Being gifted a 2001 Boxster S - Advice?
 

Evening all! Not sure if this is the correct place to post, so let me know but...

I am fortunate to have the opportunity to be gifted a 2001 Boxster S with no strings attached from a family member who just doesn't use it. It has less than 18K miles - not a typo - and brand new tires...

Mechanically it's 100%, but had some water damage a few years back (water got in through top) and had fuse panel I believe replaced, but all electronics seem to be 100% now. Seats are a little hard to adjust forward and back from what I'm guessing is some corrosion from water that got in, but garage gave it clean bill of health. One of the lcds for the temp is going, but still readable. Squirrels made a nest inside somewhere, but that has been removed and wires checked for damage (I think). It does have an "earthy" smell from the air ducts when blowing haha. Other than that, and a few scratches here and there, it's in great shape and just needs a very good clean/detail. It's that steel gray color (very dark), red calipers, and also has the hard top. It's gorgeous and 18,000 miles!

My question is, what am I getting myself into if I agree to take it on? Are they expensive to maintain? Is the model/year an easy one to tinker with? I'm not a car guy per se, but have always wanted to get into it and am more than average mechanically inclined (I've done a lot of our plumbing and electrical). I'd love to upgrade to spoked rims, upgrade the lamps to LED and maybe give the stereo a face-lift.

It won't be driven much. I work from home and have 3 small kids (probably 4 years away from the oldest being able to be in front seat) and can't imagine driving it more than 100 miles a month. Probably just a date night car :)

My other question, is there anything I need to look for regarding wear and tear? Or should a dealer just give it a full inspection?

I will have to drive the car down the east coast if I take it (already dreaming about that road trip :) ) . Probably more miles in 2 days then it's done in a year. That shouldn't be an issue running it that long?

I've driven this car when visiting over the years and love it, but I really don't know what owning one would be getting myself into.

Should I just dive in head first?

Any advice would be very helpful!

Thanks!

Welcome and congrats. The questions you ask would take a lot to answer thoroughly. There is a saying that a cheap Porsche will be the most expensive car you'll own. Hopefully it just needs to be brought up to date on maintenance issues. OEM parts can be very pricey. How far is your 'east coast' trip? X/O the oil before the trip? How old are the tires/tread life? After you get it home, find a Porsche trained shop/mechanic and have them do a PPI. This will give you a baseline of what it really needs/$$$ budget. There is a ton of info and help available here. Report back as you go and we will help you stay out of trouble.

I would have the oil changed at a local independent german car shop. Have them do an inspection as if you are buying the car. They will tell you what might be wrong and what needs attention to make the trip.

If the tires are more than about 5 years old, it would be a good idea to spring for new ones, even if the current ones look okay. A tire shop can check the dates if you don't know how.

I would spend the bucks and get the car detailed. Much more cost effective than DIY. The earthy smell from the air ducts is concerning, if rodents have been visiting, there may be dried urine and/or poop. Very nasty, and hazardous to your health.

A good 01 Boxster S is worth at least $12 grand. A good low mile one could even be worth more. I would be cost effective to put several grand into this car. Congrats. I'm jealous.

I'll second Brian in Tuscon. Have the oil changed and the brake fluid flushed, then have a good indy do a thorough inspection as though you were considering buying it. Let the results dictate what you do next, and when. Good luck!

One more thing...Don't forget to say thank you!!

Nah, you should "gift" it to me, save yourself all the heartaches and expenses. If you can't afford to buy it, you can't afford to own it. Let me save you the trouble, I'll take it off your hands...

I hate to be one of those negative guy's, but low mile motors scare me. The rest of the car should be carefree (as long as the tires are not old), but the m96 motor does not like to sit around. The vario cam adjuster internal O-rings get brittle, lifters go flat and the IMS bearing dries out. I like the idea of bringing it to a independent shop that knows the M96 very well. Have them check it out. I would almost suggest a dealer, but they can be very hit or miss on having a technician that knows the early 986/996

Where are you located? We can make suggestions for a shop

I though I had posted on this question but it didn't seem to go through.

80 miles a month, all short drives. Oil seldom up to temps. Ditto itsnotanova.

Uncertain storage. Water infiltration may mean anything in terms of electrical connections or it may mean nothing.

I bought my second Boxster with consistent miles already put on it to the tune of 8k a year. I had a PPI done on it and $3k later (brakes, tires, 90k service as it is the most comprehensive, alignment) I was good to drive anywhere and did for 5 wonderful years.

The car is worth maybe $3-4k as is. Fixed up $5k worth, maybe 5-6k.

Only go into this if you are willing to go into it. Have access to a great Porsche mechanic and have it shipped to you, repaired and drive around locally for a while where any problem is easily recoverable.

Once you have it in shape, you are in for a wonderful experience.

To show you what I thought, I totaled my first and immediately looked for and bought another. And yes I drove it up and down the east coast. But I knew it was in shape to do that. I even took it through a hurricane in preference to a 4wd CRV that had the world's best rain tires. I had another 8k of personal experience with the car before I did.

Agreed
 

Be sure and say Thank You

Congratulations! You're been given a fantastic gift :dance:

Absolutely take the chance. Sounds like this would not be your daily driver, so take it and work on it what you can your self and let the local Porche specialist to fix the rest as time and issues come by - a hobby car that does not need to be in drivable condition all the time :)

Have fun with it!

Sounds like a few thousand dollars can whip it into top shape. And to have a 2001 S for a few thousand dollars is big bargain.

But I echo what everyone told you about finding a top Porsche specialist indep shop or a very good dealer to give the car a very thorough inspection that is no less thorough than what a PPI would be, and tell them everything you told us about the car's history.

Do you have service records? Do you have a Carfax on the car's history? You haven't told us how long the "family member" owned the car for. That would help to know.

IMHO, I would trailer it back to your home, there is nothing worse than being stranded on the side of the road in a German hot rod.
Once you get home, drain every fluid and replace, every fluid. Flush the radiators, flush the brakes and replace fluid, maybe even replace the brake lines, drain the gas tank, maybe even pull it and flush it. I may even go so far as to pull the tranny and replace the clutch, and while your there do the IMS. Without any use on the vehicle, there is no natural or normal usage of all the rubber hoses, so you may be looking at a constant battle of vacuum or rubber hose chasing.
If it was me, I would just pull the motor and replace every rubber hose, seal and wear item there. Sure it may cost $3-4k, but it's still a $12k car. And worth it.

+ 1

It may sound a lot but actually you would be an investment because afterwards you will have a sound very low mileage and dependable car, like Woody mentioned, these engines does not like sitting still for a long periods, let along several years (specially the IMS bearing..) and rubber pieces.

Congratulations on your gift :-)

PS: But, you are forgetting something, what about some pics..?

You are so lucky. I wish I could have a Porsche given to me.
Look into IMS replacement some time soon.

Congrats. And do it. My comments are to address your specific question.

Focke and Nova provide excellent advise. So do all folks who have posted on here.

My experience with a 98 Boxster (that I'm slowly bringing back to life) has been very positive. Mine needed lots of work and pretty much every mechanical issue I've experienced has required a few hundred in parts, a few hours of research (here and elsewhere) and a couple hours of actual work to fix.

So far the biggest PIA was the coolant tank replacement. The rest have been easy. I'll be tackling my suspension next.

I'm also mechanically inclined and have no issues with getting my hands dirty. So this has and continues to be a rewarding experience.

My only misgiving is that I don't have enough time to drive it becasue like you, I have a large family to take care of! But I still fine a few hours to peck away at it.

The surprise so far is that I thought I was getting a practice car before I upgraded to a 911 (my 10yo self dream car), but honestly, I might just be fine with my Boxster for way way less than 1/2 the price!

These are fun cars!

Enjoy and keep us posted on what you do.