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Old 01-18-2005, 11:21 PM   #1
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Question Some advice Please - 1998 Boxster

I just have a few questions....

I understand there are RMS issues, but do you guys think these should have been hammered out by now in the older models?

Obviously I have to get whatever I buy checked out by Porsche and/or a trusted mechanic before I close the deal, but should I be expecting any major/costly repairs?

I would be using it as a daily driver, so it would be somewhat tragic if it dies on me.

Anyway, this is looking like a really sweet deal that would make me smile about my car again. Let me know what you guys think though, because sometimes if it sounds too good to be true, it is.



KBB says these should be going for around $20,000. What do you think?

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Old 01-19-2005, 05:52 AM   #2
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To me, a service history and a dealer inspection are critical.

As a dealer, I look for"

Any evidence of paint work. A paint meter works best but a good eye can work here too.

Frame damage? A dealer inspection must handle this critical issue.

Any oil leaks at all. Most are quite expensive to fix?

Has the car had all its recalls done, dealer can tell you.

Tire tread depth. Box tires are expensive as is an alignment!

Service history, are there any PMs due or overdue?

If any oil consumption is evident, pass on the car. Engine repairs are a life threatening event.

Does the top function well, what is the condition of the top and window. New tops are very costly.

These are the main issues.

Not to scare you but it is better to buy a Box with some fact warranty left. That way, you can bring the car up to snuff at Porsche expense.

Let me know if we can help in any way.

Good luck!
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Old 01-19-2005, 06:51 AM   #3
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I have a '98 as well....on top of what Bruce has written my word of caution on the following items:

1) the trailing control arms rear of the car, these are the long trailing arms that run along side the engine. They usually get frayed at the bushings and rattle on bumpy roads.

2) front engine mount, If the previuos owner was not careful this round bushing in this part cracks. If it's damaged you will feel a bump behind your seat on take-off.

3) Check the rear coolant reservoir and lift the trunk carpet, look for coolant leaks. If the reservoir has any leak the coolant will be soaked by the board under the carpet. A leak might indicate temp. abuse and/or other components failure (i.e. evaporator, front coolong fans or front radiator leak) If the A/C does not work to par or if the car does not regulate properly, watch out!!!

4) Sway bar links and bushings, when they get worn they rattle as well.

5) check the carpet floor behind the driver's seat, If it's moist or has signs of moisture, there may be a leak due to the cabrio top lining.

6) Check the fuse box and make sure the empty spaces are supposed to be empty, when you turn on the car make sure all the warning panel lights turn on. The easiest way to hide a check engine light is by loosening de bulb from behind.

7) Don't forget the Top, The TOP, The Freakin' TOP. If it opens and closes soothly, dude you are golden.....


Again, not to scare you, just to help you make an intelligent buy and enjoy your new ride!!!
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Old 01-19-2005, 07:18 AM   #4
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The boxster aint really an expensive car to run and repair. Everyone thinks porsche.. wow mega money to run but its not.
I have a 1998 boxster whoch i bought new in 98 and its never had any major problems. All this talk about never buy a boxster under 1999 is rubbish.

Always expect to replace the tyres and brake pads on any used car.
a quick example is £340 + vat for a service, rear tyres at £150 includding vat, brake pads all round £300 + vat, petrol full tank from light on about £50.00 incudding vat.
Incase you dont know what VAT is its 17.5% added to every £1.00
This is UK prices i aint fully sure about United States i think its double my prices then half it but maybe someone in the US can add to this which would be good.



Brucelee, i didnt know you were a dealer... i was thinking about selling my box and getting an M3 cab. I decided i wanna keep my boxster as its a stunning machine and pull enough cash togther and still get my M3 CAB.

anyways i was thinking about re-sraying the car? would this be ok? the BMW main dealer is going to do the job at £5700 whoch is about $11200 but it will be a great job. Would this effect re-sale value as it will be the same colour? just i saw your post about paintwork..

Last edited by porsche986; 01-19-2005 at 07:27 AM.
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Old 01-19-2005, 09:08 AM   #5
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"Brucelee, i didnt know you were a dealer... i was thinking about selling my box and getting an M3 cab. I decided i wanna keep my boxster as its a stunning machine and pull enough cash togther and still get my M3 CAB.

anyways i was thinking about re-sraying the car? would this be ok? the BMW main dealer is going to do the job at £5700 whoch is about $11200 but it will be a great job. Would this effect re-sale value as it will be the same colour? just i saw your post about paintwork.."

I assume we are talking about respraying the BMW as that is the dealer you mentioned. In any event, my comments pertain to either car.

The issue of re-spray is very much tied to what the condition of the existing paint is. In general, on cars like Porsche and BMW, a re-spray is the kiss of death, value wise. It simply is a very negative issue for MOST buyers, who want original and if possible, pristine paint. This obviously changes if we are talking a very old car that needs to be re-stored.

This would suggest that respraying simply to get another color is a big no-no.

If you paint is truly trashed and there is other body damage, it may be a wash. That is, if the value is already cratered, it may be a trade off.

I don't know the London market but I would NEVER spend $11K on a re-spray of either a Box or a BMW here in the states. It would simply never work out.

BTW-NO matter how good a re-spray is, we dealers can always tell that it is been done. We use paint meters to measure thickness and this always shows on a re-spray.

Hope that helps.

Good luck!
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Old 01-19-2005, 09:09 AM   #6
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Porsche986, I'm guessing you made the comment that "Porsches aren't expensive to repair" is based on my observation that EVERYTHING is expensive to buy and repair in the UK, right?

On this side of the pond, I've found that my Boxster repairs are 25-50% more than the cost to repair my other cars of similar age.

One must take the replacement of worn parts (control arms, motor mounts, etc.) into consideration before purchasing.
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Old 01-19-2005, 10:24 AM   #7
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a 98 with 65K on the clock should run you around $18K tops here in the midwest area of USA. Nothing with over 50,000 miles sould be in the 20s unless its optioned out like hell.
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Old 01-19-2005, 10:31 AM   #8
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yer randell i agree, everything needs to be taken into account.
With me living here i dont really think its high but... say i was living in the states then looking at my country i would agree with you 100%.
I hate paying VAT and TAX on everything as this is what pumps the price up but there is no way around it.


Bruceless. yes good help there, thankyou by the way.
Brucelee i was on about the boxster, with my box black its marked with swirl marks as most black cars are but very very slight. BMW said they would re-sray the car to porsche standard and it would be like it just came out the showroom. It will take 3 weeks as they said they need to put all painted parts back to shop floor standard ( remove all paint ) then they will re-spray the car to porsche thickness and texture which takes 3 weeks as it needs to go through 6 times to meet porsche standard. The price is high but they do a superb job and although its a BMW dealer i saw a ferrari getting a new spray after crash damage so i figured a porsche would be ok too. They have an excellent repuation here and i dont mind paying that sort of money as it would remove all scratches and a few little dints. The colour would be the same kind mat black and they would order the paint from porsche. This is BMW main dealer bodyshop and they charge the same price as porsche charge for a full body stripdown and spray.
The way my car is a dealer offered me £20,000 which is annoying.. ($40,000)
He says although its a 1998 he is only offering 20,000 as it has slight scratches or it would be £21,000 as the rest of the car, milage, ect.. is excellent condition.

so i figured i will keep my boxster forever now and update the paintwork and instead of selling just get another cab, 4 seats is a must and the BMW m3 or 330ci is the only kind i want as everything else is rubbish.

would this be acceptable?

Last edited by porsche986; 01-19-2005 at 10:50 AM.
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Old 01-19-2005, 12:41 PM   #9
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If it were me, I would find the best detail guy in your area. If we are only talking about swirl marks, surface scratches and some dings, this would not be a candidate for a respray (IMHO).

I get these cars all the time and you should see what I can do with them, just me and my buffer. I work the finish, I have a guy who does the paintless dent repair.

Now, this is not going to make your black finish look new, but it can get pretty darn close.

Do some legwork and get back to us. I hate to see you waste your hard earned money!

Never underestimate the power of numerous coats of Klasse sealant!
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Old 01-19-2005, 01:12 PM   #10
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lol, paintwork is in good condition apart from faint scratch marks when i got a small bit of grit in my buffer.
Thanks i will look round, porsche offered a machine polish for £210 $420 which they say is very good and takes 6 hours.

Thanks for the help, i will see what i can find out..
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Old 01-19-2005, 01:30 PM   #11
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I bought my 97 back in july with only 19500 miles. I love every second of it. Did I get it check by a shop, nope, but again, the owner took really good care of car, he changed oil every six month regardless how many miles he had put on. Befoe he handed the key to me, he spent around 2000.00 on the tops and changed transmission oil, and battery for me. Do I worry about RMS and engine failure, sure, but the fun of driving boxster overcomes everything. BTW, I'm thinking of selling it to get the new 987, anyone interested?
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Old 01-19-2005, 01:50 PM   #12
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good points...

i am sure you can sell your boxster on ebay. Mind although the 987 is a great car, i think the boxster and 996 front look simply cant be beaten.
I would take an 04 boxster over a 987 anyday.
This doesnt mean i think the 987 is crap, its a stunning machine just i really like porsche the way it is.

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