Narrowed to three

[gsy4771]

So I ended up missing on all three. I really liked the 03base the most but the seller choose to sell it to a local buyer before I could get to it. One the 02S sold in the mean time and the other owner decided to keep it.

I'm going to look at 04Base, 56k miles, this weekend. It has most everything I wanted and the price seems reasonable. Appears the 30k miles maintenance was done but I haven't seen all the service records. The problem I have is there isn't a great place to get a PPI. There is a local Porsche dealer but they cannot get it in until 18th of July. There looks to be a couple smaller shops in the area but I'm not sure of their Porsche expertise.

Could someone recommend some questions to ask the shops regarding a PPI? I figured I would have them do the following

1. Read the computer
2. Check the brakes
3. Check the suspension
4. Check the serpentine belt
5. Check the hoses for cracking

I know the clutch and IMS haven't been done, the car is priced so I will have those done if I get it.

Is there a special computer needed to determine if the engine has been over-revved?

[mgfranz]

Originally Posted by gsy4771

So I ended up missing on all three. I really liked the 03base the most but the seller choose to sell it to a local buyer before I could get to it. One the 02S sold in the mean time and the other owner decided to keep it.

I'm going to look at 04Base, 56k miles, this weekend. It has most everything I wanted and the price seems reasonable. Appears the 30k miles maintenance was done but I haven't seen all the service records. The problem I have is there isn't a great place to get a PPI. There is a local Porsche dealer but they cannot get it in until 18th of July. There looks to be a couple smaller shops in the area but I'm not sure of their Porsche expertise.

Could someone recommend some questions to ask the shops regarding a PPI? I figured I would have them do the following

1. Read the computer
2. Check the brakes
3. Check the suspension
4. Check the serpentine belt
5. Check the hoses for cracking

I know the clutch and IMS haven't been done, the car is priced so I will have those done if I get it.

Is there a special computer needed to determine if the engine has been over-revved?

There is no special computer needed to see the over-rev count, it's already built into the ECU. I forget the process, but a quick search will find it, and don't worry about that count, the rev-limiter does its job just fine. Last time I checked mine it was ar something like 7000 IIRC

[mikefocke]

State exactly where you are and perhaps someone can point you to a good Porsche shop. I have found they often know of someone who might want to sell.

[Todd Mac]

Are you anywhere near Easton? Highline imports always has different early 2000s Boxsters which seems to be the years you are searching for.

[thstone]

Originally Posted by mgfranz

There is no special computer needed to see the over-rev count, it's already built into the ECU. I forget the process, but a quick search will find it, and don't worry about that count, the rev-limiter does its job just fine. Last time I checked mine it was ar something like 7000 IIRC

Just a reminder - the rev limiter does not always protect against over-revs (particularly on downshifts).

For example, during a 4-2 downshift (where the driver skips 3rd and goes straight to 2nd) if the driver engages 2nd at too high of a speed, then the engine could mechanically over-rev.

The same is true for a missed shift where the driver intended to shift up from 2nd to 3rd but instead went into 1st.

On the racetrack, I've seen over 8K rpm on a poorly executed 5-2 downshift when I let out the clutch just a tad too early at AutoClub Speedway coming off the NSACAR banking at 140mph and braking hard for the 50mph Turn 3 into the infield. Ooops!