WTB: Boxster on the cheap!

[jamiehjr]

Hey!

I am in search of a Boxster on a low budget. I am willing to travel to acquire a Boxster within my budget. High mileage (from a maintenance conscience individual) does not deter me. $18,000 is too high. I could afford Kelley Blue Book (kbb.com) prices from private party seller for a 1997-1999 Boxster.

If you have a such a car for sale, know of such, see one in a local paper, or see one roadside on a lot, I would appreciate a notice!

Thank you,
Jamie
jamiehjr@aol.com
865 659 8791
Knoxville, Tennessee

[Brucelee]

Just be VERY CAREFUL when you buy. The Boxster is NOT a cheap car to fix and if you budget does not allow for repairs on say an 80K mile car (and there will be repairs), you may you are not driving your Box all that much!

If you search here, you will find numerous threads on how to buy a boxster wisely.

Best of luck.

[RandallNeighbour]

Well, well well. Looks as if I am not the only one who wants to learn all his lessons the hard and expensive way, huh Richard? A year ago I too had this EXACT mentality, but I didn't know about this list and the car well enough to make an informed decision. Jamie, good for you to ask these important questions BEFORE you buy an old Boxster.

So as not to make you do a lot of searching through this forum, I have taken the time to dig up a thread I posted a couple of months ago. Here's a snipet:

______________________

I purchased my 1997 Boxster for 15,500 in July of 04. It was 1500.00 under blue book wholesale. What a steal, right? It even had a brand new engine in it that is valued at 16k plus installation. Thought I had hit the deal of the century, but then the spending began...

$200.00 - Horn pad replacement - (horn went off every time I braked hard so I had to do this)
$160.00 - Second key. $50 Key Remote head from Ebay, blank and programming from dealer
$500.00 - New instrument cluster ($400 on Ebay plus $100 to have it programmed at dealer... mine died and I HAD to replace it)
$1825.00 - Used transmission purchase (82k tranny couldn't keep up with new engine) - Ebay
$375.00 - New Sachs clutch (No brainer to do this with the tranny install)
$180.00 - Brake pads for all four wheels
$900.00 - Labor for brake job, transmission swap and clutch replacement
$450.00 - Front lower control arm replacement & labor (my mechanic did it for half of what the dealer quoted)
$125.00 - Oil change and filter change
$595.00 - Cheap new tires (Kumho's) from Tire Rack-found out boxster eat tires FAST.
$200.00 - Fuel Sending Unit Replacement (they get rusty and stick)
$500.00 - Rear struts replaced (can't afford to do the fronts as well right now)

_________________________

Jamie, I did NOT include the cost of the rear speaker kit, wind deflectors, roll bar inserts, 3 spoke wheel and airbag, updated shifter knob, three alignments and a subframe pull $$$ to correct a previous owner banging into a curb HARD, and at least 4 rounds of getting the tires balanced to my satisfaction.

None of this scared me off because it's a toy that sits in my garage, and I am financially in a position to drop this much cash into a toy car to get it in good running condition. If I had purchased this as my daily driver and I was on a tight budget, I'd be freaking out right now... the insurance on it is high, the fuel economy sucks compared to my Honda or even my Lexus LS400, and all these expenses on top of that?

Save your money and buy a boxster priced in the mid $20k's and is 4-5 years old and has low mileage and one owner who loved the car and babied it. There's lots of those out there if you are willing to look and be patient. Just don't jump on an abused, neglected Boxster that's shiney on the outside and has all kinds of hidden problems that mechanics CANNOT tell you about in pre-inspection.

Best of luck to you Jamie, and regardless of what year or condition of Boxster you choose to buy, you're welcome on this forum. If you do buy an old boxster that needs lots of $$ and TLC, you'll find this forum indespensible and the people far nicer than other boards with their snooty attitudes!

PS - Just learned 97-99 boxters develop expensive top problems due to cables that stretch in the mechanism... fortunately, a previous owner replaced mine, but many old boxsters still have the original ones, not the newer reinforced ones. Look for that when you're shopping.

[Brucelee]

Thanks for the valuable input Randall.

This shows what CAN happen, not WILL happen.

Due diligence is your weapon, caveat emptor!

[RandallNeighbour]

So true. Buying an old boxster for $2k under KBB wholesale is not guaranteed to yield a vehicle as poorly maintained and abused as mine.

But, would you not agree that it's a fairly safe assumption to make if the price is ridiculously low, as in the amount Jamie wants to spend? If a dealer paid that little or bought it at auction for a song, it probably needs a lot of work, especially if the dealer or individual is selling it for so little cash.

"You get what you paid for" is highly accurate when it comes to buying a used Boxster within reason— "within reason" allows one to exclude those owners selling boxsters for $10k over retail because it's a garage queen and they don't want to take the depreciation hit the car will receive regardless of condition.

Jamie, whatever Boxster you find, take it to a mechanic who works on Boxsters frequently and get a 4 wheel laser alignment done on the car before you take possession of it. Between what the mechanic will tell you and what the printout of the alignment will show, you'll know the condition of the car and if it has the slightest frame damage. It's worth the $175 to find out if you're buying a cared-for Boxster or a shiny wreck.

[ymkmkrz]

Jamie,

I bought a high mileage 97 Boxster 99k, last November. It had some cosmetic issues, particulalry in the interior, but appeared sound mechanicaly and well cared for as far as maintenance was concerned. The guy just left the top down a lot and the S FL sun did a number on the door panels and seats. I've been a Porsche nut for many years and thought it worth taking a chance. I paid 12,500 to guy really needing to sell. I went to Miami to get it and the seller agreed to take it back and pay my expenses if the car had any problems driving back to atlanta.

It did fine, I spent about 2k getting it looking the way I wanted it to, changed the oil, and have had no problems since until the AC quit cooling well this week. Still works, but in the heat of the day, it doesn't keep up with temp setting, so I'm sure it just neds a charge. I'm trying to figure out how to charge it myself today. I have several other cars, including 2 other Porsches, but I've put 5k miles on it driving back and forth to work in Atlanta traffic. It gets 23 to 25 miles per gallon, so I'm not sure why the comment about not getting good mileage.

If you want a Boxster on a budget, I'm sure you can find one. If you aren't qualified to check it out yourself, stay fairly close to home in your search and get it checked out. I am from E TN originally and know a few Porsche shops there well. Get a PPI from Air Cooled Classics or there is a used dealer on Kingston Pike, USI Motors, who has a great Porsche mechanic and won't steer you wrong. Just stay away from late 98s and 99 models. Good luck in your search. Just don't get in a hurry.

[lwc]

Here is a link to a '98 for less than $15M.

http://www.oklahomaforeign.com/detail.asp?ID=515