How old/cheap can I go and STILL get a warranty???
 

I"ve been test driving cars - and cross shopping a lot of them - and NOTHING really compares to the boxster. i've considered a lot of cars - and after every test drive - I coem back to the boxster.

my problem is that I am on a limited budget - and trying to get a third "toy" car. I also have read the numerous threads on motors going out and the $10k or so bill to fix one.

I simply CAN'T buy a boxster and then even possibly get hit with a 10k repair bill.

I'm looking to spend $20k max. I would be happy with a 2.7 and don't need a boxster S. I've driven my dad's 2000 2.7 and love it.

is it possible to find a 2000-2002 boxster in that price range with some sort of warranty on it that would be good for another 2-3 years or am i dreaming?

A warranty completely depends on what you can find. Most of them are about $3k, for 3 years/36k miles. Which means you then have about $17k for the car. Which is enough to get a good condition Boxster.

Personally, I would look at a car that is older with lower miles. Because then you will be able to avoid CV boot repairs, 60k mile maintenance, etc for a while. The newer 986's really only have aesthetic changed, and a few HP. As a, "toy," it probably doesn't matter which year you get, unless you planning on autocrossing.

If you really concerned about an engine failure I would not get a car newer than '00. If you go pre-'01 you don't have to worry about IMS failure. But you will still have to worry about RMS, but it can be detected ahead of time. So if your missing the extra HP look for an '00 S.
Also, make sure to get a good PPI. Good luck! :cheers:

The pre-00 is not immune to the IMS failure. I've owned a 99 for 7 weeks and my IMS went, so I'm selling the car for an $11,000 loss because I didn't have a warranty. Also, even the best PPI will not tell you whether your IMS will go bad. These things are insanely fun to drive, but you better have a great warranty, deep pockets, or both.

For the most part IMS does not occur on pre-'01 Boxster's, but it can on the rare occasion occur as it did with Addiction. But that doesn't mean you should be discouraged from getting a Boxster. Engine failures do happen, but if you have a warranty there is nothing to worry about.

Addiction, I am wondering if your car had an engine replacement after '01. You should check the service records or try and match the engine serial number. If you had an engine replacement, PCNA my be liable to fix it.

I don't mean to jack this thread, but I saw a post you made on Renntech about an X at the end of the serial number meaning it was replaced. Did you get an answer as to whether that's true or not? Once I get the serial number how can I tell when the motor is from? Thanks!

I appreciate the info

My dad has a 2000 base model he is going to sell I think his has about 75000 miles on it. If I bought his could I get a warranty for it?

I read another thread here a out a guy who got his engine replacemt claim denied due to technical bs like he didn't do an oil change on time or something like that...if I bought a used boxstsr with say 75000 miles and had no service history and a week into my ownership it blew the motor, can the warranty do deny the claim due to former owners negligence or lack of records?

Your going to need to call up some warranty companies to get those questions answered. But I am sure you will be able to find a warranty for an older car.

23109VC: Everyone told me when i buyed mine that the purschase cost of a Porsche was nothing compared to the maintenance cost, don't buy a porsche if you got 0$ to maintain it, just tires can cost you over 300$ each.. If you want to avoid problem, get the Newest car you can afford, you will save on maintenance on the long run if you don't get badluck. There is no point of getting a mortgage for a porsche and eating kraft dinner all year long..

And by the way, doing an oil change at time is NOT a BS technicality, oil is one of the only maintenance you should never delay, on any vehicule.

I agree with vipola, but the newest car may not be the best. You can get an older car with low miles, or a newer car with higher miles. I would personally pick older lower miles. But if your only going to keep the car a few years, and just use it on the weekend then higher mileage might be okay for you.
I would avoid a '97, but I wouldn't go higher than maybe 35-40k miles. You need to find the middle ground that works for you. :cheers:

I hate to say this, but I do not think it is a good idea for you to buy one if you are on a tight budget. Outside of the engine failures, many other things can go wrong with bills totaling 1000 here and 2000 there. In my year of ownership, I had to replace a computer module (1000) rip down the whole cooling system to chase down a leak/faulty thermostat (750) new tires (1200) servicing (1000) insurance (1300). I didn't get a new engine, but my cost to own it was still over 4 grand for the year. I also spent 4000 or so on hardtop, headlights, tail lights, led bulbs, sills, ect.

Now, other members have different stories, some have cars that cost them no more than their daily driver camry. My point is to be prepared on these suckers. They are worth every penny if you have the pennies to spend.

Regarding the warranty, I havent seen anyone with a good company that always pays, other than buying CPO, which if you can swing it, you are in great shape and I say " DO IT!"

by the way.. I said newest, not the most recent ;)
more you add miles, more you use it, less it's new :)
so find the newest mint, best shape possible.. including year, milles, mecanic and estetic aspect.. newest possible! :)

To complete the story, of maxferran, I had mine for a year now.. and I only had to change tires.. dindn't had any problem yet, I been lucky, but it will come ;)

Yeah, insurance is something else to consider. Mine went up about $50 per month for my boxster. It's a new one, so maybe it's in large part due to increased value of the car itself, but still, that is the biggest insurance increase I have ever had in my life. And I don't have a bad record either.

But just remember. If it's not your daily driver, you don't have to rely on it to get places. Therefore, if you need some time to come up with money for repairs it's not as big of a deal.

It's possible to find CPO Boxsters in your price range. I traded an 01S in on my LE back in Jan. The dealer CPO'd it and would have taken $20K for it with the warranty. There are deals out there, take some time and look for them.

Here's the website for Porsche dealers.

http://www.porschedealer.com/dealer/cgi-bin/locator_us_CI.cgi

I also used traderonline and cars.com and selected certified cars only. Some came through that were simply dealers calling them certified, but most were truly CPO cars from real dealers.
My old Porsche mechanic buddy did also tell me something else. There is a definite value in being an "A" customer at your local dealer. You become an "A" customer by purchasing the car from them. You car never sits out back while they work on "A" customer cars ahead of yours. :mad:

Just as an FYI, I'm the guy that the warranty company denied, and I DID have the oil changes done on time, have the receipts to prove it. They just look for any reason to deny the claim whether it's related to the actual problem or not.

Mike

i bought a CPO because warranty was important to me (as i've read some hideous repair costs)...

got a 2001 boxster with 30,124 miles. CPO gives me 2 yrs or 100k total miles, whichever comes first...

so i'm going to drive it for 2 years, then sell it and look at 911's :)

Damn.. reading this thread give the impression boxster are just like a delayed bomb.. I'm sure it's not so bad :)

They really aren't, "time bombs." Some people have had problems, and Boxster's do have more problems than most cars. But that isn't a very good reason not to get one. Ultimately, it's up to you to make up your mind. Personally, I think the engine failure issue has been blown out of proportion lately.

Also, I didn't catch the newest vs. most recent thing. :cheers:

i'm thinking of doing just that.. find one of the least expensive CPO cars I can.

I honestly don't care if I get a base or S. If I get a base, I just want it to have 18s. I can add sport suspension for not too much.

another option is to find a private seller who will cut me a great deal, and then buy an extended through the dealer... is an extended warranty through the dealer similar to or the same coverage I would get buying CPO?

or do the dealers just sell third party warranties?

i know if your car is still under factory warranty, many dealers will sell you an extended warranty... not sure if it's an in house deal, or if they just repackage a third party warranty. if it's third party..then ifwhen you had a mega failure - if it was denied, the dealer could say "hey, they denied it not us." although I would think that a porsche dealer would not want to be selling fly by night or sleazy warranties in house... i'd like to think they use a more reputable company *if* it is third party stuff they sell.

anyone know? can I buy a low mileage used car from a private party and then go to the porsche dealer and buy the equivalent of a CPO warranty? *if* i could do THAT, maybe buying private woudl be another option. there are some decent dealson 04 or 05 models that are still unde factory warranty.

if that's not an optino, then i can jsut look for a good CPO. i think i could find an 05 in the high 20s or for sure the low 30s that would be nice.