I'm considering a used boxster...

[Richard Truss]

good choice, first of all. A few things you should know:

I reciently was in the market myself...so im sure you will get better advice from some of the other members.

97 was the first year, and while there are many happy 97 owners (many on this board) most would agree that the more recient, the better. I think 97 may have been the most problematic year. Most are concerned about a potential RMS (rear main seal) leak...that appears to be most prevalent on the 97-99 cars (2.5L engine). The cars were updated in 2000 with a 2.7 and an updated interior, so the price climbs pretty quickly in the 2000's.

If you are getting a manual trans, according to the service manager at the dealer, the manual trans is pretty strong and rarely needs to be fixed -- meant to last a lifetime (although again, i am a fairly new owner). The clutches are wearable items, however (like brake pads) and need to be replaced every so often (i have been quoted as little as 20,000 miles per clutch). The tiptronic tranny's are not as reliable, according to my dealer.

Also, my dealer did tell me that these cars are not meant to be garaged -- they are meant to be driven....which is nice. so i take that to mean if the boxster of your choice has a little high mileage, dont be scared. They are meant to run. Have the car checked out if you can, get a color you want, put the top down, and haul ass up the 163 from downtown through to mission valley!!! (i used to live in san diego) -- man, what a beautiful stretch of road!