OK, I did exactly what you not supposed to do in buying my first real Porsche. I have been looking for a car to buy for several weeks. I had initially been looking at a 99 911, but it had a tick in the passenger side of the engine and everyone said to walk away from it.
Upon some more research, I just decided that I could not play in the 911 arena comfortably at this point. So I started looking into and learning about Boxsters. I looked at and drove a few, my budget being about $10K.
And then yesterday I saw a posting for a salvage title, burgandy 99 with a hard top. I went and drove the car and looked it over, my main concern being the engine. The engine sounds really good, no startup chain rattle, no ticks, no "rocks in a can" from underneath..... It does have some paint issues, hood, trunk and drivers door. Not bad but I will need to get them painted for it to look right. The interior is good except the drivers seat is trashed. It has heated seats, traction control, cruise, a hard top and better wheels than I had seen on other 99s.
The car drives good, pulls strong, runs straight and stops straight. Suspension seems a little stiff, a bit jarring going over small bumps. Several rattles in the cab to chase down, but overall, seems OK.
Long story short, I bought a Porsche with no PPI and no records for $4,700! Only time will tell if that was stupid or brilliant.
I do most of my own wrenching and have started compiling the list of things I will be doing to it mechanically:
Oil change, check filter and drop sump for inspection
Spin on oil adapter and filter mag
Replace water pump, thermostat and flush
Drive belt
Fuel and air filters
I will buy the Durametric setup next week. (anyone have one they want to sell?)
I will have it looked over by a mechanic pretty soon, probably after the oil change to see what he thinks I need to do.
After I am more comfortable with the mechanicals, I will start working on the cosmetics.
I will add more to this as I learn more about the car.