'99 Boxter - Purchasing - Would like some advice - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

idjiot · 08-28-2005, 09:19 PM

Hi everyone,

I am about to buy a '99 Porsche Boxter. I'm debating between two vehicles and I'm wondering which one is better or if both are "bad deals."

Car A
'99 Boxter with 51k miles. Manual - everything is standard except perhaps 6 disc CD changer. White and kept very clean. It's the 2nd owner but he hasn't driven it much (about 4k miles since he bought it in 2003). He hasn't done much maintenance to the car except oil changes and replacing a sensor (he hasn't driven it much). The exterior is great except for one scratch towards the bottom of the front bumper.

Cost: $18,000

Car B
'99 Boxter with 64k miles. Arctic Sliver, Tiptronic with following extras:
18 inch porsche classic rims
Sports exhaust
Hard top

The car is immaculate (no scratches detectable). The current owner is the only owner and has all service records including recently completed 60k maintenance. Only OEM stuff has been put into the car and the owner seems to have really taken care of it. Dealer-serviced only.

Cost: $20,000

Which one?!!!

Background: It's been my dream to own a Porsche since I was a kid. I needed a new car and was going to lease a new A4 when I realized I was only doing it for budget reasons. Instead, I decided that I really wanted a Porsche. This purchase means the world to me as it is a big hit to the wallet and in addition would help me complete one of my goals in life: own a Porsche. I'm 26 and living in Los Angeles.

If you have any thoughts, feel free to share. I'm hoping to join the Porsche owners club soon.

nautiquelfe · 08-28-2005, 11:51 PM

This seems like a simple answer to me. No doubt B. The dealer service alone is worth peace of mind. Also the addition of a hardtop. That would run you approx. $1500 from used source(good luck finding your color when you are ready to purchase one). Also the 18" rims are a very expensive upgrade. Car A will be needing a 60K service soon, that will cost you +/- $1200. With the uncertainty of maintenance on car A it may not be a bad idea to go ahead w/ the 60K work after purchase. Also it would be very wise to have a porsche dealership run a PPI on whichever your looking at it'll cost around $200 but it is worth way more. I own a 99 artic silver boxster and am spending much more than i thought on the minor details. Mine was a "base model" lease. I cant tell you how much i regret not holding out for a better optioned 99. Seems we'll have another happy member soon either way. Once you get the porsche itch there's only one way to scratch it. Use the fact that there's another car near that your looking at to negotiate a little off the top of either one. There seems to be an abundance of used boxsters for sell right now. I guess summer is really over. Good luck. Return often and use the knowledge of the board for any questions or concerns. You'll learn more on here in an hour than in a week talking to porsche salesmen. BTW any amount of warranty would be invaluable.

Brucelee · 08-29-2005, 06:45 AM

I will be contrarian here for a minute and point out issues with both cars:

The white car will need the service as pointed out. Also, white Boxes are worth AT LEAST two to three thousand less than a color such as silver. Ditto, the larger wheels on the silver car are worth serious money over the smaller.

Upon resale of the white Box, you will have very few calls indeed.

The silver 99 will be very slow with the tiptronic. Have you driven this car to see how you feel about the speed and handling issues?

Lastly, if you are already stretched financially and this is your one car to drive, I would suggest that you do need a car with an extended warranty. On a seven year old Box, something WILL break or need to be replaced and these cars are NOT CHEAP to repair.

You might want to rethink the Audi!

Good luck with your decision.

zagit · 08-29-2005, 08:21 AM

1. Listen to Brucelee, PORSCHE ARE EXPENSIVE.
2. Do you have another car, in case if you will not afford the repair expences? if not go with AUDI.
3. I think your primary attention will be on the engine and transmission, not on the hardtop and other secondary details.
4. Manuals are less complicated than auto-tiptronic transmissions, and this make a lots of sense then you buying a used 7 YEARS OLD porsche.
Good luck

idjiot · 08-29-2005, 09:14 AM

Thanks for the comments so far!

I forgot to mention that the White one also comes with an extended warranty that would be transferred to me. I believe there's a little less than 1.5 years on the warranty.

I'm definitely a little worried about the maintenance but at the same time, it's something I've definitely considered. I won't be "broke" when I get this car and should be able to afford repairs on an ongoing basis although obviously I would rather avoid major repairs. Again, I've read horror stories and I've also read that some of those stories are overrated. I'm not really sure who to believe...

I've attempted to look at newer boxters but I think they might just be out of my price range for now...

As for the tiptronic vs. manual - is there really a very large problem? I've driven both cars and to be honest I'm not a performance-crazy guy. When I had the car in tiptronic I felt it performed as well as the manual. Again, I'm not the kind of person that really drives a car really hard.

This is a tough one. I definitely don't want to make the WRONG decision.

Oh - one other separate note - I did encounter a 2000 Boxter with 63k miles on it. This car was fully loaded (premium sound, 18inch wheels, power everything, HID lights) but the car's condition wasn't as immaculate. It wasn't awful but there were a few scratches and the wheels were scratched. Asking price was $21k (probably could negotiate down to about $20k). I didn't go for the car because when I drove it the clutch was very unresponsive - felt really sluggish. Maybe you guys might think this is the "better" car though.

Any comments you have are helpful - I really am a newbie.

larez2 · 08-29-2005, 09:15 AM

Car B if it's your daily driver - the stop and go traffic in LA is a pain with a Manual.

Car A if it's your second or weekend car. Do the work regular maintenance yourself.

Car C - my car. It's a 99' Ocean Blue or Midnight Blue (not sure) tan interior with only 30k miles on it - just under actually. Hey if you're going to pay that much, I'll sell you mine!

Seriously though, those prices sound kind of high to me. Whatever car you pick, get it checked out by Porsche that includes a multi-pint check and compression test. If the top hasn't been replaced yet, it will probably be due in the next little bit here (check the convertible to window condition too). oh yeah and check out the tire tread, 18's don't come cheap. In either case keep in mind that it is a 7 year old car. What was the last 7 year old car you had. Even Hondas and Toyotas sometimes start to have minor problems after that long.

Good luck!
Larez

KRZTACO · 08-29-2005, 09:51 AM

You should pick-up Car A.

Its a manual (for Porsche enthusiasts, a manual is golden)

Living in LA, you will never need the hardtop, unless you like the way it looks.

Lower miles.

KRZ

zagit · 08-29-2005, 09:54 AM

Price-I hope you will negotiate with them after PPI.You know you will feel yourself more confident if you will have around 5 to 8k at your bank account for any major problem case. So try decrease price by 3k and save 2 more. I know it pretty hard, and we are in same age category, but this will be very smart. If you have a warranty (i mean a true original warranty, not a third party warranties) that will be very nice.
About manual and tiptrionic, this is how i was thinking. Tiptronics are probably more complex creatures than a manuals, that means i have a higher chance that something will broke.

Brucelee · 08-29-2005, 10:22 AM

If you drive in LA, you may very well want the Tip. The traffic is aweful for a manual trans.

Having said that, I still feel that the 99 with Tip is a dog with fleas, performance wise and that White is considered a chick color. And I do like white personally but that is what I hear.

Just my two cents.

idjiot · 08-29-2005, 10:56 AM

You guys are definitely giving me lots of doubts about this. (It's a good thing, though.)

I'm not in "desperate" need of a car so maybe I'll go take a look at a few more. There really aren't that many more out there.

To the guy who said the cars are a bit overprice - what are you selling your car for? I really am a serious buyer. If I go with these cars, what would you consider to be more "fair" prices for them?

FYI - Car B - the one I'm seriously considering - original asking price was $22.5k. The owner seems to have really taken care of the car - only used Porsche stuff on it. Plus, him being the only owner seemed like a plus to me. Most other cars asking for less are at least two owners. I'm ambivalent on the tiptronic but at the end of the day, it is nicer when there's so much damn traffic - if you live in LA you'll understand.

I'd LOVE to buy this 2002 S that I saw at a dealer. IT was in Yellow and pure sweetness. It's a shame they were asking for $32k. Anyone know of a similar car being sold for about $8k less? Haha.

Considering my budget (about $20k - it's not that I CAN'T go over that but I really would rather not), can I really do better than these cars and still get a Porsche?!!

idjiot · 08-30-2005, 03:52 PM

After listening to the discussion here on this forum and discussing with my cousin, we have decided to spend the extra cash upfront to get a newer car with less mileage if only for peace of mind.

Instead, we're looking at a 2001 with 31k miles for $25k tonight (Too expensive?). I checked on Edmunds and that seems to be approximately the right value for a Private Party sale. The owner wouldn't go lower than that.

It's also yellow.

I've got my fingers crossed that this is the one!

Brucelee · 08-30-2005, 04:17 PM

No, that price is in the ballpark and I applaud you decision to step up a bit in value. I think you will not be sorry.

BTW-that Yellow can be a sweet color.

Best of luck!

Quote:

Originally Posted by idjiot

After listening to the discussion here on this forum and discussing with my cousin, we have decided to spend the extra cash upfront to get a newer car with less mileage if only for peace of mind.

Instead, we're looking at a 2001 with 31k miles for $25k tonight (Too expensive?). I checked on Edmunds and that seems to be approximately the right value for a Private Party sale. The owner wouldn't go lower than that.

It's also yellow.

I've got my fingers crossed that this is the one!

idjiot · 08-31-2005, 07:20 AM

Got the car - will post information later. Does anyone know of a good mechanic near Laguna Niguel, CA? (Orange County, CA) I need to get the car checked out prior to completing the purchase...

Brucelee · 08-31-2005, 11:03 AM

For this PPI, I would use the nearest Porsche dealership. Do a google to find one. Well worth the money.

Best of luck.

I love Laguna Niguel BTW-that Ritz is my favorite resort in the world!!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by idjiot

Got the car - will post information later. Does anyone know of a good mechanic near Laguna Niguel, CA? (Orange County, CA) I need to get the car checked out prior to completing the purchase...

idjiot · 08-31-2005, 11:49 AM

*****UPDATE*********

I called Dealer A to get some details and it turns out they don't run any tests - it's all visual. The only thing that "might" be different is that they do a road test. That's it.

My only question now is: do I need any of the checks that I've listed below or can I just go ahead with the visual?

Thanks!
**********************

I called up two dealers:

1. Dealer A - quoted me $464 - said that it was their complete certification program.
2. Dealer B - quoted me $125 - he said that it would be mostly a visual check on everything.

My question is: what do I really need?

I've read about compression checks, laser alignments, multi-pint checks...at the end of the day, I'm not sure what I really "need."

In case you're in California and knowledgable: Dealer A = Newport Auto; Dealer B = McKenna

Thanks!!!

Brucelee · 08-31-2005, 11:54 AM

In my opinion, you need something not quoted.

The pre-cert inspection is overkill.

The visual check is not enough.

My dealer does the visual, a road test, and puts the car on the computer, runs it through a diagnostic. They also do a print out of all warranty work done on the car since day 1.

They charge $230 and this takes them about 2 hours.

BTW-this is Hoen Porsche, here in Carlsbad. The contact is Mike Cooper at 760-438-4434 if you want to speak with him.

Hope that helps.

Good luck!

idjiot · 08-31-2005, 12:16 PM

I spoke to the guy at McKenna about the diagnostic but he said that running the computer wouldn't show anything unless there was some sort of "light" that appeared in the car. Is there something more specific that I can use to ask them at McKenna?

I can probably request a test drive so that should be okay. The diagnostic and the other warranty information appears to be the only thing different - I'll call to see if McKenna can do the warranty.

I would just go to Carlsbad but I'm in LA and Laguna Niguel is already 65 miles away...

Perfectlap · 08-31-2005, 12:37 PM

my advice:
Look for at least a 2000 Boxster. I was just reading Excellence and they spelled out some significant changes between 1999 and 2000.
The price in the used car market is probably negligible btween these two years better to go with the one with problems worked out.
kinda like deciding between an 86 and an 87 911. You want the new tranny.

Brucelee · 08-31-2005, 01:31 PM

Well, there actually are things the computer can tell you about the car, such as how it has been driven. For example, if the car has been over reved, if the car has ever been air borne, etc.

Having said that, if you can add the test drive and get the warranty summary (which is in the computer at McKenna, that would be pretty good I think.

And yes, 65 miles one way is a bit of a haul at $3.29 per gallon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by idjiot

I spoke to the guy at McKenna about the diagnostic but he said that running the computer wouldn't show anything unless there was some sort of "light" that appeared in the car. Is there something more specific that I can use to ask them at McKenna?

I can probably request a test drive so that should be okay. The diagnostic and the other warranty information appears to be the only thing different - I'll call to see if McKenna can do the warranty.

I would just go to Carlsbad but I'm in LA and Laguna Niguel is already 65 miles away...

Ronzi · 09-01-2005, 12:00 PM

I am coming late to the party, but my $.02 on the manual/Tipper issue, anyway...
I bet more guys on this forum have replaced clutches in their stick shifters than Tipper owners have had to monkey with their autos. In other words, I don't think the reliability thing holds much water.
A clutch is a "consumable", and it WILL have to be replaced, and at 60K miles I would expect it is at least half used up. I understand that a new clutch is about a $2,500 date. So if your intended use for the car is as a daily driver in city traffic, there is that to think about.