Would you really pay 9k for an 00 base?

[SeaNile31]

Looking at two different 2000 base Boxster cars. I'd love the S version but they are really hard to find and significantly more $$. Both of these that I found seem very well cared for with records of maintaince, etc. Neither one of them have addressed the IMS.

#1 2000 silver/blk $9500, 105k miles. new clutch, lower control arms & ball joints, exhaust, flywheel, motor and transmission mounts, brakes and new tires.

#2 2000 blk/blk, 89k miles, new top with glass window (1yr ago), new pass window regulator, new aux input cord, new brakes/rotors, oil change and filter, cabin air filter, new intake filter, new AOS, zero issues, no lights, etc. Asking $11k so I am not sure how much he will come down.

Thinking out loud, I prefer the blk/blk with the lower miles. What I can't believe is the price of these cars. I would think $6500-8000 would easily get it done but that is not the case.

Thoughts?

[Stl-986]

If your price range is lower then I would keep looking and I wouldn't limit your searches to just around you. Airfare is cheap and buying one of these is a good excuse to take a 3 day weekend and drive it home.

With that said, all car prices are way too high the past year. It is a sellers market. I regularly see wholesale prices 30-40% higher then usual and usually over the retail prices. It's pretty bad but it is a good time to sell a car. Had a Jeep wrangler a month ago that normally I would only get around $8k for it. Had 2 people at my house going against each other for an hour and I ended up selling it for $11k.

you can find one in your price range, but you should expand your search more.

[Huey]

It seems odd that someone would do a clutch without addressing the IMS. But IMS aside, neither is probably not a bad price if they truly needs nothing. I paid 8K for a '99 last year, it was my first Porsche and I was naive. I've now put a few more thousand into it. Knowing what I know now, I would have gladly paid 11 or 12 for a car that didn't need anything.

I use BringATrailer.com as a benchmark and that's about what the good ones are selling for.

[78F350]

I've seen local used car dealers advertising '01 base models for $15,000. I listed a 2000 base recently for $8,000 on Facebook and it sold pretty much instantly.

[RedTele58]

After watching the market only casually through 2019 - 2020, I started getting serious about looking for another car several months ago. I prefer the earlier base models. I was surprised to see cars that would have been solid buys at $8k several years ago now listing for $10-12k. I was doubly surprised to see S models selling in the $15-20k range.

Jon (78F350 above) contacted me about 10 days ago for a non-running 2000 base project car listing for $5500 in OKC, which I thought bordered on laughable. I talked with Woody (Itsnotanova) about the car and some of my options. Woody told me that at $5500, in this market, it was probably a fair price.

Long story short, I was able to purchase it for $3500, which Woody thought was a good deal and Jon said was right in line where he would have put an offer. A few years ago I would have walked at anything over $2500.

The same price increases are showing up in the 996 market. Cars that were $18k several years ago are now $25+k and increasing.

The same thing is happening with a couple of my other hobbies. The used guitar market has been on an upswing the past year and the vintage watch market has pretty well priced me out of the game to add anything new to the collection.

There is an awful lot of money floating around the past year or so. Look at the housing market for another example.

To be honest, it kind of scares me about the potential for inflation and too heated financial markets in the coming months as the world recovers and gets rolling again after the pandemic. I think its time to stash some cash and clean up the personal and family balance sheets.

[woody3260]

I am in the mid-Atlantic region of the US. I bought a base 01 last month, from a local dealership. Its service history documentation was just OK (not great). But I was able to drive it about 50 miles on the test drive (drove it home to show my wife before I agreed to purchase) and it performed amazingly well. The IMS was not done, but the car has several nice upgrades including three-spoke steering wheel, new top with glass rear window, brand new tires, center console painted exterior color (lapis blue), S instrument cluster, roll bars painted silver, and an after-market Alpine stereo with bluetooth and wireless telephone connectivity.

I paid $13,500 before taxes and title costs.

[PLP]

Well, it is hard to advise... when it comes to spending someone's money.

Here is my take.
I wanted to get Boxster. Well, for the last well over 30 years I wanted to have 911 Targa (964). I knew I would never afford 959 being the ultimate dream car.
Putting family first, slowly getting to the point that I can afford a car that is not a daily driver, but a toy.

Yet still I wanted money to be low on it.
Hence I took the risk on not well cared (in sense of cleaning interior...) 2003 base with 110k miles that requires a whole body respray. Car drove home very strong for almost 1'000 miles. In rain, in snow, in sun, at night.

Engine never encountered REV2, so was not raced or pushed too hard. Several times in rev limiter which is what it was designed for.

Overall good shape.

5'000 cash deal.

Is it good?
Well, paint - 4000-4500. New taillights, microswitches, new tires, a few small items (2000 or so) and several hours of work. Maybe new roof at some point, but still looks OK.

So, in the end - 10-12k for very nice and clean 2003 base.

Would I give this much?
Depends. If there was really nothing that needed to be done - yes. Otherwise I would rather be looking for something what is cheaper and needs more work as for a 20-year old car you MUST expect some issues.

But, man, it all depends on your budget and approach.
There is no straight - yes or no.

[jimmybionic]

I purchased a 2002 base two months ago with around 80k miles. It had been very well cared for - IMS was done, RMS, new clutch in last 4 years (IMS was done in late 00's), new top (5ish years old) with the glass window, AOS done recently, and the interior looks almost new. Also had all service records since new. I paid $10k, which I considered a very good deal. What I realized while searching for about six months was that there was no real premium placed on the really good examples. You might pay an extra $1k for a car thats fully sorted. The increase in prices has really effected the bad examples more than the really really good ones, IMO.

So my advice would be to hold out for only good, well-taken care of examples.

[mikefocke]

Prices for all cars are up this year somewhat significantly so what someone paid last year says nothing about what is a reasonable price this year. A car is worth what someone else will pay for it. And you are buying at the most expensive time of the year. Bargains come in December with snow on the ground.

16k miles difference on a 20 year old car is nothing IMHO.

Both have a maintenance history that adds value. Things already done you won't have to do soon. If only one had all the fixes the other has too.

#1. Clutch +, suspension +, tires +, mounts +. But what tires are they? What exhaust?

#2 top +, rotors + AOS+. But clutch condition? Rotors? Suspension? Mounts? Tire condition?

[Sandy G]

All good advice above. For comparison, I recently bought a 2000 BS Jan/Feb of this year for $15,500, 39k miles, everything in good condition, zero problems. Cosmetically very nice, other than more-than-usual chips in the paint. It was probably a double-row IMS bearing, but I had my mechanic replace with an LNE upgrade anyway. That, and the "while you're in there" stuff added another $4,600. So, $20k total for a mechanically sound and well-sorted S.

While I was shopping, I found other cars at similar prices. So if you can be happy with the car as-is, $15k for low miles, or several thousand less for higher 70-100k miles BS is (or was) available.

Definitely buy from a private seller. Dealers will charge as much as they can and probably won't have service history.

Base models are 1/3 less expensive. Higher milage will reduce the price considerably, if that doesn't bother you. I'd guess you can find a nice Base $8-11,000. Take your time, keep looking until you find the one that you fall in love with!

[Geof3]

I just looked at the KBB values for my car 02 S in overall great condition. Needs nothing, 65k. Average PP value in my area around 13.5 and up to 15.5. Let’s face it, the old Boxsters are coming into their own as they are the last of the analog Porsche “affordables”. With the new press for the 25th anniversary and all the car mags raving about the drivability of these cars, they will certainly start to command some real $$$ for the good ones.

[Helmihenna]

The mid-engine layout and a 3.2l Porsche flat six makes it super fun to drive. Over the 18 years of ownership my Boxter S also proved to be a extremely reliable. Can't beet this combination

minotaurfightstore | minotaurfightstore

[Jgkram]

These cars are now getting pretty old and as many have already stated you need to factor in enough money to take care of the necessities that WILL crop up. Even if the car has lower mileage all of the rubber, seals, wiring and tons of plastic on these cars are getting old and brittle. With that said I paid $8k for my '01 base with 47k miles in 2016 and it has been one of the most reliable cars I have owned.

[GregPL]

I recently, as in last week, purchased a 1999 base, 44k miles,$13900, which based on what I was seeing in the market and bring a trailer, seemed reasonable. Paint, body, interior are spotless. Engine is dry, transmission and front motor mount in good shape, tires like new. Two different independent shops have gone through it and the only recommendation was to flush and fill power steering and brake fluids, which I did.
So I think I found a deal, but certainly not what a deal used to be on this car.

[Radman]

I bought my 99 Base in December for 10.5k. 63.5k miles, Arena Red with impeccable Graphite Gray interior, new roof with glass window, 4 new tires, and no service history other than CarFax. I was very happy with the price given the interior, new roof, and new tires. Paint had a large number of rock chips that I've been slowly addressing.

I am completely thrilled with what I paid. The car is a blast to drive and gives me a fun car for not much $ while I still have 2 kids in school.