People have lost their damn mind when...

they think they get as almost as much for a NA or NB as you can get a Boxster for.

When is the Answer not the Answer? When getting a Teutonic scalpel is as much as the British knock off.

To be fair, I wasn't a fan of my Teutonic knockoff.. I ended up selling my early boxster to go back to a NA.. No regrets there.

Just sayin' :)

I would imagine a low-mile pristine boxster would cost way more than the $6k-8k I imagine you are referring to when people ask stupid money for perfect Miatas.

If not, I need to be looking at Boxsters. Are E36 M3ty ones $2500 yet?

In reply to RedGT:

I've never seen a Boxster as low as $2500 yet, but don't usually see truly E36 M3ty ones. In my area the lower end ask seems to be $8-9K for early cars that show some use. Since asking prices for average 944s are still above $4K, I doubt the Boxster will drop below that floor.

I am seeing early Boxsters in the $5k range. 2002 under 100k for $7k obo. a couple of 2000-2001 in the $6k range

I am seeing NA/NB in good, not showroom or collector state, in need of something for $4500~$7k.

I have seen a few Special Edition Miatas with the clearcoat coming off and in need of a new top with over 100k for $8500.

People lost their damn minds I tell ya!!!

The Miatas in the <=$3k mark look like getting onto a rollback to be driven to the crusher might be a challenge.

WilD wrote: In reply to RedGT: I've never seen a Boxster as low as $2500 yet, but don't usually see truly E36 M3ty ones. In my area the lower end ask seems to be $8-9K for early cars that show some use. Since asking prices for average 944s are still above $4K, I doubt the Boxster will drop below that floor.

944s have bounced. I blame the GRM article. You could get a drive-able 944 for $2500 all day about 5 years ago.

Okay we'll agree to blame GRM for 944 prices. BTW, nice tinfoil hat you have there

$4600 Boxster

Bad timing for me or I'd probably already own it.

I'd rather have a nice NA than a Boxster, personally. Apparently I'm not alone.

Powar wrote: I'd rather have a nice NA than a Boxster, personally. Apparently I'm not alone.

Same. Porsches evoke no emotions of any kind from me. Have never seen a Porsche that I wanted to own. Now, Miatas on the other hand, I spent 2 years searching for mine and paid $3900. And that's in NY, where these cars seem to command a premium because most of them disintegrated years ago.

Now, my friend paid $8,000 for his but it was an unmodified Mariner Blue 1990 in showroom condition with 30,000 miles on the clocks. About as close to driving a brand new 1990 Miata as I'll likely ever get.

And maybe people are asking as much for Miatas as Boxsters, but I'm pretty sure the Miata is the cheaper car in the long run when it comes to maintenance, repairs and modifying.

where do you people live with high NA prices? They can be found around here for 3500 easily.

Any Miata found on a dealer lot around here is autormaticly 6k minimum. Private sellers they can be had cheaper.

My experience with NYS Miata pricing is everything is rather clean being a garaged summer toy. A rust free 100-150k mile NA will run $4-5k. Or did last time I looked locally(upstate/CNY)

The Boxster engines also have a reputation as ticking time bombs that the Miata engines (except the early "short nose crank" 1.6s) don't have. There is a fix, but it's a bit expensive.

Brian wrote: My experience with NYS Miata pricing is everything is rather clean being a garaged summer toy. A rust free 100-150k mile NA will run $4-5k. Or did last time I looked locally(upstate/CNY)

Still is true. $3900 for mine with 110,000 miles. You can also get super beaterific ones for like $1000

My dad sold his 97M with 70k for 8200. Im quite sure that's boxster territory.

"they think they can get" sometimes is actually "they can get".

MadScientistMatt wrote: The Boxster engines also have a reputation as ticking time bombs that the Miata engines (except the early "short nose crank" 1.6s) don't have. There is a fix, but it's a bit expensive.

I overheard two Boxster owners conversing at an autocross about how their pair of 50,000 mile Boxsters burned oil at a horrifying rate. One was saying he was going through a quart every 1,000 miles and changing the oil to a heavier weight got it down to a quart every 1,500. The other said he would have to look into it because he was going through a quart and a half every 1,000. Yikes!

Meanwhile, my Miata with over twice the mileage (And under half the cost) uses about a half quart every 3,000 and that's from a weepy rear main seal. Our old blue GMT-400 with 300,000 on the clock only used a quart in 5,000 and once again, that was more leakage than burning.

At even asking price, I would rather have the Miata because the Miata parts prices will be lower as well as general maint will be much more supported for DYI which also should result in lower prices.

As for crazy asking prices...you can find crazy in any make, model or year.
Some people really don't want to sell they just want to draw attention to their prized possession and see if they can land a fish.

I have a thoroughly abused 180k mile miata that uses no oil. The 'nice' one, however, eats it at high rpm since I got it with 54k miles. Go figure.

I do see a lot of Miatas in the $3000+ range that will cost another grand to make right. However...they also ain't makin' any more and the drift kids are turning $3000 cars into $1000 cars at a rapid pace. I haven't had any trouble finding what I want at the price I want with a little waiting. Decent rust-free 160k daily driver in well maintained shape and beautiful paint, $3k. 54k mile/rust free/base model with neglected paint, $3500. Total beater, 180k miles, filthy with dents and rust and missing interior chunks, $1200.

LuxInterior wrote: Okay we'll agree to blame GRM for 944 prices. BTW, nice tinfoil hat you have there

OK so GRM publishes a buyers guide on how to by X older sporty car. The You-paid-for-a-pretty-car-advertisment-not-objective-opinion magazines see it and do a column on it. Sheeple go out and buy GRM's prior months car. This causes demand to jump and prices to go up.

Guess who is doing a Miata prep series right now...

Renold's Heavy Duty makes the best hats, I can send you some.

RedGT wrote: They also ain't makin' any more and the drift kids are turning $3000 cars into $1000 cars at a rapid pace.

you must not think much of $1000

Uhhh....yeah. I wouldn't kick either one out of bed. I've owned a bunch of Miata, never owned a Boxster. Only reason I haven't had one is I couldn't afford to support it. If I could, I'd be all over it.

Owned a Miata and drove many. Drove a Boxster a few times. Boxster all the freaking way. And the badge has nothing to do with it. Mid-engine > Front-engine, period. And the extra power doesn't hurt, either.

Really nice low-mileage NAs have become harder to find over the last few years so I'm not surprised prices are going up. It's not a problem to find a $3k NA out here, but they're often in pretty E36 M3ty condition.

Don't make the mistake of comparing a stellar condition NA with a cheap Boxster, either. Yes, you can get a slightly grotty Boxster for the same money as a really nice NA, but that's not comparing like for like.

bludroptop wrote: $4600 Boxster Bad timing for me or I'd probably already own it.

It needs TLC. In the Porsche world, each of those letters cost $1,000. A miata with 136K wouldn't make me hesitate one bit. A Boxster on the other hand....
That and the fact that I've owned a NA and driven an early Boxster a lot tells me I'd rather have the NA.

at least in the miata you don't have to tell other people you drive a porsche....

kicks hornet nest and runs away