Opinion on 01 Boxster S price
 

Hello,

I am in the market for a Boxster Base or S. I came across a local S model 2001 Seal Gray, in nice condition. I do not have much information on the history or maintenance of the car, other than the fact that its a Clean title and it was picked up at an auction recently, the seller sells cars on the side. The asking price is $12,000. I'm not very up to date on the current market. Can I get advice on what this car is worth. I have not taken it in for a PPI yet. Attached the autocheck report as well. Thanks I appreciate it the help.

Vince

Opinion..? Way over priced. 126k miles. Right now is a great time to sell cars but not buying them. The average right now is 30% more then normal.

It was a dealer trade in and sold at auction.

With the limited info it is impossible to say what it's worth. If it is painted gray now, it's been repainted as that vin came as Forest Green with tan interior. It's a base S edition, which is just a bigger engine then the base 986.

Realistically in NICE condition as you mention, maybe $8k, $9k tops. Expect many things will end up needing to be replaced within 12 months. If the top has any issues that alone is $2k for a shop to replace. Factor in tires depending on age & condition, another $800 plus alignment. List goes on.

Vin analytics has it as an S model seal gray over black: https://vinanalytics.com/car/WP0CB29811U663454/

This car is almost identical to mine, except I have the sport seats and that one has the litronic headlights.

The thing that caught my eye is that it does not look like it has been driven in 2 years possibly.. (check the mileage at the end of your report from 2019 till now). That would worry me. I also agree with the lack of history being the biggest consideration.

As for the price, they are way higher now then when I bought 2 years ago., Can't predict the future, no idea if it is the start or the end of the prices going up.

The history is worth its weight in gold (ask me how I know). Regardless of mileage these cars incur expensive repairs. Good luck.

That's weird, when I ran it on there earlier it said Forest Green, glad someone double checked it.

Edit - Think I know what happened. Had another S edition in a window, copy/past must have grabbed that one and I didn't pay much attention to it.

Auction info is still good though, I double checked that one.

Also, I wouldn't hold much faith in the carfax/auto reports/etc. They have all been known to be wrong and not always contain good information. For example, I bought a Miata that showed clear on Carfax but had clearly been totaled cause it was sold with a salvage title (which I knew). Moral being....do your own homework, dont trust what you read on the Internet.

How good are you with cars?

I knew I did not want to have S due to the 6-speed (I prefer 5 speed - longer gears).
I got mine very cheap for the time being, but I knew it would require a lot of work. For example respraying the whole car.

Things I did not think would be needed - whole suspension.
Brakes are OK as they are fresh.
But struts, control arms, linkages... all of it is 20 years old and needs to be done to drive safely and smoothly.
Yes, the car drives OK, has the power and handles "OK", but I know it will give me a "surprise" in a sudden, unexpected movement.

So man - 12k for 2001 S is a lot. If you can do all the jobs, you are at 1.5-2.5k expense.
IMS and clutch, condition of the engine - those are hard to judge.

Thanks guys. I am ok with a wrench..I could do oil changes, brakes, AOS, possibly the suspension. I got her down to $10k, but I would have to bring it in for a PPI first to have it looked at. If not, Ill looks for one with proper history, well maintained, even if its a Base model.

$10,000 for a straight Boxster S strikes me as a good deal. I'd suggest moving quickly before the seller does some market research and hikes the price...

I agree, though I'd keep money on the side. I just picked up an '02 with 150k on the clock for $9.5 (though immediately was stranded with a leaking coolant tank and jammed shift cables three days later). Most of the the S's in our area are going for 13-15 depending on mileage. So I figured I'd go with the higher mileage car and if I had to put 4k into it I'm still slightly ahead of the game.

FWIW, I don't buy cars from guys who "buy and sell cars on the side".

When I buy a used car, I want to buy from the person that owned it and drove it the last few years. I want to size him up, look into his eyes and ask him questions, get details on the service history, etc. Can't do that when you buy from a established dealer or a guy who "buys and sells cars on the side".

Just my two cents.

There are several upgrades from base to S.

In the current market that comes across as a pretty good deal. But you do need to go in eyes wide open. I bought my 99 2.5 without getting a PPI. I didn't feel the risk was worth spending another $400+ plus. But, I was also prepared to to pay for a new engine if I needed to. Thankfully, I don't. At least not to this point.

The suspension advice is true. I've already replaced rear track arms, front outer tie rod ends, rear drop links, and motor mount. I still need to replace all struts, control arms, and probably a couple other things too.

Still, the car is a blast to drive. So, like others have said, set aside some money, get it checked out if you must, but I wouldn't let the price keep me away unless I was sure they were about to drop in the next couple of months.

Go get it! Cars are priced stupid right now so the one you're looking at sounds reasonable. You won't regret it.