Buying a £7-£10k boxter S- BIG bills at 80k? dilemma!!!

[the_village_idiot]

Hi Guys,

Am looking to buy a Boxster and want to spend up to £10k. I want to buy wisely as I may sell the old girl in a year and don’t want to loose too much money!

However- I have a dilemma……

From the research I have done, the maintenance costs on a Boxster can be pretty high…..even from an independent specialist, the following items seem to need replacing and the costs really add up.

NB- im a big fan of keeping a performance car as fresh and tight as it was when it was new. There’s no point running these cars on knackered suspension, budget tyres, cheap brakes and a worn clutch

Anyway- according to a chat with a decent independent (please correct me if these facts are wrong, all figures are inc labour but not inc VAT).

Clutch Needs replacing at about 80k/6 years £650
Full suspension @ 80k £2-2.5k
Wishbones 60k £700

So to keep the car in good nick- she needs perhaps £4k spent after 80,000 miles. Tie that in with some tyres and brake discs and it’s a serious bill.

Clearly the idea is to buy a car at 90k when the above £4k bill is some miles off. However- do many owners really look after their car to this extent? Or are there many many 100k cars out there on the original suspension setup?

Seems to me- unless you buy a car with the work done, its not worth buying a car with more than 50k on the clock really- as you will have to sink another £4k into it at 80k anyway.

Paying the £4k premium for a newer car with fewer miles may be the cheaper option, if you want her feeling her best?

Any advice would be great guys.

Cheers, Greg

[jcb986]

It is the nature of the beast when buying a pre-owned auto. I would by one with 45-65K miles on it. But, you need a good history of the car. High 80K or more will get the price you are looking for, so be prepared to pay more. There was a chap from the UK who bought a pre-owned with a service record. Not long after wards he had to pull the motor and go completely through it. Also, you might want one with a hardtop...rains a lot in England and the top will leak and once that computer under the driver seat gets soaked look for about a $2K bill. Good luck.

[the_village_idiot]

Originally Posted by jcb986

It is the nature of the beast when buying a pre-owned auto. I would by one with 45-65K miles on it. But, you need a good history of the car. High 80K or more will get the price you are looking for, so be prepared to pay more. There was a chap from the UK who bought a pre-owned with a service record. Not long after wards he had to pull the motor and go completely through it. Also, you might want one with a hardtop...rains a lot in England and the top will leak and once that computer under the driver seat gets soaked look for about a $2K bill. Good luck.

Does the soft top really leak?! Im surprised at that??? Not a surprise in a 15 year olf MX5- but a Boxster? Is this a common problem?

Indeed i will have it professionally inspected before i pay!

[yelojkt]

Originally Posted by the_village_idiot

Does the soft top really leak?! Im surprised at that??? Not a surprise in a 15 year olf MX5- but a Boxster? Is this a common problem?

Indeed i will have it professionally inspected before i pay!

The soft top on the boxster is made like the sunroof in a VW it is not waterproof when closed but instead directs the water where it needs to go so as not to damage the car, such as drain tubes. On the boxster these plugs get clogged and then the water goes into the car instead of oput under the car. All you have to do is put the top in service position and make sure your tubes are clean. A friend of mine took her leaking Turbo-S into the stealership and they quoted her $1200 for a new sunroof. I fixed her leaky sunroof in 15 minutes with a piece of wire a drill and a water bottle.

[mikefocke]

is a bad move financially because of the transaction costs...taxes, registration, selling expenses, depreciation, etc.

And any car's major service costs will be higher than running costs in between.

The Boxster can be a very cheap car to drive if you are lucky and get a good one and maintain it. Or a nightmare and very expensive in parts and labor. Mine cost me $50 over the last year (oil change) and it has 93km plus on it...oops ... except for $1080 in tires.

I've had 2 of the great ones...cheaper to own than a Honda of the same vintage.