Ready to purchase Boxster S
 

I have been researching the boxster for several months now and have narrowed it down to 3 different cars:

2002 Boxster S, 42K miles, Porsche Certified-$26,900
2000 Boxster S, 24K miles, Certified-$24,000
2003 Boxster S, 46K miles, Certified-$29,000

The price is the asking price and will negotiate down. My question is it worth the extra money to go with the 2003? I like the lower miles on the 2000, but not sure if it is to old.

Thanks

The 03 has the advantage of a glass rear window and a few upgrades. Other'n that you should look at the options you need most and records of maintenance. PPI is a must. I would make sure no wrecks involved.

And Welcome! :cheers:

Looks like a great choice to me.....good luck and enjoy.....and make sure you post a pic of your purchase! :cheers:

Did you see this TX 986 posted to another board? It's more money, but I highly doubt they'll get 41K for it and can be negotiated down. If you can live with the color, it's pretty seriously loaded (including hardtop).

http://roger-beasley.porschedealer.com/preowned_cars/info.php?inventoryid=279126

Thanks for the advice so far. Do I need a PPI if it is Porsche Certified? Will Porsche certify a car that has had any body damage? I know BMW will not, but not sure about other brands. All 3 of these are Porsche certified, so I was not to worried about the PPI, they all are local to the DFW metroplex and have service records.

Need a PPI
 

No. The CPO of the car should have done the same things as a PPI. I would ask to get a copy of the sheets that the dealer filled out when doing the CPO inspection that they transmitted to Porsche to get the approval for the CPO.

The 2000 has just enough miles on it per year that it shouldn't be suffering the ills of an undriven car. But the CPO on it will expire much sooner in terms of time than the CPOs of any of the others.

How many miles per year are you going to drive this car? That should help you figure out if time or mileage is the more important factor in when the CPO expires.

CPO is 7 years from the in-service date of the car and (for example) a 2000 model year could have an in-service date as old as September 1999. So ask the in-service date for the 3 cars and don't judge the CPO length by the model year.

The 2003 is more desirable (look at the list of model year changes on my web site) but only you can determine if the additional miles and additional CPO time and additional improvements are worth the additional $ taking into account differences in condition and options. Any of the cars and years will give you years of fun driving.

Tips on buying a Boxster are among the web pages there too, look in the index.

http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/modelyeardifferences

My understanding of the CPO is that if it is offered on a car that is out of original warranty (e.g. the 2000), then the 2 year duration is from the date of the sale.

OTOH if it is offered on a car that is still under original factory warranty, the duration is a maximum of six years from the in service date.

The Porsche site has the details

Tex: For me, a Porsche replaces a boat. I don't boat in the rain, snow or Winter. Therefore, I wanted the lowest mileage ...in the best condition ...and most optioned car, I could find for the money. My '01 15k Box-S now has 21k three years later and its condition is unchanged.

Having said that; if this car replaced a car and was used frequently then - of your choices - I'd snag the '03. Year beats mileage when you play Rock-Paper-Scissors in my mind. ...as long as conditon was similar amongst them. The dealer can run the invisible history for you.

Good hunting. It's great fun to search out good cars.

j i m

All things being equal, I'd snag the 03S, after bargaining it down to $27k. I wouldn't do a PPI on a CPO car.

Sounds like a good strategy!

pardon my ignorance, but can somone please enlighten me as to what "PPI" stands for and what it entails?

I assume its something youd want to look into if your buying a used Porsche?

PPI= Pre-Purchase Inspection