Considering 986.2 That Sat in Dealer for 18 Months

[kk2002s]

Have to agree with jayG's points.
The car has been driven and I think that is a plus. Getting the IMSB done by a knowledgeable mechanic certainly checks 1 of the many possible areas of engine failure. But there are still many others in that motor.

Since you are going out to the coast might there be more inventory out there with possibly the IMSB and Clutch already recently done?

I know, buying these things is an act of emotion not logic. It certainly was for me and I have been lucky so far.

[Slate 01]

San Ramon and you want to have a small sports car with a clutch as your daily driver, the traffic is going to wear your left leg out working that clutch. Get the car yes, just do yourself a huge favor and don't use it as your daily driver, you'll be sorry otherwise. This coming from someone that has never owned an automatic. I lived in San Bruno for about 5 years and learned pretty quickly that a manual sports car was not the way to go (350Z if you must know was my daily driver)

[Perfectlap]

Compression and leakdown test. If it doesn't pass muster there no point in going further.

If you are looking for a daily driver, buy a car in California that has seen little to no harsh weather. If you are buying a car that has seen extreme heat or cold and or rough roads get a low mileage Porsche. My Boxster has been my only car for over a decade, nearly all of that garage kept, and 70K miles was the exact starting point of repairs that now total more than $20K. And I only recently crossed 100k miles. If you are buying a moderate to high mileage Porsche as a Sunday driver...very different story. Either way cars with mysterious histories go to the bottom of the list.

[Porsche9]

Originally Posted by Slate 01

San Ramon and you want to have a small sports car with a clutch as your daily driver, the traffic is going to wear your left leg out working that clutch. Get the car yes, just do yourself a huge favor and don't use it as your daily driver, you'll be sorry otherwise. This coming from someone that has never owned an automatic. I lived in San Bruno for about 5 years and learned pretty quickly that a manual sports car was not the way to go (350Z if you must know was my daily driver)

I daily mine (52 round trip in traffic) and I have never felt that my left leg gets a work out. The clutch is pretty easy on my leg.

[Gelbster]

Just look at those $$numbers.
He did 30K miles and spent $20K
Yup, 70k miles to 100k miles cost him $20k in repairs.
I can do better.I did less than 100 miles after purchase and it cost me over $7k for a rebuild.
Mercedes SLK?

[jsborn]

Thanks for the comments and advice, all.

Regardless of the Boxster I move forward with, I'm certainly going to get a full PPI w/ leakdown and compression tests. And I'm going to have the clutch and IMSB done when I buy; 75k isn't a bad time for a clutch change, and for the incremental ~$800 I'm not going to gamble on the original IMSB, particularly when I'm going to drive the car ~2,500 miles in five days soon after purchase.

The car in question was a CA car for nearly its entire life (65k out of 75k), and it wasn't driven in the winter up here in Illinois since moving here, so there shouldn't be an issue with corrosion or other northern driving issues.

Re: traffic, I'm going to live pretty close to my office for the first few months (as in, biking distance), while I look at traffic patterns and prepare to buy a house. Good thought, though...I've been there: It once took me 1:40 to SFO from my company's office in San Ramon. It was not fun.

I test drive the car tomorrow. I should have a pretty strong negotiating position as no one in Chicago will think about buying a convertible until spring.