1998 Boxster

[mikefocke]

7 years ago I sold a 2001S with brand new PS2 tires and records for $12k. A 20 year old car ages as well as wears. Plastic becomes brittle. etc.

You are buying a car 20 years old for about a quarter of its purchase price and a fifth of what it would cost to get a new one. It isn't a primary car and your wife wants it. Good for her. Since you are buying a retirement toy (I did too) I assume you can afford any low thousand dollar expenses it brings.

Are there any records of having a 30k service ever done? The 90k is the most comprehensive service spec if you want to bring it to a point where you know what the service situation is. I did my 90k at maybe 35k miles and after that mine was wonderfully reliable.

How old (sidewall of tire date) are the tires?

Pre Purchase Inspection by an expert water cooled engine Porsche mechanic is suggested especially if someone is asking top dollar. I did and it gave me a schedule of when I'd need to be doing things and what needed doing now. It was to be a second car but evolved quickly into an except when it snowed or was too cold for the tires car.

[MWS]

Originally Posted by mikefocke

...How old (sidewall of tire date) are the tires?

This is a good thing to check...with that few miles, I wouldn't be surprised to see tires that are more than a decade old, and even if they look brand new, I wouldn't want to drive on them...or drive much.

+1 on PPI, but even a good PPI won't catch everything...something could still happen.

You should be aware that these cars require a bit more service and are prone to having some issues/failures you might not think of if you are comparing to other cars (ie check the version of the coolant cap, etc.).

Now with all the doom and gloom out of the way, these cars are a heck of a lot of fun to drive...for me the fun has been worth the headaches and would do it again.

Finally, price (at least to me) has always been subjective. If you like the car, and it's a price you can afford, who really cares what someone else has paid? It a given you will lose money in depreciation and maintenance, and in far larger amounts than the differences in list prices. I'm not advocating writing a blank check or personally financing a vacation for the salesman, but if KBB or NADA didn't exist, would you think this is a fair price to pay for what you are getting? In the end, a sale is nothing more than a seller and buyer agreeing on a price, and that agreement means both parties are happy (or happy-ish)...if your happy, don't worry about the person that posts they bought the same car for $5000...tomorrow they might have a bill for another $5000 in service.

In any event, best wishes and happy driving!