Bought the Beater Boxster....

[Retroman1969]

UPDATE...

This is a follow up post to my older one: http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/54493-thinking-using-boxster-hyper-daily-driver.html

I've gone back and forth with this car for a few weeks. This sad little Porsche was sitting on one of those We-Tote-The-Note car lots in the old industrial section of downtown. We finally settled on $4500 for the car, so my car-nut-friends helped me pick it up and see how well it could clean up and detail-out.
(The second cleaner Box in the pics is my other car, both '99s)

Covered in dust, grime, and bird crap at the car lot. (Not me, the car!)


Following my friend Jim through the city (at one point he pulled beside me on the freeway, called me, and said: "This is my boss, Jonathan Hart..." For those who remember the opening to that show, LOL)


Stopping for lunch.


I'm shocked with just what a decent wash did for it!




After that we went to my friend's shop where we hit it with polish, wax, and headlight restorer for the crusty yellow headlights.



Now it sits at the Porsche garage where it awaits a full fluid service and final inspection to see if anything needs immediate attention.

It has many cosmetic issues: two good sized dents, torn driver's seat, lots of fine scratches in the paint on the doors where it looks like an excited dog has jumped all over it, and terrible condition back window. But it's intended as a Beater Boxster so hey.
I'm frankly shocked with how it drives. Runs/drives smooth and solid as a rock. A missle on the highway, and appropriately docile in town. It is equipped with Tiptronic (I, a huge stick shift advocate, am quickly falling in love with this tranny), memory seat, among the more typical options. Brand new set of Michelin tires! Everything works perfectly, another pleasant surprise. It currently has 124,000 miles on the clock, has clearly not had the easiest life, yet still drives and operates like it should... still makes me giggle like a fool as much as a new $54,000 one would.

[Retroman1969]

PS: It has that funky green interior which is also growing on me.


Jim snapped this quick pic as I pulled away to drop it off at the garage. Exhausted but happy. It was a fun day.

[RedTele58]

Cool - you bought it!

I've been watching it on the OKC Craigslist the past few weeks wondering what the deal was if you were going to grab it or not.

Now you have two. Be careful, it's a slippery slope...

Rick

[BIGJake111]

Great thread and nice snag with considering the tires! Hopefully it won't give you too much trouble. You could definitely make a bit of money off of this car in the long run as long as your other boxster doesn't get jealous.

Have a great time in your new beater, more character than a typical porsche with that green interior and scratches and dents!

Keep us up to date on how you feel about the tiptronic, how quick you think it is, if you use it in manual, how it does on downshifts in manual. How you like the gear mappings, as well as the location of the manual buttons.

[78F350]

Congrats! Glad to see you finally pulled the trigger on that one. I first saw the CL ad about the time I bought my '99 back in August and was wondering how long it was going to last. Glad it found a good home.

[BoxsterSteve]

Hey Retroman, enjoy!
You paid just slightly more than roller money for a decent looking car with a little patina.
Just drive it and grin, buddy.

[rp17]

Nice score. Drive the wheels off that Boxster. Congrats!

[thstone]

That is a lot of car for $4500. Have fun and keep us up to date on this.

[Retroman1969]

Thank you guys!
Yes it was on CL for quite a while, about 5 months I think. The lot was in kind of a bad area, and they just kept the car stuck in a corner, unwashed and run-down looking, and they also deal in cash only on certain cars. I'm sure all this led to it not selling for so long.
So far I'm liking the Tip. In auto mode, 90% of the time it shifts just where I want it to, and I love the dash indicators showing what gear you're in. Occasionally it will hang onto a gear a bit too long, or shift a bit too early, but mostly works great. Manual mode works very well too. Love the feel of it, although I can't use the thumb shifters if I'm trying to down or up shift through a turn or sharp curve. One fun surprise in auto mode: While entering a curve from 75mph I started brakeing hard and the tranny began to downshift rapidly through all the gears to assist in the brakeing. It was an awesome feature! I'll try to report in when I have more quality time with it.
Speaking of brakes, I noticed that it has cross-drilled rotors on it. Something my other car doesn't have. Was that an available option on standard Boxsters? Either way, cool to have.
I love that it has character and I don't have to walk on eggshells around it. Just get in and drive, drive, drive. I'm going to call it Harper as reference to Paul Newman's beat up old 356 in the 1966 movie Harper.

Thanks again for all the great comments!

[Ckrikos]

Wow, 4500$ is a killer deal for a working car. What are the stats, miles etc? Any problems? I like the interior, talk about rare.

[particlewave]

That's a steal, assuming all checks out. Love the wheels!

[BIGJake111]

Great tires and cross drilled rotors, I do not think that was an option. I remember loving when the tip would downshift like that! What's your opinion on it selecting second for most pull aways?

[Retroman1969]

Thanks!
It's a '99 Base
124,000 miles
Optioned with:
Green interior (which apparently was extra cost)
Power memory seat
CD changer
Tiptronic Transmission

Everything works well and smoothly.
The only issues I detect so far are a slight clunking and squeaking from left rear suspension on bigger bumps and dips. Probably a bad shock or bushing. And get light ticking noise from engine after its warmed up. Could be something minor like the wrong weight oil, or more like worn or sticky lifters. Not sure.
All the mechanicals feel very tight and it runs and handles like a good healthy Boxster.

It had one owner who traded it in last year at a Mazda dealership. Mazda sent it to auction where the small lot bought it.

I dont at all mind the Tiptronic taking off in 2nd. Still has plenty of oomph, and makes smoother starts in traffic.

It's probably going to need some stuff, but it's worth it, as you all know. All part of the game of driving interesting vehicles.

[thstone]

Originally Posted by Retroman1969

Speaking of brakes, I noticed that it has cross-drilled rotors on it. Something my other car doesn't have. Was that an available option on standard Boxsters?

All 97-99 base Boxster's came from the factory with solid rotors and drilled rotors were not offered as an option.

Aftermarket drilled rotors are perfectly fine and IMHO they look sportier and have a little better brake feel than their solid counterparts. The only downside is that drilled rotors can get small cracks and need replacement if driven very, very hard (like on a race track).

[woodsman]

I've never seen nor heard of a green interior. I like it. And as was said before- for roller-money!

[TeamOxford]

Originally Posted by Retroman1969

It has many cosmetic issues: two good sized dents, torn driver's seat, lots of fine scratches in the paint on the doors where it looks like an excited dog has jumped all over it, and terrible condition back window.I'm frankly shocked with how it drives.

Runs/drives smooth and solid as a rock.

Congrats on the find.

As for the cosmetics, I wouldn't invest too much into fixing them. Dents - an experienced paintless dent remover can smooth them out. Guys who work the used car lots can do some amazing things. Torn driver's seat - sheepskin or fitted cover. Fine scratches - some aggressive polishing compound. Back window - keep the top down, or just don't worry about it.

Your Boxster will seem to ride super smooth with those 16" tires. Must feel like a luxury car on the highway.

Good luck with her.

Just sayin'...........

TO

[Retroman1969]

Thank you!
Those rotors do look pretty sharp I have to admit, and should be fine, as it will likely never see a track.
I'd never seen the green before either. It was a little startling at first with the silver, but I'm kinda diggin' it now.
TO, that's just my thought on the cosmetics as well.
It does really have a smooth ride on the highway, ideal compromise for a DD.

[husker boxster]

Congrats!

And remember, there's nothing wrong with owning multiple Porsches.

[Ckrikos]

Its called nephrite green and it looks like a full leather interior by looking at the doors. Hook her up to a durametric to check for any codes and for timing deviation, check the oil filter, make sure coolant is pink or green and you should be all set. Get a steamer and clean the leather and carpets she'll look good as new.

[dghii]

Originally Posted by Retroman1969

Thanks!
It's a '99 Base
124,000 miles
Optioned with:
Green interior (which apparently was extra cost)
Power memory seat
CD changer
Tiptronic Transmission

Everything works well and smoothly.
The only issues I detect so far are a slight clunking and squeaking from left rear suspension on bigger bumps and dips. Probably a bad shock or bushing. And get light ticking noise from engine after its warmed up. Could be something minor like the wrong weight oil, or more like worn or sticky lifters. Not sure.
All the mechanicals feel very tight and it runs and handles like a good healthy Boxster.

It had one owner who traded it in last year at a Mazda dealership. Mazda sent it to auction where the small lot bought it.

I dont at all mind the Tiptronic taking off in 2nd. Still has plenty of oomph, and makes smoother starts in traffic.

It's probably going to need some stuff, but it's worth it, as you all know. All part of the game of driving interesting vehicles.

Rear clunking is most likely the drop links...cheap to replace! I started to get a little clunking in my 2000S up front this last spring. Given the mileage at the time, 117K, I figured I was ready for struts for sure. I pulled the drivers side tire and found a tear in the drop link boot. Given I had a couple of used links on hand from an earlier Boxster project, I swapped them out and the noise was gone. I'm now at almost 121K and still quiet.