Boxster 220K miles -- would you buy?

[lmg70]

Hi:

Just looking for some advice from Porsche owners/mechanics. Saw this listing on Craigslist (below), an interesting proposition. Would you buy it?

"I have for sale an arctic silver 1997 Porsche Boxster with black leather and black convertible top. This car is not far from excellent condition and runs very well and has always been reliable. I bought this car about 10 rears ago and took it on many cross country road trips. I have never had any serious issues other than the clutch which has recently been replaced. The car has always been well taken care of and has always respectfully driven. There are no dings or dents and the paint is beautiful other than a minor scuff on the front bumper. It has 220,000 miles on it, mostly highway and still runs as strong as it did when I got it. The car has recently been gone through, serviced and I just put a new set of tires on it. I am asking $6,750.oo cash only no trades. There is plenty of fun left in this car and is a great car for the money! If you are interested feel free to contact me with any questions. "

[Perfectlap]

If its a cold weather car, I would ask for a list of repairs. Shocks, rotors, waterpump, rear tires, need to be in good shape or you'll be fixing those and you can spend about $4,000 easily.

[Jager]

Spend a couple hundred dollars on a pre-purchase inspection and get a detailed report on what the car needs. I would listen closely to the motor on a cold start-up and make sure there is no unusual noises. If everything checks-out the first thing I would personally do is replace the IMS bearing but that is easy for me and a little pricey if you pay to have it done. BTW I have over 254,000 miles on my Boxster with no major motor work.

[lmg70]

thanks for the quick reply!

[dghii]

No.

I'm not against high mileage cars but the price is too high. Check the price of suspension pieces as they are not cheap and are certainly suspect on a car a 16 year old car with 220k,

regardless of how it looks, this is a $5-6k car. Buy it right or keep looking.

I've bought two 98's for $4.8 and $5.4k in the last couple of years, both with half the mileage. Both cars ended up with about $1k in maintenance to bring them up to date.

[thstone]

Nice car but too expensive for that number of miles. Its probably around a $4K car.

Get a PPI. Be prepared to spend $3-4K unless the owner has already replaced shocks, bushings, wheel bearings, and CV joints/boots. After that, be ready to spend $2K a year to keep it running.

[lmg70]

thanks for all the replys. think i'll pass on this one.

[Perfectlap]

Good idea, that's probably the second highest amount of mileage I've heard of on a Boxster on this forum. Can't be far from an engine rebuild or lifter work. Interior has to be really worn with that much seat time.

[runjmc2]

Too many around. Mine is the same year and colors and I paid $7,900 with 96k mi and it had all of the key maintenance done. Even considering the highway miles the engine RPM hours is still over 100K compared to typical miles. If you are serious a good PPI should be able to tell you how many hours, average MPH, and number of overrevs. That would at least allow you to verify his story. Good luck on your search

[lmg70]

Some great advice/tips. Glad I asked! Thanks