[Mr Kipling]

Hi,
Thanks everyone for the replies, to answer some questions.

The market is Jersey is artificially inflated with all cars fetching above book and UK price. Not sure why as we don't pay VAT so in theory they should be cheaper, captive market I suppose.

A 2001 Boxter S from a dealer would cost approx £14000 - 15000, this car was up at £9800 which I've negiotated to £9000 assuming no more faults than those mentioned. 2 owner car from new with fsh and 34K ( mileage is low in Jersey as it's a small island with nowhere to go )

The faults described are cosmetic and I've had a rough quote from a mechanic friend of £500 to resolve.
My local garage is the main Honda dealership ( Derek Warwick Honda ) who have serviced my cars for years. Derek's a nice bloke and he took me for a blat in his DB 9 so kosher in my book.

My thinking is this, I can't afford ( and won't pay ) £15K for a minter, if I spend £500 ish on a car that is otherwise sound I will gain entry to the segment above current ( BMW 3 litre ) and have a car that is depreciation free for at least a year. The very things that appeal to me scare your typical Boxter buyer off hence value for money. I bought my BMW for £4000 below market price and like the idea of not getting stiffed. I will HPI and have the car pre purchase checked.With regard to negotiating the price to take into consideration the known faults, this is a guideline. I'd be surprised if the repair cost exceeded the £800 discount but everything is dependant upon the inspection so nothing is set in stone.

Hope this all makes sense, it does to my skinflint brain.

I'm grateful for the advice and hope that I've explained my stance, I've wanted a Boxter for ages, my best friend has a 996 turbo and Porsche ownership has been painless ( brakes and tyres aside )