Mileage on a Boxster

[Vipor3D]

What is a good reliable milage to buy a used 986 Boxster model at? I've come across some with 60k and 70k miles on them. I'm planning to get one to drive for around the next five years or so. I don't drive that often, though. On an average day, I don't drive more than 20 miles unless I absolutely have to. What is a good mileage range to look for on a 98-03 model?

[fivepointnine]

I would find one with around 70k that has already had the waterpump, clutch, plugs, plug tube o-rings, belts and AOS done (all these things tend to need replaced around 60-70k miles)

[pothole]

I agree. 70k with all that work done is perfect. Much less and I'd be slightly worried the engine, bearing and the rest hadn't proven themselves good 'uns.

[BoxsterSteve]

I bought a 2000 S last May from the original owner with 75,000-ish km on the clock. I figured that was fairly low mileage for the year, giving me (hopefully) a couple of years of enjoyment before I need to start replacing suspension components, clutch and doing the next major service. The fluids, however, tranny, brakes & coolant are getting replaced this summer. A great opportunity to learn on the car doing it myself.

I did, however have the IMS bearing replaced. It was kind of expen$ive, but I'm glad it was done; mine was that close to failing. Initially it was to be for peace of mind, but upon seeing the metal flakes coming out of it, I thought to myself, "No catastrophic failure happening here."

My car is a 1-or-2-times-a-week car, but it gets well warmed up and runs for 45 minutes minimum when I'm out. I drive it pretty aggressively. If I wanted to drive like I owned a Prius, I would have bought one.

[fivepointnine]

people have the mis-conception that a super low mileage Porsche is better, that is not true with these cars at all, they really need to be drove, and drove hard,like they were designed to be.

[pothole]

Originally Posted by fivepointnine

people have the mis-conception that a super low mileage Porsche is better, that is not true with these cars at all, they really need to be drove, and drove hard,like they were designed to be.

I see this sentiment posted often and I'm afraid I don't agree. if it weren't for the design flaws, a low mileage car that had been babied would be far preferable in my view.

It's only because the engines have flaws that seem in most cases to shake out at relatively low miles that low mile examples are a bit dodgy. It's got nothing to do with "not driving them as intended". That's my view, anyway.

[RandallNeighbour]

Well, it's a toss up for me.

I push my motor very hard whenever I drive it. I always take it up to redline a couple of times on the way to work both directions and well, when I take it to the track for a DE weekend it gets flogged repeatedly, like I stole it. But I don't drive my boxster daily. Once or twice a week to work when the weather's nice and I can keep the top down in the underground parking we have at my high rise building.

The reason I wind it up to the top, despite the wear and tear it causes, is to get all the parts fully lubricated and working at full capacity.

Some of these garage queens I used to dream about finding and buying have never been properly driven, or should I say regularly driven the way they were designed to be driven (i.e., up to 5-6k rpm on a regular basis, not sustained at that rpm). I've even seen them advertised with "never seen a track and never driven over 5000 rpm!"

Now why would I want to buy a used Porsche that has never had its motor operating at peak performance? That can't be good.

[Ghostrider 310]

As it has been stated before, low mileage does not just effect the engine, all the suspension components and systems are newer, period. Sure, my low mileage 98 went bad, but it was not due to any lack of maintenance or never seeing the redline. Remember folks Jim Fixx had a heat attack, when fate is a spoke on the wheel every outcome is in play. To equate high mileage with more longevity than low mileage is a crystal ball wager, if your powers of discernment are that focused just get the lottery ticket and buy new.

[trimer]

I just bought an 02 with 33,750 miles on it and it is the best of both worlds. The car looks fantastic, runs very strong, interior looks like it roled off the line yesterday (which obviously has nothing to do with driving the car hard), and everything is in working order. So, I am happy to have a low mile older car that looks much newer than it is. I have the car at a dealer today for an oil change and multi point inspect so hopefully that all goes well. If it does, then I got a HUGE STEAL on this one. If not, then I know most of my car is in fairly great shape because of the lower miles....

Either way...Porsche - there is NO SUBSTITUTE

[Steve A]

I purchased an 01 s in Dec 2012. Had 7790 original miles. Just now getting it out on the road (because of winter). New tires, changed all vitals. Car had a cushy existence being 1 of 12 cars in original (elderly) owners garage. So for the foresee-able future I'll be steering and shifting (driving) with fingers crossed.

[Joel-Box-ster]

Any decent mileage will do as long routine and preventive maintainance is up to date.