Tell me what you think about this CHEAP Boxster - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

pondrat · 10-17-2010, 05:43 PM

Not sight unseen, this car is local and would check it out first. Thanks for the "in general" advice but I'm looking for specifics about this car based on what you can see/read.

davemon · 10-17-2010, 06:08 PM

Looks nice. Consider the rear window damage just part of tradeoff of getting an older cheaper boxster. Know that motor could blow/fail... and I'd have the RMS/IMS replaced by an indy, while you're in there might want to do the clutch too. Soooo $8500 (local price) you'll end up adding $2k in those items. Or just roll the dice and don't spend more than the absolute minimum to keep the wheels rolling.

The question with these is always whether to spend the $17-$21k to get a nice 03-04 with low mileage, or spend $10k and roll the dice for the last $10k.

blue2000s · 10-17-2010, 06:23 PM

It's a high mileage Boxster, so it's cheap to buy and probably will need things replaced and will probably be missing things, like the wind blockers.

For the price that these cars are going for, the difference between a pristine car and one of these well used ones is not very big, especially considering the comparative extra maintenance the car will need. Think about how much nicer it will be to not have chipped paint, cracked seats, missing windscreen, unbroken window, a non-salvage title and whatever else for just a couple grand more.

Lordblood · 10-17-2010, 07:32 PM

My Boxster was just about as cheap as they got back two years ago, at around $9500. I can say I've comfortably spent that much again just repairing things that have gone wrong with it.

It may be a great car, I can see that it has a rebuilt title on it, so it probably is a better car than the price would have people think.

I just learned my lesson, when buying a car like this, it's better to spend a bit more upfront.

Brucelee · 10-18-2010, 04:33 AM

My advice (former Porsche dealer here) is walk on by.

The car is a salvage title no matter what the guy says.

Buying a Box on ebay is not playing the odds.

Pay a decent price and work at finding a decent car.

If not, don't come back here all weepy.

Good luck, choose wisely.

jcb986 · 10-18-2010, 04:45 AM

If you're a great DYI and have or know where several Boxsters are lying around for parts...go for it.

j.fro · 10-18-2010, 05:01 AM

Great SPEC Boxster race car candidate

BTW, the screen on the climate control is toast. Add some more bucks to replace that.

blue2000s · 10-18-2010, 05:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brucelee

Buying a Box on ebay is not playing the odds.

He says the car's local, so he can presumably do the right thing and get it checked before he buys.

Gforrest2 · 10-17-2010, 06:19 PM

Well the main issue is the rebuilt title. This car was in a wreck and totaled by the insurance company. What this really hurts is the resale value. I myself, don't have a problem with rebuilt titles (doesn't take much to total a car now days). I bought my $19,000 truck for $10,000. However, after 4 years of ownership, I sold it this summer. Blue book was $15,000, I got $8,000. It only had 15,000 miles on it and ran land looked like new, only problem was the rebuilt title. I think the people I sold it to got a very good deal.

Your car? Looks like it's in pretty good shape for a 10 year old car with 95,000 miles. It may need some work but $6k seems like a pretty good deal. JMHO from a guy who's last 4 vehicles were purchased off Ebay, sight unseen (except for the photos). Last Ebay vehicle - '03 Boxster for $12,507, purchased in July.

Oh, and make sure you can license a car with a rebuilt title in your state. I think there are two states in the union where they won't license cars with rebuilt titles.