High Mileage Boxster S
 

Hey guys, I've been having a lot of trouble with my current Mini Cooper S lately and I have been thinking once I get back and running I might sell it and buy something a bit more reliable. So I was looking around on craigslist and found a 2000 Porsche Boxster S for sale for about the same amount as I would get for selling my Mini. The only problem is that the Boxster has 144,500 miles on it. I know Porsches are very reliable cars, but I'm still a bit concerned since that is quite a lot of miles. Is there anything I should look for like problem areas on the car? Will this car last longer without any major problems?

Piece of string question.

That's a lot of miles for this type of car. You need to read around extensively to bone up on the weak points. Ideally, you want the car inspected by someone who knows 986s back to front.

Without experience of owning or working with them, I suspect yu'll struggle to spot if this car is a problem waiting to happen.

Do lots of research, go in with your eyes open.

Pothole, i think thats exactly what he's trying to do.. At least it was a free bump....

But first off man you have to realize a few things... 1) ALL cars are different!! Just because a neighbors boxster exploded at 150,000 miles doesn't mean yours will! Or if theres a guy with half a million miles doesn't mean yours will make it that far! Every car has its little nicks and you need to be willing to make repairs...

2) Just because Porsche has a great name, and builds amazingly well built and solid cars, that does not make them reliable, it just makes them expensive to work on ;). However; boxsters are extremely reliable cars, but they like to be driven HARD, and if you can't fulfill their needs, you should probably by something different.

3) GET A PPI (Prepurchase Inspection). Preferably by a German Mechanic that you feel is reputable and you can trust. Since you already have a Mini should make this tast fairly easy. They will look over the car (usually charging 1 to 1.5 hours of labor) with a fine tooth comb and tell you everything they find that can change 1) the value of the car and 2) how much money you need to put in later. As i was once told, "It's a lot easier to part with $100 than it is with $5000...."

4) Boxsters are amazingly fun and great cars. They sound good, they handle amazing, the S makes great power, and can put the power to the ground (even without a limit slip.....:mad:). That little "S" makes a huge difference and you will appriciate it continously!!

Overall, in my opinion, BUY IT! If you have the money, and you think you can fulfill all of its sexy, sports car needs, then do it. You'll never regret it. Just get ready to enjoy some great, spirited driving. Cuz remember, There Is No Compromise! ;)

Hope this was helpful. Please ask more specific questions!

P.S. The biggest cause of engine failure is the IMS bearing (intermediate shaft Bearing)... If this has not been done, you're looking at putting in an instant $600 in parts and about 10 hours of labor. Plus since you're there you'll want to do a clutch... So you're looking at almost $2000.... Or drive around just waiting for an engine swap... Carrera 3.4L??? Ehh, ehh???:cheers:

Any 12-yr old car with 144,000 miles is going to need some repairs at some point and if you don't want to deal with repairs then an older, high mileage car might not be the right car.

The most important thing to do is to have a Pre-Purchase Inspection (PPI) done by an experienced Porsche mechanic (independent or dealer). They will know what to look for and can advise you on deferred repairs and past due maintenance.

The price of buying a Boxster might be reasonably inexpensive but you need to be ready for the cost of maintenance and repairs especially when buying a high mileage car. A set of tires runs $700-$1,200 and the rears will need to be replaced again in 12,000 miles (almost yearly if the car is your daily driver). A new clutch is $2,000. A new starter is $750 installed. About the same for an alternator. DIY oil changes are every 3,000-5,000 miles using 9-10 quarts of $8 per quart synthetic oil + filter = $100. The major service (every 60,000 miles) is $1,200 at the dealer, $800 at an independent shop, and $400 to buy the parts even if you're going to do it yourself.

If you think that you might want to regularly track the car, then double everything (expect 5,000 miles per set of tires).

A good recommendation is to keep $1,500 in reserve for repairs per year. If you spend less, consider yourself lucky.

With all of that being said, you'll also get one of the most satisfying cars in the world to drive and you'll have a smile on your face everytime you get behind the wheel.

I think you need to study up on Porsches a bit. Going from your Mini to a Boxster for lower cost of ownership, especially a high mileage Boxster, probably isn't going to end well for you.

I'm going to make the change because I heard Porsches are far more reliable than 1st gen MINIs which have a ridiculous amount of problems from the factory. I know that ALL german cars are expensive cars to repair, the car before my MINI was a 2000 Jetta 1.8T which h I performed all maintenance on and I perform all the maintenance and repair on my MINI. I'm also used to oil changes that often since I performed them with Pentosin synthetic 5W-40 every 3K miles.

Its great that you can service the cars you own - that's a real big step in the right direction.

But listen to what blue2000 / thstone is saying to you - there is no such thing as a cheap Porsche - if you don't do your homeworks with due diligence, be prepared to be burnt big time.....

Mini and Jetta parts pricing does not equate to Porsche parts pricing!

I realize that, I just want to make sure everyone knows that I'm not comparing this to something like a Honda or domestic that have suuuuper cheap replacement parts and aren't very hard to maintain

IMO, 144K = no deal. It's not just the engine, all the other parts cv joints, shocks, springs have 150K on them. That's too tired of a car to buy without headaches unless one was purchasing it to do a ground up restore and even then the parts would kill you. There are a ton of good used Boxsters out there. I'd save some more and keep looking.

I am just repeating what the above posters say, this car has too many miles on it. I bought my 2001 Boxster with 30k miles on it and have spent $2000 on it since spring. Do yourself a favour and get a low/lower mileage one. Get a PPI done if you are that interested. Even if you bought it for a $1, you would have to sink thousands of $ into it. Dont fall in love with the first one u see. Take your time. Do lots of research on the internet and ask lots of questions. Enjoy the search and let us know what u decide!

Some of the other guys are trying to give you some good advice on buying the right Boxster. But I'm telling you there's not much chance that a Porsche isn't going to cost even more. Your going to have to replace things on the Porsche that you didn't even know existed on other cars. The reputation Porsche built for solid construction is a long gone memory. Keep reading through the threads of this and the other Porsche boards.

No offense to some of the others, but if you haven't owned onee of these cars for at least five years, you don't know what long term ownership is like. I've had mine for six years.

These are rewarding, exhilarating, capable high performance cars, but short of some of the Italian brands, they are probably some of the most temperamental modern cars made.

You haven't mentioned the mileage.

For example 15k would be way too high.

I'd think 10k or under would be a pretty good deal. Under 8k would be a steal.

And of course be ready to spend another 2-3k within 1,000 miles on any repairs it might need.

Agreed!
 

Ghostrider said just what I was going to type, so I'll just jump on the bandwagon and simply agree with him. Always fascinated me when I was in the business, a customer would come in and want the engine rebuilt in his 19xx whatever. Conveniently forgetting that all the other parts have the same mileage as the old motor did. Plenty of used Boxsters out there with far less miles on everything, you can choose a better one I think.

Good luck in your hunt!

J T

Personally, I don't think you can make assumptions based on mileage. You can out big miles on cars with very little wear to most parts if it's long distance motorway / highway cruising.

Meanwhile, lots of engine-battering cold starts and short journeys around poor quality urban roads can trash a car in very short shift.

I'd be wary of a high mile car. And I probably wouldn't travel a long way to view one. But if it's local and priced to sell, it's worth a look.

We all know these cars can fail. But think of it this way. Take two Boxsters, both on their original engines. One is one 100k, the other on 150k. The 150k one obviously has one of the good engines. Is it really more likely the 100k engine will reach 125k than the 150k one will reach 175k? Once you're over 100k, I'd say all bets are off.

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!

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.

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.

I bought a 2000 S that had exactly 100k miles on it about a year ago. It's worked out OK for me so far. The car has needed a new coolant tank, alternator, air flow sensor and some vacuum leak fixes but seems basically sound.

Visit the car when you can perform a cold start. Look to be sure the check engine light is functional - it should light up when the key is turned to the on position before you start the motor. Start the car and listen for bad noises. A little cloud of oil smoke shouldn't necessarily cause you to reject the car. Take it for a long drive and see how it drives and runs. Make sure the top goes up and down OK. If everything works OK and you like the car, think about making an offer. Recognizing it's going to cost you some money for stuff you didn't spot and other things that are going to wear out, consider an offer of $7-8k but it would depend on the subjective feel of the car on the test drive. I paid $12k for mine and I feel I paid too much.

Don't mix your fun car with your transportation car. A 100k+ Boxster will be too troublesome to be your transportation car but it can be a fun car to own and drive if you can get it cheap enough and you like working on projects. Don't spend more money than you can afford to throw away or lose if the car fails catastrophiclly. I kind of wish I'd bought a Miata but I'm 6'3" and I can't quite fit comfortably in one. I think a Miata can give much of the same fun factor as a Boxster but be a lot more practical.

I have a 2000 S and love it...but with the 144K miles I would avoid it. It will become a bigger money pit, more that the Cooper you have now. Just check and see what the brakes cost, top, suspension, engine, etc. Cheaper to buy a lower mileage one, more like in the 60's. It's a buyers market...fine one that's one owner or well maintained with records. Good luck.

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: