Yet another buy a Boxster thread.

[Mx-5 driver]

Hello.

My names Andrew, and I am looking at a 2000 Boxster S at the moment. I am no stranger to roadsters, but I am new when it comes to the Boxster.

The car I am looking at is priced at around $16,000 CDN, please keep in mind that we pay a little more for our cars here haha. Looking around on the net for similar cars in the condition this one is in, seems to suggest that the price is decent.

I have taken the car for several test drives, and I have noticed a few things. One the idle seems to drop when stopped in neutral, but it comes back up. Research tells me this is normal for some of these cars of that year. Should I be worried?

I have a service history of the car which states that in the past 2 years, the owner has replaced; both rear control arms, the starter, spark plugs, oil/air seperator valve, serp belt, and pvc valve. I am worried because I don't see anything about a timing belt, and since the car is just over 100,000km I'm curious. I am waiting on an oil change history because I know these cars take a fair amount of oil and need to be changed often. So if the owner was cheap they may not have changed it that often.

What issues should I be on the look for besides the ones I have mentioned? should I run away from this thing? Or, look at it a little bit more?

Please keep in mind that I do not drive to my job, and I travel a lot which sometimes has me out of the country for several months at a time. My current car has been drive around 1500km in the past 6 months. I will not be driving this car around all that much. I just want something that I can enjoy when I do get the chance to drive. My current car is just not doing that for me, and it is costing me far more then the Boxster would.

BTW I also have a 2003 Miata which sits in storage on the other side of the country. I can't bring it to where I am now, but when I do make it back there from time to time I drive it.

Thanks.

[t2-bxtrs]

Hello Andrew,
Welcome to the Forum ,and hopefully get one of this beautiful machines!
What i would suggest first and foremost is read as much as you can about these cars.. what to look out for, differences between year of make, desirable options and number one obviously is the overall condition and history!
You are in the right place for all those research that you will need and the numerous ideas and suggestions that belong in this forum.
With our $Cnd over par with $U.S, you are in a perfect position to shop around for the best possible car for you...it depends on how much work you want to do..
There's plenty of them across the border (U. S) and with their economy they way it is.. you can find a much much better one, than that 2000S with close to 100K...
just my cents.
good luck,
t2
04S

[mikefocke]

the mentioned 2000 S has ~6k miles per year it is right at the sweet spot in terms of use versus age to me. Sitting around is bad for a car. Stuff ages as well as wears out. And the recent repair history doesn't sound like it was neglected. While the recommended interval at this usage rate is 1 oil change a year, many don't keep records that long.

I love my '01 S Boxster but it gets only around 2k miles a year now...now have other priorities and other vehicles sit next to it. It gets better than normal maintenance. But is it a Miata in terms of simplicity? No. More features, more comfort, more complexity, more potential expense. Mine has been very very reliable and cheap to maintain over 5 years. But things can fail. Got a good dealer/independent-mechanic that knows Porsches handy?

All I know about buying a Boxster is on these web pages.

[kabel]

Refreshing to see more people coming here to research ask question prior to buying. Well done

[jcb986]

This is my 2000 S which I bought for $15,700 with 62K on it. I had to put new tires on it, I then did the 60K maintenance with, air filters, oil change, fuel filter, serpentine belt. I also decided to replace my rotors and pads, brake fluid flush and just completed my TIP service. So far I have spent about $1500.00.

[Dale_K]

I bought a 2000 S about a month ago. It doesn't have a timing belt. Instead the motor is full of chains. My car has 100k miles and it's a little tired cosmetically but it ran perfectly on the test drive. Only cost $12k US $. No issues with the idle or any other function except the windshield washer didn't work (easy fix to resecure the rubber hose).

You have maximum leverage as a potential buyer. I wouldn't buy the car until everything is working the way it's supposed to. Otherwise knock a big chunk off the offering price because you really don't know how much the fix is going to cost.

[Mx-5 driver]

Well I decided to go for it. The dealer was able to fix all the issues I had with the car before I picked it up. I was in a somewhat sticky situation with my old car, as I needed someone to take it in on trade for the amount needed to cover the loan against it.

So basically at this point they took my other car in for higher then they wanted to, but we had agreed on that price so thankfully they kept their word. As it stands now I am paying less for the boxster per month, and saving a bit on insurance. I needed a bank loan in order to purchase the boxster outright. My credit is great so I have a very nice rate, and the term of the loan is less then my previous loan. My brother is sales manager for Honda so he walked me through the process of what to ask for, and what to go for.

If this was stupid oh well haha. I'm only 26 (just turned) I will have plenty of time to make up for my mistakes, or keep paying for them .

I thought of cross border shopping, but my job does not allow me to take a lot of time off to go do those types of things. I needed a local dealer that would take my other car off my hands.

Long story short I love the car!

[Reggie&Sue]

Hi Andrew, welcome to Boxster-hood ! We have some shared history, I lived in Windsor whilst attending the U. of W. (graduated in 1980, so I'm just a bit older than you !), I also had a Miata (2002) before buying my '00 S (purchased used in 2006, with 55 K miles).

Sounds like you made a good buy. Now for this cold winter to be over so that you can put the top down and really enjoy the Boxster.

[Mx-5 driver]

Originally Posted by Reggie&Sue

Hi Andrew, welcome to Boxster-hood ! We have some shared history, I lived in Windsor whilst attending the U. of W. (graduated in 1980, so I'm just a bit older than you !), I also had a Miata (2002) before buying my '00 S (purchased used in 2006, with 55 K miles).

Sounds like you made a good buy. Now for this cold winter to be over so that you can put the top down and really enjoy the Boxster.

Hey! Thank you for the welcome. I grew up in Windsor and also attend the U of W. I have political science/ Crim. Degree. I live out in Victoria BC right now so we don't have a lot of cold weather. I almost dropped the top yesterday, but didn't.

I was in the local miata clubs around essex county, maybe I ran into you at some point? My miata stuck out a lot haha it's all black with a hardtop I ran really wide 0 offset wheels with a huge lip on them. Most people in the city are familar with that car, everyone always asked me about.