Interested in 98-00 Boxster auto in so cal - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

heatfan · 10-22-2006, 10:32 PM

anyone selling anyone? auto only.
Thanks.

RandallNeighbour · 10-23-2006, 08:47 AM

Why are you looking for these model years? Price alone?

heatfan · 10-23-2006, 03:10 PM

Yes, basically doing this based on price I'm on a budget!

RandallNeighbour · 10-23-2006, 03:51 PM

Do yourself a favor and wait for a garage queen with very low miles and a meticulous (read anal) owner to come along who must part with their baby or dream ride.

Also, be willing to buy it from across the country and have the car shipped to you... SoCal boxsters will probably go for more than those that have been sold to people in the north or on the east coast where the car is only driven during summer months. And now is about the best time to be shopping for one of those winter Boxsters. January is a great month. You can always hire a company who will check the car out for you or the owner will usually be willing to drop the car off at a dealership for a pre-purchase inspection if they're stand-up people with nothing to hide.

Then insure you can put a grand or more into the car each year to either repair it or enhance it if it's in good running condition. You'll buy a rear set of tires a year with weekly use, and the oil changes aren't cheap, although you can go longer than a fossil-based oil'd car.

I hope you find the best Boxster that your budget can buy! We all look forward to pictures of it the day you take possesion of it.

heatfan · 10-23-2006, 04:03 PM

I would be afraid to buy a boxster from the east coast, I want to buy one local so I can have my friend inspect it make sure there is no problems. If I buy one from the east coast I don't have that problem. Plus I want to see it and drive the car I buy before I buy it

These are the cars I found so far. and there asking price. Tell me what I should offer then with out lowballing them? All of them are auto because that is what I'm looking for:
1999 57K miles Black on Black Asking price 17K (also has 19 Inch rims)
1998 86K Miles Silver ext, Red int Asking price 15.5K
1999 97K Miles Red on Black Asking price 15.4K
1999 79K Miles Silver on Red Asking price 15.9K
1999 70K Miles Red on Grey Asking price 16.2K

RandallNeighbour · 10-23-2006, 04:13 PM

The 99 with 57k looks like the newest with the lowest mileage. Check and see what similar cars have actually sold for. It also has a 2.7 vs a 2.5 liter engine, which you really need with that somewhat slower (and a tad heavier) tiptronic tranny. Upside? Very few RMS leaks on tip tranny'd Boxsters!

Good rule of thumb: The cheapest Porsche to buy is by far the most expensive to own. ... I didn't coin that phrase, but dang, I sure have lived it!

I do wish you'd keep looking for someone who has a 2000 S with really low miles on it and save up a couple of grand more. You would not be sorry with an S because of the 3.2 in it and the improvements they made every single year since the car came out made it better and more dependable.

I have 3x black boxster and love it... hard to keep clean and swirl-free, but when it's clean, it's the most beautiful color boxster out there in my opinion! Invest in a Porter Cable random orbital buffer if you buy a black one for detailing days.

Visit my web site (links below) and print off all the pages that talk about what I've replaced on my old boxster and what you should look for when buying one to give to your mechanic buddy when he inspects the car.

I would still take it to a dealership and pay them to do a $250 PPI on it. They just know what to look for on these cars where your buddy may not know all the nuances of an older Porsche.

Also, ask for the maintenance records on the car you are interested in to see what might have already been replaced and what you'll be stuck with after purchasing the car.

heatfan · 10-23-2006, 04:27 PM

Are all 2000 boxsters S? or are there two different boxster models in 2000?

heatfan · 10-23-2006, 04:40 PM

someones selling a 2001, black on black with 62K miles for 19,5

RandallNeighbour · 10-23-2006, 04:51 PM

In 2000, they began offering a 2nd model called the S with a 3.2 engine in it that is by far a much faster car. So for 2000 and forward, you have a choice to make... regular boxster or an S.

The S model will always cost more and resell for more. Many say the 2.5 and 2.7 engines in the newer non-S boxster and 97-99 boxsters is underpowered. I would always like more power myself, but my 2.5 gets up and runs without any complaints.

NickCats · 10-23-2006, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

The 99 with 57k looks like the newest with the lowest mileage. Check and see what similar cars have actually sold for. It also has a 2.7 vs a 2.5 liter engine, which you really need with that somewhat slower (and a tad heavier) tiptronic tranny. Upside? Very few RMS leaks on tip tranny'd Boxsters!

Randall,

I thought the 1999 had the 2.5 liter engine and the 2000 had the 2.7 ?

Nick

10-23-2006, 05:08 PM

heatfan dont rush and buy a boxster so quickly,wait untill you find a good price,and low miles,i found my 99 a year ago with only 7,000 miles.
enjoy the buying procees

heatfan · 10-23-2006, 05:28 PM

Well my car was just totaled in an accident last week, and right when I get my insurance check I'm going to have to buy a car

Arona · 10-23-2006, 05:40 PM

Get to Randall's links, read and follow them. I bought my Boxster last spring after using his advise and I've had one of the happiest summers of driving in my life. He's not kidding, get the PPI... with the kind of milage you're looking at, you will be glad you did.

heatfan · 10-23-2006, 05:44 PM

you guys are kind of scaring me, so the 97's-99's have all kinds of problems?

RandallNeighbour · 10-23-2006, 05:59 PM

Nick, I stand corrected. The 97-99's had a 2.5, and the 2.7 was introduced in 2000 on the non-S. (I've been editing a book all day and the brain is deep fat french fried!)

Arona, thanks for the compliment! Sometimes I wonder if I run off more potential Boxster buyers than I do help out and this is nice to hear.

Heatfan, the 97-99 cars were typical "first year" production cars. They got a lot of bugs worked out in 98 and 99 with the top, certain engines manufactured during certain months (most have blown out and been replaced already), etc. The problem with Porsches in general is that they are not mass produced like a Camaro was made, so it takes longer to get things right.

Every year they improved this and that and make it a better car. The 987, released in 2005, was a giant leap of an overhaul. The models may not look very different, but they are in many, many ways. A far nicer interior is just the beginning of what is different.

This is why you will hear most every forum member who owns one tell you to buy the youngest model Boxster you can afford with the absolutely lowest mileage and most-detailed maintenance records you can find. You'll pay five grand more for that car, but it will give you years of trouble-free driving pleasure vs. "The damn thing is in the shop again! Can someone remind me why I bought an old, cheap Porsche one more time?"

By the way, this is the voice of experience talking here, and ask any of my buddies and they'll tell you I said these exact words for the first two years of ownership.

Like I wrote before, this is an amazing car and you should definitely buy one if you want the best mid-engine convertible on the planet. However, don't be penny-wise and pound-foolish. Spend it up front on a nicer car or spend it later on a not-so-nice car is the way it always works out with just about any automotive purchase.

heatfan · 10-24-2006, 04:21 PM

Hey I found a 2001 boxster, black on black... 59K miles tip tronic.. $17,500 good price?

RandallNeighbour · 10-25-2006, 05:26 AM

A lot rides on the PPI and the alignment (my recommendation to show the car has not been wrecked and not repaired properly) you have done on the car before you decide to purchase it. If these check out, and the KBB (Kelly Blue Book) value from their web site www.kbb.com checks out, you're good to go.