wanna be porsche owner

[flywes]

I am moving to SF in the near future and have been offered a 1998 porsche boxster for 10 grand from a friend in the area. It needs a new clutch, air bags, and whatever is needed to pass emmisions. The car has about 120,000 miles on it. What else should I expect to need to do to this car within the next year (outside of registration) and how much should i expect to spend on top of the 10Gs? Can anyone suggest a shop in the bay area?

Like i said, i am new to porsche's. Have owned a volvo and a few audi's in the past and don't really know what i might be getting myself into, outside of a great fun car to drive. I am excited about the prospect of having my first convertible.

THANKS!!!

[Burg Boxster]

General rule of thumb is buy the newest low mileage Boxster you can find...
Having said that, take a look at Mike Focke's excellent guide to buying Boxsters.

Part 1
http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/buyingorsellinga1997-2004boxster

Part 2
http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/buyingcontinued

you'll want to know the service history of the car before you can really figure out what will need done both short, intermediate and long term. A new clutch is going to run $1,500 to $2,000 to start. Airbags... figure $700- $1500 each min depending on if they are door, steering wheel or dash. Curious as to why it needs airbags as you didn't mention any accident/damage .

Yearly maintenance (assuming all records up to date) will be $500-$1000 and Boxsters love tires - 20K on fronts, 10-15K on rears depending on how you drive at $100-$200 per tire depending on your preferences.

This should be enough to help you get started. Good luck and I'd definitely get a PPI (private party inspection). Yes, it'll be $2-3-500 but $ well worth spending - 'friend' or not. The saying goes "nothing can ruin a friendship faster than trying to do business w/ friends".

Good luck

[Peer]

Flywes wrote:
> have been offered a 1998 porsche boxster for 10 grand

Is this perhaps one with maroon paint and TechArt wheels...?

-- peer

[racer_d]

Not worth it imho. By the time its "fixed" ($4-5K + $10K = $15K) you could have likely spent less on a better example.

Don't forget other Bay area issues us east coasters always hear about.. Parking availability or storage and insurance.

[Adam]

Why does it need new airbags? Were they blown in an accident? Those are going to cost you a pretty penny.

[Dr. Kill]

Yeah, I would be weary. My first Porsche was a $6,500 911. I was amazed that I could get one for that price, and after a few months I understood why. If you are into the idea of driving a Porsche, you might want to pass on this great “deal,” learn a little more about what you like and what your risk tolerance is. Then, when you are ready to make your informed decision, you will pick something that will give you a lot of pleasure for the years to come.

Welcome to the forum by the way - this is a great place to get started. Many of our members have a lot of experience in different Porsche models and other cars as well and are happy to talk about the pros and cons of each, as well as what to look out for when looking at making a purchase.

[Brucelee]

I would suggest moving on. When you fix it all up and you are $17K in to the project, you will still have a box with 120K miles on it.

You can do better.

Good luck.