Thinking of buying a 99 Boxster

[monsterrider]

I looked at a 1999 Boxster today with 106,000 miles, documented service records, most recently had an alternator replaced with battery and transmission service. The car runs and drives well, looks very nice. Asking just under $10,000. Red, 17" Porsche wheels, heated seats, not quite sure what else for options.

I own an Audi A4 and a Lotus so I am familiar and comfortable taking care of cars and potential high service costs. The Porsche would be a daily driver.

Any concerns, things I should look for, be wary of, whatever.

Thanks in advance.

Bob

[eightsandaces]

IMO, 106,000 miles and potential service costs would be a concern with any brand, especially if you intend on making it a DD, I'd look for something newer.

[TRawls]

high-quality machines, that have been maintained correctly, can have high mileage. Indeed, I am more afraid of a German machine with little or no mileage than of one with high mileage. My motorcycle (BMW) is well into its second 100k, and my Saab pushing 300k, and I would not hesitate to take off for Alaska tomorrow morning with either of them.

The key is the service record, of course. With all of that in mind, there are some very good deals on newer 986s these days, and many have low miles AND service records. . .


TRawls

[mikefocke]

First read this

http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/mikesporscheboxsterwebpages
It is a web site devoted to Boxsters and started out with my buying experiences. I loved my 99.

[monsterrider]

Well I drove it again today and it seemed slightly underpowered, at least compared to my A4 3.0 V6. I read Mike's website, great stuff there, my concern after all that is suspension issues to come at this mileage, and tires. they are new on there now, but 10-15,000 miles on a set? Wow. Not sure it's that great a driver to warrant the effort/cost.

What am I missing?

Thanks

[tonycarreon]

well maintained should be good. just sold an '83 944 with ~370k miles.

engine was still strong.

[monsterrider]

Thanks for everyone's input so far. Here's what I've found out.

The car was maintained by Porsche of Roslyn, NY through 100,000 miles. Met all service schedules, replaced MAF at about 50K miles. One owner throughout this period. Sold to the second owner (whom I talked to today) at ~100,000 miles.

In the year and a half he owned it, he replaced alternator, battery, front brake pads and turned rotors, performed transmission service (Tiptronic), inspected for RMS leakage - none found, all before trading it in at 106,000 miles. The top was replaced and tires were replaced by the selling dealer before he got it. The tires now with 6000 miles still look new. He says to his knowledge the car needs nothing. He traded it on a Volvo wagon due to a life event change.

Cosmetically the car looks like new, the leather on the drivers seat shows some minor wear appropriate for the age.

Asking $9950. Seems like this is a good price given it's excellent condition, what do you think?

Thanks again to veryone weighing in.

Bob

[CenterIsl]

monsterrider? What's attracting you to this particular car? Is it the sub-$10K price? If that's it, then you may be disappointed. There are numerous stories about "cheap" Boxsters ending up costing more than "good" Boxsters.

And there are lots of boxsters out there, most with more power than this one (which you've already identified as a potential shortcoming). Your history of the car sounds reasonable, but you're still going to need a good pre-purchase inspection to have any assurance that there aren't any looming problems. And even with that, there are obviously no guarantees.

As for value, I'll say it seems reasonable given the current conditions (economy down, summer convertibles up). But you're going to know your local market better than anyone else - and you're going to have a better idea of how hard it will be to get rid of it if you change your mind (as a rule, Tiptronics are slow to sell).

Also, you didn't mention any options. A completely base boxster is rare, and every car has _some_ options. These options might affect the used car price by as much as 10% (or 20% if there's a hardtop), but would be rather expensive to add after the purchase.

You didn't say how many other boxsters you've looked at, so I'm going to assume you haven't looked at many. In that case, I'd say go look at a few more and then circle back to this particular car. It will be a lot clearer then.