Months of Water in a Parked 986
 

My next door neighbor has a 50th Anniversary Spyder 986 that she is considering selling. It has fairly low miles and seems to have been treated pretty well—until recently. I'm trying to decide if I should offer to buy it from her. If I proceed, I'll get a PPI. My question now, though, is if I should just walk away from it. Here's my immediate concern:

We've had a very wet winter in San Diego. I suspect that the drains of the car were blocked or clogged and as the rains came, the water ran into the cabin and the immobilizer got flooded. In any case, when she tried (and failed) to start the car at one point this winter, the driver's side window opened about two inches and froze. She then simply left the car in her driveway. It has continued to sit there as the rain has continued off and on to fall and thus fall through the partially open window—for months now!

I think what I need to know at this point is how much damage to expect in the cabin. I have read that the immobilizer replacement will be about $4,000. Are other electronic components likely to be damaged? Surely the carpet will have to be tossed, but are the seats also likely to be ruined? Will mold have grown and, if so, will it likely be in all the leather in the interior?

I apologize for any naïveté in my questions. I am very amateurish about all this, but I have an over 50 year love of the car the Boxster harks back to. I don't expect anything more than educated guesses and would appreciate any help y'all might give. I spend all my available time reading and watching YouTube videos on 986s.

Perhaps you should read this thread. Should have info pertinent to your question.

http://986forum.com/forums/boxster-general-discussions/83114-986-spyder-seldom-driven-last-5-years.html

That is a thread that I started, of course. I appreciate responses I received there, but none of them addressed at any length this particular question. It struck me as specific enough to ask it as a stand-alone question. If my doing so is a faux pas, please tell me.

I've probably seen worse and made it right again. I did have to replace EVERYTHING electronic, pull the interior out of the car to dry it, clean it, and treat it, then replace a few parts. To keep it correct as a Special Edition will be difficult if the leather is damaged, but parts come up for sale from time to time. If you are paying a dealership do the work, you would probably be better off buying another car.
My 'flood car': http://986forum.com/forums/show-tell-gallery/70709-houston-04-se.html

78F350, thank you for that link! I am really impressed by your work and the beautiful Boxster you now have! And it is encouraging to read that such a thing is possible. I may yet make an offer!

If money for repairs is not a concern then there is no problem.
But then there is the issue of quality repairs at a fair price.
Many times that alone is hard to find.
Depending on how long the interior has been wet there may also be a rust issues.

In further discussion from your message, a car that has sat in weather with the windows open will probably not need as much of the electronics replaced as one that was literally submerged up to the windows. Having the water sit for months will cause more severe damage though. Some of the wiring may be damaged along with any electronics that got wet. The seat rails and lower parts of the seat may be rusting along with some of the components under the dash from extreme humidity. Get a good look at the interior before getting too excited about buying it. Without a parts car to pull the replacements from, it can be very expensive to replace what may be damaged.

The most likely and most expensive water damage is the central locking module (immobilizer box) under the driver's seat. Very expensive to get a dealership replacement, but there are services that can clone another box to replace it for a few hundred dollars. 'ECU Doctors' and some eBay vendors.

Even if you have experience or competent help, a car like this can become a deep money pit. I would not offer more for this than I could easily recover by abandoning it as a project and parting it out.

Hummm....a "Boxster lover" for 50 years........must be a time traveler. I did't know that a Porsche Boxster existed in 1973.........

....just sayin.....

I don't know that he said exactly that, but expressed "an over 50 year love of the car the Boxster harks back to." Specifically the Porsche 550 Spyder, which came about well over 50 years ago..

Yeah, it's the old Spyder (and 356s) that I've loved all these years, not the Boxster. I think the Boxster is the closest I could get to one of those, especially with the features I want.

Thanks to y'all, again, for the helpful responses. I do think I have given up on my neighbor's car. I don't know that I want to negotiate a price for a somewhat neglected car with someone I expect to live next door to until one of us dies. I also think that a 987 might be a better match for me. Its aesthetics appeal to me a little more and I've gathered that the cabin is roomier. I'm still processing all that, but that's how I'm leaning right now.

And I am waffling! I'm looking again at 986s.

Yeah, it's tough. 987s are roomy, comfortable, refined...almost to a fault.
The 986 has that raw, more rough-edged unsophisticated visceral feel to it. And...it's the one I still drive :cheers: