Edit: New to me 986 :P not a brand new one. Title fail
Hey guys,
I'm a long time lurker and have decided to register as I am seriously thinking about getting a Boxster. My current target is a Boxster S, 2002-2004, between 60-80k miles. I'm hoping to get something less than 10k if possible (around 8k) but can do up to 15k. Is that realistic? I've done a lot of reading regards to IMS, RMS and such and know that I should get a PPI with a leak down and compression test. Whatever car I buy I will probably run it till it die and will upgrade it with creature comfort of bluetooth audio etc.
A few concerns still nags at me and I've found some inconclusive/nonspecific answers that I was hoping you guys can help.
1. If I'm buying the car from an independent used car dealer, should I ask for 5k off the price if they cannot provide proof that they have the IMS and RMS addressed, and a recent clutch change? And then take the car to a reliable shop and have all of those done at the same time before I even drive the car? Yeah, I guess I'm a little paranoid about it, lol.
2. I'm not a great car/DIY kind of guy. I was wondering the realistic yearly cost of maintenance for the 986 Boxster. I have been looking and everyone have said that "Oh, it's really expensive" but really no price point given. "Real expensive" to one person might not be to another person, so if you guys can fill in the price gap I would really appreciate it.
3. Do they still make parts for the 986? Do indy shop still service these cars? I would hate to buy a 10-12 year old car and then realized that no shops including dealership will service these cars or have parts for them.
Thank you so much!