[husker boxster]

Many owners reserve $1500-$2000 annually for repairs. Some yrs you won't spend that much, some yrs you'll spend more. The thing with your situation is if the previous owner(s) didn't do proper maintenance, you're going to pay extra catching it back up. While it's not always a correlation, an interior in poor condition can be an indicator of how well the owner took care of the rest of the car. Maintenance needs to be done, whether on the proper schedule or all at once later on. You may be better off unloading this one. Maybe wait a few yrs, save up, and then find a low mileage (not insanely low - they can have maintenance issues too) Boxster with a maintenance history.

As far as your Scottsdale mechanic is concerned, he might be pricey but that doesn't necessarily mean he's ripping you off. Good mechanics know they're good and don't charge $5 / hr. You pay for quality. If you can't find a good mechanic that charges fair prices, you're better off paying extra for quality work.

Sorry I've given you two different opinions but now that more info is available, you do need to consider bailing on this one. We have a member who's spent a ton on a 'cheap' Boxster that he bought. Deciding when to bail is always a crap shoot.