Fake S?
 

Cars for Sale: 2001 Porsche Boxster S in Sumter, SC 29154: Convertible Details - 355629341 - AutoTrader.com

I need a better trained eye than mind. Any input?

strange. it has the dual exhaust tips, a six-speed and even has the S batwing on the dash. however, it doesn't have the opening in the front bumper for the third radiator.
don't know what to think.

Part of why i am so confused, i am having issues finding an S in my area. Most cars have under 50k miles which more investment than I want wrapped up in a car. I am confused as well by all the features being s specific, with a lack of the front vent.

It's either a well done " S clone " or it's a real S that had a front impact and bumper cover replaced. Get the VIN number from the seller that will tell the truth.

Would that cause overheating problems?

It looks like it has the S brakes too. My vote is on front bumper replacement at some point. Very odd. What did they do with the 3rd radiator that was there?

I would think so. If it has a center radiator I can't see how it would get much/any air flow. And I assume Porsche added the 3rd radiator for a reason based on real world testing. I would pass on this car.

I have contacted the seller, they are sending the vin tomorrow. My hopes are maybe that the car is not an s and I will treat it as a really clean 2.7 with exhuast added already and remove the s badge. In the case the car really is an s I will buy a new front bumper. Either way this should make the price quite negotiable.

Jake, I saw this car when I was looking for mine...good thing I didn't bother since I totally missed the front bumper nuance.

I ended up with this one: Ocean Blue Metallic S - AutoTrader

(PO never removed ad)...this one had low miles and an LNE IMS installed last year...I just remember there being a bunch of S's in the Carolinas, but that was in January. Good luck hunting buddy - if you are willing to look in Charlotte, I will keep an eye out for you.

Thank you Charlotte is actually much closer than down in the low country, looks like you found a great car. For the time being S's are hard to come by in south carolina but i have found a good many in weastern n.c. and upper Georgia. I am actually fairly interested in this S if it turns out to actually be one. Should be able to get the price down based off of the bumper discrepancy.

If the seller/previous owner were willing to cover up a center radiator ( assuming it is an S ) what else have they covered up ? What maint. nightmares are in its closet ? This car is screaming warning signs............

Get the VIN and check it here, that's what I've been doing in my search.

VIN Decode

That's a good price and color combo.

The car is actually an S. I'm going to request a better photo of the front, because I still want to believe there is just bad shadowing. If not that is clear proof of frontal impact and I will likely pass, unless I can get the car for significantly less. The car did recently have waterpump and all belts and pulleys replaces, so that is good news to an extent.

Considering the car is an 01 and a manual I will likely consider ims retrofit when it comes time for a new clutch.

Enhanced two photos of the front. Both show no cutout.
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1401120160.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1401120174.jpg

Hrmm running the car fax today, really quite curious to see what comes up.

I can't imagine anyone could or would go to the trouble to install the trunk badge, the door sill badge, the center console badge plus the 6 speed transmission, which was not available on the base model. Did you ask which engine it has in it? The whole thing looks like an S model to me, except for the front bumper cover. Definitely get the information about that. If they just had it replaced 200 miles ago, or if there is adequate airflow from the side vents, maybe it's not such a risk.

That car looks and smells like a S to me. Thinking the owner replaced the bumper for some strange reason with a base model bumper. Probably a wreck that insurance didn't fix? Thats where you should start a conversation I think.

You can always cut the third hole in the bumper cover

If the fifth letter in the vin is the letter "B", it is an S, if it is an "A" it is a base. If it is an S, I'd find out what was under the lack of a hole in the front bumper before buying it.

Yeah I got the vin this morning, confirmed S, getting the carfax soon. Will use that as a haggling device, I really do not mind but I am curious what happened and I do not want to pay full for it. First I have to get the settlement from insurance anyways, because of holiday weekend we have been waiting on the total loss adjuster since Thursday. Not to mention we would be stuck paying storage if we didn't know the guy. Should hear from total loss tomorrow, and get carfax. I have a date with a gal to biltmore Saturday so I will Likely meet halfway and buy this car Sunday.

This one is a bit farther away from GSP, but is cheaper, lower miles, and looks to have litronics and upgraded factory wheels. Might be worth at least a phone call or CARFAX, also a good bargaining comparison.

Cars for Sale: 2001 Porsche Boxster S in Fuquay Varina, NC 27526: Convertible Details - 373211519 - AutoTrader.com

Here's another that claims a new motor and glass roof, a bit more money, but might be worth it.

Cars for Sale: 2001 Porsche Boxster S in Charlotte, NC 28207: Convertible Details - 371325486 - AutoTrader.com

Very nice color and wheels, just like mine;) Good price too.

This car looks clean in the photos! The fact there are no obvious red flags like the wrong front bumper is a plus.

I actually have that car in an email prepared to send to the insurance co to show comparible cars to mine for the sake of getting a fair market value. It is the only car with a glass top in the area. Looks good but i was a bit worried off because of the engine. All depends on what we get from the insurance company which failed to call us again today, now that they have to pay something out they are not so eggar to move.

And with that car i am trying to avoid dealer lots... I did find a really clean 50k miles red 2.7 in gville n.c. that I am a bit interested in. Thank you for the suggestions.

Sketch but as long as i get a straight answer from the carfax and the owner i see it as an opportunity to get a perfect otherwise car cheap. The price is good, but not for a car with a discrepancy. I will not buy this car for that price.

That looks like an aftermarket exhaust to me. I don't know what the batwing is.

To me it looks like it has the hole but being black blends in. You need to request a close up of the lower middle front.

The lines on the front bumper look off to me. My vote is replacement. (where the bumper top meets the hood)

Would be curious to know if you could see a slight change in the hue of the paint, in daylight, in person, as well.

the batwing is a small piece of plastic at the bottom of the radio/climate console where it meets the center console just behind the gear shift. Mine says Boxster S

http://s25.postimg.org/7fe6ohx4f/batwing.jpg

Gap does seem a bit larger than usual. Sadly the car is far off so i will not see it until the day i look to buy. If i do choose to buy. Maybe a low country forum member could help me out if i get more serious about buying this car.

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The 01 S at the dealer from the autotrader ad
 

looks like a much better deal....litronics, 18's, etc., less miles....am I missing something?

First offer from insurance before any negotiation was 10.5k... however all the comparable cars they had ready were sold, we have sent them 8k worth of recent service and ad ons as well as more comparable boxsters. :cheers:

I am still interested in the blue car as it is more affordable, but what are peoples opinions on this car Cars for Sale: 2000 Porsche Boxster S in Matthews, NC 28105: Convertible Details - 370203530 - AutoTrader.com

Funny thing is, i actually bought my last boxster from Matthews as well. I will have to have good luck with insurance to be able to afford this boxster but i think it is much cleaner and better than the blue car. The owner has already sent me the car fax with a nice full service history and the waterpump is already replaced.

Jake, this is right by me. Let me know if you want me to pop by and take a look at anything for you before you make the drive. If you do come this way and end up buying, maybe we could meet up.

I know you may see that offer as low,
 

but I have to admit for at least this part of the country, that seems to be a very fair offer...maybe even generous for a first offer for a 2.5 car with that kind of mileage. It is going to be hard IMO to get them to see the value of the service records and such. 2.5's seem to sell for 6-9k around the DFW area all the time.

Oh at the least i will be able to upgrade to a 2.7 or get a 99 with considerably less miles, but we do highly value our glass convertible top with us living in an area where its not too cold to enjoy top down driving but it is too cold for the top to be operated if its plastic.

Thank you, i will keep that in mind if the car turns out to be within our price range.