Anyone in New Jersey?

[Perfectlap]

I paid $140 for a diagnostic from Ray Catena in Edison,NJ. Its the top dealer here in NJ. You should offer to pay the seller to take it there for an inspection and have him send you the print out. Important to check is the clutch, suspension, brake wear, etc. I'm assuming the car is close to central NJ however.
I had the car towed to another Porsche dealer in Parsipanny I think, Paul Miller Porsche, for some work. I was too busy to drive it in. Unfortunately that's still the case these days!
Another thing, the diagnositc is a great bargaining chip. If they find it needs x dollars of work you can use that to haggle for a lower price. At 47K miles its 10K miles short of the big maintenance jobs mentioned above.

[boxzilla]

I am a new owner myself so I am unqualified to make a good determination about the mechanical condition of the car. That being said, my sister lives in the same town as your dealer. I was visiting her 2 weeks ago, the dealer has a number of Porsches on his lot (even though he is a VW dealer) so I would play hardball. I paid $12,500 for mine with 67k miles but the prior owner did not do the 60k service. In hindsight I probably paid too much. I had to do brakes/rotors/O2 sensor/oil/air filters, and am still working through the 60k service issues. So that added about $1k so far. If you want an amateur inspections, contact members of the local PCA here in NJ. They are rather active and a number of members of the Board of Dir.....live in that town/immediate area.

[Perfectlap]

$12500 is high?
What options did your Boxster come with? (Litronics, 18" wheels, aero, etc).

[boxzilla]

CROD ~ jump on Craigslist and search Northern NJ for sale items, enter Porsche Boxster.... Are you looking at the Black/Black 2001 from Bernardsville VW .... It has 67K miles??? As I mentioned they have a number of them in their lot so it may be a different one that you are looking at.....I think they also list on EBay????

[gschotland]

I'm about 25 mins from that VW dealer and have seen that particular car advertised for months, the price steadily dropping. Think they started at $21-$22k 8 months ago. I agree, it's way overpriced even at $17.5k, and I think you'd find their warranty to be worth zero. Trade-in value on it's about $12k and I doubt they gave more than that in trade. The market is flooded with similar cars.

If $17-$18k's your budget you can do so much better. Certainly an '02 S, maybe even an '03 S with a bit higher mileage, which isn't necessarily a negative if it's been well cared for and has service records. Why pay a significant premium to buy from a dealer when there's absolutely no advantage for you being so far away? You're so much better off buying from an individual, specifically an enthusiast who's loved the car and treated it right.

Keep looking. You can do much better.

[jcb986]

I paid $15,700 for my 2000 S with 62,000 miles on it. It was a one owner and extremely well kepted. Sticker was just under $70,000 new. I have done the 60,000 mile major and also replaced rotors and pads and upgraded the tires...about $2 grand here. Also you should be aware of the IMS issue and especially if it's a stick. Mine's a TIP and TIP's have less of an issue in this area plus the 3.2 has near bullet proof cylinders.

[crod]

Thanks for the reply guys. Yes, after doing a PPI with the Porsche dealer, the results were not that great and it is a no go for sure. Some leaks noticed (RMS), clutch will need to be replaced probably in the next 6 months, hole on the plastic window in the back and several other little things, including a small crack/chip on the windshield.
It is the one Trend Motors VW has for sale, a 2001 S, and now they are asking $17,800.
I am talking to a private owner that has a very similar car but with much better options, 10k miles LESS and in great condition. That will probably be the one I will end up getting!
I will keep you posted for sure!

CR