Considering Buying A 2002 Boxster...
 

And I'm scared! :-)

Seriously though, it's a 2002 with 53,000 on the odo. Original owner sold it late last year and the second owner only had it for five months. Asking $10,500.

I drove it today, and was pretty happy with the performance, even though it was snowing. The clutch did seem awfully heavy, but I got used to it during the test drive. And, the gear box seemed a bit vague, if you know what I mean?

And, the CEL was on...

The dealer selling it claims that the original owner has the IMS bearing replaced.

I'm going to have the local Porsche dealership do a PPI. Can they tell if the IMS bearing has been replaced? Guessing no, but thought I'd ask.

Also, here in CO, it's required to have a front license plate. The front bumper has two square holes in it where the plate holder should be. How do I rectify this?

Anything else I should be looking for?

Any and all ideas, comments and suggestions would be welcomed. Thanks much.

I had the PPI done. Here's what they found:

Rear main seal seeping.

2. Shift linkage not secured.

3. Mud flaps on all 4 corners damaged/missing.

4. Front sway bar end links torn.

5. Under paneling damaged.

6. Rear badge broken

7. Center glove compartment not latching

8. Left front fender painted 10-11.5microns (factory 4.5-6microns)

9. Left headlight replaced

10. Blinker switch not operating properly

11. Park brake adjustment

12. Broken right front side marker light

13. Gas cap seal cracked

14. Front trunk light inop

15. Battery cover securing nut broken

16. Oil over filled- Recommend oil change

17. Due for brake fluid service

18. Abnormal tire wear- recommend alignment

They also couldn't confirm that the IMS bearing has been replaced. It seems like the RMS seal is the biggest issue.

Thoughts or comments would be welcomed! Thanks!

I believe your local climate has a lot to do with how long a battery lasts too. I'd say living in the northeast, I would go around 3-5 years before having to replace a battery. Then I moved to TX and then FL, I have to replace the battery every 2-3 years now and it doesn't matter which car. It's with the family Honda, to the daily BMW or SAAB and all three Porsches.

Well if the IMS bearing was just changed, then I wouldn't think the rear main seal would be leaking. This is because the RMS is directly above the IMS bearing. So if it was leaking when they changed the IMS then they would have changed the seal as well. I would bet that the IMS has not been changed. Furthermore the heavy feeling clutch is most likely due to it being on its last legs. Most of the time the clutch, IMS and RMS are replaced at the same time since most of the labor is taking the transmission off to get to all these parts. These issues alone would make me walk away from this car, not to mention all of the others.

Yes, the mechanic said that if the IMS bearing was replaced, at least by someone reputable, they would have replaced the RMS, too. And it wouldn't be leaking.

The heavy feeling clutch could be the fact that my GTI has the lightest clutch I've ever driven.

I called a local Porsche shop in my area an he quoted $1,800 to do the IMS bearing and RMS seal. I assume that is reasonable?

Thanks for your response, by the way. It is appreciated!

That price doesn't seem out of line to me. My clutch was heavy when I bought my car. I got a new clutch, IMS and RMS the next spring. After i got the new clutch it felt very light. Not quite Honda light, but much lighter. If you end up getting this car I would add a clutch to this job as well. It should only add $600-$800 to the price of the the job. There are lots of S models in the classified section of this site for good prices with far less problems. I would look around some more before jumping on the first one you see.

You cannot trust what the dealer says!! If they do not have paperwork then it didn't happen. Did the PPI include a compression test and a leak down test?

What was the code for the CEL?

$1800 seems fair if they put an $800 bearing in. Lots of labor there and there will be some things found once they get into it. Clutch, CV joint, Slave Cyl, rear shocks, etc....

You need more info and we need some pics too!!!

The oil being overfilled is also not good. Many problems can be caused by this. Not to mention if they can't fill the oil correctly I doubt they used the correct oil. Did the PPI tell you the reason the CEL is on? Jeez I don't really have a good feeling about this car.

I don't know if they performed those tests. I will check, thanks.

I don't have the CEL code. The dealer says it was inactive 02 sensor codes.

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Yeah, the dealer selling the car (not a Porsche dealer) over-filled the oil... I had a Porsche dealer run the PPI.

From the pics, it's obvious that a previous driver drove over something that broke up some under parts. Ours is the same and there is LOTS of plastic under there to get damaged if you run over something.

In your list above, A few things bother me, but might not keep me from buying if a good deal could be struck...

1,2,4,10 &18. 1&18 can be big $$ if you are not fully informed as to costs. The alignment issue can be an indicator of deeper issues combined with 8&9 if there was a decent hit on the left front corner. This could tie in with the damaged under-tray parts...

All of this internet diagnosis, is being done from my office in MD :-) I'm not trying to scare you away just give you info and some leverage if you wish to negotiate. I will give you my usual spiel here: There is nothing more expensive than a cheep Porsche. You could negotiate down to $9K and feel good but have to spend $4K in IMS/RMS, clutch and other bits in the first 6 months. So, maybe look for a $13K Box with a solid service history and not so many unknowns.... For me, if I could confirm that there is no chassis damage (bad tire wear) then I might be inclined to beat the selling dealer like a rented Mule and if can't get to my "safe" price, then walk away. I can do 99% of my service so that changes my calculus when buying. If you are looking at paying for service, then I would recommend you move on, add $3K to your budget for a MY2002, car find a private seller with a good service history. Beat him like a rented Mule and have a car you can have confidence in and we won't completely pick apart.

if the dealer could fix some of those major items, especially the labor intensive ones within the same price that could be a good deal. or maybe you can use the PPI results as a severe haggling tool. sometimes dealers just want the cars off the lot and are willing to make a deal, no matter what that would be.

when i bought my Honda S2000 it had shot suspension, shot brakes and a bunch of other small items. a PPI showed all of those and i agreed to buy if it they fixed everything. they did within the same price and i got myself a good deal and an overhauled car. but beware of them trying to be sneaky and put used parts.. i had to stay on top of these guys and demanded to see all parts going on the car.

I just looked up 2002-03-S for sale yesterday
Several low teens $ low milage <70k miles

Thanks for the advice. I would definitely get the IMS bearing and RMS seal replaced, at the minimum.

Unfortunately, the dealer selling it isn't a Porsche dealer. I wouldn't have the work done there. There's a local shop in my area which has a stellar reputation.

What area of the country are you in? Do you have any other pics of the car? Like the outside or interior?

Colorado. No pictures yet. The exterior and interior are very good. Better than I expected for a 14 year old car.

As usual, Tommy is right. There are too many issue and unknowns on this Boxster. There are a lot of Boxsters for sale. Even low mileage ones. Stop, take your time and buy one from an owner or a dealer if it is in pristine condition. And, very smart move in getting a PPI. It would have been bad to get that Boxster home then discover all of those issues. Good luck and keep us posted.

Lol. Told the dealer about all the issues and suddenly he has a buyer with a $500 deposit who wants the car Friday. Somewhat relieved, actually. A 2003 with 22,000 miles on it just popped up too. Fate, maybe? :-)

What part of Colorado are you in? I use Berg Performance (indy) to service my Boxster and they've been fantastic. I ended up having to go to Las Vegas for mine as the Boxsters around here seem way overpriced.

Oh, and none of my cars have the front plate on it.

South Metro. I've heard good things about Auto Works in Littleton. Heard of them?

How many tickets have you gotten for not having a front plate? :-)

I have not heard of them ... I also used Autobahn Premier Service around Evans and Santa Fe with good results (Randy and Todd are good people). I also used APS for servicing my previous '02 GTI 1.8T.

I've gotten one ticket for not having a license plate, after parking downtown at a meter, about 10 years ago, in an FJ40.

Heh. My present vehicle is a 2002 GTI 1.8T. I'll check out APS, thanks.

The 2003 Boxster is listed at $18,995. That seems a bit... pricey.

I've also got my eye(s) on a 2005 Boxster with 61,000 on it. That's a 987, right? Same IMS bearing issues, I presume?

987 does have the IMSB. From what I've read on this forum, 2005 is a transition year and engines can have old smaller style (serviceable without splitting the case) or newer Large bearing.

Of course! :)

Thanks

What do you guys think of $18,000 for a 2005 987 with 62,000 on it?

I've noticed that my 99 clutch feels heavier than any other vehicle I have owned. After nearly 3 years, my clutch is fine, just heavy.

I am concerned that you still have an oil seep from the main crank seal or something else. See if you can find out who did the IMS replacement and verify with them. As times are tough in Colorado with the low oil/gas prices and the oil/gas industry is suffering, so are the vehicle repair shops and they charged for everything. They are short business, expendable income spenders. Some of the stuff they listed may be borderline or illegit. Just saying.

I bought mine from a Denver Dealer three years ago and the climate didn't jack with any of my hardware.

I'd grab the 05 at $18,000 over the 03 at almost $19,000 - depending on PPI of course.

And now a 2006 Boxster with 62,500 on it for $15,000. I can't decide if I like the 986 or 987 more.

considering buying a 2002 boxster
 

I bought a 2002 about three months ago with 62000 miles. the car was near showroom condition, smooth idle and a nice ride, private party. after purchase I found out about the IMS issue. did some research and talked the Porsche dealer service writer. found an excellent Porsche mechanic and did the IMS for $2500.oo after paying $8500 for the car. well worth the extra cost since I also found in the repair some leaky seals, which were repaired at the time. the car runs great, still at about or below market and sooo much fun. cobalt blue with blue leather interior and chrome 17" wheels. I would suggest getting anything below a 2006, since the 2006 to 2008 IMS are not serviceable. look for something with as few issues as possible.
enjoy

boxstertoy

The IMS is not an issue on the 06-08 Boxster, unless you plan on tracking the car. Less than a 1% failure rate.

I was just perusing your thread. What is this PDF that you read and what are the details, please? Thanks.

Raby sent me an email with their results with the 06-08. I have no idea how to get it into a post. They have found that with normal driving the larger ims bearings are fine, and they agree with the findings from Porsche that as long as the car is not tracked and ran at over 5000 RPM continually like in a race setting the bearings have a less than 1% fail rate. They also found the exact opposite with the 05 and older modles. When tacked and ran hard they almost never fail, when street drive however the fail rate is much higher.

I emailed them at info@flat6innovations.com and they sent me the pdf.

That's great information, thank you!

I flew in to see the Boxster I'm hoping to buy Tuesday. It's a 2006 with 64,000 miles on it. I went and took a peek today since the dealership is closed and saw it. Found a few minor things just with an outside visual:

1) The lug nuts are all rusted. Is this normal?

2) The clear covers over the front fog lights (I guess that's what they are) are very cloudy, looks like from the inside. Are those easy to remove/replace?

I couldn't open the vehicle, so is there anything I should be aware of interior-wise which are known issues on the 2006?

Thanks!

1. Rusty lug bolts are not atypical, I've seen plenty of discussions regarding painting lug nuts. Just know that buying new lug bolts is not a $20 trip to your local Autozone.

2. Foggy lamp covers are not unusual. They can be redone, either by you or professionally. Figure less than $100 to have them done.

3. In the interior, look for gummy radio knobs and chipped up climate control levers. The knobs are easily replaced (>$20 each) while you're kind of stuck with the climate control levers.

Just keep in mind that although the mileage is low, you're still looking at a 10 year old used car.

I hope it works out for you!

Brilliant, thanks mate! The headlights looked a little foggy too. Just looked up the price for replacing them (just for fun)... LOL, I guess I'll get used to exorbitant part prices!

I can't wait for the test drive and PPI.

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They obviously cleaned up the nuts for this picture.

My two cents....
 

.....buy a 2003 or 2004.

They have the glass rear window with defrost, a real dipstick, and the improved front and rear styling and lower drag cd, with refined spoiler.

They get the glove box, body colored air intakes, rear bumperettes, and rear screens on lower fascia.

They are the most refined and best built of the first ten cars. Just send her to Raby for the IMS solution and call it a day.

Thats what I did and I'm loving life.

Good Luck.