Are low mileage cars risky?

[paulb]

I'm in the market for a 986 & in the last week I've come across several great looking & driving cars that I am considering making an offer on. I will have a PPI done by a great Porsche mechanic before closing the deal but these are at dealers & have no service receipts. Conventional wisdom is to buy low mileage, but some of the examples I'm looking at only have 35-50k for 15-20 year old cars. Is this problematic? I am concerned about oil acidity & the IMS of course but also general disuse & rot of hoses, boots, belts & such. Is this a big concern? In the past I bought an older underused car that turned out to be a complete mess (though that one had been stored outside).

[356Guy]

I'm in the market too and have wondered the same thing. After 15 or 20 years I don't think low mileage cars are worth a big premium. Some things just deteriorate from time and sitting and may not have been replaced yet. I'd be more interested in seeing evidence that an enthusiast willing to maintain the car had owned it.

[Fintro11]

I bought my car with 38,000 km not miles and paid 21,000. All service records, no ims done. I have 98,000 km now only things I have had to do is the axel boot. Haven't worried about the ims yet, waiting for the clutch to go first.

I prefer low mileage well taken care of cars. The coolent tank is still white also

[78F350]

Originally Posted by paulb

... I'm looking at only have 35-50k for 15-20 year old cars. Is this problematic? I am concerned about oil acidity & the IMS of course but also general disuse & rot of hoses, boots, belts & such. Is this a big concern? ....

IMHO*, a low mile 15 year old car that has been properly attended to is not risky. The items that you are concerned about ARE genuine concerns, but are easy to deal with. I would not avoid a car with 35K miles, but I would be sure to check and refresh the rubber parts, water pump, ALL fluids, lube the top/window/doors. If the previous owner has done all that recently, or kept up with it, That is worth money. Jumping into a 35k mile/15 year old car that has not been attended to and putting on hard miles will be a costly mistake.

*based entirely on observation. My lowest mile Boxster is 80,000+ miles.

[morgal48]

Went through that process when I bought mine. Looked for over six months. Found one in Seattle - 20k miles and beautiful. Called an indy in Seattle (I'm in Texas) to see about a PPI. He took time to discuss 986 virtues and shortcomings. His suggestion was to buy a car with 60k+ and drive the wheels off. His counsel was based on the things you have mentioned, coupled with the fact that these are cars designed and built to be driven. Ultimately, I bought a 2000S from a guy here in Texas with 35k on the clock. Met him and the car at a DE. History from day 1, including all books, keys and window sticker. (It had 27k on the clock after 14 years. He bought it to learn how to race, and did the IMS, RMS, clutch and such. Had 35k when it became mine two years ago.) Paid $18,600 for the car, a set of track wheels and tires, liftbars, and the parts the PO had collected. Buy from an individual if possible. The dealers I talked with that had 986s on their lots knew much less than I did. Good luck in your search!

[BoomerRoadie]

I'll just add to the general theme here.

I too was very concerned about this question as I was considering buying a 1997 Boxster with just 32,000 miles on her. I asked a lot of questions and came to the conclusion that if:

1. the car has been properly maintained and there are records to demonstrate this
2. it was preferably garaged
3. the car is inspected by someone who has experience with the specific car and model

Just about any "old" car can be purchased with confidence.

So, in my case I purchased my car at 32,000 miles and I have just over 38,000 miles now. This is hardly a good data point for you as I'm just getting started, but for what it's worth, so far so good. From what I was told, if seals and hoses were going to be a problem, they would become a problem immediately. If they didn't rear their heads right away, I should be good.

Point is, do you homework, be thorough and objective in your research (in other words, try not to get emotional about the car, yet). And you'll be good to go.

Good luck!!

[rexcramer]

I bought our '97 with 16K on the odo (Aug 2015). Very little in the way of records. I was able to talk with the mechanic that had touched it last. I have put 9K+ on it and so far so good. It was/is in really good shape. I have spent +/- 3k on it in 18 months. Most recently new tires $640. About a third of the money for wants the rest on maintenance. I know cars pretty well but this is my first Porsche. I bought it without a PPI for $11k (base/tip) and it came with the factory hardtop. There were plenty of cars available for less, but they all had +/- 100K on them. I was willing to gamble for the lower odo.

I can usually get a pretty good hunch/feel from the owner by looking at his other cars and garage/house/yard how well they maintain things. Best of luck with your search.

[mikefocke]

Given where you live, is there a record of the oil being changed just before the car is put in hibernation every year? That would tell me how it was cared for.

[paulb]

Originally Posted by mikefocke

Given where you live, is there a record of the oil being changed just before the car is put in hibernation every year? That would tell me how it was cared for.

Not all the cars are in Chicago, there are x2 2.5l base cars from my area with most of the recent records, nothing has been done except the 30k & oil changes, one of which didn't get driven or the oil changed at all in 2016, so if I went that direction I would probably change oil & inspect for metal during PPI. The other cars are "S" from CA & NC, no records. All are 2-3 owner cars w/ clean carfax for what thats worth.

[geraintthomas]

Why are you in the market for a low mileage car specifically? Why not be in the market for a Porsche Boxster, and buy the one that's best been cared for.

There's Boxsters on here with over 300,000 on them that haven't put a foot wrong, and ones on here with 30,000 that have had terminal problems.

Mileage was a huge factor years ago, it's not much of one now. Just look for the most cared for and best mechanical condition one you can find. if it's got 100,000 on it, so be it.

[paulb]

Originally Posted by geraintthomas

Why are you in the market for a low mileage car specifically? Why not be in the market for a Porsche Boxster, and buy the one that's best been cared for.

There's Boxsters on here with over 300,000 on them that haven't put a foot wrong, and ones on here with 30,000 that have had terminal problems.

Mileage was a huge factor years ago, it's not much of one now. Just look for the most cared for and best mechanical condition one you can find. if it's got 100,000 on it, so be it.

I'm not looking specifically for low mileage cars, but I am finding them. Thus the question of do you disregard what looks like a great car because it has sat too much?

[mattluttrell]

People here (and elsewhere) tried to argue against low mileage Porsches.

I went with a 97 Boxster with 60,000 miles ($7000) with the double roller IMS bearings. Bad piston sleeves and IMS bearings were my critical concerns. Leaks and transmission wear were secondary.

Low mileage meant I could immediately perform the 60,000 maintenance (belt and transmission fluid). I also did plugs and a single coil pack.

So far I've been very happy. My car was garage kept. I did clay bar, scratch compound and Mequires 2.0 wax. It now has a mirror finish. It is my lowest mile vehicle and runs awesome.

I believe the piston sleeve issues are random but are compounded by overheating. Lower mileage told me that there were fewer chances to run low on coolant. That less intense heat odds tells me there were fewer chances for a heat disparity causing some type of separation or stress.

60,000 miles meant it was likely driven a few times a year which kept the fluids in motion.

So I have a perfect running Porsche and no leaks. I'm happy.

Sent from my ONE A2005 using Tapatalk

[bwdz]

I bought a 97 last year with 64k on it that for the past 10 years was maintained at my buddy's service station. It did not have the IMS, clutch or water pump replaced as they were not needed. Only thing besides belt was brakes and regular oil changes. I only paid $2500 for the car and sold the extra set of wheels and the hard top that it came with so it is nearly free now and I love it. Only put just over 2k on it last year and the only thing I repaired was the broken arm in the convertible top (which is one of the reasons the previous owner just want to dump it)
Bottom line is these cars are nearly 20 years old. I have no idea how anyone expects them to be "reliable" no matter what the records are. Yes, they do fine but you are buying a scratch off lotto ticket, could be a winner or not. Any car over 10 years old has old rubber, old wiring, old and brittle materials throughout and is past what it was technically designed for no matter the mileage. Having said all that and loving to tinker with my cars I own the aforementioned Boxster, a 14 year old 210k mile Audi and a 1965 Replica Austin Healey. I love tinkering and maintaining all of them. If you don't love working on cars, wait till you can afford something newer or a car that parts are a tad cheaper for. These are now in the "tinkerer" classic car category for ownership and maintenance.

[mikefocke]

My normal suggestion re buying a Boxster is try to know the motivation and character of the seller. I've bought both mine that way and the guy who bought my second told me he bought entirely on the seller as he didn't even drive the car, just relied on the credibility of the seller and the complete disclosure and documentation he was offered.

I also suggest finding your mechanic who will help you maintain the car before you find the car. The car without the access to that trusted helper is going to have risks I wouldn't want to take on a car this old (and that goes for any 986 as they are 12 to 20 years old now). Also the shop may be able to help you find the right car, one that they know and maybe even they know why the seller was ready to sell.

I wouldn't worry too much about how many owners the car has had (I was third owner both cars and my second car is on its 5th owner last I heard) as long as you can be sure it was maintained and be sure why the car is being sold. Sportcars are for times in your life for most of us (3 pre-marriage, two post colleges paid off for lucky me) and there are reasons to sell that don't include the condition of the car. New job, new baby, new house, too old, etc. What you want to try to do is be sure the seller isn't selling because he/she just found out the car needs an expensive repair. Make sure the PPI includes the removal and examination of the oil filter.

[Finnegan]

I love my low mileage '04! I bought it with ~13k on the clock. The first owner was a Porsche dealer, and didn't drive it; the second was an enthusiast who put a bunch of dollars into in preventative maint. and upgrades. So far, no issues. It's essentially a new car at 40% of the cost.

[Bald Eagle]

I bought my 2000 S three years ago with 10,400 miles and paid a premium for its pristine condition, records, and the seller (immaculate very upscale home with a garage you could eat off the floor. After three seasons of driving it as almost a daily driver between april and November, I've got 27,000 miles. The only things I've had to do to the car is annual oil changes before putting it in hibernation, change the coolant container cap, a window regulator, and keep it clean and waxed. I'm not at all mechanical but get it inspected when I get the oil changes and enjoy it during the warmer months and hope for the wintery months to pass quickly.

Larry
The Bald eagle

[texomawaves]

I have 118k on my '98 and she still runs great.