Concerned about buying 01 w 6 prev owners

[mgroth]

I'm looking to buy my first Boxster. Test drove 3. Looking at 01-03 base. The ones I see on Craigslist almost all have multiple owners. Ideally I'd like just one but I guess with a 12 yr old car that's unlikely.

I found an 01 I like for $11k w 80k miles, but it title search shows its been titled 6 times. Should that be a red flag? Either that it's a lemon or too many newbies have (ab)used it? Current owner had it from 55-80k and seems to have taken care of it.

Mike

[thstone]

Look for a solid repair history and get a good PPI. That will tell you a lot more about the car than a title search.

[Homeboy981]

Originally Posted by mgroth

I'm looking to buy my first Boxster. Test drove 3. Looking at 01-03 base. The ones I see on Craigslist almost all have multiple owners. Ideally I'd like just one but I guess with a 12 yr old car that's unlikely.

I found an 01 I like for $11k w 80k miles, but it title search shows its been titled 6 times. Should that be a red flag? Either that it's a lemon or too many newbies have (ab)used it? Current owner had it from 55-80k and seems to have taken care of it.

Mike

Hi Mike,

Welcome to the club!

Yikes! 6 owners! Run, don't walk! That would be my first instinct but, while the price is enticing, and you may be inclined to look and learn, as I just recommended to another buyer, get the Durametric and you will see how badly is was abused OR that some people got the car and did not leave their "bad habits" all over it for the next owner to have to fix.

F.Y.I. these cars will drop in price in the next few months IF you can put off your purchase a little…you will most likely have more be more informed and get a better deal. I would look out for cars coming out of the east coast or hurricane Sandy!

[mgroth]

Thanks everyone for great advice.

I ended up not buying that car, but found a one owner 2000 Box S which I bought. It was serviced by same dealer for 12 yrs (Arlington VA Porsche).

[Kenny Boxster]

Practicality? There's more to life than practicality.

[Bigsmoothlee]

6 owners? WHO CARES!!

Its a stupid machine, not a woman thats been married 6 times.

Check the mechanicals, make sure the maintenance has been performed, and enjoy a fantastic car for a slightly lowered value.

Maintenance is everything, FORGET about mileage. I'm a Mercedes and Porsche repair specialist, and I've seen S-class limos with over 400,000 miles that were in better shape than a spoiled brat who had 90,000 miles on the same car but didnt do anything aside from drive it into the ground and put gas in it. That same 400k limo had perfect leather seats because the owner conditioned the seat on a regular basis and never wore jeans. The engine ran perfect because he changed the oil every 2-3 weeks ( about 3-4k in that time ). The paint was great, the suspension was perfect... I would buy his car over many others with " Low mileage "

I can tell you a similar story of a white 87 911 that had 465,000 miles on it ( engine and trans were NEVER rebuilt ), it was a one owner car too ( until I bought it from him ). Perfect shape, oil changes were done on a regular basis. I had to sit in his car and really listen for the noises he complained about, but nothing was left unrepaired...

My boxster had 140k on it, but every bit in the suspension was new, brakes and rotors were new, the top was less than a year old, and the interior was full leather and perfect. It made a great car to swap in a 3.4 into, which I did.

Moral of the story? A 200k mile car that was maintained by a nut with OCD may be better than a car with 80k that was bought new for a young kid who never took it to the shop, destroyed it, and asked daddy for a new car.

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by Bigsmoothlee

6 owners? WHO CARES!!

Its a stupid machine, not a woman thats been married 6 times.

Check the mechanicals, make sure the maintenance has been performed, and enjoy a fantastic car for a slightly lowered value.

Maintenance is everything, FORGET about mileage. I'm a Mercedes and Porsche repair specialist, and I've seen S-class limos with over 400,000 miles that were in better shape than a spoiled brat who had 90,000 miles on the same car but didnt do anything aside from drive it into the ground and put gas in it. That same 400k limo had perfect leather seats because the owner conditioned the seat on a regular basis and never wore jeans. The engine ran perfect because he changed the oil every 2-3 weeks ( about 3-4k in that time ). The paint was great, the suspension was perfect... I would buy his car over many others with " Low mileage "

I can tell you a similar story of a white 87 911 that had 465,000 miles on it ( engine and trans were NEVER rebuilt ), it was a one owner car too ( until I bought it from him ). Perfect shape, oil changes were done on a regular basis. I had to sit in his car and really listen for the noises he complained about, but nothing was left unrepaired...

My boxster had 140k on it, but every bit in the suspension was new, brakes and rotors were new, the top was less than a year old, and the interior was full leather and perfect. It made a great car to swap in a 3.4 into, which I did.

Moral of the story? A 200k mile car that was maintained by a nut with OCD may be better than a car with 80k that was bought new for a young kid who never took it to the shop, destroyed it, and asked daddy for a new car.

+1

It makes no difference how many owners a car has had. The truely important thing is how much care the LAST owner put into it.

[BruceH]

Originally Posted by mgroth

Thanks everyone for great advice.

I ended up not buying that car, but found a one owner 2000 Box S which I bought. It was serviced by same dealer for 12 yrs (Arlington VA Porsche).

Congratulations! Knowing the service history is a biggie. Now we need some details and pictures

[Sunsport]

Amount of owners is irrelevant - A car can be one owner and have been non-looked after the day warranty ran out or it could have 20 and everyone babied it. Just have the car checked out by someone who knows what to look for and pay accordingly for a great car or one needing some tlc if you go that way and are capable.

[Ghostrider 310]

Originally Posted by Sunsport

Amount of owners is irrelevant - A car can be one owner and have been non-looked after the day warranty ran out or it could have 20 and everyone babied it. Just have the car checked out by someone who knows what to look for and pay accordingly for a great car or one needing some tlc if you go that way and are capable.

Not if two of them learned to shift on it or were just a lot worse with a manual than their egos would admit.

[Sunsport]

Originally Posted by Ghostrider 310

Not if two of them learned to shift on it or were just a lot worse with a manual than their egos would admit.

Exactly - the first owner could have been that person meaning the number of owners means squat. It's all about how the car was looked after over the years regardless of what name was on the ownership.

[RandallNeighbour]

OP, you said you probably won't find a 12 year old car with one owner. I'd recommend you find out who runs the local PCA chapter in Cary NY and tell them you're looking for a 1 owner Boxster.

I've discovered that the best specimens are found among the members of the Porsche club of America. They care about their cars.

You'll be asked to pay full tilt private party retail, but the car will not have stories and will probably come with a folder full of receipts.

[Topless]

A 5 yr old 1 owner car is easy to find. A 10 yr old is much harder. It looks like the last owner had it a while though so hopefully he did a lot of the P.M. A PPI and a good look at the service and repair history should tell the story. No service history? Keep looking.

[Johnny Danger]

The number of previous owners may or may not be as critical as you think . More importantly, I would be focussed on the vehicle's condition and maintenance history. The boxster can easily fit into the category of being an "impulse" or niche vehicle. And, with most impulse purchases, a person's interest and enthusiasm can change quickly. Therefore, it's not uncommon to see a two seater convertible as impractical as a boxster routinely changes hands.

[Mark_T]

Originally Posted by Johnny Danger

Therefore, it's not uncommon to see a two seater convertible as impractical as a boxster routinely changes hands.

I hate it when people call Boxsters impractical. When I bought my Boxster I had this discussion with my dad, who took one look and said:
"What did you buy that for??"
"What do you mean?"
"Well it's totally impractical."
"Why?"
"It's only seats two people for starters."
"My last two cargo vans only seated two, no-one called those impractical. What else?"
"Must have cost you a small fortune."
"Less than the wife's Corolla and no-one called that impractical. What else?"
"The Corolla has space to carry cargo - that thing just has a tiny trunk."
"Actually, it has two trunks with more than enough space for luggage for two on an extended road trip. Practical enough for me. Next?"
"The mileage must suck."
"Nope - it's better than my B4000 and again, no-one has ever called that impractical. Next?"
"It must cost a lot to maintain as specialized car like that."
"Nope. I can do all the maintenance myself as it is very simple to work on, and parts don't seem to be any more pricey than domestic. Remember when you paid nearly a thousand bucks to fix the gas gauge on your Chev (which no-one ever called impractical) because it came as a unit with the fuel pump located in the gas tank. Or the $1500 you forked out when you digital dashboard went blank. And you want to talk about high maintenance costs? Next." (I'm getting irritated at this point)
"Aren't you a little old to be driving a sports car like that?"
"Oh good grief. I gotta go. Enjoy your Sunfire."

[thstone]

Originally Posted by Mark_T

I hate it when people call Boxsters impractical. When I bought my Boxster I had this discussion with my dad, who took one look and said:
"What did you buy that for??"
"What do you mean?"
"Well it's totally impractical."
"Why?"
"It's only seats two people for starters."
"My last two cargo vans only seated two, no-one called those impractical. What else?"
"Must have cost you a small fortune."
"Less than the wife's Corolla and no-one called that impractical. What else?"
"The Corolla has space to carry cargo - that thing just has a tiny trunk."
"Actually, it has two trunks with more than enough space for luggage for two on an extended road trip. Practical enough for me. Next?"
"The mileage must suck."
"Nope - it's better than my B4000 and again, no-one has ever called that impractical. Next?"
"It must cost a lot to maintain as specialized car like that."
"Nope. I can do all the maintenance myself as it is very simple to work on, and parts don't seem to be any more pricey than domestic. Remember when you paid nearly a thousand bucks to fix the gas gauge on your Chev (which no-one ever called impractical) because it came as a unit with the fuel pump located in the gas tank. Or the $1500 you forked out when you digital dashboard went blank. And you want to talk about high maintenance costs? Next." (I'm getting irritated at this point)
"Aren't you a little old to be driving a sports car like that?"
"Oh good grief. I gotta go. Enjoy your Sunfire."

Hah! Funniest thing I've read in quite a while!

[dbear61]

Originally Posted by Mark_T

I hate it when people call Boxsters impractical. When I bought my Boxster I had this discussion with my dad, who took one look and said:
"What did you buy that for??"
"What do you mean?"
"Well it's totally impractical."
"Why?"
"It's only seats two people for starters."
"My last two cargo vans only seated two, no-one called those impractical. What else?"
"Must have cost you a small fortune."
"Less than the wife's Corolla and no-one called that impractical. What else?"
"The Corolla has space to carry cargo - that thing just has a tiny trunk."
"Actually, it has two trunks with more than enough space for luggage for two on an extended road trip. Practical enough for me. Next?"
"The mileage must suck."
"Nope - it's better than my B4000 and again, no-one has ever called that impractical. Next?"
"It must cost a lot to maintain as specialized car like that."
"Nope. I can do all the maintenance myself as it is very simple to work on, and parts don't seem to be any more pricey than domestic. Remember when you paid nearly a thousand bucks to fix the gas gauge on your Chev (which no-one ever called impractical) because it came as a unit with the fuel pump located in the gas tank. Or the $1500 you forked out when you digital dashboard went blank. And you want to talk about high maintenance costs? Next." (I'm getting irritated at this point)
"Aren't you a little old to be driving a sports car like that?"
"Oh good grief. I gotta go. Enjoy your Sunfire."

My Dad was too easy-going for this dialogue. He went home in March, and it wasn't a factor in my purchase of the Boxster in May, but I know he would have been excited because of the car, but even more for the low cost I paid this car.

Mom's first and only ride elicited this comment on the freeway 90-degree entrance ramp: "You-ou-ou don't need to go this fast!" Yes. Yes, I do.

DBear

[ProjectM96]

Number of owners means nothing. I bought a car with 7 owners. That was 8 years ago. I am still driving it today with no problems.

It just means that someone got bored of it fast or they couldn't afford it, so they sold it, increasing the number of owners.

Most of the Boxster owners only keep their cars for less than 5 years.

[RandallNeighbour]

Mark_T, parts for our cars are the most expensive I've come across. And mine required thousands of dollars a year to keep running at top condition.

Most of your argument is solid, but Porsches are expensive cars to own and operate compared to every Japanese car I've owned in the past... Combined.

[srad34]

My 98 Boxster has 12 previous owners!!
It has 95k and full Porsche History. After I had driven it, the number of owners made no difference to me.....