Thinking of buying a Boxster ? - MUST READ !

[clickman]

Same car as mine. What colour? Post pics!

[BMAN_986]

Haven't had it detailed yet. Waiting to after service ... but it's clean!

[clickman]

Beauty! Can't tell in that light, but is it white, or silver or some other colour?

You've got the same wheels as me - I really like 'em.

Don't be like me when you first get the car and not rev it. These cars were meant to be driven hard!

[BMAN_986]

yeah the lighting is a bit funny ... it's pure white. it had 3 owners before me. thankfully they all seemed to have looked after the car really well. the interior is spotless and there isn't a scuff on those wheels. theres a couple of door dings on the rear wing but that doesn't really bother me.

i've been rev'ing/driving it a bit too hard. have had to clean the brake dust off the wheels a couple times already ;-) .... and have suprised a few people on turns by appearing out of now where. i've kept the PSM on until (a) i get used to the steering and (b) have a bit more open space. had it properly on the freeway today for the first time and it was just a dream to drive.

i used to drive the an integra with a nice stereo system. now i don't mind having the radio off just so i can listen to that engine.

can't believe i waited this long to get one.

[Bladecutter]

Originally Posted by Boby Lashly

Not the problem with the boat, your first mechanic was at fault. If your second attempt was successful then the problem should have been resolved. You only dump the boat when you have ruined the hull.

Hey, look...

It's the Amazing Spammer-Man!!

Can someone get rid of this person, and prevent them from ever gracing our website ever again?

Every weekend this guy shows up with a new alias.
Can't this end?

BC.

[mikefocke]

since that time my total expense has been for 4 tires (because they were old, not because they were dangerously worn) and nothing else.

Someone asked and my car is approaching 58k miles. I don't drive it much any more but then I don't drive any of my cars much....except the golf car.

I had no special expertise when I bought any of my Boxsters...what I've learned from the experiences and what others have posted I've distilled into my writings. So my cars weren't anything special (though the second car did get an excellent PPI that pointed out everything that needed to be done and I did those and more immediately. It got its 60k service at 45k just because I hadn't a great deal of confidence in the maintenance it had received to that point and I wanted to start out from a known good point. It will get the 90k at 60k for the same reasoning.)

[SeaNile31]

Cool thread. I wonder if the news of bad news spreads faster than the good news? You never hear people randomly stating how they do not have issues with their 986/987 cars yet the IMS/RMS issues are well documented.

Anyway, I may be in the market for yet another Boxster. I've had 4 and drove 3 of them as pretty much daily drivers. Other than one alternator, the 3 gave me no issues at all and only required tire and oil changes. My 99 Boxster I put 40K miles on, 01 S 30K miles on it, 03 S about 25K miles on. The 4th I bought last winter, a gem of an 05 S with 16K miles and warranty, never registered it and sold it in three weeks and bought a Ferrari 360 Modena. Oddly I knew I made a mistake and should have kept the 987. Driving the Boxster S routinely outweighed driving the Fcar on special occasions.

So here I am again, much more budget minded trying to decide if I should look for a low mile 03/04 S or step up to an 05 S. I've searched this site for a while but still can't really make a decision yet. The car will be a fair weather daily driver and will probably see about 10K miles per year, maybe a bit more. Do I just go the best bang for the buck and look to spend low 20's for a nice 03/04 S or do I spend the extra for the 987? I only drove my 987 8 miles before selling it so I really am not familiar with the car. I do know this...I'm not interested in spending over $30K for a 987 when a nice 04 S can be had for $20K (or so I am hoping).

Maybe I was lucky with my three 986 cars, never had a single issue with them and they were a blast to drive!!

[tomclancy]

I like your thinking of buying boxster. I strongly recommend that you purchase a boxster car because it is very good and thrilling to drive. I have my own boxster and i love to drive that. Now i think to purchase another boxster because i love this car so much.

[toddlee82]

I have a dream to buy a Porsche Boxster Spyder. I would love to have it on my birthday. Its a race car that doesn't need a trailer.

[RandallNeighbour]

toddlee82, that's a mighty fine looking boxster, that's for sure. They go round the track like stink too. I just spotted one in the wild yesterday in the ritzy part of Houston. Neon blue with a dark blue top. Never seen one in that color before.

I do have a problem with their pricing though. They took a bunch of stuff off an S and charge you a lot more for it.

[Flavor 987S]

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

They go round the track like stink too.

Yes they do, Randall, yes they do!:

[RandallNeighbour]

Good to see you posting again, Bill!

I've never seen a spyder with a roll cage on it. Boy that's ugly. Then again, safety never is a thing of beauty or inexpensive on a track car, is it?

[73Lifeliner]

Originally Posted by Norminhouston

No way I would own any Porsche without a warranty. Too many horror stories lately.

I agree. My wife's 02 at 21,000 miles RMS began leaking but no issue with that since. But, the alternator and water pump both go out within 2 weeks at 45,000 miles of one another not to mention the brake light switch and top parking brake sensor.
Got to love em. This week we pick up an 07 we just purchased but has a warranty until Dec 2013.

[Frodo]

Originally Posted by SeaNile31

I only drove my 987 8 miles before selling it so I really am not familiar with the car.

EIGHT MILES??? Man, that's gotta be some kind of record!

[thstone]

Originally Posted by 73Lifeliner

I agree. My wife's 02 at 21,000 miles RMS began leaking but no issue with that since. But, the alternator and water pump both go out within 2 weeks at 45,000 miles of one another not to mention the brake light switch and top parking brake sensor.
Got to love em. This week we pick up an 07 we just purchased but has a warranty until Dec 2013.

Anyone who buys a used Porsche with a warranty is paying for the repairs, the price of the repairs just happens to be built into the price of the car. That is why a car with warranty is usually anywhere from $2,000-$4,000 more than similar vehicles without a warranty.

My experiece from owning two BMW's that I bought CPO with warranties is that the warranty is about break even - meaning that the $2,500 premium that I paid to get a car with a warranty is about what I would have spent on repairs over the life of the warranty.

No surprise there, the dealers know what is likely to faill and the costs to repair the cars and set the CPO price according and the private market follows the same pricing model.

Since I really didn't save much with the warranty, I had no problem buying a nice '99 Boxster without any warranty. I'll pay for whatever needs to be fixed and come out about the same.

[kmac10]

What do you guys think about a Boxster S 2001 model with about 50,000 km?

Would I be killing myself with maintenance issues?

[ccbesq]

Originally Posted by thstone

Anyone who buys a used Porsche with a warranty is paying for the repairs, the price of the repairs just happens to be built into the price of the car. That is why a car with warranty is usually anywhere from $2,000-$4,000 more than similar vehicles without a warranty.

My experiece from owning two BMW's that I bought CPO with warranties is that the warranty is about break even - meaning that the $2,500 premium that I paid to get a car with a warranty is about what I would have spent on repairs over the life of the warranty.

No surprise there, the dealers know what is likely to faill and the costs to repair the cars and set the CPO price according and the private market follows the same pricing model.

Since I really didn't save much with the warranty, I had no problem buying a nice '99 Boxster without any warranty. I'll pay for whatever needs to be fixed and come out about the same.

I bought my 2004 C4S in 2008 and immediately purchased an extended warranty (from an after-market company owned by the Penske Group, which also owns my local Porsche dealership). The warranty cost about $3,200. 18 months later the intermediate shaft let go, destroying the engine. The dealer honored the warranty and put in a factory rebuilt engine, together with a new radiator. The total invoice was over well over $18,000, and I had to pay just over $900 - the deductible and the taxes. Then after the car was totaled last October, I got a refund of over $1,200 from the warranty company for the unused portion of the warranty/premium. So you do the math - $2,000 saved me over $1,700. You can bet that when I bought a 2007 Cayman S to replace the C4S, it was a CPO from the same dealership.

[mikefocke]

Originally Posted by kmac10

What do you guys think about a Boxster S 2001 model with about 50,000 km?

Would I be killing myself with maintenance issues?

is 10 years old so the possible failures of plastic parts due to age does present itself. AOS, water pump and water filler tank come to mind. Also check the age of the tires.

If something major happens, it is not cheap to maintain.

Having said that, I have a '01S with 70km and it has been cheap to maintain for the last 5 years/30 km ... cheaper than 2 Honda products of similar age.

[mikefocke]

And the total expense during that time is for tires due to age, not wear. Nothing other than gas.

This year the brake fluid, oil change, transmission change, water pump and anti-freeze are all scheduled to be changed. I could stretch them all another year but I don't maintain a car that way.

[Fastass986]

U Might Want Too Take To Dealer And Have Em' Run It On The Computer If It Has No Warranty!!!! And Something Still Can Go Later But Atleast U Will Know It Wasn't Before U Owned It!!!!!!!