Looking to buy a 986, price check pls.

[tracke30m3]

Originally Posted by Wret

As mentioned, unless you are already conditioned to horsepower, you may be content with the "fast looking" 2.7 liter boxster. I am fairly certain that you will not find an "S" with 50,000 miles or less for $20,000. I believe the lowest I've seen with those criteria is $21,900.

I bought my 2001 "S" three weeks ago after a fairly exhaustive search. When I started looking, I had no intension of getting an "S" but added it to my must-have criteria after test driving a regular 2.7 liter.

I just test drove a 00' non S an hour ago, it was not fast but neither was it slow. That is if you look at it from a daily driver point of view and not from a high performance car point of view. I'm fine with the 2.7, I like it, I dont see the need to get an S. My 996TT has about 500hp, so even an S will feel slow.

What would you you guys pay for an 00' with 35K miles on it? Pretty good shape except the "soft touch" coating on the interior bits are coming off in some areas. It also has no door speakers, a cassette head unit and 16" rims.

[Dohertycm]

Some say if you get a 2.7 make sure it has over 50K on it because if it hasnt been replaced by then it should be a good motor.

I would sell you my 2000 S with 64K for $21000.

And yes it is fast, Not as fast as a 996TT. But who drags a Boxster or a Porsche for that matter, The curves are where it counts.

But i wouldnt buy anything less than an S...but thats just me.

[tracke30m3]

True, the curves are more fun. But there is no denying the rush you get as you stomp on the gas as you exit one curve along the straight that connects you to the next curve.

Besides, to be a truly great performance car, a car has to perform well on the curves and on the straights. Anyone who says straightline accleration is useless should try driving on the Nurburgring.

[yellowboxster01]

Originally Posted by Dohertycm

Some say if you get a 2.7 make sure it has over 50K on it because if it hasnt been replaced by then it should be a good motor.

that's the 2.5 your thinking of 97-99.

[RandallNeighbour]

I'm going to start a new thread right now and call it 2007 Boxster Pricing and rekey the Excellence magazine pricing matrix...

[tracke30m3]

I'm thinking if I should make an offer on a 2.7 I test drove, 00' with 35K miles on it. First owned, pretty good shape except the "soft touch" coating on the interior bits are coming off in some areas. It also has no door speakers, a cassette head unit and 16" rims. The CD player and rims are easy enough to upgrade, the door speakers are not. No way I can live with the sound of the dash speakers alone.


Or should I look for one with atleast the door speakers and a CD player, and hopefully 17" or 18" wheels?

It would probably cost less to buy one with these installed than for me to upgrade the wheels, stereo and add speakers right?

[jvmoney]

tracke30m3 - how did your car search go? I would recommend waiting until you find one exactly or as close as you can to your liking. Dont limit yourself to just your local area either. I originally was going to buy a 99 base boxster just bc I fell in love with it during the first test drive for about $16,500, but things fell through (Thankfully).

I'm glad I didn't rush it bc I ended up test driving about 5 more and ended up buying an immaculate 02 "S" this past March with a lot more options (xenons, color, rear speaker/bose set up, heated seats, 18in sport classic II wheels, etc) for $21,900. It did have higher miles (61K), but was driven regularly by an older gentleman who traded it in for a new 911, so it had all its service records. I had a friend get a PPI on it just in case, and once confirmed clean, flew to Boston to pick it up. I'm sure you don't need the power, but getting the S does give you some nice added features like the white dials, 6 gears, nicer brakes, etc. These and the other options I mentioned have been upgraded by other people on their own which can definitely add up. You are doing the right thing by asking this board, I've learned so much lurking here and I'm so glad to officially be part of the club!

Good Luck on your search and do keep us posted!

[KevinH1990]

I agree with JVMoney that this board was a great help when making a purchase decision. I must have posted 25 times before I bought a car and all my questions were answered politely and intelligently.

Concerning the S vs non-S decision. I also went through that consideration process. At the time I bought my car the premium for an S seemed to be $8-10k over a non-S in similar condition. It appears that prices on 986's have softened considerably in the past year and I'm now seeing asking prices for low-mileage S's in the low to mid $20k range. For example, there is an 01 S with 43k on the Washington, DC Craigslist for $23,500. (I paid $21,250 for my 00 with 30k on it in April 2006.) Of course I haven't seen the car in person, but it looks good in pictures and the seller claims to have had it serviced by the dealer.

Now that the price differential between the S and non-S has narrowed, the only downside I see to the S is the lower fuel economy. I drive my Boxster about 10k miles a year and average 28 mpg. While it isn't exactly an economy car, I think it is respectable. If I was just driving the car on weekends, the S would be my choice.

Good luck with your search.