I'm taking the plunge-01 Boxster- need advice
 

Hi everyone, long time forum member, very picky Boxster shopper. I think I'm going to take the plunge. 2001 Boxster with 40k miles, ONE OWNER, maintained at Ray Catena Porsche in NJ. Silver with blue interior/Top. I could count on one hand the scuffs on the exterior! He was asking $15,900, I negotiated $14,500 since I would need to spread for the 45k service. Folks, I've been looking for over a year and I've never seen one in this condition. I know, I know, if it's what I want and am happy with go for it.

Is the consensus that those miles are NOT low enough to be a problem and is the price a good one? I think so. This one also has the upgraded S wheels, top liner inside, and the upgraded stereo with the rear speakers. He also deambered it with the Litron lights (dealer installed). He is throwing in the old lights and a Porsche car cover.

I will be using it as a weekend car and to supplement my daily driver since I have a long commute. 80 miles one way to work.

Any thoughts/advice/props/kudos will help to validate my decision as I'm getting that nervous feeling before taking the dive!

Paul

Paul,

Go for it! If you're really that picky and it seems like you've found a gem you should snag it. Not to mention at $14.5k you can :D all the way to the bank. That is a lot of car for the money. True a 2.7 isn't a 3.2 but if it doesn't matter to you, then take the plunge. I am more than happy with my 01 2.7 and it is more than enough to get me into more trouble than I need.

Just make sure you get some wax and lots of time!

Congratulations in advance & :cheers:

Thanks 9eighty6
 

I drove both and the 2.7 is plenty for me. I had a budget of $15k, searched for a one owner and one under 45k miles. It was a long, hard search. I will put 10k or so on it a year so I should be good to go. It'll need tires in about 10k more. How much am I looking at paying for the 45k service? Here are a couple of pics.

You certainly could have paid more for it. Good deal. Better than I did on my '01 a year and 1/2 ago at $24K with a bad leaking radiator (%**$# deceptive private seller moved away!).
Best of luck.

The 45K is mostly an oil and filter change, do it yourself.

Hi Paul,

Sounds like a good deal. Hopefully congrats will be in order soon.

If you're going to drive it that much, I'd suggest getting a clear bra to protect the front end. Without it the front will be peppered with stones.

Take the plunge and enjoy it. Drive it to work on summer mornings with the top down and those 80 miles will seem like a 10 min drive.

Mileage is no marker of potential engine problems if that is what you are referring to. I've done engine swaps on cars with 30k miles and ones with 90k miles that all had their engines go boom. The 2001 I recently put the 3.8 in has 50k miles. If you like the car, buy it. When you buy it, drive it. Like any car, infrequent use takes a toll.

-Todd

That's one of the best dealerships in the country. Did they conduct their own inspection? Ask to see documentation if they did. You want to make sure someone has checked out the tranny and engine before you pull the trigger. As them if there was any RMS leakage.
How many miles are left on the tires? They aren't cheap for this car (Goodyear Eagle F1 are the best bang for the buck) and you will need a set of snow tires for use between November and April. I have Pirelli Snows.

Man I can't believe my car isn't even worth $15K now. :o Oh well I'm keeping it for good. :D

it looks good!! if you like it, and it has a clean bill of health / PPI - there's not much more you can do to protect yourself and make sure you get a good one.

it looks very clean from the photos.

I have a 2.7 and it's plenty fun. I would have probably liked to get the 3.2, but like you, I was on a budget, and my dad put his up for sale, and made me a deal of a lifetime. I got his heavily optioned 2000 (M030, full leather, 18s, hi fi, headrest speakers, heated seats) for $13k. his had 73k miles...but it was dealer maintained, all records, passed PPI..and so far, several months into ownership, nothing bad has happened.... like you, this is a "spare" car, not a DD.

you will love it. put the top down, and just llisten to the sounds it makes as the engine wails toward redline.... the sound of the boxster is just flat out intoxicating.

get some good tires, maybe upgrade your suspension at some point - i love M030, the car defies the laws of physics it handles so well.

bang for the buck - that is a hard deal to beat. yeah, you can get a faster, newer, lower mileage car - but it will cost you more. as you get closer to the 10k mark, most of the boxsters i've seen are high miles, not in great condition, and older htan yours... 2.5s....

buy it, enjoy it!!!

Looks like a nice ride....one thing to consider is an extended warranty. Add it at time of purchase, you'll pay double afterwards. Good luck and have fun!

Good luck on your purchase I see you did your homework. Hope you love it as much as I love my 2003 S :cheers:

Go for it and have a blast.

I have a 01 S and use it every day and for the past 2 months 70miles round trip rain or shine, never mist a beat,and it's had some little tweeks done, i did have a problem with the alarm though, had to change the tilt sensor and the interior sensor but that was only after i bought the Durametric software so i could find the faults, best buy i've ever made, i like to work on my own cars as much as possibe, well with the help of one of my best friends who's a mechanic and MOT tester, but this software lets you access the cars cumputer and will tell you the history of the engine from milage to the last time at was over reved and by how much.

I also have a ZZR1100 that never sees the light of day, what can i say, sunny day the roofs down tunes on live the dream. (by the way you get called a cock and a hairdresser but who want's a BMW )

Mark :)

I don't get this. Is it just me?

Extended warranty
 

:eek:
I'm buying it from a private party so I don't have the option of a warranty. I am actually starting to get cold feet because of the IMS failures I keep reading about on numerous forums. I saved up for this car and since I'm a responsible husband and father, would not have the money to put a new engine in it or take it as a loss of $14,500k.

You take a chance on any used car, Porsche or not. The 01 you're looking at appears to have been well maintained. (And it's a beautiful car btw...I love the blue top and interior) How often was the oil changed? Do you know? That appears to be at least one area where you can do something to forestall or prevent any major issues.. change the oil at 7500? 5000? something significantly less than the recommendation by Porsche. I change mine at 7500, but whatever you do, change it more often than recommended. Cheap, cheap insurance.

I bought my 01 with 25K on the odo. It now has over 65 K and, other than the driver's seat heater not working, (an issue I think I can fix but just haven't gotten around to) there hasn't been a single problem with it, not one, other than wear items. And, yes, I consider the ignition switch to be a wear item! :) Besides it was a $ 25 repair and two hours of my time. I don't baby it... I take it to the track at least twice a year where it gets thoroughly exercised and around town it gets driven, not hard, but not like grandma either.

Regarding the IMS issue. NO one knows the number of IMS issues our babies have had (except maybe for Porsche, and even that's questionable, and they ain't talking). And there's no way to find out. BUT..remember that what you read on the boards is only from the folks who had an issue. And those reports are only from those folks who read these forums... and also only those who tell us about them. There could be/probably are some who didn't report. On the other hand, there are thousands of us who never had an ims problem, or any other major issue for that matter. But since we didn't have a problem, you don't hear about it. These boards, IMHO, tend to overstate problem areas, only because of what I said above. If there were a board around which only catered to what DIDN't go wrong with our cars, well.. first of all no one would read it, but if they did, there would be thousands and thousands of us saying our cars were great, just like me!.

Go for it. Are you taking a chance? sure. Will you regret it? PROBABLY NOT. You'll have a blast with it. But there is a solution to your concern. Buy an aftermarket extended warranty. I THINK (but am not certain) you can get one (from Warranty Direct?) even after the original warranty expires. I bought one, full coverage, everything included, including wear items except brake pads, wipers, tires and a couple of other minor things) when I got my car, solely because of my concern with high repair bills. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your perspective) I have not used the warranty even once. Was it a waste of money? nope. not for me. It will cost you somewhere around 2500?? maybe closer to 3000? I haven't checked recently so I really don't know, but mine was around 2200. It was still under factory warranty when I bought it so I'd guess the price would now be higher. Still... that's significantly less expensive than a new engine. AND it covers a ton of other things that might crater on you.

DO IT. You've done your research. You KNOW you want one. You're getting a heck of a deal on the car. Have a great time with your new car.

Bob

Thanks Bob O!
 

I have to agree with you on everything you said. I have no problem repairing normal wear and tear items, tires, brakes etc. I know a Boxster is a "high maintenance" vehicle. He had the oil changed at every interval required and all services done. I also called the dealer where he bought and has had it serviced the entire time. I gave them the VIN and they told me there was nothing major done to the car other than routine maintenance and the tech said a couple of "minor" items. The owner still has the original tires on the car with about 10k of tread left driving normally. He put 5k on the car a year because he owned two other vehicles. I am hoping that little amount isn't an actual issue with the seals and gaskets.

Just so you know, they don't make the F1 GS D3s in our sizes anymore. I'm pretty bummed about this actually because my set is pretty new. Problem is, if I need to source another tire due to an unrepairable flat, there are none to be found.

@Icedude: I have an 01 too, and the only problems I've had were a cracked coolant tank, a peeling radio knob, and most recently at 58k miles, had to replace a worn engine mount which caused some drivetrain vibration due to the engine shifting a bit on hard cornering.

I still love the car, and bet you will too. I say go for it!

While my Boxster is not a daily driver, I still put around 9-10K miles on it each year in weekend driving (friends live far). That being said, this BoxsterS has been the lowest maintenance car I have ever owned. Oil changes are pricey but you can get away with doing it every six months at least. And the air filters you change yourself. A decent independent Porsche shop can do brake flush, oil change, alignments, etc. Generally avoid the dealer for routine maintenance type stuff if you can. Just make sure you Boxster is not the first 2000 or newer Porsche the independent Porsche shop is working on. Those shops need the work nowadays.
The best way to ward off repairs is to go easy on the car. Let the oil temp come up, don't go harsh on the brakes and throttle, keep the tires properly inflated so that suspension isn't working overtime, and learn to shift smoothly so that your clutch lasts 100K miles.

There's nothing you can do if the intermediate shaft goes or you get an unexpected $1000 rear main seal leak. That's just a design flawe that Porsche never owned up to. Although I have heard some mutterings that Mobil 1 should not be used as it's too thin to properly lubricate against IMS failure.


From a Rennlist discussion (on of many on Pelican and Renntech.org now doubt)

"My understanding is Mobil 1 changed their formulation in the recent past leading to some issues. My local builder indicated to me they grenaded a few new engines using Mobil 1's new formulation and were able to trace the issue back to Mobil 1 and won't touch it as a result. My subsequent research indicated others having similar issues.

I won't pretend to be an expert because I am not, but I do listen to those I trust on the issue. For my 2004 Boxster S, I look for an oil at least an API SL, SH, or SJ rating and an HTHS viscosity of at least 4.5. So I run Castrol full synthetic 5w-40 (which is on Porsche's approved list and is easily obtained locally) or Redline 5w-40 (which isn't on Porsche's list and has to be ordered). For my Spec Miata track car I run Brad Penn 10w-30 which I like a lot and I order from LN Engineering."

by the way, if you have time send an oil sample to these guys

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/

They will examine it for $20 or so and Tell you if there is any mad cow in there.

Great looking car Boxtaboy
 

Ok, I gotta ask you, where do I get those wheels? That is one hot set of tires you have on there. I am planning on replacing the rims when I put new tires on it which when I buy it will be about 10k miles later. Are they Porsche rims and if so, where would you recommend I get them and also what is a good tire reasonably priced? I'm not going to drive it crazy so I figure to go easy on tires but I don't need track hugging Z rated type tires. I'm not saying I want cheapies and replace them twice as frequently but I don't feel I need the big daddys. Also, how much would it cost me to put a new exhaust like yours on? I don't want it too loud or unnatural. Again, great looking car Boxtaboy.

Paul

Thanks Paul. Well, the wheels are SSR GT3 18 inch 3-piece semi solid forged rims (larger sized pic posted below). They are not Porsche wheels, but SSR made these in offset sizes that fit the Boxster perfectly without having to use spacers. Porsche currently doesn't offer wheels with a fat lip, and I like that kind of look, so these work well for me. They were purchased from Tirerack, but they no longer carry them. If you want, you can, however, still get them from here, by locating a local dealer who can order them for you.: http://www.ssr-wheels.com/wheels/werfen_181920.asp

The wheel sizing to fit our cars without the need for spacers is:
Fronts 18x8 ET49 (18 inch wheel/8 inches width/offset 49)
Rears 18x9.5 ET43 (18 inch wheel/9.5 inches width/offset 43)

The exhaust is a Dansk with dual tips. You can buy them from a number of different places. Here's one of them: http://www.************************************************************/product.asp?pf_id=P914200&dept_id=4577

As for tires, I have the high performance Goodyear Eagle F1 GS D3's, and I think they are terrific tires but they stopped making them in sizes for the Boxster recently, so I'll need to switch to another brand in my next set. Previously, I ran with Pirelli Pzeros, which I liked too. You don't want to skimp on tires, IMO, because they are the only thing holding your car to the road.

Good luck with your purchase, and have fun with the car!

http://i39.tinypic.com/autulv.jpg

All '01 Boxsters came with the inside top liner.

Carefully examine all the interior "soft touch" trim. My '01 had most of the interior parts replaced by the dealer under warranty because the finish was flaking off - a few pieces multiple times. I think 2001 was a bad year for interior trim from what I can tell.

If the battery is original, expect it to die in the near future. Tires will wear out, and at 40K miles, a lot of people have to replace the MAF, AOS and motor mount. I'm still on my original motor mount at 56K miles, but have replaced the AOS (dealer under warranty) and MAF (easy, but intimidating the first time you access the engine). You will probably need to clean the throttle body in the next 10K miles. Depending on debris in the air, you might have to take the front bumper off and clean out the radiators.

If the car hasn't had an alignment for a while, plan on getting that done or replacing a lot of rear tires (check wear there). Also, check to make sure the brake fluid has been flushed every few years per Porsche service recommendation.

Other 2001 things to check: rear window - it will crack if not properly maintained. Rear bumper extensions - if faded, Mothers Back to Black does a good job making them look new. 2001 tail pipes are stainless and polish up nicely. Porsche changed the cigarette lighter dimensions in 2002, so if you plug electronics in, plan on spending $15 or so to swap out the original for a new style that fits better. If no OBC or cruise control, they can be added later but it's easier if the cars comes with.

You should get the Bentley service manual for the basic things

Read out the OBD2 codes to make sure nothing is wrong and readiness is set for all the systems, i.e., nothing cleared to get rid of CEL right before you get the car.

Even at $14.5K, if your engine explodes and you have to spend $10K for a factory rebuilt one, you still have a fantastic car - nothing even close for twice the price! My '01 hasn't had the original engine blow up - go figure! I tell everyone the longer I have the car, the more I enjoy it :)

Hi Geoff. How much do you do on your own?
 

Thanks Geoff. I meant an insulated liner which is an upgrade to the top and heated seats since this car is a NJ car many dealers sell cars with the winter upgrades. This car isn't under warranty any longer so how much will replacing the AOS and MAF cost? There isn't a spec of anything on the interior. I'm dead serious, this car looks brand new. A little wear on the left edge of the drivers seat which is normal from getting in and out, no chips, cracks, stains. The passenger sid floor mat looks like noone ever sat in that side. 5 nicks on the exterior of the entire car and the rear window is literally perfect. He has a kit of Porsche cleaners in a case in the front trunk and one is the window treatment which he said he's used and he also puts a felt piece between it when the top goes down and folds it. Again, unless the engine blows, this car honestly looks like it's 6 months old.

Icedude, I would not replace your AOS or MAF unless you are experiencing problems. If you see that you have a big plume of smoke coming from your tailpipe at startup for a few times in a row, then you may need to change out your AOS. If you don't see any CEL light come on, your MAF is ok. At 58k miles, I have yet to change either on my car.

Oh, and Geoff is correct- starting in 2001 model yr., Porsche offered the insulated liner for the top as standard equipment for the base Boxster. Came with the Boxster S in 2000 as standard. Your dealer didn't add the liner to your car...it came as standard in all 2001 model year Boxsters.

Thanks Boxtaboy. I see you are in NJ
 

Thanks, my bad on the liner. You guys would know best - which is why I am open to advice/critique. Boxta, the brake discs are a bit rusty, which is common on all cars and I'd like to get new, colored shoes if I go with new rims. how do I shine up the discs. nice rims + rusty and drab discs and shoes = ugliness. Where in NJ are you? I work in Piscataway. Any recommended Porsche mechanics you can recommend?

There's probably not much you can do about the rusty brake rotors besides removing the rust and then painting the rotor hats. You can paint the calipers, as I did. Here's a link to my DIY instructions that a member from another board posted on his website: http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/paintingyourcalipers

I do most of the basic work on my car with the help of my other Boxster friends. We have an informal Tri-State Boxster Club where we get together a couple times a year for a work on cars day and even take annual trips together. Here's our website: www.tsbl.org

I live in the Edgewater, NJ area now.

Cheers.

you will love the Boxster. I have driven my fair share of performance cars, and the Boxster is THE most fun car i have driven. Not the fastest, but the MOST FUN. Period.

my car, a 2000 base, with 18s, M030, and 75k miles still feels tight, runs VERY smoothly, and corners like it's on rails. Literally. you can't have more fun in a car for what you will pay for that car - period.

I also worried about IMS after reading all the stuff here and I said " go for it". you only live once. the odds of it happening are low. I too am a married guy with 3 kids, and this is a third toy car for me. I drive it to work on Friday... in about 20 min I"m hoping in it for lunch - can't wait!! - and like you, I really can't afford a 10-15k repair job... I can easily afford the car, but then another 15k just to fix it - no.

I have one GOOD car that is new/reliable that fits the whole family. New Acura MDX. I have an older, PAID off, reliable sedan I use as a DD. the box is for friday, weekends, date night, etc.

i figure in the UNLIKELY event that I suffered total failure - i'd just park it, cover it, and start saving for the 3.4L swap. it would suck, ut eventually i'd find a used 3.4L buy it, and find a mechanic who could swap it in for me and I'd just have to be patient. the end result would be one bad A$$ wicked boxster. i hope that never happens...but there would a silver lining to the cloud.... albeit it would be painful to have to cough up that money...

life is short. too short. if you are like me and you love cars - you WiLL get a substantial amount of pleasure from this car. i say the risk is worth it. but only you can say for sure what YOu are comforatable with.

extended warranties aren't cheap. i priced one for my car and with tax it would have been over $4000 for a 3 yr full warranty. even an "engine / drivetrain" only warranty was 3k+ - but my car has 75k miles. you might get a lower quote since your car has less miles - but not mch less. from what i saw, once the car was over 15k miles all the extended warranties were 2-3k+. IMHO not worth it. if you only drive the car 5-7k/year - you're paying a LOT for that peace of mind. and if it never happens - you wasted a lot of money.

take the risk, enjoy it. if you can wait a little and come up with more money to buy a CPO boxster - that might be a better idea, but it will cost more. if i could afford to blow $30k i'd be getting a newer one, but I wanted to be at or below 15k..so you have to bear some risk and get an older car.

good luck

I have an 01 Boxster, Love it, seriously, purchased it 3 years ago when it had 40,000 miles on it, now i'm up to 78,000 and still feels great.

Keep up on your maintenance and expect a few major repairs in the future, I have had a bad rear wheel bearing replaced, don't drop your top unless the temp is above 70 degrees or else the vinyl rear window will crack(speaking from experience) and you will need to get that replaced because riding around with a cracked rear window while driving a Boxster looks, well, stupid! A crack in the engine coolant tank cost a few bucks to fix. You can do a lot of work yourself on Boxsters, I changed my own Brake Pads, and oil, the stealerships wanted way to much!

Don't remember any of that stuff when I'm riding down the interstate with the top down and the engine humming behind me!!!!!

I consider myself a mechanical spaz, but no more than normal for a guy these days. I do little maintenance things myself, like changing the MAF when I got a check engine light (intimidating the first time you access the engine compartment and wonder if you will terminally break your car), but there are tons of resources on the Internet to walk you through the process, as well as this and many other great forums to ask dumb questions (Hint - Search is your friend). But I don't bother changing my own oil - I just buy Mobil 1 on sale and take it to the dealer for an oil change. There's nothing complicated or difficult about changing your own oil, just a personal quirk that I don't want to bother. I get the oil changed twice as often as Porsche recommends, which all the engine rebuild threads seem to indicate helps longevity.

Joanne at Color Plus - http://colorplus.com/ - will have the right color leather dye to make your seat look new

There are lots of ways to make owning the car a lot less expensive. PCA (Porsche Club of America) members typically get around 10% off at dealers and other service places. Buying parts online (I use Sunset in Oregon, but there are others) can save a LOT of money. The more you drive and enjoy your Boxster, the per mile cost goes down and per mile pleasure goes up. I've read Boxsters that are driven frequently last longer and have fewer problems than pristine garage queens. I also found the more you drive the car and understand how to drive it, the more you appreciate the Boxster's capabilities and how difficult it will be to ever be a good enough driver to fully take advantage of what it is capable of doing

Depending on how you drive and your car's alignment, some people change tires more often than oil. Make sure you understand that cost and plan accordingly. I find the low profile tires need to have air checked more often than on a typical family car. Lots of places to get OK tire prices (Costco, Discount Tire, Tire Rack, etc.). I do a lot of canyon driving and got 27K miles on my original rear tires. Front tires will last quite a bit longer than rears, and front brake pads will wear a lot more than rears. Brake pads are supposed to wear out about twice as fast as rotors, and I still have the original brake pads all around at 56K miles, with lots remaining. Porsches are not street racers, so burnouts, donuts and stoplight racing will hurt your ego and your wallet (tires, brakes, clutch, etc)

I found it's worth it to make good friends with service advisor if you take your car to the dealer for any work. A lot of them will take good car of people they like

If my car blew up this weekend, I would get another one without hesitation