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Old 03-07-2008, 04:30 PM   #1
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Boxster owners, NEED ADVICE PLEASE!

My friend is selling his 1999 Arena Red Boxster to me for $11,000. It had 56K miles. He has driven the car for two years without any problems.

I ran a carfax and the car has had two accidents prior to my friend buying it. Both left and right side. The car looks flawless and drives like new. No leaks, smoke, noises...

I dont plan to sell the car any time soon. just plan to rack up the miles and enjoy the car. If the car is looked over by a body shop for frame damage and it checks out, would you buy it for a beater car? The car does NOT have a salvage title nor total loss....

I lease transferred my 05 CTS to get into a boxster. My other car is a 04 cobra coupe i drive about once a week if that.

Thanks!











The front trunk hood is popped in this pic...forgot to close it.

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Old 03-07-2008, 04:55 PM   #2
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Get a ppi, Porsche pre inspection, then you will know if its worth buying.
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Old 03-07-2008, 05:46 PM   #3
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At $11K, where is the downside? Go for it! But make sure you have a few $$ tucked away.. At 50-60K miles you are at the beginning of some wear items like Shocks and Clutch.. May need new brake pads/rotors too. Will need a serpentine belt replacement soon if not already performed. Check the vin.. some "99s" were aflicted with "worse" motors than others so be prepared accordingly.

PPI = Pre-Purchase Inspection . There are several good independant Porsche shops sprinkled about New Jersey.
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Old 03-07-2008, 06:08 PM   #4
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11k???? thats a great deal. what does it book for about 15? At that price sounds like your getting a great deal.
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Old 03-07-2008, 07:14 PM   #5
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thanks for the responses. The brake pads are brand new, serpentine belt was replaced when the alternator was changed. my friend has all of the service records for the time he owned it. Brakes, oil change, coolant service, fuel filter, air filter... heat works fine as does the AC. He also had the rear window replaced because it was fogged up.

He was shocked that the car was in an accident. No shop ever said anything to him at time of service. car drives like my friends 2002 boxster with 30k miles on it.

I will have it looked over by porsche or a reputable shop. But for the price, its a steal. Even with an accident on the record, the car is worth between 13-16K!
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Old 03-08-2008, 06:12 AM   #6
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I would do a PPI and get a good FRAME guy to look at the car. This is not an area for a novice mechanic. These unibody cars are tricky.

The car looks realy nice. What you would be concerned about is what it might cost you to make the car right for any issues you don't know about. Mechanical or structural.

You don't want a bargain to turn into a sink hole. These cars can do this very quickly. They are not cheap to make right.

good luck.
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Old 03-08-2008, 06:59 AM   #7
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lol, the 986forum co-owner just did the oh-no double post. Just messing with you Bruce, kinda weird how the two posts were almost 30 mins apart...
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Old 03-08-2008, 07:21 AM   #8
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Where are you in NJ?

I got my pre-purchase inspection done at Powertech in Rockaway, NJ.

$11K is cheap. Buying from a friend is a big positive. I assume you trust that your friend would give you the straight skinny on the car. A two year history without issues and problems is a very strong positive indicator. I would NOT consider this car off eBay or some unknown source.

That said, search out and read the links on the top of this forum. Randall Neighbor does a nice job of taking a prospective buyer through all of the "little things" that he went through when buying a Boxster that had a minor accident in its history...

Get the frame looked at professionally and follow the advice about doing an alignment as part of the PPI. An alignment will show you a lot. When the Powertech guys put your car in the air & look underneath -- you'll be shocked about how much gets revealed. My car had barely a scratch on the skid plate...

Also, look carefully at the tires on the car. How long have those (really really nice) P-Zero's been on the car? 2 years? How many miles? How are they wearing??? That will tell you a lot!

Good luck. I love my Boxster because its poised, nimble, precise and confidence inspiring. Frame damage due to an accident will ruin those qualities.
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Old 03-08-2008, 07:33 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by fatmike
Where are you in NJ?

I got my pre-purchase inspection done at Powertech in Rockaway, NJ.

$11K is cheap. Buying from a friend is a big positive. I assume you trust that your friend would give you the straight skinny on the car. A two year history without issues and problems is a very strong positive indicator. I would NOT consider this car off eBay or some unknown source.

That said, search out and read the links on the top of this forum. Randall Neighbor does a nice job of taking a prospective buyer through all of the "little things" that he went through when buying a Boxster that had a minor accident in its history...

Get the frame looked at professionally and follow the advice about doing an alignment as part of the PPI. An alignment will show you a lot. When the Powertech guys put your car in the air & look underneath -- you'll be shocked about how much gets revealed. My car had barely a scratch on the skid plate...

Also, look carefully at the tires on the car. How long have those (really really nice) P-Zero's been on the car? 2 years? How many miles? How are they wearing??? That will tell you a lot!

Good luck. I love my Boxster because its poised, nimble, precise and confidence inspiring. Frame damage due to an accident will ruin those qualities.
I live in Old Bridge. The tires are a few months old. I made an appointment to have my friend who owns a body shop look a the carand do whatever they do to check for frame damage.

If it checks out, its a done deal. Hes only selling the car for a truck to tow his new horse around lol Otherwise he would keep it. He loves the car. It was a weekend car.
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Old 03-08-2008, 07:37 AM   #10
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go for it!

11K? and from a friend. Let me know if you don't want it. I'll pay cash.
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Old 03-08-2008, 07:39 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by HB.
lol, the 986forum co-owner just did the oh-no double post. Just messing with you Bruce, kinda weird how the two posts were almost 30 mins apart...

So much for multi-tasking and opening six windows at a time!!!!!!!!!
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Old 03-08-2008, 07:39 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by ichiro75
11K? and from a friend. Let me know if you don't want it. I'll pay cash.
looks like i will be buying it, but i will let you you know
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Old 03-08-2008, 10:19 AM   #13
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$11K seems like a good price. But buying cars from friends can have repurcussions. Before you buy ask yourself how it would effect the friendship if the motor blew 1 month after you bought it. If you say you would be p*ssed at your friend then don't buy the car. If you can live with that situation it sounds like a winner to me.
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Old 03-08-2008, 10:40 AM   #14
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$11K seems like a good price. But buying cars from friends can have repurcussions. Before you buy ask yourself how it would effect the friendship if the motor blew 1 month after you bought it. If you say you would be p*ssed at your friend then don't buy the car. If you can live with that situation it sounds like a winner to me.

When buying used, you have to take those chances. I cross my fingers when i put my cobra into boost. I know my tune is dead on but never know. I have reserve funds for parts and repairs on my cobra. i will just start putting more $ in that fund now for the Boxster.
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Old 03-08-2008, 11:36 PM   #15
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Buy

Buy it. Then please remove the embarrassing abominations around the headlights.

Enjoy your Boxster,

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Old 03-09-2008, 10:32 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by pk2
Buy it. Then please remove the embarrassing abominations around the headlights.

Enjoy your Boxster,

PK

I agree. However, they were installed with silicone. Probably will damage the headlights if i remove them. already searching ebay for used ones.
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Old 03-09-2008, 03:16 PM   #17
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A laser, four wheel alignment will yield lots of good info on the subframe. If all four wheels of the car can be brought into the center of their ranges, you're good to go frame-wise... but getting a body shop guy to look at the alignment report would be a great double-check.

Remember, the cheapest Porsche to purchase is always the most expensive car to own. May not turn out this way for you... but that's the saying and it sure did hold true for me.

Have someone check to see if the oil filler tube and the coolant overflow tank have been replaced (yet). These always go out on our cars.

Also, get the car up to temp and turn on the AC full blast at the coldest temperature. Then walk around to the front of the car and carefully put your hand in front of each front tire under the bumper cover.... you should feel hot air blowing on your hand from both radiator fans. These go out all the time too and are not noticeable because of the excellent ventilation of the car while on the road.

You will love the car. Not a screamer from 0-60, but when you take a hard turn at 50 mph and watch the Corvette or Mustang GT behind you skid off the road or slam on the brakes, you'll smile. What a beautifully, well-balanced car we own here on the forum!
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Old 03-09-2008, 07:21 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour
A laser, four wheel alignment will yield lots of good info on the subframe. If all four wheels of the car can be brought into the center of their ranges, you're good to go frame-wise... but getting a body shop guy to look at the alignment report would be a great double-check.

Remember, the cheapest Porsche to purchase is always the most expensive car to own. May not turn out this way for you... but that's the saying and it sure did hold true for me.

Have someone check to see if the oil filler tube and the coolant overflow tank have been replaced (yet). These always go out on our cars.

Also, get the car up to temp and turn on the AC full blast at the coldest temperature. Then walk around to the front of the car and carefully put your hand in front of each front tire under the bumper cover.... you should feel hot air blowing on your hand from both radiator fans. These go out all the time too and are not noticeable because of the excellent ventilation of the car while on the road.

You will love the car. Not a screamer from 0-60, but when you take a hard turn at 50 mph and watch the Corvette or Mustang GT behind you skid off the road or slam on the brakes, you'll smile. What a beautifully, well-balanced car we own here on the forum!
Ok cool. Thanks. My friend is anal as hell with his cars so if something had to be replaced, it would be done in a heartbeat. Both the heat and AC did work well...

I am still looking at other boxsters locally just incase there is frame damage. I cant find any good priced 98-01. all 35-65K miles asking $17-20K. I wanted to spend 14K tops. Really hope my friends car checks out.
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Old 03-11-2008, 07:29 PM   #19
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car is going to the body shop on thursday for the frame check. then off to porsche for another look over @ $115 hr labor rate lol

It was just at porsche to have the alt. replaced my friend said. Let you guys know the outcome.

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