High Mileage Boxster S

[WhipE350]

Chupee - First let me say I hope to see you as a Boxster owner soon. Being a Mini driver you'll appreciate a 2000 'S', I own one (not a daily driver) but I really enjoy it. Also the knowledge on this forum is awesome...without their knowledge, Wayne's site, and the Bentley manual I'd still be afraid to do something as simple as change brake pads. I year ago I had never really renched a car, today there isn't anything I wouldn't do to the car with confidence. Ya I have built my own house and always serviced everything in it, but never got serious into cars. Sounds like you have experience with cars, if so you'll enjoy the Boxster and will greatly be able to reduce costs by doing things yourself and shopping around for the best prices.

I'm actually interested in getting a high mileage one myself for tracking. The mileage wouldn't concern me. If you bought a 150k miles Boxster from me it would likely have all new parts so potentially you could get a great car if it came from the right person. Have the PPI and you'll know for sure. Heck it might have all new suspension, exhaust...and so on.

How much are they asking if you don't mind me asking. If it is < $10k and has been very well maintained it could be a gem.

Good luck!

[Chupee]

Sorry I forgot to mention the price guys, it's listed at $9,995 so I think it's a pretty good deal. I'm thinking I might be able to talk them down maybe another $500 to $1K which would be great, but it does need new rear tires and especially so with snow on the horizon. I emailed the guy earlier today asking if he had any receipts for maintenance or parts and what work had been done recently. Will update when they reply.

[Ghostrider 310]

IMO, mileage means a little less on a model known to have engine failures prematurely. However the notion of, "it's all highway miles" is bunk to me. Highways have potholes and cars get worn from highways too. The price sounds good as long as you are willing to take that 9K to vegas, it's not very hard with a boxster to end up with a car that needs 9 or 10k to run again after a catastrophic breakdown.

[healthservices]

Originally Posted by Chupee

Sorry I forgot to mention the price guys, it's listed at $9,995 so I think it's a pretty good deal.

I've just bought two 2000 boxsters both over 100k in mileage in the last month and half. A 'S' at under 10 k sounds like it may be a salvaged titled car. Be sure to ask.

From my buying of used boxsters with high mileage and low cost I would say there is a considerable amount of 'little things' that as a whole will take a lot of time (money if you have to pay someone) to fix.

Horns tend not to work- easy to fix but takes time.

windows that do not come part way down and back up after opening

inop tops

Combo switches tend not to work.

gas gauges not reading correctly.

control arms worn out and noisy

sway bar links noisy

Poor maintenance

hoses need replacement

interior's rubberize paint peeling

HVAC control unit display bad.

Missing keys/remotes Remember there is not much aftermarket support for these. The dealer charges ~$400 each key programmed.

Make sure the check engine light goes on and goes off after start up (one of mine did not)

Weird electrical glitches that maybe related to the ignition switch.

Be sure to test the clutch.

Torn cv boots.

Front bumpers are sand blasted with chips

headlights yellow and hazy

worn out tops needing new plastic windows.

water damage to electronics due to leaks to interior.

Damaged HVAC doors, causing a lack of hot and cold air.

Stripped out spark plug holes.

Cooling fans that are inop

Make sure to smell for coolant after a test drive as well as a slipping clutch.

Etc.

I'm sure there are a ton of things but these just happen to pop into my head from the cars I saw. And many of the cars have all or some of these issues.


Make sure you know what you are getting into before you buy....:dance:

[Jake D]

I have nothing to contribute to this thread other than having a 00S and love it although I currently have it for sale. It has been a great car over the 2 years I have owned it with little to no issue other than a coolant tank I am currently replacing. I just hit 62K to I don't know about high miles.

Why I am writing was to inquire about your experience with the Mini. I was actually looking maybe to get one if I sell the Boxster. I am only selling the Boxster to get out of some debt. Anyways, I would like to know what you think of them or what issues you had if you wouldn't mind. I'm not trying to hijack your thread so if you want to PM me that works also.

Thanks, Jake

[Chupee]

Originally Posted by Jake D

I have nothing to contribute to this thread other than having a 00S and love it although I currently have it for sale. It has been a great car over the 2 years I have owned it with little to no issue other than a coolant tank I am currently replacing. I just hit 62K to I don't know about high miles.

Why I am writing was to inquire about your experience with the Mini. I was actually looking maybe to get one if I sell the Boxster. I am only selling the Boxster to get out of some debt. Anyways, I would like to know what you think of them or what issues you had if you wouldn't mind. I'm not trying to hijack your thread so if you want to PM me that works also.

Thanks, Jake

I've only had mine for a few months but other than a few strange issues I absolutely love the car. IMO it is the best handling fwd car on the market, but if you do get a MINI and want the more fun one get the 1st gen Cooper S. The 2nd gens are slightly bigger, less playful, and overall more boring. Having said that, the 1st gen cars do seem to have quite a few issues from the factory. The power steering pump is known to fail, the supercharger is also known to fail due to a poorly designed waterpump, and there have been several cases of clutches wearing out fairly quickly (60K miles or so), but I'm still not sure if that's due to driver error or just poor design. I would recommend a 2004 or later model though because with the earlier ones there seem to be quite a few more problems, trust me, I own an early 2003.

If you like to modify your car the R53 (1st gen S) has loads of aftermarket parts available, the most popular being supercharger pulley reduction, cai, and exhaust. Overall it's a great car if you know how to take care it and spot things going bad before they really **************** things up. You also have to be able to put up with people calling it a chick car or saying "awww it's so cute", but coming from a Boxster I'm sure you'll be able to cope