$8000 Boxster S

[BDBoxster]

Offer the guy $5k--$6k.....if he really needs the cash, he'll take it.

[Perfectlap]

Follow these simple rules.

Rule #1-Find out what car is worth. The ONLY way to do this accurately is to pay $200-$400 for a top to bottom pre-purchase inspection. Even then once you factor in all the things that need $$$$ you next need to factor in all of things that usually go at this mileage but don't show symptoms until they let go. $$$$$. Once you have addded A+B+C = what the car will actually cost you to run, you'll then ask yourself if this car is worth it.

Rule #2- avoid car's with "stories". The best Boxster or Carrera is one that comes from an owner who knows it needs more than just one oil change a year. One that does not sit long periods, its run at least weekly. And one that lives in year round nice weather climate. Cold weather cars that are stored don't see this punishment but to do so they sit still and that's problematic. One forum member here has 330K miles on his Boxster, still has the original IMS, few major repairs, appears to follow strict maintenance schedule. Point being that Boxster checks all the boxes, good weather, clock work maintenance, and ideal driving practices.

Operating a Boxster is no less expensive than operating a Carrera or Cayman. In the end you'll end up spending just as much to maintain a Boxster as the others. So you should be asking yourself now do you really want a Boxster or are you just interested in this one because you think you might be ablet to get for cheap. If your budget is $18K there plenty of Carreras that can be had for that.
Everytime I log onto Autotrader, whose prices run on the high side because of middlemen, there are never less than 1,000 1999-2013 Carreras to choose from. The Porsche forums have the best deals since those are enthusiast-owned cars with proper maintenance and asking prices are much lower, win win. Earlier this year I saw a mint condition 2001 Cabriolet with about 70K miles go for $12K. And there will be more good deals this winter. The biggest mistake people make is buying a Boxster because they think its cheap to buy. First its not cheap to run. Second it may not be the car for you.

[RawleyD]

I say buy it.

>> This is coming from a guy who just bought a 2000 S, with rebuilt transmission, new clutch, and 131k on the clock. :P

[dghii]

My .02
I would not try to turn an 8k Boxster into a $15-17k boxster.

If your $8k Boxster craps out, your car is worth $2-3k,(assuming clear title), hence $5 k worth of risk. If the car turns out to be solid, you're in the black....no worries.

If the car seems to be in order, buy it and drive it for a while to learn more about the car and hopefully gain confidence that it is basically ok. Enjoy it and just do the basics.

I've bought two 98 base cars in the last couple of years, one for $4,800 and one for $5400. Both had 117k miles, spotty maintenance histories and in need of cleaning and TLC. Both cars turned out to be very solid and reliable after bringing the maintenance up to date.

At the end of the day, it's just a car. Enjoy it or get rid of it and move on.

[madmods]

..........................

[RawleyD]

Originally Posted by madmods

Now that my friend is all you need to know about cars to make a decision. It is indeed just a car! What "if" this What "if" that.... is BS

What "if" you have a heart attack tomorrow? You will have never had the chance to drive a Porsche even if it's for 1,000km of pure pleasure.

Buy the car, fix it "if" it really needs and enjoy the ride

Amen to that

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by dghii

My .02
I've bought two 98 base cars in the last couple of years, one for $4,800 and one for $5400. Both had 117k miles, spotty maintenance histories and in need of cleaning and TLC. Both cars turned out to be very solid and reliable after bringing the maintenance up to date.

How much did you spend to get them up to date? And how many miles did you put on both after you purchased them?

If it was approaching 10K a year then congrats. But if its much less then that's another story. Buying a beaten down Porsche to run once a week for limited mileage is quiet different than buying a 'bargain' Porsche you intend to drive every day for typical daily driver mileage.

[pothole]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

How much did you spend to get them up to date? And how many miles did you put on both after you purchased them?

If it was approaching 10K a year then congrats. But if its much less then that's another story. Buying a beaten down Porsche to run once a week for limited mileage is quiet different than buying a 'bargain' Porsche you intend to drive every day for typical daily driver mileage.

Thing is, you could pay top dollar for a car with 50k less miles and a spotless service record. And it could chuck its IMS bearing the next week. Or the AOS could fail. Or the water pump. Or whatever.

If you know these cars, you can buy on condition and not worry too much about what it says on pieces of paper. Assess the car in front of you.

I bought a car with spotty history three years ago, but it was running fault free when I purchased it. I've put another 42k miles on it since buying it on 76k and the work I've done is pretty much in line with the work you'd need to do with any car bought at 13 years old and used daily thereafter. I don't think I would have spent less on maintenance had I have bought a similar car for more money with faultless paperwork and history etc.

No doubt I'm tempting fate and it will implode the next time I take it out. But then it's now got 118k miles on it and frankly plenty of garage queens haven't lasted as long...

Generally, I say two things. 1. Pricier examples aren't necessarily better. 2. Buy on condition, don't get hung up on bits of paper.

[dghii]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

How much did you spend to get them up to date? And how many miles did you put on both after you purchased them?

If it was approaching 10K a year then congrats. But if its much less then that's another story. Buying a beaten down Porsche to run once a week for limited mileage is quiet different than buying a 'bargain' Porsche you intend to drive every day for typical daily driver mileage.

Too much to list in one post but I'll try to provide more details.
First car $4,800 purchased in August 2011 and sold in November 2011. The Boxster was a white/grey 5 speed and a two owner car with decent receipts (oil changes, new tires, water pump, pads rotors as I recall) all within the last two years. The automatic top would not work, the rear window was split and it was very dirty. The owner had been quoted about $2500 for a new to and the repair to get the power working again. He'd didn't want to spend the money and purchase a new Solstice...

After a thorough cleaning I found I had a nice looking car, free of door dings and with a few paint chips on the front end.

I just looked at my records for the car. I spent just over $1000 in maintenance and repairs. Here is a list of items purchased.
Top Relay
New Shift boot
ignition switch
Headlight restoration kit
Cabin, air, fuel filters.
Instrument bulbs, trunk shocks, spark plugs, instrument lights.
New Battery
Installed Used convertible top and frame
Front Motor Mount, 2 liters gear oil
Flushed cooling system
Flushed brakes and clutch

I owned the car for 2 months and drove it 1000 miles. I sold it to a coworker that I share an office with. The car now has 124,000 miles and required no repairs.

[dghii]

Second Boxster was another 98 white/blue 5speed with 117K purchased in Sept 2012 for $5400. Top works but the rear window was not in great shape. Front end shakes and rattles and it needed motor mounts.

I still have the car as I have been very slow working on it as I spent most of the winter and spring working overseas. The car now has 119,500 miles. I'm almost done with the car and will have no trouble selling it.

To date, I've spent ~$2,300.

Front end painted, hood straightened (rock chips on front end and hood was dented from inside from an item too large for the front trunk)
Motor Mount
Fuel Filter
Air and cabin filter
Spark Plugs
2 new rear tires (old ones cracked even though only 4 years old)
Suspension work (installed front struts and drop link, used from a forum member parting out his 2001S)
New used seats (from 2003S off ebay...looked like new!)
Oil/Filter change. .
New (used)headlights to replace foggy, yellow ones
Used top and frame
Flushed brakes
Balanced 4 tires

[dghii]

All that's left to do on the current car is flushing the coolant and clutch.
Oh yeah, I'll be installing new front pads, rotors and sensors as I came across a deal from a member here that I couldn't pass up. The current brakes still have life but left but for $100 I couldn't pass it up.

The current car is already spoken for. The new soon to be new owner is another coworker (waiting patiently).

So what's the point? Nothing really. I wasn't looking for the projects but I've enjoyed bring the maintenance back up to snuff and seeing the cars pass on to new owners. I'm not trying to act like the cars are good as new, but that they are great, fun little cars for the money.

I'm not trying to do this for a living, nor was I really looking for a project. I just like these cars and know that they're well built, and bargains are out there.

BTW, my 'everyday' car is a 2000S that I've had for 5 years. I purchased it with 76K and now have 112.5K on the clock. So far so good.

[BruceH]

Originally Posted by madmods

Now that my friend is all you need to know about cars to make a decision. It is indeed just a car! What "if" this What "if" that.... is BS

What "if" you have a heart attack tomorrow? You will have never had the chance to drive a Porsche even if it's for 1,000km of pure pleasure.

Buy the car, fix it "if" it really needs and enjoy the ride

Could not agree more!

Originally Posted by dghii

....He'd didn't want to spend the money and purchase a new Solstice...

So what's the point? Nothing really. I wasn't looking for the projects but I've enjoyed bring the maintenance back up to snuff and seeing the cars pass on to new owners. I'm not trying to act like the cars are good as new, but that they are great, fun little cars for the money.

I'm not trying to do this for a living, nor was I really looking for a project. I just like these cars and know that they're well built, and bargains are out there.

BTW, my 'everyday' car is a 2000S that I've had for 5 years. I purchased it with 76K and now have 112.5K on the clock. So far so good.

Great summaries! Yes, these cars are well engineered/built. Yes, there are some issues but they didn't just roll off of the show room floor. Life is too short to buy/drive a, gasp, Solstice! Have you guys driven one of those I drove a Sky(same thing) because a dealer insisted(I had gone to see a Boxster but it had been sold already) and I could not believe how poorly it drove in comparison to......anything!

Every car you buy, used or new, is a gamble. They are mechanical things built by humans, what could possible go wrong? I am always amazed at how much more reliable modern cars are compared to just a few short years ago. Worrying about the next repair is no way to live. If a car starts to cost more than the enjoyment you get out of it, then it's time to sell, there is always another guy around the corner willing to give it a go.

[rp17]

....if you feel mere mortals have no business messing with Porsche's product, find a nicer car.[/QUOTE]

Well said.

[woodsman]

[QUOTE=dghii;359789] I wasn't looking for the projects but I've enjoyed bring the maintenance back up to snuff and seeing the cars pass on to new owners.

The key word is 'enjoy'. You enjoy fixing but for someone who doesn't an old Boxster could be a nightmare of on-going, undesired work and expense. These days older vehicles make no $$$sense and an old german car even less so! I'm happy you're happy and that you haven't lost your shirt YET! Only the OP knows what's enjoyable for him. Me, I want more driving and less fixin' so I'm buying newer next time.

[pothole]

[QUOTE=woodsman;359805]

Originally Posted by dghii

Me, I want more driving and less fixin' so I'm buying newer next time.

Only problem with that theory is that newer cars tend to be less fun and a tonne more money to buy.

As long as you go in eyes open, think these cars are wonderful value for money right now.

Part of my day job involves driving the latest and greatest new cars for a wide range of manufacturers. Very, very few new cars give the driving pleasure of an old Box.

[PorscheBound]

UPDATE:

Went and checked out the car last night. Body of the car is VERY straight. Car has a ton of chips all over it. The engine lid looked the way the hood should have with the amount of chips on it. The front end was super clean but I could tell had been repainted. Car had a short throw installed, Borla exhaust. Interior had some holes in the seats and overall fade. Cosmetically I would give the car a 6.5 overall. The engine was the other story. At idle there was an odd rattle (could have been a shield but I could not locate it). When I drove it, the car seemed solid. At full throttle the car was not as healthy (quick) as the others I have driven. When pulling back into the lot there were a lot of ticking noises coming from the lifters. Overall it was certainly an $8000 dollar car but not the solid car I was hoping it to be. Sounded like the engine had some more issues that needed to be worked out.

[dghii]

So now you know! Next!

[dghii]

[QUOTE=woodsman;359805]

Originally Posted by dghii

I wasn't looking for the projects but I've enjoyed bring the maintenance back up to snuff and seeing the cars pass on to new owners.

The key word is 'enjoy'. You enjoy fixing but for someone who doesn't an old Boxster could be a nightmare of on-going, undesired work and expense. These days older vehicles make no $$$sense and an old german car even less so! I'm happy you're happy and that you haven't lost your shirt YET! Only the OP knows what's enjoyable for him. Me, I want more driving and less fixin' so I'm buying newer next time.

Agree completely. Buying a car and expecting to do some work on it is not for everyone. I didn't, and won't ever, lose my shirt on any vehicle. I try to work within my risk tolerance.

I'm glad folks buy new cars. I get to see them get sorted out and wait until just the right one comes around for me.

I've bought new and nearly new vehicles, from SUV's to expensive two seaters. Although I enjoyed the cars, right now I'm in a "been there, done that" stage.

Let me also add that I have not passed the project car (soon to be cars) on to new owners as 'Good as New!". On the contrary, I've told them of IMS horrors and that the 15 year old car with 118K miles might well blow up on them on the ride home. I've also pointed them toward the great forums and reputable vendors.

The cars really didn't take much time to work on and I've learned a few things that I can apply to my keeper if/when the time comes.

I though it was great that the first owners $2500 estimate for top work cost me $450 to set straight ($350 for top/frame and $100 for top relay). The top and its mechanisms are a work of art....very simple system with few part but so cool in how it works!

Along the way, with invaluable knowledge from the forums, I've learned just how easy some of the seemingly high dollar repairs can be remedied at home for a fraction of the cost. I guess that learned 'how to' is my real payoff. It's hard to put a price tag on knowledge!