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Old 07-15-2007, 07:01 PM   #1
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Looking to buy a 986, price check pls.

Hi,

I'm about to buy a 00' or 01' Boxster, looking for something with about 30 to 60,000 miles. An "S" is not necessary but if I can find one at a great price then I'll go for it. Stock would be fine, but if I can find one with some nice basic mods then that would be better.

I'm located in Los Angeles, what would be a realistic price for one?

I'm thinking about $18,000 to $20,000?

Any shops you guys can recommend for a PPI in Culver City area?

Follow up question, for more or less the same price, would you rather buy a stock car with 30 to 40K miles or one with alot of very nice mods but with 60K+ miles?

Thanks.


Last edited by tracke30m3; 07-15-2007 at 08:01 PM.
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Old 07-15-2007, 08:21 PM   #2
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Buy the youngest, low mileage S you can find. I'd take a low mileage stock gargage queen over a modified high mileage boxster any day. If you have not driven an S, you should do so before settling on a non-S.

I have a basic boxster and its underpowered. I always see S's around and wonder how much better it would be if I had waited.

I also wish I had bought some guy's garage queen instead of a third hand daily driver.

Prices? Go to a good bookstore and buy a copy of Excellence. The most recent issue has an excellent market report on what to look for, and current prices.
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Old 07-16-2007, 10:02 PM   #3
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Thanks for the input, your site has been usefull too.

What would be considered high mileage for a Boxster?

If I can find an S priced very near non-S territory then I will go for it. But I'm not willing to pay much of a premium for an S. I just want an affordable fun to drive convertible that I can use as everyday transport.

Thanks again.
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Old 07-16-2007, 11:36 PM   #4
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I'm planning to sell mine since my wife and I just had a baby girl and my 2 seater is causing a lot of problem for me. It's an '00 S silver although it has 67K miles. If interested, let me know.
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Old 07-16-2007, 11:49 PM   #5
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for the money youd 'waste' on a 2.7 go for a lotus elise, way way better. the 2.7 is flat as a witches tit
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Old 07-17-2007, 02:39 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tracke30m3
Hi,

I'm about to buy a 00' or 01' Boxster, looking for something with about 30 to 60,000 miles. An "S" is not necessary but if I can find one at a great price then I'll go for it. Stock would be fine, but if I can find one with some nice basic mods then that would be better.

I'm located in Los Angeles, what would be a realistic price for one?

I'm thinking about $18,000 to $20,000?

Any shops you guys can recommend for a PPI in Culver City area?

Follow up question, for more or less the same price, would you rather buy a stock car with 30 to 40K miles or one with alot of very nice mods but with 60K+ miles?

Thanks.
MY comments on pricing - see what the edmunds TMV is and then try to undercut that price by as much as possible. 18-20k is realisitic, especially if you buy from a private seller. In fact, if you were to get an '00 with 60K miles on it (and it was not well loaded) I would certainly not pay 18,000 for it.

As for the S vs non-S, what is your driving style and desire? I personally do not care about speed/power as much as most guys and I just wanted to have a porsche. As a result, I decided to save money (and gas) and get a non-S. If acceleration is important, a regular box probably will not cut it for you.

Lastly, I would prefer a 30-40k boxster (unloaded) over a decked out 60K+. One thing you really need - sound system upgrade. Look for a bose sound system one, or make mods yourself. My stock 2-speaker sound system is a disgrace.
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Old 07-17-2007, 06:32 AM   #7
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To answer your question about mileage, Porsches do not have the same 12k a year mileage average like Hondas or Toyotas or even Chevrolets. Pcars and other sports cars of the same variety have a far lower yearly average mileage of something like 7k or less.

So, a Pcar with 10-12k per year average on it for its age should take a sizeable hit in depreciation.

You should be able to find a Boxster with less than 7k a year average mileage on it for under 20k in very good condition. Look for someone who bought the car as their dream car and then didn't drive it enough to justify keeping it. That's the pre-owned Porsche to buy... one that's been driven a little, pampered a lot, and has all the maintenance done on it and records to prove it.

Since there are a glut of used Boxsters on the market, finding one like this should not be too hard, but it may not happen locally. Never be scared to fly somewhere and test drive a car and take it to a dealer for a PPI while in town for a couple of days. The $1k or $1.5k you spend on the airline ticket, hotel and the PPI, then the fuel home or a transport company bill at the dealership is cheap compared to buying the wrong car close by that will cost you that the first year to get repaired.
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Old 07-17-2007, 08:15 AM   #8
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If you haven't read this buying a used Boxster guide

Here is a link to lots of buying info
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Old 07-17-2007, 07:49 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by deano_123
for the money youd 'waste' on a 2.7 go for a lotus elise, way way better. the 2.7 is flat as a witches tit

I doubt you can find an Elise for about $20k.

I'm not after performance, I need a fuel efficient but fun daily driver.

I will just be in LA for about 6 months (possibly longer?). I still have my modded 993 C2 and 996TT back home, so I'm not looking for performance.

Thanks for all the help guys.
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Old 07-18-2007, 12:24 PM   #10
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As mentioned, unless you are already conditioned to horsepower, you may be content with the "fast looking" 2.7 liter boxster. I am fairly certain that you will not find an "S" with 50,000 miles or less for $20,000. I believe the lowest I've seen with those criteria is $21,900.

I bought my 2001 "S" three weeks ago after a fairly exhaustive search. When I started looking, I had no intension of getting an "S" but added it to my must-have criteria after test driving a regular 2.7 liter.
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Old 07-18-2007, 12:42 PM   #11
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I'm constantly skimming Ebay Motors for Porsches and I always sort the results by mileage first, scroll down until I'm in the $$$ area that I'm looking to spend. The prices for high end cars are always marked up on Ebay (and reflected in the 'Buy it Now' price) but I look at the bids. If there are no bids obviously the car is priced above the market. The closer the auction is to its end the higher the bids if the car is priced realistically. But keep in mind that internet sales for cars tend to be lower (on average) than local sales. Particularly in areas where supply is low.

and as far as mileage, if its not CPO'd, I need a screaming deal to even consider a car with mileage north of 50K. Too many garage queens out there looking for homes. I'm sometimes amazed at how little the price difference for a car with 20K and one with double the mileage.
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Old 07-18-2007, 07:54 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wret
As mentioned, unless you are already conditioned to horsepower, you may be content with the "fast looking" 2.7 liter boxster. I am fairly certain that you will not find an "S" with 50,000 miles or less for $20,000. I believe the lowest I've seen with those criteria is $21,900.

I bought my 2001 "S" three weeks ago after a fairly exhaustive search. When I started looking, I had no intension of getting an "S" but added it to my must-have criteria after test driving a regular 2.7 liter.
I just test drove a 00' non S an hour ago, it was not fast but neither was it slow. That is if you look at it from a daily driver point of view and not from a high performance car point of view. I'm fine with the 2.7, I like it, I dont see the need to get an S. My 996TT has about 500hp, so even an S will feel slow.

What would you you guys pay for an 00' with 35K miles on it? Pretty good shape except the "soft touch" coating on the interior bits are coming off in some areas. It also has no door speakers, a cassette head unit and 16" rims.
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Old 07-19-2007, 05:35 AM   #13
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Some Say

Some say if you get a 2.7 make sure it has over 50K on it because if it hasnt been replaced by then it should be a good motor.

I would sell you my 2000 S with 64K for $21000.

And yes it is fast, Not as fast as a 996TT. But who drags a Boxster or a Porsche for that matter, The curves are where it counts.

But i wouldnt buy anything less than an S...but thats just me.
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Old 07-19-2007, 07:16 PM   #14
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True, the curves are more fun. But there is no denying the rush you get as you stomp on the gas as you exit one curve along the straight that connects you to the next curve.

Besides, to be a truly great performance car, a car has to perform well on the curves and on the straights. Anyone who says straightline accleration is useless should try driving on the Nurburgring.
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Old 07-20-2007, 11:02 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dohertycm
Some say if you get a 2.7 make sure it has over 50K on it because if it hasnt been replaced by then it should be a good motor.
that's the 2.5 your thinking of 97-99.
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Old 07-20-2007, 11:40 AM   #16
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I'm going to start a new thread right now and call it 2007 Boxster Pricing and rekey the Excellence magazine pricing matrix...
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Old 07-21-2007, 12:04 AM   #17
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I'm thinking if I should make an offer on a 2.7 I test drove, 00' with 35K miles on it. First owned, pretty good shape except the "soft touch" coating on the interior bits are coming off in some areas. It also has no door speakers, a cassette head unit and 16" rims. The CD player and rims are easy enough to upgrade, the door speakers are not. No way I can live with the sound of the dash speakers alone.


Or should I look for one with atleast the door speakers and a CD player, and hopefully 17" or 18" wheels?

It would probably cost less to buy one with these installed than for me to upgrade the wheels, stereo and add speakers right?
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Old 08-08-2007, 01:08 PM   #18
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tracke30m3 - how did your car search go? I would recommend waiting until you find one exactly or as close as you can to your liking. Dont limit yourself to just your local area either. I originally was going to buy a 99 base boxster just bc I fell in love with it during the first test drive for about $16,500, but things fell through (Thankfully).

I'm glad I didn't rush it bc I ended up test driving about 5 more and ended up buying an immaculate 02 "S" this past March with a lot more options (xenons, color, rear speaker/bose set up, heated seats, 18in sport classic II wheels, etc) for $21,900. It did have higher miles (61K), but was driven regularly by an older gentleman who traded it in for a new 911, so it had all its service records. I had a friend get a PPI on it just in case, and once confirmed clean, flew to Boston to pick it up. I'm sure you don't need the power, but getting the S does give you some nice added features like the white dials, 6 gears, nicer brakes, etc. These and the other options I mentioned have been upgraded by other people on their own which can definitely add up. You are doing the right thing by asking this board, I've learned so much lurking here and I'm so glad to officially be part of the club!

Good Luck on your search and do keep us posted!
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Old 08-08-2007, 02:55 PM   #19
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I agree with JVMoney that this board was a great help when making a purchase decision. I must have posted 25 times before I bought a car and all my questions were answered politely and intelligently.

Concerning the S vs non-S decision. I also went through that consideration process. At the time I bought my car the premium for an S seemed to be $8-10k over a non-S in similar condition. It appears that prices on 986's have softened considerably in the past year and I'm now seeing asking prices for low-mileage S's in the low to mid $20k range. For example, there is an 01 S with 43k on the Washington, DC Craigslist for $23,500. (I paid $21,250 for my 00 with 30k on it in April 2006.) Of course I haven't seen the car in person, but it looks good in pictures and the seller claims to have had it serviced by the dealer.

Now that the price differential between the S and non-S has narrowed, the only downside I see to the S is the lower fuel economy. I drive my Boxster about 10k miles a year and average 28 mpg. While it isn't exactly an economy car, I think it is respectable. If I was just driving the car on weekends, the S would be my choice.

Good luck with your search.
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Old 08-08-2007, 03:36 PM   #20
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Looking to buy a 986 in LA

I looked for about two months and finally bought a 2000 986 with just under 22k for $18,700 ( see attached photos) Car was in LA-I'm in OC. It's Artic silver w/grey leather-Chrome 17" wheels, very well cared for and I'm really enjoying it. The best deal I found for an S was a low mile LA car for $23,000 which put it out of my reach by several thousands.

There are allot of Boxsters available for sale in the LA area. Just keep looking-your car is out there!

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