Quote:
Originally Posted by pratt3000
Can someone tell me where I can buy a boxster in the US. If anyone is selling their boxster on this forum I'd love to check it out, is there a place I can go to or is this forum only for discussions?
I am looking for a 1997 - 1999 (double row IMS bearing) version. I am pretty new to this, but I have been doing my research. This will be my first car at 23!
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I had good success on FB Marketplace, got my 98 with 50k-mi for $12k USD.
You can occasionally find them in the classifieds here, but I'd cast a wide net and search FB, CL and a few others because a lot more people post there. Don't be afraid to wait, more of these get posted all the time so take your time and don't compromise on the features you really want (for example, I insisted on heated seats and full maintenance receipts, and I got both).
The 97-99 2.5L range is my favorite, it has catless headers that help with exhaust sound, the sharpest throttle response of the bunch with a mechanical cable (later cars had E-gas), and stronger piston skirt linings that help prevent bore-scoring (emphasis on "help", it's still possible to get it). Perhaps the best part, it has the shortest gearing of any Boxster, so you can really make the engine sing near redline without losing your license, unlike the later cars.
It does have a slightly lower redline at 6800, compared to 7200 in the 2.7/3.2, so you do miss out on around 400rpm of noise.
As for buying advice, bear in mind that side-impact airbags were introduced in 1998, so a 97 will be a bit lighter but a bit less safe. I went with a 98 because it's my daily driver. Also bear in mind that a DME readiness cycle is 60 miles, so test drive it around that far if you can, just in case the seller has cleared a check engine light to hide issues.
This is all that I've learned before/since buying my car earlier this year.
Best of luck and welcome to the Boxster family!