What should I be paying for a 2000 Boxster S with 100k miles?
 

I found a 2000 Boxster S somewhat close to me that seems to be well taken care of with about 100k miles on it. He's asking $9000. KBB doesn't seem to be very reliable with these cars, as almost all the Boxster S that I've seen are selling for over KBB value, plus I'd be willing to pay more if the car was well taken care of. What would be a reasonable price for a 2000 Boxster S with 100k miles that was well taken care of?

It depends on what "well taken care of" means. All the service records? IMS upgrade? Coolant tank replaced? Good overall condition? Then you figure that it is a 15 year old car and will need lots of TLC as the plastic fiddly bits start to get tired. If this checks out, get a PPI at a Porsche independent.

For a well taken care of Boxster, $9000 doesn't seem bad at all. With spring coming, demand will be higher, meaning prices will be higher. In my neck of the woods, that is a steal of a deal right now.

Last November I purchased a 2000S with 102K for $8900. It was a one owner , full service records, new IMS, RMS, clutch, water pump, pulley, belt, AOS, plugs, tires, 4 wheel alignment and many other new parts. It is a high optioned car with sport touring pkg, factory aero kit, CD changer, 18 inch wheels, Ocean blue metallic over Savana beige full leather interior. It looks and drives like new.
The one previous owner had a spanking new Carerra in his garage and this had to go. I was in the right place at the right time. Have had only one ride out of it before I put it to bed for the winter. Cannot wait for the snow to melt and the frost heaves to settle down.http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1427152937.jpg

Never base your decision on the asking price. Base it on the mileage and maintenance history. Unless this car comes with an EXTENSIVE list of repairs typical of cars hitting the six figure mileage mark, do not walk past go.
If $10K is what you can comfortably budget give or take a few grand, then you better have garage, tools, plenty of time and an accruing pile of cash under the mattress when a big unexpected repair comes along. If you don't have these then that $10k Boxster is more like $18k Boxster. Many people buy these cars saying "I only drive occasionally" and once they get that big grin on the their face mileage rates start going up fast and deferred maintenance comes knocking on the door. Especially if you live where roads are so so and the climate has extremes of hot or cold or both.

p.s.
if car you're considering says "new IMS" make sure you ask how many miles since that repair. If the repair was recent (mileage wise) beware. Sometimes an owner will spot metail in the oil or pan and rush to do the IMS but its too late a costly engine rebuild is necessary to clear all fragments that can grenade the engine. The time to do the iMS is when the oil is clean. But definitely get the IMS done if you are unclear as to the ownership history. Sometimes there will be many owners with markedly different maintenance AND DRIVING practices. A car can start out as low mileage, once a week or month driving with only annual oil changes and then end up with an owner who drives it far more frequently and is no better about changing the oil. Basically a long period of insufficient lubrication followed by an immediate increase in usage aka prime IMS upgrade candidate.

Yeah KBB doesn't seem to jive with the real world asking prices. I think KBB list them too low.

Anyways, I've got 116K miles on my car, no IMS upgrade, never had the coolant tank changed either. With 100k miles on the car you know it's been driven and not a garage queen. Most all of the IMS failures I have read about are on low mileage cars, plus that car should have the dual row IMS which is more stout then the single row IMS in my car.

As for the price, $8,000 would be the most I would pay.

9k seems very reasonable, depending on options, maintenance, condition. Realize the options on these cars could basically double the price when new, and some options are very hard to retrofit if they are on your must-have list. But just knowing only that you have perhaps the biggest option - the 3.2 l S engine - in a great condition car, well then yes the price sounds good. As always get a PPI and plan for some routine but financially significant maintenance over the next 2-3 years simply due to age.
Probably best to think of it as a $9k down payment on a $15k purchase of $25k worth of fun motoring over the next 3-5 years.
If it has the right options for you, the PPI is good, and you are buying because you like driving and want a car that makes the experience rewarding, then I don't think you will be disappointed.
But you better act promptly - I got "scooped" on the first 3 good examples that I tried to buy.
BOL