986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners - View Single Post

tomob122 · 07-06-2018, 09:19 AM

Hello everyone! So excited to begin my life experience of becoming a Porsche owner. Been my favorite car since I can remember. After doing tons of due diligent reading, I am still lacking in the "confidence" of spotting a good deal vs. a bad deal. So, here is what I am facing...

1997 Porsche Boxster base
31,800 miles
$8,995.00

Car has NEVER seen the rain... I had to pass this owner's basically personality test just to be able to go and physically see the car as he wants it going to an honest and true car loving buyer.

CONS:
Parking brake -- the parking brake is broke and does not engage. Doing my reading, I assume it is the brake cable that broke. He has only driven the car 2,000 in the last 3 years so he's kept it engaged in first gear when parked
CO sensor -- owner believes dirt or something got in and causes check engine to come on sometimes

PROS:
- super low miles
- car looks brand new ... seriously ... it is hard to even find a rock chip on the front of this car and the leather looks like it just came straight from the factory
- new tires -- only 1000 miles put on them
- no coolant tank leak in the trunk

Pros ... Cons ... either or....?:
- owner disengaged the electronic convertible so it is a manual. Why? no idea. He is a little weird (which is completely fine, everyone has their quirks!). But, he said he NEVER drives with it up (because he NEVER takes it out when it is wet... seriously, he wouldn't even let me take it out when the roads were basically dry.). He said he disengaged it because it was a little slow working. I don't know...
- installed an aftermarket exhaust. In fairness, it sounds awesome... however, it isn't that "pure" Porsche sound... I can live with it
- he has not done any major service work ... i.e., clutch or anything. Con to this? He looked clueless when I brought up the clutch replacement and what not... I didn't even bother engaging with the conversation of the IMS (verified it has not been looked at). Pro to this? I get to start from ground zero on my own maintenance schedule: address IMS, address clutch, etc. Additionally, I don't have to worry that he had some below average person try to tackle anything.

OVERALL: Immediately, first thing would be to address the parking brake. I've seen quotes all over the place... any experiences? Any DIY tacklers? I'm hoping it is just the cable replacement. After that, I would look at doing the clutch and IMS.

I think it is good but again, this will be my first Porsche purchase. I only intend to have this as a weekend car during summer.

Any thoughts? Too good to be true?

07-06-2018, 09:19 AM	#1
tomob122 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: Minnesota Posts: 4	97 Boxster ... deal / no deal?! Hello everyone! So excited to begin my life experience of becoming a Porsche owner. Been my favorite car since I can remember. After doing tons of due diligent reading, I am still lacking in the "confidence" of spotting a good deal vs. a bad deal. So, here is what I am facing... 1997 Porsche Boxster base 31,800 miles $8,995.00 Car has NEVER seen the rain... I had to pass this owner's basically personality test just to be able to go and physically see the car as he wants it going to an honest and true car loving buyer. CONS: Parking brake -- the parking brake is broke and does not engage. Doing my reading, I assume it is the brake cable that broke. He has only driven the car 2,000 in the last 3 years so he's kept it engaged in first gear when parked CO sensor -- owner believes dirt or something got in and causes check engine to come on sometimes PROS: - super low miles - car looks brand new ... seriously ... it is hard to even find a rock chip on the front of this car and the leather looks like it just came straight from the factory - new tires -- only 1000 miles put on them - no coolant tank leak in the trunk Pros ... Cons ... either or....?: - owner disengaged the electronic convertible so it is a manual. Why? no idea. He is a little weird (which is completely fine, everyone has their quirks!). But, he said he NEVER drives with it up (because he NEVER takes it out when it is wet... seriously, he wouldn't even let me take it out when the roads were basically dry.). He said he disengaged it because it was a little slow working. I don't know... - installed an aftermarket exhaust. In fairness, it sounds awesome... however, it isn't that "pure" Porsche sound... I can live with it - he has not done any major service work ... i.e., clutch or anything. Con to this? He looked clueless when I brought up the clutch replacement and what not... I didn't even bother engaging with the conversation of the IMS (verified it has not been looked at). Pro to this? I get to start from ground zero on my own maintenance schedule: address IMS, address clutch, etc. Additionally, I don't have to worry that he had some below average person try to tackle anything. OVERALL: Immediately, first thing would be to address the parking brake. I've seen quotes all over the place... any experiences? Any DIY tacklers? I'm hoping it is just the cable replacement. After that, I would look at doing the clutch and IMS. I think it is good but again, this will be my first Porsche purchase. I only intend to have this as a weekend car during summer. Any thoughts? Too good to be true?