Is a 2007 Boxster with 30k miles likely a decent car (mechanically) to buy?
 

Oops edited wrong post. Ugh. The OP said: 30kish miles, only one service record, no accidents. Selling at new car dealer.

Porsche redesigned the IMS in 2006 and while they can still fail, it is a much smaller rate than from 2000-2005. You should not need to worry about IMS in a 2007.

I currently own 2 987Ss and owned a third. They have been very reliable vehicles. Besides routine maintenance, I had the following issues:

2008 Boxster S Limited Edition - bought new, now has 42K mi - water pump failed under warranty, temp sensor failed $50 DIY.

2008 Cayman S Sport - bought 2 yrs ago w 7400 mi, now has 28K - water pump failed, $920

2007 Cayman S - bought with 17k mi, sold w/ 35K mi - no issues.

So all told, I've driven a combined 67K mi and spent under $1K.

YMMV

if you have to ask, you can't afford it
LOL

All seriousness aside

What is the deal they are offering?

Our cars are pretty reliable. If you maintain it, you will need less service
Lots of things can be DIY
for example:
Oil change DIY = $60-100
Oil Change dealer = $200+

Thanks. The price is $21,000. It's out of town, so the PPI becomes a bit of pain I think, even though I found an highly regarded independent Porsche mechanic that will do it for $500. But he said it's an all day thing. Dunno how logistics would work: I guess get a PPI before I go out of town to test drive/buy it? Or else it seems a bit too much work to drive 5 hours of town, test drive it, come back home, wait for PPI to be done, then drive all the way back and get it.

The way I did it is, I made the deal contingent on the PPI; had the owner drop it off/pick it up, then went down and picked up the car (after the report). Dealerships are sometimes hesitant to do that though. If it's a legit dealer, they should have no problems with that.