Paint or Not
 

The early 986 that I am very seriously considering buying is well maintained. Its paint is in good shape, but I'd prefer a different color. As I gauge how much that color would bother me, what are some more practical pros and cons of repainting an early Boxster that I should keep in mind?

A good paint job to change the color of a car is expensive if done well. Have you inquired with a good paint shop for an estimate? Is there a reason that you want to buy this particular car rather than find one in a color that you prefer?
Many of us have spent more on our cars than they are worth on the market to make them the way we want them to be. Nothing wrong with that. Just be aware of the costs before rushing in.
I'd recommend, being patient and finding the right car.

Thanks, 78F! It is an extraordinary car. I think I can live with the color, if it comes down to it. I haven't done a search yet for paint shops, because I'm trying to weigh many factors in order to reach a decision and the color of the car is not as important to me as the probable reliability. This one looks very promising indeed!

And fwiw I, too, am an Okie; born in St. Anthony's Hospital in Oklahoma City, the child of Okies, now an Okie who's pilgrimaged to San Diego.

I'd suggest that the only practical issues revolve around the cost of a decent quality paint job. It's kinda stunning, as both the labor and material costs are significant. The last time I chatted on the topic with my Go To guy (he was respraying a 98% prepped bumper cover for me for the low low price of $400), the discussion started at around $4k.

Other than that, it's a Boxster. There are a gajillion of them out there, so a non stock color isn't going to move the needle on resale value or anything like that. I the cost is something you can manage, go for it!

Spend that much to change the color on a ~20 year old car that you can buy in bunches just makes no sense to me. A car that old will have other issues and every time you open the hood or the trunk what will you see? Are you really going to replace all the rubber gaskets or have ugly spots around it. Your car, your money.

Okay, I'll ask the two unasked questions, out of curiosity...

What color is it currently?

If you were to change it, what color would it become?

(FWIW, I agree with those saying it's a bit of a crazy stretch having a quality paint job done on a Boxster of this age. Just curious about what color schemes you were considering..)

I'm in the camp of do what you want. These cars are not an investment. But they are great cars with plenty of options open to us to keep them running for a very long time. Expensive options to be sure, but as long as you are aware that you aren't getting your money back than you do you. In the grand scheme of things, ~5-8k for a great paint job is a drop in the bucket if you hold on to the car for a decade or more.

A good quality paint job will start at around $6000.00 and go up from there.

I paid $12000.00 for a 2000S with 47000 miles... four years ago.
For $18000.00 you can get a very nice Boxster you just have to spend some time looking.

Keep in mind a repaint will never be as good as an original paint job unless the car is taken back to bare metal...then your talking $10000.000 plus for a quality job.

Why not have it wrapped? Will cost several thousands to do but cheaper than a quality paint job.

San Diego and Southern California are a much bigger market than Northeast Oklahoma. I'm lucky to find more than two running 986s within 100 miles of my area. Here's a quick look at some searches that take only a minute or two. Pick a color:

It looks like Craigslist is still active for selling cars in the San Diego area. https://sandiego.craigslist.org/search/cta?auto_make_model=porsche%20boxster&max_auto_yea r=2009&min_auto_year=1997#search=1~gallery~0~34
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/SDCL1680529360.jpg

Facebook Marketplace is awkward to search and terrible to use, but in my area, it's where the for sale by owner cars are. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/sandiego/search?query=boxster%20porsche
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/SDFB1680530192.jpg

Used car dealers like to feed their inventory to places like Autotrader: https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/all-cars/porsche/boxster/san-diego-ca-92107?0=vehicledetails.xhtml&listingId=673051436&r equestId=BOXSTE&searchRadius=100&marketExtension=o ff&startYear=1997&endYear=2004&isNewSearch=true&sh owAccelerateBanner=false&sortBy=relevance&numRecor ds=25
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/SDAT1680530735.jpg

I think Ive bought over 20 now. Never had yellow and not sure if Rick (Redtele58) has a yellow one either. Next time I get rid of a black one, I should do a fly-n-drive to San Diego to get a yellow one. :cheers: