Price on a 2001 Boxster S

[vinas1970]

Hello guys,

I am fairly new to this forum, I am in the market for a 01-02 Boxster S.
I test drove a 01 Black on Black in Mint condition with 68k miles. I plan on getting a PPI done this week at an indy shop. I wanted to stay with a car that was not a garage queen, and had some miles on it.
I know the prices depend a lot on the options of these cars but this one doesn't have a whole bunch of options but its very very clean, dealer maintained here in NJ. The owner is asking 20.5. What would you think would be a reasonable offer? I was thinking of offering him 18k, and go from there?

Thanks,
Vin

[BoxsterLewis]

Got my yellow on black 01 S with 82K for 16,990. Been running great so far

[Perfectlap]

Not sure what you're budget is but I would look for a lower mileage car. This is the best buyer's market I have ever seen. Buying a 68K mile car that is expensive to repair is not your best option in my opinion.
I would suggest a 2000-20003 S with less than 40K miles that comes with Litronics (HID), 18" wheels and doesn't need bodywork. In tough times garage queens are the first thing to get dumped. These cars are reliable by Porsche standards, as long as it checks out after PPI there's nothing wrong with buying a car with less 40K miles.

[rick3000]

The general rule of thumb with Boxster's is to buy the lowest mileage and newest car you can afford.
If you want to spend between $18k and 21K I would look for a '00 or '01 and you can probably find one with less than 40k miles if you hunt. It depends on what your looking for. If it is going to be a weekend car then a newer higher mile car might be okay, but if it is going to be a DD I would go with an older lower mile car. A car without a lot of miles is okay, I got my '99 with 17k miles, that was less than 2k miles a year the previous owner did. I had a vaccum leak from some crystallized fuel, and after that I have had no problems related to the low miles on the car.

With 68k miles your probably going to have to spend some cash in a few thousand miles, on the things like rotors, etc.
If you love the car and the PPI goes alright go for it, but I wouldn't rule out continuing to search for a lower mileage car. I think 18k would be fair but you might be able to go lower considering the market for cars these days.

[mikefocke]

Yes.

Reasonable theory to buy a well maintained but driven frequently car? Yes. I bought an '01S with 42k miles on it 4 years ago. I'm the third owner. Almost no trouble in 12k and 4 years. I carry it on my books now that spring is here at $20.5k. It is fairly well equipped with options (PSM, CD changer, auto seats, etc) but nothing super special.

Reasonable to buy a black car? Only if you love polishing it and debating the best way to get swirl marks out. They sure do look good just after the polishing is finished though. And hot in the summer!

I presume you have read this

[vinas1970]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I just thought that buying a car that has a decent amount of mileage would put me further away from the danger zone of any IMS engine failure, or any major problems. I read some where that the lower mileage boxster were more prone to these problems.

[rick3000]

That is sort of correct. Garage queen Boxster's are more likely to have problems because they are not driven enough, and seals and things dry out and crystalize, etc. Cars that have been driven regularly (hence more miles) tend not to have these types of problems because they have not been sitting around. Just another testament to the fact that you should drive your Boxster, and not keep in the garage.

On older cars (pre-2001) IMS is very, very rare and you really only have to worry about RMS which can be detected ahead of time by watching for oil leaks. In '01 Porsche redesigned the IMS (to eliminate vibration/noise) which made it prone to failure, the older cars didn't have this problem. So with a low mile pre-'01 car you would probably not have to worry about IMS. After that year, you can be concerned about both RMS and IMS.
Generally, after 35-40k miles the chances of either IMS or RMS decreases, but they can still happen. So buying a car with 68k miles vs. a car with 40k miles is not going to make much of difference in safety against IMS or RMS.
Good Luck with the Decision!

[tboyer]

IMO, a higher mileage Boxster with service history is a better choice than a lower mileage non garage queen with no history. I purchased my '01 S with 65K over a lower mileage 03 S because the 01 had Porsche service records back to 49K. The service history show'd RMS replacement, brake service, AOS replacement, MAF, etc....all of the common problems (except the coolant expansion tank and water pump which I had to do all most right away) Since Nov '07, I've put 7.5K on the clock! You'll find history from private sellers, uc dealers rarely have anything other than the keys to hand over. In any case, get a PPI!

[blue2000s]

An S for under $19k is depressing to me, as an owner. 3 years ago, that car with that mileage would have been worth $26k.

[vinas1970]

All the maintanence and repairs on this boxster have been done by Paul Miller Porsche in NJ. The current owner(2nd owner) has all mainteance records since he owned that car. He bought the car off a 4yr lease from Paul Miller, He has said the brakes, clutch and tires have been done within the year. I offered him 17k.
Let see if he takes the bait.