Whats a 2001 worth with a blown engine?
 

I found a nice black 2001 5 speed car with 100.400 miles on it. New top with glass, leather power and heated seats and the litronic headlights. But car has a bad engine. WHats this car worth?

3k ish or less

Why? From where does this magic $3K or less appear?

a 100k mile 2001 base boxster is worth maybe $8,500.

Motor being blown removes about 75% of the buying population. This automatically kills value, down to say $5,500.

Then you say a new motor costs $3,000.

so, for a roller 986, nice condition or otherwise, $3k or thereabout is about right.

As a buyer there should also be a discount for the unknowns due to the fact that it can't be test driven. Is the transmission any good or are the synchros shot, how creaky is the suspension, does the A/C work, do the brakes work, does it pull, etc. If the seller has owned it for a long time, has maintenance records and there is a mechanic that can vouch for the car, that discount can be less. Just my $0.02.

Oh, you're looking to buy it? Maximum would be $3000. The $3 grand for a replacement motor is quite conservative. If you have someone do the swap, tack on another $2 grand. THe "while you're in there" stuff can easily hit $1 grand.

I've done it, the car quickly turns into a money pit. You just keep throwing money at it, And when you're done, you still have an old car.:ah:

yup - at 100k miles suspension is due for refresh, and can't test as motor is done.

2K max is my estimate
Once you get into a motor swap your "Might as well" factor drives up the cost of a swap dramatically.

The car is nice and the owner has had it 16 years. I have him down to $2,300 so far. I was trying to get it for $2,000.

If you're handy and can do the work yourself you should go for it then. Even if you can't do the engine swap yourself but can do other work it sounds like it might be right. Are there any other Boxsters available for sale around you that don't need an engine for $7,000 or less.

The top and litronics add perhaps $1-1.5k value. If you like the condition and the color I think it a steal at $2.3k for parts. That it is so long owned by one person another plus. Any suspension updates maintenance history?

folks often forget the incidental costs of an engine swap.

Coolant, oil, maybe PS fluid and AC will run you $500 or so

You'll almost certainly do a clutch, water pump, serpentine belt, maybe an IMS retrofit.
All things you might not touch if you buy used but running...

On the flip side -- there is a small chance the failure isn't fatal -- and then it depends on what took it out -- but you could come out ahead.

Mike

I sold my 2002 S model, std. trans, black over savannah beige, about 100K miles if I remember for $2300. It had intermix, turned out to be a cracked cylinder. Needed an engine. That's about all they're worth.

Paul is absolutely right. Don't be me. I learned this the hard way.

I bought my current Boxster as a roller (blown engine) for $3,000. The seller was sincere. He was nice. He seemed honest. He swore that the only thing wrong with the car was the engine. I believed him.

He lied. Straight to my face.

After swapping in a new engine, I had to spend another $2,000 to fix all of the crap that he knew wasn't working (but lied about).

Remember, the person buying the car is taking all of the risk and there are sellers out there who take advantage of the situation. You might be an honest seller, but the buyer can't be assured of that so they have to discount everything you say by lowering the price to a point where they feel they won't get screwed.

You're right. Mine (the money pit) has a couple of blown struts. I have the replacements, but haven't gotten around to doing them yet. Even at Rock Auto, they are pretty spendy.:eek: