result of PPI FOR BUYING 1997 WITH 30K MILES PART 2 please help!

[ART07154]

I just had a local Porsche dealership did a PPI for 1997 boxster with 30k miles.The agreed purchase price is $10.5 k.Her e's the report
BAD
1.need reare tires (I am planing to put a new wheels anyway)
2.need alligement(pull to the right)
3.Driver side valve cover leaking oil(moderate seepage)????
4,missing coverage shield under carriage(cosmetic).
5.slight vibration at higher speed.
6.Temperature control display not showing full number.(Expensive????)
GOOD
1.Power windows good.
2.Alarm system good.
3.Sound system good.
4.All speakers work.
5.Parking break good.
6.engine good.
7.Convertible top good.
8.Suspension good.
9.Break and rotor ok pads 90%.
10.Exaust OK.
11.CV jolint ok.
I thinks for the year,age and price is a fair deal?Thank you.

[DANMKII]

I think #6 for "GOOD" is the thing I'll focus more on. Mileage is very low for a '97, does it have records? Any low mileage car (for its age) should have service done more frequently. Cars are meant to be driven.

When I bought my boxster at 8K (2003 CPO), I was very nervous because of the low mileage, but the CPO gave me the peace of mind. Alot of people would prefer higher mileage maintained boxsters over lower mileage with no service records...

[CJ_Boxster]

Originally Posted by ART07154

1.need reare tires (I am planing to put a new wheels anyway)
2.need alligement(pull to the right)
3.Driver side valve cover leaking oil(moderate seepage)????
4,missing coverage shield under carriage(cosmetic).
5.slight vibration at higher speed.
6.Temperature control display not showing full number.(Expensive????)

1. No big, you usually want to buy a new matching set when buying a used car.
2. Might as well get it out of the way cause you should get one everytime you get new tires so you dont mess up your new rubber.
3. Most likely a sparkplug tube O-ring, 12 total needed to replace ALL of them on all 6 cyclindar, cost about 3 bucks an O-ring and with some forum searching you could find the repair instructions to do it yourself, novice mechanic takes about 3 hours to complete.
4. No big, your engine will cool better without it, Mine was removed when i did my front engine mount replacement and i didnt replace it and my engine ran alittle cooler for longer.
5. Have the wheels balanced and look at the RIM (not the tire) while it spins and look to see if it wobbles, if so, bent wheel. if not, your old tires can cause vibration.
6. Not a big deal, someone sells them on ebay.

[eightsandaces]

Agree with CJ none of that stuff is anything a car of that age wouldn't likely have. My temp gauge is missing one arm of the display too, occasionally it comes on and looks right, nbd to me; I think the way it spells Off looks goofy when perfect. The shake could be the worn tires and misalignment. How's the clutch, did they mention it?

[ART07154]

Originally Posted by CJ_Boxster

1. No big, you usually want to buy a new matching set when buying a used car.
2. Might as well get it out of the way cause you should get one everytime you get new tires so you dont mess up your new rubber.
3. Most likely a sparkplug tube O-ring, 12 total needed to replace ALL of them on all 6 cyclindar, cost about 3 bucks an O-ring and with some forum searching you could find the repair instructions to do it yourself, novice mechanic takes about 3 hours to complete.
4. No big, your engine will cool better without it, Mine was removed when i did my front engine mount replacement and i didnt replace it and my engine ran alittle cooler for longer.
5. Have the wheels balanced and look at the RIM (not the tire) while it spins and look to see if it wobbles, if so, bent wheel. if not, your old tires can cause vibration.
6. Not a big deal, someone sells them on ebay.

I had 2 places estimate the repair/tune up for 1997 with 30k miles
1.Local porsche dealership $2500 not include tires (sound very high)
2.Local porsche garage between $1500-$1700 not including tires.
and I'll need 4set of tires and alliegment.
I guess welcome to High price of Porsche parts and labor???

[gschotland]

Originally Posted by ART07154

I guess welcome to High price of Porsche parts and labor???

As they say, if you wanna play, you gotta pay.

Get yourself a shop manual for $60, be willing to learn to do at least some of your own maintenance, buy your parts & supplies mail order, use this incredible forum to educate yourself, and this part of your ownership experience will be substantially less financially painful. Plus you'll feel good about doing some work yourself - provided you do it right. If you screw up, there are plenty of gurus here to help you sort the problems out. I'm not one of them, BTW.

Save the truly hard jobs for the independent Porsche specialist shops, avoid Porsche dealers as much as possible, and don't ever let anyone other than a specialist tinker with your car.

[jcb986]

I bought my 2000 Boxster S with 62,000 miles on it for 15,500. It was the exact car I was looking for for over a year. Dark grey metallic, red leather interior with hand painted instrument panel, carbon pack, carbon red leather steering wheel, up graded sound system with cd changer, 18" turbo wheels, 3.2 liter with a TIP with a custom Valentine 1 radar installed. One owner and nearly mint condition. It is up on stands as I am replacing the original rotors with a new set of Balo's plus I am doing a once over and replacing some normal items. Love this car and I like how easy it is to work on. Just wish I had a lift. JB

This car original sticker was for $69,700. So Art, don't be in a hurry, find what you want and be prepared to buy. I paid cash.

[husker boxster]

Originally Posted by ART07154

1.need reare tires (I am planing to put a new wheels anyway)

Don't know if you meant to say tires, not wheels, but you know to replace the tires because of age from your previous post. If you're thinking of changing wheels as well, be prepared for a shock. Aftermarket wheels are very expensive and can run anywhere from $650 - $1200 (or $4K if you want to go nuts). You may be able to pick up used wheels, but don't just jump at the first ebay auction w/o knowing if these wheels fit a Boxster properly or not (search "offset" for more info). Most ebay ads say their wheels will fit a Box, but only if you go crazy with spacers. 911 wheels generally aren't a good fit on a Box. Just want to give you a heads-up that you won't be spending $400 for a set of wheels.

Welcome to the wonderful world of over priced Porsche parts.

[eightsandaces]

If the wheels are bent you can have them restored by places such as Keystone, they can press them back to standard.

HOWEVER, If the wheels are bent, the car shakes and is misaligned, I'd be looking really really close for hidden body repair, no PPI is going to invest the time needed to truly locate body repair if it has been done well.

[Lil bastard]

$10.5k for a '97 in ANY condition is a rip-off - keep searching!

[ART07154]

Originally Posted by Lil bastard

$10.5k for a '97 in ANY condition is a rip-off - keep searching!

I know it's not a steal but i think it's a fair deal for 30k miles good condition???

[eightsandaces]

Condition and care mean everything, there is no way I'd sell my 98 for 10.5 unless it was critical to winning the national "economic survivor outlast" game. I think it's a fair price for a vehicle never in an accident. The key to whether that is true doesn't lie in a carfax report. IMO, I'd locate any bent wheels, (any tire shop can do it) and then inspect carefully the corners said tires occupied. If someone got too hot in a corner, they could have repaired what they thought was minor damage to the body, without addressing the wheels and alignment. Could just as easily be the result of a pot hole or an under-inflated tire as well so I'm not saying in any way not to buy, just to be savvy and know exactly what you are purchasing, good luck!