare it to the opposite extreme of the dot com 90's when a used Turbo sold higher than MSRP.
What i am trying to say is that there are many tangent factors influencing a Porsche market. Even region plays a role with pricing .

There's a lot of 2010 cars and currently no incentives . It's merely a wait and see as to how many are unsold near the end of the model cycle.

Lastly --the USED (previously titled) 2009 cars are the best bang for the buck . With 22 percent discount on an untitled car like yours imagine that one with 5K miles would knock off nearly 30 percent. That's huge but the problem is that the used car shopper is usually looking more in the 45K -60K range .

 

I agree could have gotten more off a 2009 used car for sure and a new 2009 car like mine was about right I think cause I DID search all over the US and there were only 4 cars equipped like mine (non titled 09 cars) with under 500 miles on them with the in service date starting at the time of sale. Othewise there are alot of cars out there but they are becoming less and less. Like I said finding a new 2009 equipped acceptable began to be a chore and more difficult. So as with any negotiation...its a matter of reaching reasonable meeting points and $25k off asking was okay by me and fit my specific circumstances also.

 

I agree could have gotten more off a 2009 used car for sure and a new 2009 car like mine was about right I think cause I DID search all over the US and there were only 4 cars equipped like mine (non titled 09 cars) with under 500 miles on them with the in service date starting at the time of sale. Othewise there are alot of cars out there but they are becoming less and less. Like I said finding a new 2009 equipped acceptable began to be a chore and more difficult. So as with any negotiation...its a matter of reaching reasonable meeting points and $25k off asking was okay by me and fit my specific circumstances also since I wanted PDK and that became a sticking point at my price and option point.

 

my wholesale buddy tells me that its seasonal as dealers begin to restock their inventories. He also mentioned how the auction attendance is much higher in the beginning of the year vs the end. He was referring to the general car mkt as a whole, however.

 

I've definitely noticed this. I am looking for a used Porsche right now, and am a little frustrated. But I'm also not desperate and can wait for normal depreciation to do its thing.

 

Ken, Cab's aren't going to get cheaper with the spring and summer coming. Perhaps there is a coupe in your future!

 

Used car prices go up when the US economy goes down, this is an overall market trend, look it up.

 

I did my shopping last spring and pulled the trigger the first week of June. I opted for a 2010 factory order even though I could have got a killer deal on a 2009. I wanted the color and options that ~I~ wanted. After all it's supposed to be ~my~ '"dream car" not someone elses. I also didn't want to pay for options that I didn't want like Bose (as a former audio engineer I'm not a big fan of Bose) or power seats since I'll be the only one driving the car. I also reasoned that since 2010 inventory was projected to be very low (and it looks like that is the case) that I'll benefit from a little higher resale value when the time comes.

Sadly, I won't be able keep the car more than the length of the warrantee. If the car should suffer some kind of catastrophic engine failure which Porsche seems to have more than it's share of, I would be bankrupt! I do not have 18-20K just sitting around in case it needs a new engine so I would be totally screwed.

Full disclosure here I'm not a "man of means" by any stretch of the imagination. I'm self employed which might sound glamorous but my bottom line is just around what statistics rate as poverty level in the US. So how am I driving a 2010 Porsche 911? Well, I'm a very disciplined saver. I'm also not married (and NOT looking ladies so no PM's please) and don't have any children at least that I'll admit to. I never go on vacation and I never go out for fine dining. The local Chinese take out joint is about as fancy as it gets for me. I drove my 1994 Mazda Miata around for 15 years while I was saving for the 911. I'm not stupid and having Mazda sports cars almost all of my life (had 2 RX-7's before the Miata) I'm fully aware they are high maintenance machines so I did manage to save a few extra K for tires, brakes and the $600/year annual service but that's where it ends. So in 4 years when the warrantee runs out I'll be "forced" to sell regardless of how much I've fallen in love with "her".

If anyone likes the way my car is optioned I'll be happy to entertain offers now but you'll have to wait another 45 months to take delivery.

 

yes, but the recent data points towards a recovering econ.