What Is This Car Worth?

[LightngSVT]

OK the title's a little misleading as I have a few cars Im very seriously considering and was wondering what the experts here thought of them. I know they are 987's but you guys seem to be experts.

1. 08 S, 55k miles (seems pretty high), $31890, the miles are a huge issue and I know they've had this car at least 3 months- 2008 Porsche Boxster S - Used Cars For Sale Columbus, OH Prestige Euro Cars

2. 08 base, 44k miles (higher end), **certified!!!**, $32500, Love the 19's not really wanting a red/tan car but its growing on me- 2008 Porsche Boxster Guards Red | Knoxville, Tennessee | Harper's Porsche

3. 06 S, 32k miles, $29995, a bit older than I wanted and silver over gray is a bit boring but its got price and miles on its side- Used 2006 Porsche Boxster S For Sale in Tuscaloosa AL | Birmingham, Bessemer, Hoover | VIN: WP0CB29856U730824

I really think I'd prefer an S but could be happy with a base Im sure.

4. 06, 32k miles, like the color, really good price- Cars for Sale: 2006 Porsche Boxster in Brook Park, OH 44142: Convertible Details - 322238062 - AutoTrader.com

5. 05, 29k miles, wife likes yellow and I could buy it outright with cash- Cars for Sale: 2005 Porsche Boxster in Wallingford, CT 06492: Convertible Details - 322178657 - AutoTrader.com

[Topless]

Pay cash for the 05. You will spend a bit more on maintenance but always better than financing. This is essentially what I did 7 years ago and I would do it again.


** Cars with a bunch of miles from the rust belt means that they likely spent many days and nights out in the snow and salt. This ages a ragtop car dramatically compared to a Calif/AZ car or one that was properly winterized.

[Gforrest2]

Originally Posted by LightngSVT

I really think I'd prefer an S but could be happy with a base Im sure.

From what I understand, this is only true if you don't test drive an S.

[wvboxst3r]

This would be easy for me. Cash! As stated, becareful buying in the north. We have turned down several cars after driving to see them due to rust, wear and tear.

On the one at Prestige- we purchased a Land Rover from him last year. Price was right and he was easy to deal with, it also seemed like he had quality cars.

You might want to call

Thomas Classics | Porsche | Akron, Ohio

Ask for Eric or Chad great small company, super guys to work with see if they remember us. That is where I bought my 2000 last year for Christmas.

[dghii]

Love the yellow 05! That is a great asking price given the mileage. Most 05's I've seen in Florida are still low-mid 20's with 50-60K miles.

[mrjr1000]

Must add this. Once you drive an S base will not satisfy... just sayin. More hp. Better braking. Better suspension. Better resell!

[trimer]

I have an 02 in FANTASTRIC condition. Just turned 35,000 miles. Was a texas car and I have had it a few months here in Florida. Great car, very quick...not an S, runs great... Had Brumos Porsche change oil and do a multi point inspect as soon as I got it and there was ZERO metal in the oil. Only issue they found seems to be (and as they put it...just watch it as it is fine) is a small seepage from the RMS. There is ZERO oil on my floor and I am a freak about this car. Willing to part for $20K. Wheels are 17inc and perfect.

Seal Grey with lighter grey interior. Let me know if you want to see some pics and I will snap some with my iphone...will take a video of starting if you wish...just send me your email!

Todd
Jacksonville, Florida.

[jcb986]

I agree about the S model. Just so much more car for the money. A car is what is worth is what you want to pay for it. You always haggle over the price...this comes from the old horse n' buggy days. No one ever pays asking price, so you need to know your car of choice, the year, any problems that it may have had. Go to Kelly Blue Book and look it the Private Seller Price, the Trade-In Price. Now wholesale can be 10-15% below the trade-in price and you need to be a dealer to buy at auction. So, I would pivot off the trade price and go 10% under and then see were it leads you to.

[Topless]

Originally Posted by mrjr1000

Must add this. Once you drive an S base will not satisfy... just sayin. More hp. Better braking. Better suspension. Better resell!

Clearly this is a personal choice that not everyone agrees with. I've driven em all including the Boxster Spyder, Cayman R, C2S, C4S, GTS, GT3 and I like the 2.5L just fine. Different strokes for different folks.

[recycledsixtie]

One of the above posters says"drive them all". I have a 2001 Boxster base and I never tried the S. I don't have the need for more hp. Brakes on mine are fantastic. Suspension? I would think that the S has harder suspension and frankly at my age my wife and I don't need hard suspension. What is the purpose of this car? Daily driver, tracking, autocross? Make sure it meets your needs before u pull the trigger? What options does it have? My 2001 base does not even have remote key entry!And of course try and get service records and PPI done before u buy. DO NOT be in a hurry to buy!
Black exterior is a b---h to keep clean!

[LightngSVT]

Thanks for all the advice. Ive been around the block a few times, probably owned ~15 cars since I started driveing 20+ years ago. Of course any seller, dealer or not, never puts their bottom line out on the first offer so All those car have at least $1000 - 2000 or more room to negotiate. Im looking for a car that can do it all: be a toy, a DD, cruiser, occasional road trip, autocross and DE.

I have driven base 08 Boxster, Cayman and a new 11' S w/ PDK. The S was pretty amazing! I thought the S rode fine but my DD has 19" wheels on it and it doesnt bother me at all.

Whatever I get would be paid off in 8 - 12 months, so no long term financing here. So you think 10% over trade in price is a fair offer? Seems a bit on the low side.

[sgt brad]

just my .02, but the 06 in alabama looks nice. yeah the color combo isn't spectacular, but it's easy to detail and doesn't attract unwanted attention. it also appears to be well optioned w/ sport chrono, nav, heated seats, obc, etc. obviously check for previous damage, but 29k is a nice price. better still have them check the engine code. if it's an m96 it's also ims upgradable. the one thing that struck me about it is that the radio/a/c buttons aren't chewed up like almost every other 987 i have seen. could mean it was well taken care of by the previous owner.

fwiw i paid 20k last fall for an 02 s w/ 40k miles. it had ims/rms done, new clutch, new tranny by gbox, new cv boots, new aos, new oil fill tube, new waterpump, new low temp thermostat, and high dollar exhaust. and, the car was immaculately maintained. the ideal one is out there. you just gotta find it.

brad

[LightngSVT]

Sorry if these are dumb questions but what is obc? and how do you check / verify the engine code? And what would you pay as an OTD price on the 06 S? Keeping in mind that its about 13 hours away.

[Johnny Danger]

It's a known fact that speed yellow is by far the fastest color, and nubile women are drawn to it . In addition, there's evidence to suggest that it combats baldness, dry skin, tooth yellowing and irritable bowel syndrome. Find a suitable "S" model and get it !

[Ghostrider 310]

Originally Posted by Johnny Danger

It's a known fact that speed yellow is by far the fastest color, and nubile women are drawn to it . In addition, there's evidence to suggest that it combats baldness, dry skin, tooth yellowing and irritable bowel syndrome. Find a suitable "S" model and get it !

Vagina Slims yellowing your teeth? Try a brown tie..

[aratapuss]

My Porsche buying experience was a bit different than many of the previous posters . . .

5 years ago I first drove a 2003 S model, and liked the car. Shortly thereafter I found a 2004 base model, optioned nicely, and bought it, from Grand Rapids Michigan.

Several posters note to be wary of cars from here, but my experience is that most Boxsters are not year round daily drivers, thus never see snow and salt. So surely be forewarned, but not scared off.

My only wish after 5 years of ownership, is more power, brought on by driving a few 911's and one 2008 Boxster S. I want 350- 400 HP, and also a 20 year old concubine, but realize I am quite happy with what I have, am actually quite lucky to be where I am with both marriage and Autos, and will always long for more. Find the car that suit your senses, when you drive it, it will speak to you. The S mentioned previously did not, the Base model did. I do not track or autocross, yet, but having a base model will not prevent me from doing either in the future.

[sgt brad]

Originally Posted by LightngSVT

Sorry if these are dumb questions but what is obc? and how do you check / verify the engine code? And what would you pay as an OTD price on the 06 S? Keeping in mind that its about 13 hours away.

Obc=on board computer. Gives MPG, outside temp, etc.

Ask them to give you the engine serial number. If m96 then you are good. M97 motors have the non replaceable ims. It was why I got a 986 instead of 987. Found out later that some 05-06boxsters had m96 engines.

27-29k seems pretty decent for a 987 depending on options. If you can get it for less then its money in the bank afaiac.

Good luck.

[LightngSVT]

Actually the S I drove spoke to me and I would have loved to take it home, thats what got me started on thinking of S model. It was its price of $58k that didnt do much speaking, actually it kind of quietly whimpered. Id love the performance, warranty and "new car smell" of a new Boxster S but that is just a crap load of cash!

So M96 is the better engine to have? I thought I had heard 911 guys talking about the M97 being more reliable? So the M96 can be upgraded to prevent the IMS failure where as the M97 you just have to cross your fingers and hope you have a good one?

I really have no issues with buying a local car from Michigan, Ohio, etc. As was mentioned with our winters most people put their good cars away for the winter. The only reason all the cars Im looking at are mainly in the south is because there just arent many around here and when they do pop up they're gone quick (usually). For example local Porsche dealer had an 08 they put on Autotrader before they actually had the car on hand (lease turn in) and it sold before the car even was technically available. Though there is an 08 and an 09 about 30 minutes away that Im going to check out today.

I got a call yesterday from a dealer in Fl with an 08 base yellow car I contacted them about around a month ago. They sent me a ton of pics, car seems mint, 32k miles, average options and CPO'd until 2015 for $32k including shipping to MI (or free flight to go get the car). If they'd go $31k it would almost be to good to pass up. Another monkey wrench in the plan...

[sgt brad]

okay you seem like the kind of guy who would be unhappy buying a lesser performance model if you knew 1 was out there that had more horsepower and better performance. just stop looking at standard models and wait for the right car to come along. if you don't, you will always be sorry that you didn't buy the better model. this takes nothing away from a standard model or the people that own them. It's just that some people will not be happy knowing that there is something better out there

[husker boxster]

Originally Posted by LightngSVT

So M96 is the better engine to have? I thought I had heard 911 guys talking about the M97 being more reliable? So the M96 can be upgraded to prevent the IMS failure where as the M97 you just have to cross your fingers and hope you have a good one?

You've answered your own question. You have to decide what "better" means for you. The M96 can have the IMS replaced for $2K. The M97 design is much better from the factory but not infallible. To change the IMS on an M97, the engine needs to be removed and the case split in half. Very expensive, so most M97 owners don't do it. The IMS failure rate is significantly less on an M97 engine, but that's based on owners reporting to forums like this one and Planet-9. No one knows the actual numbers besides Porsche.

Planet-9 has more 987 owners than here and there's way less chatter about IMS on that forum. Lots of M96 failures reported here. I own two M97 engined vehicles and while I'd like to upgrade the IMS, I'm not going to spend that kind of coin. I still sleep well at night.

Don't obsess over this issue in your search. If you buy an M96, assume another $2K on an IMS upgrade. If you purchase an M97, check the oil change intervals of the previous owner and go from there (more frequent changes are believed to be better for IMS longevity). 5-8K mi or once a yr is considered ideal.