Assessing Damage in used 987 purchase?

[Nick-L]

Be careful. This is the kind of thing that could follow you for the rest of the time you own the car, and haunt you if/when you try to re-sell it.

If the title is stamped salvage, you might want to avoid it completely. Salvage cars are tough to re-sell, unless they are at very steep discounts to retail value. Even if it is not a salvage car, most people that buy Porsche's are looking for a good quality car, not someone's cut-and-paste special. If you ever try to re-sell it, everyone else will do the same CarFax search you did, and find the same issues. I personally would never buy a car with accident history, there are just too may unknowns and risks - alignment problems, uneven fading/wearing of the paint, etc. So many paint jobs that are blended, where only part of the car is refinished, look good when it is relatively new, but fade at a different rate. If you are looking to spend around that price (low $40's), you would probably be better off buying an older Boxster without damage history.

Remember the old saying: "It is the stingy man who spends the most".

Larry, I am confussed. In your title you state a "987". But then you say it is an "06 CS", which I take to mean a Carrera S. Please set me straight. Thanks.

[drburton]

bmuss, I think 'cs' is for Cayman S, which is a 987. I would not buy a car that has been in an accident. There are many nice 987 Boxsters and Caymans for sale at very reasonable prices right now. I think it would be worth the extra 5-10% premium for a car that has never been damaged.

Originally Posted by drburton

bmuss, I think 'cs' is for Cayman S, which is a 987. I would not buy a car that has been in an accident. There are many nice 987 Boxsters and Caymans for sale at very reasonable prices right now. I think it would be worth the extra 5-10% premium for a car that has never been damaged.

duuhhh, you are very right! And even more right with your advice.

I have to agree with the doc, it's not like the price is "give away". If you calculate the differential in payment for the modest savings you might decide to get another car never damaged. Having said all that, it really also depends on who fixed it, if you do buy it, make sure none of the wheels were bent, a tire shop spin balance before the sale.

[Brucelee]

The only real way to determine how badly the car was damaged it twofold.

You need a real pro to get under the car. This guy needs to understand unibody, suspensions AND be experienced in Boxsters. Why?

He needs to know what he is looking at and what to look for.

Since there cars are unibody, the damage is often not at all obvious. That is why a generic "mechanic" will not do.

Also, find someone who has a paint meter. You want to know exacly where this car was repainted so as to know where to look.

IMHO, I would simply move on and find a pristine Box.

There are plenty.

Good luck.

[husker boxster]

Originally Posted by EE3racing

it really depends on who fixed it

+1 on that.

For every quality repair shop there are at least 5 hack shops. Some of the hack shops are pretty good at hiding their corner cutting. I also agree with Brucelee, have someone who knows what their looking at check it out. Extra investigating and precautions are in order.

But if its had a quality repair done, there's no reason you shouldn't consider this car. C'mon, stuff happens (a piece of space junk is going to land on someone next month). Maybe the PO had it fixed back to factory specs but just wouldn't ever drive a car that's been in an accident. That doesn't mean the car should be sent to the crusher. But the purchase price needs to be lower than what you listed.

If you buy it and keep it for many years and drive it lots of miles, the fact that is was in an accident will be less of an issue when it comes time for you to sell or trade it. I don't mean that it's totally washed clean, I mean that it proves the car was repaired properly and didn't cause you any problems. However, if you buy it and quickly find it's junk, you'll never be able to sell it. That would be way too suspicious to any sane prospective buyer. At that point you might as well start parting it out and eat your losses.

My Dad and I rebuilt wrecked cars when I was a kid 30+ years ago. I always drove nice cars that were a couple years old and very low mileage. I made money on the first 4 cars I owned. Pretty good for high school and college kid, but it was all possible because we repaired damaged cars. However, cars have changed, the methods to fix them have changed, and the materials have changed. The one constant is 1 good shop to every 5 bad shops.

Caveat emptor.

[Brucelee]

These are all good points.

Originally Posted by husker boxster

+1 on that.

For every quality repair shop there are at least 5 hack shops. Some of the hack shops are pretty good at hiding their corner cutting. I also agree with Brucelee, have someone who knows what their looking at check it out. Extra investigating and precautions are in order.

But if its had a quality repair done, there's no reason you shouldn't consider this car. C'mon, stuff happens (a piece of space junk is going to land on someone next month). Maybe the PO had it fixed back to factory specs but just wouldn't ever drive a car that's been in an accident. That doesn't mean the car should be sent to the crusher. But the purchase price needs to be lower than what you listed.

If you buy it and keep it for many years and drive it lots of miles, the fact that is was in an accident will be less of an issue when it comes time for you to sell or trade it. I don't mean that it's totally washed clean, I mean that it proves the car was repaired properly and didn't cause you any problems. However, if you buy it and quickly find it's junk, you'll never be able to sell it. That would be way too suspicious to any sane prospective buyer. At that point you might as well start parting it out and eat your losses.

My Dad and I rebuilt wrecked cars when I was a kid 30+ years ago. I always drove nice cars that were a couple years old and very low mileage. I made money on the first 4 cars I owned. Pretty good for high school and college kid, but it was all possible because we repaired damaged cars. However, cars have changed, the methods to fix them have changed, and the materials have changed. The one constant is 1 good shop to every 5 bad shops.

Caveat emptor.

[larryshomework]

Some updated info:

Looked at the car today - here's what I know or was told.

Title is clean
Dealer is a wholesaler - bought it from a local VW dealer that took it on trade
Dealer claims about accident - fender bender that resulted in bumper replacement/repaint and blend with fender.

Prior to purchase I would:

get PPI
get qualified body shop inspect body repair and inspect suspension/frame to verify it was was only body work.
contact original owner (local) to verify accident.

I know how this stuff impacts resale - my neighbor backed into my 325i - needed to replace the rear door and paint across 2 body panels (door and rear fender). As a result, it could not be certified by BMW which hit about 1500 on the trade value even though the repair was excellent. On the otherhand, the car was fine and no one would ever know without an honest owner.

The discount is very good on this car compared to inventory within a 250 mile radius. Ask price is 43K - sticker was 73. Most similarly equipped I've seen are upper 40s - low 50s.

I probably won't buy it due to color. But if it truly was just a bumper replacement, that wouldn't stop me.