My Boxster

[saintdrug]

Hello all,
I am about to go tomorrow to test this boxster, will be trading my BMW X3 2007,
on the phone he said it was 2002, is it really? I think it seems to me its not, looking at the wheel logo its black instead of the colour one, can you please advise? thanks.
what info do you know and what do you see wrong or right from your experience and just having those pics

[ekam]

3-spoke steering wheel starting in MY2000 onwards... so this is older.

https://sites.google.com/site/mikefocke2/modelyeardifferences

[Timco]

Steering wheel and rims are easily swapped. Look for the mfg stickers. Maybe sticker under gas cap? Yes, newer rims and steering wheel, but plastic window. Does it have cup holders and a glove box?

I don't remember which year they moved the steering wheel to the passenger side, may be a special edition? (Kidding)

[Davev]

The VIN will identify the year it was built. I don't see a glove box.

Does the year really matter to you?

[heliguy]

It's a very early model looking at the shifter.

[saintdrug]

so you are saying this is older than 2002 model? special edition not sure, you DO understand I cannot sleep till tomorrow comes and I test it, I guess you do
well the only thing I know, its a local edition I mean 1 owner got it from Porsche Cyprus, but the weird thing from the photo I don't see a CD Player?
no cup holder either, this is Weird, did anyone see such a car? I mean I am worried now for tomorrow

[saintdrug]

year does not matter after all, just what he said 2002, I thought I would be buying 2002 its all.
from your experience, what changes does it need? I love the color though, ofc I wanted black, but so hard to find a boxster here, i just need to drive it and its all

[Mark_T]

16" wheels, 4 spoke wheel, buttplug gearshift... If I was going to guess I would have said '99.

However, it's so easy to swap parts around on these cars, it's really hard to tell between 99 and 02. As said above, confirm with the VIN.

Console delete package, no radio, two tone seats, ugly aftermarket floor mats - someone has been changing the car to their preference.

Also, no cruise control. I deeply regret buying a car without cruise control, and on the non-egas models (98, 99) it's not an easy retrofit.

Heavy wear on the shifter and handbrake - what's the mileage? Got service records? I'm getting the impression of mucho deferred maintenance.

I do like those two-tone seats.

[husker boxster]

Check the VIN. The tenth digit will be the model yr. If it's a letter V-Y, the model yr is 1997-2000. If it's a number, it will be the last number of the yr.

[saintdrug]

So what else can you tell me looking at the pics, thanks for your reply and pointing that the rims are 16" and its a 4 spoke wheel.

[saintdrug]

wow MarkT,
this is putting me on thinking now.
i will get all the details tomorrow, i attached now one more photo he sent me hope this helps and can give more details.

Originally Posted by Mark_T

16" wheels, 4 spoke wheel, buttplug gearshift... If I was going to guess I would have said '99.

However, it's so easy to swap parts around on these cars, it's really hard to tell between 99 and 02. As said above, confirm with the VIN.

Console delete package, no radio, two tone seats, ugly aftermarket floor mats - someone has been changing the car to their preference.

Also, no cruise control. I deeply regret buying a car without cruise control, and on the non-egas models (98, 99) it's not an easy retrofit.

Heavy wear on the shifter and handbrake - what's the mileage? Got service records? I'm getting the impression of mucho deferred maintenance.

I do like those two-tone seats.

[TeamOxford]

Originally Posted by saintdrug

So what else can you tell me looking at the pics, thanks for your reply and pointing that the rims are 16" and its a 4 spoke wheel.

These items were standard equipment on MY97-99. Ask the dealer for the VIN number and post it here. Then we'll be able to determine the exact model year.

TO

[BIGJake111]

yes check the vin... these cars are not supposed to have cd players (mine is aftermarket) nor cup holder or glove boxes (the older ones.) That car is most definitly not a 2002.... it may be a 2000 with a 2.7 engine as the 2000 base or at least some still had the 4 spoke steering wheel.. the car is likely a 2.5 model.... very great cars still but make sure it doesnt have a 2000 or newer price tag for a car obviously older. The mileage is good and the car looks great... ask if it has had its water pump replaced, if not expect it to go soon.

[runjmc2]

When you look at it, find a sticker on the inside of the front (I think) truck top. Write down all of the three digit codes. When you back you can look up the codes to determine the options in the car.

[saintdrug]

you are all great people, already feels a family and that's even not yet getting one.
its 1am, and tomorrow I will see the baby, I totally agree, the km are good, seems likes 1999 or 2000. tomorrow will find out, he wants €10,800 for the car and my car he said will take it for around €16000 (BMW X3 2007 SE), I will try to grab as much money I can from the trade, so that whatever is left, I will pay the insurance and road tax for it, and use all the rest to upgrade, clean and work on it, I will be needing a cd play so what will get one, mp3, Bluetooth maybe too, in ebay found some stuff, like gear knobs new, leather, hand brakes, will polish it, clean it so hard, will see whats missing, i don't see speakers on the door but i guess i can get such stuff on it, cup holders, yes i don't see but im sure i can find an option? i will sit and think and read what you would recommend so i can add to it, i will take care of it i will make it my dream car, yes i will ask for the water pump how much is that btw? approx. i cannot wait to witness the sound myself just tired of watching every youtube video ever thanks all for your support, tomorrow i will bring the number VIN and we can check it together and i will get more details and get your advices friends.

thanks again

[BIGJake111]

Do not bother with cup holders haha, and the engine sounds good enough to make no CD player okay for now.... Sounds like a fair price despite being unsure of what they go for in your market, just make sure you get some money off since it isn't a 2002 as advertised. It is a good car, very possibly a 1997 or 98 though. The odds of It having the 2.7 engine are very low, expect it to be a 2.5 have fun with your test drive!


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[lkchris]

Does anybody retrofit a 4-spoke wheel to a newer car?

One reason they might is their airbag had activated and they were looking for the cheapest, easiest fix.

The older car--which this surely is--has 2.5 versus 2.7 engine.

You'd think at least the VIN would be original, and there's a VIN digit that indicates year of manufacture.

[husker boxster]

I know you're excited, but you need to go into this transaction with eyes WIDE open. I'm assuming since you're talking trade the seller is a dealer. If he's fibbing about the model year, what else is he fabricating about the car? I would be very cautious and not trust anything you're told. Trust is earned and the seller is already at negative trust.

Your love affair can quickly go sour if you don't do due diligence. You can enjoy it after you buy it. Be sure to examine it carefully and be ready to walk away if there are red flags. Don't ignore little things because they can be very expensive little things. If you have a BMW, you know German cars are not cheap to maintain.

You've also indicated it doesn't have all the features you'd like to have. Some things you can add, some will be difficult. I bought my first Cayman and it had very few options on it. No problem, I didn't need a lot of options on it and my Boxster had all the options I wanted. However it wasn't long before I was wishing the Cayman had some options the Boxster had but they wouldn't be easy to add to the Cayman (sport chrono & sport exhaust). It wasn't long and my eyes began to wonder, looking for another Cayman. I found my current 08 Cayman and it had everything I wanted. I bought it and sold my 07. I had the 07 less than 2 yrs.

I'll pass along some sage advice my Dad liked to impart: there's always another car around the corner.

Good luck tomorrow / today.

[Mark_T]

Water pump, about $400, add another $250 for a thermostat and fresh coolant, and while you're at it, the coolant tank, sensor and cap is due for a change. which will run you another $500 or so.

Do you have the tools to do this kind of work? If not, best budget another $500 to $1000 to get you started in that direction, and that is still cheaper than paying the dealer to do it for you.

My Dad just used to say "Hey, put that down before you break it!"

[BIGJake111]

For your refrence tomorrow... the 10th digit in the vin is the production year.
V - 1997,
W - 1998,
X - 1999,
Y - 2000

The older the car the more that the dealer needs to drop from his price.

you will see the numbers 98 in the 7th and 8th digit but this is the 98 in 986. Ignore this, what we are interested in is the 10th digit.