Build vs buy, which will make me less poor?

[maytag]

Originally Posted by Nickanator8

There is so much valuable advice in this thread, thank you all so very much. I shared this thread with my partner and she commented that everyone here has been super nice and constructive so hats off to the 986 community.

It seems like there are two primary schools of thought being presented here, but with some overlap. From where I stand the overlap seems to be that the car needs to have been used regularly and recently, and more maintenance is always better. But that seems to be where the paths diverge.

On one side, I see people pulling me towards being patient and waiting to a prime example of a Boxster to show up that basically maxes out my budget. Essentially going down the path of "buy the best example you can afford"

On the other side, I'm hearing suggestions that I just kind of lowball people and roll the dice, so long as there is nothing obviously outside of my capability.

I'll call these two camps Best Example and poobox Casino moving forward.

Here is a quick summary of those in favor of the Best Example camp: 78F350 and LoneWolfGal seem to be presenting arguments for buying the best car I can find. Suggesting PPIs, service histories, and a good record of maintenance and regular use.

Here is a quick summary of those in favor of the poobox Casino: elgyqc, maytag, and 78F350 seem to be arguing that buying these 20+ year old sports cars is inherently a gamble, particularly at my specified price point, and that I should embrace the project car nature of where I'm shopping and try to get something for as low a cost as possible so I have more money leftover to repair what needs repairing, though still being mindful of buying a project within my mechanical capabilities.

The eagle eyed among you will notice that 78F350 is in both camps, this is mostly because he seems to give advise by the adage of "do as I say, not as I do" because by the looks of it, they only buy cars in the poobox Casino category.

Does anyone have any objections to how I've tallied their votes?

'yer gonna go far.
(that's a "O Brother Where Art Thou" movie reference, haha)

I'd say you've summarized nicely. the only thing you lack is to note that Camp A is wrong, and Camp B is right. haha.

Seriously though; most of my life I've been about the "poobox" as you call it. I call it selective bargain hunting.
For instance:
the first Audi TT roadster I bought had a book value of a little over $11k, but they couldn't sell it because it lacked a clutch and nobody could take it for a test drive. I gave $1700 for it, and put in a $700 clutch.
My first Jaguar was an '03 X-Type (booked at about $12k at the time). I paid $3500 for it, because they said it needed a t-case. I bought said t-case on ebay for $800, but promptly resold it for $750 when I crawled-under and discovered a broken bracket had simply misaligned the input shaft.

What I'm getting at is this: I've been driving nice cars that others wouldn't call "poo boxes". They were nice cars. They simply required a willingness to get elbow-deep into them.

This is especially possible in the euro-car market, where people fear the "high shop-labor rates". While they might jump at a domestic or Asian "mechanic special", they shy away from the Euros. this is why these cars plummet in value so much more aggressively than their Asian or Domestic counterparts.

Lastly; I wouldn't be too patient. A man who waits too long may find the window has closed. Look around at what's available. If none of them are right, then keep waiting. But don't wait if you're looking at the car that you like. JUST MAKE SURE IT LOOKS GOOD.

[78F350]

The eagle eyed among you will notice that 78F350 is in both camps, this is mostly because he seems to give advise by the adage of "do as I say, not as I do" ...

Does anyone have any objections to how I've tallied their votes?

Yes and No.

...and how about an epic Fly-n-Drive adventure? Center on Las Vegas, NV with a 500 mile search radius. Pick three Boxsters within a couple hours of each other, then buy a plane ticket, and roll the dice.




Can you live with purple and chrome wheels?

[Nickanator8]

Originally Posted by 78F350

Can you live with purple and chrome wheels?

The purple I actually love, the chrome wheels... can be changed.

[maytag]

Originally Posted by 78F350

Yes and No.



...and how about an epic Fly-n-Drive adventure? Center on Las Vegas, NV with a 500 mile search radius. Pick three Boxsters within a couple hours of each other, then buy a plane ticket, and roll the dice.

]

This is the best idea yet. love it!


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[elgyqc]

I think your analysis of the two camps is right on. I’d just add that at your budget point you will never find a car that isn’t going to need some work immediately or soon. With a 20+ year old car things wear out.

[Nickanator8]

Originally Posted by elgyqc

I think your analysis of the two camps is right on. I’d just add that at your budget point you will never find a car that isn’t going to need some work immediately or soon. With a 20+ year old car things wear out.

This comment right here about my budget basically requiring dealing with some jankyness is why I've struggled with the idea of going to the top of my price range for just the base car.

The blue Boxster that I previously posted a list of everything wrong with it just had its price reduced, so I think I'm going to pull the trigger on it. I've gotten the blessing of my partner, but unfortunately, I simply do not have time to buy it this week as we are attending a wedding this weekend and into Monday. Hopefully, I can find time in the middle of next week to buy the car and roll the dice.

I'm still a bit wary of all the body damage that needs attending to, but maybe that will just give me a lot of "content" for a YouTube channel.

Wish me luck! I hope to report back with pictures of my new project by this time next week.

If I did go the route of documenting the build on YouTube, are there any rules against self-promotion here?

[Nickanator8]

Gentlemen, I've officially joined your cult.

Last night I went and looked at the blue, 2000 Boxster S for the second time. After another test drive and brief negotiation, I signed the paperwork and now am $5,000 poorer, but one Porsche richer.

Now comes the "fun" part. I'm going to operate under the assumption that this car needs every service item done until proven otherwise. I'll post some pics and specific issues soon but right off the bat what are the things that should be at the top of my list to get the car on a solid mechanical baseline?

Obviously an oil change is needed, and transmission fluid is probably worth doing as well, but what else should I make a priority to take care of straight away?

Here is my list so far
Engine oil
Engine oil filter
Brake fluid
Engine air intake filter
Cabin pollen filter
Spark plugs
Drive belt
Fuel filter
Clean throttle body
Automatic transmission fluid
Water pump
Air oil separator
Brake rotors
Brake pads

The car has 160k on the clock, what am I missing?

[Gilles]

Congratulations on your new ride! but you forgot the pictures..?

If you are replacing the AOS (air-oil separator), I would like to suggest that you order and change the plastic 'accordion' hoses (that attach to the AOS) as well, as by now, these would be very brittle..

[mikefocke]

Alignment, tire tread depth measurement, tires date inspection, inflation check on all 5 tires, tool kit completeness examination.

[78F350]

Your list looks good. I'd prioritize water pump and oil change. The engine mount is probably worn out and it is easier to access a couple of the water pump bolts with the mount removed, so might as well do both together. (Don't support the engine with a jack in the center of the oil pan.)

Does the coolant tank plastic look yellow? -aged plastic ready to crack.

Spark plugs: When I replace them, I replace the spark plug tubes if there is any sign of an oil leak. Clean and inspect the coils for cracks and replace the rubber coil boots if they look degraded.

The vacuum tubing under the intake is going to be brittle. Chances are that it will crack or come apart when you do the AOS. Be gentle or plan to replace it.

What you have written so far shows that you have more awareness than most first time 986 buyers. Everything you need to do to your car has been documented here many times and Youtube videos are great for seeing where other people have made mistakes. Don't hesitate to ask stupid questions.

Many of us have extra parts that aren't listed for sale. Ask if you need any used parts Boxster and Cayman Parts for Sale or Wanted - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners and go to eBay if you want it in a hurry.

Enjoy your new car!

[tcoradeschi]

Looks like a pretty comprehensive list to me. Did the car come with any service records? Some of what you’re listing - oil & filter, for instance - would not make sense to spend time and energy on, if it was done recently.

[Nickanator8]

So I originally posted some pics but they were HUGE! Here is a link to the Imgur album instead: https://imgur.com/a/jTHw5pq

The car came with no service history, and honestly even if it had I would still want to do all of the basic fluid changes just to reset everything to a known date.

More updates are on their way!

[Nickanator8]

Ok guys, I've driven the car around a bit and I have some new issues that need to be addressed beyond what I've already mentioned.

Sometimes, the 4th gear light and drive light on the dashboard will flash in an alternating pattern. I've found another thread here that discusses the issue but I'm not quite sure what the best course of action is to address it, or if it is even an issue at all.

The fuel gauge only goes up to about half full. I bought it with a basically empty tank, put 14.5 gallons in, and the needle is only showing about half a tank. It's not a major issue as it clearly works fine on the part of the half that matters, but still something I would want to address.

On startup there seems to be a bit of white smoke that comes out of the exhaust. It only happens right at the beginning of starting up the car and dissipates quickly. I have not done any research on this issue yet but plan on doing so soon.

There seems to be an occasional fuel smell on startup or on shutoff, again, I haven't really dug into this issue much yet and it seems intermittent. I'm not seeing any obvious leaks under the car so that's nice.

Finally, I gave the car a wash and it actually looks really good for the age, and way better than I thought it would. It turns out that much of what I thought was hail damage, scratches, or scrapes was just dust and debris! The body is not free of issues though, as every single panel has some kind of paint damage. It's mostly rock chips and from 5-10 feet it looks fine, especially with a fresh coat of wax. Not a show car by any means, but I think the guy who sold it to me could have asked for more if it had just been clean.

Last little update, the MoF is warming up to the car quite a bit. She is still concerned about the fuel smell and some of the other issues but we went on a top-down cruise during the golden hour last night at a local wildlife refuge and it was wonderful. No photos because we were mostly doing it to warm up the car and hopefully identify the fuel smell issue but we both are thinking I got a pretty damn good deal.

[78F350]

Originally Posted by Nickanator8

...Sometimes, the 4th gear light and drive light on the dashboard will flash in an alternating pattern. I've found another thread here that discusses the issue but I'm not quite sure what the best course of action is to address it, or if it is even an issue at all. ...

I have not had a serious problem with a Tiptronic, so I have not gone deep into it. I have had the flashing D-4 ('limp mode') a couple times. Once was a shift lever that had been damaged and did not position correctly to the Drive position, the other was low voltage from a weak battery. Find out what is wrong before putting a lot of miles on.

I'd recommend using a code scanner that can read transmission codes on Porsche. I use an older Autel which I like because it works on a wide variety of cars and doesn't require a computer. Foxwell seems like a popular one now and Durametric is recommended by many. I don't have a recommendation other than making sure that it can read Porsche specific modules and that it provides information that YOU can understand and use.

[Nickanator8]

I took some pictures.







Enjoy!

[Nickanator8]

Ok guys, I've been driving the car quite a bit over the last few days and I've identified some issues I feel need to be worked out, and I'd love some input from the community veterans.

First off, the seats feel too narrow for both myself and my partner. Neither of us are big people, I weigh in at 160lbs and 5'11" and she is only about 100lbs and 5'4" and yet the seats still seem kind of narrow and uncomfortable.

There is a set of 987 seats for sale near me that I've considered buying to swap in, but I'm not sure if they would actually be any more comfortable. I think we are mostly looking at a slightly wider seat that still has some bolstering for the twisty corners we have enjoyed visiting. The only other requirement is that they must be heated because this car is going to see some winter driving and heated seats help a lot. So yeah, any seat recommendations?

Beyond that, the suspension is creaky and needs a bit of a refresh. I need some advice on what the best course of action might be for my ultimate goals with this car. I do not want to lower the car at all. There are a lot of speed bumps in my area, potholes, and generally poor road conditions. Because of this, basically all coilover setups are not really an option. With that in mind, what would be the best way to refresh the suspension? Should I buy new shocks and keep the old springs or is there another direction I should go?

Beyond that, the car seems to be running great! It's got fresh oil in the engine and other maintenance items are on the list. I'm really excited to get this car fully refreshed and healthy.