1997 high miles

[NUTTY911]

[I am about to buy a 1997 boxster with 234,000 miles....same owner for past 15 years, lot's of services no rebuilds, blew thru smog

[RandallNeighbour]

...and?

Are you looking for advice on whether or not to do this?

What do you mean by "blew thru smog"?

The cheapest Porsche you buy will be the most expensive car you've owned to date.

[NUTTY911]

yes, I'm looking for suggestions, it passed Ca. smog no issues, it has had service for past 15 years, but nothing major, only minor repairs and oil and filters....no maf or bearings...

[NUTTY911]

sorry, yes, I am asking the Forum for advise on buying a car like this? it is clean, top needs the plastic snaps replaced but it runs and drives good, 5sp, passed Ca. smog no problem. am I buying trouble?

[Giller]

There are a lot of Boxsters out there at all sorts of different price points. I know you are probably getting a 'hell of a deal' - but that deal could quickly turn sour. If you are trying to save some money by buying cheap - you might be in for a surprise as Randall said. These cars can cost quite a bit to maintain.
If you are super handy with a wrench and want a project, then why not. Other than that.....yikes!

[NUTTY911]

this is also my first boxster, I can also get a 1999 with a rebuilt engine but that car needs the complete air conditioning system rebuilt and has some minor bumper damage....is the rebuilt engine worth an extra $2000

[RandallNeighbour]

Nutty, I've no idea what your financial condition is, but let me give you some advice. I bought a 1997 boxster with 84k on it in 2003 for $15,500.

To date, I have put $25,000 in it to maintain it and freshen up the interior and headlamps, etc.

So I now have a $40k+ car that I can only get $7,500 for on a good day.

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR:

Save more money. Delay gratification on this purchase. Find a low miles 2003 or 2004 S model that has been babied its whole life and you'll love your purchase and spend your time driving it instead of fixing it or worrying about everything that can and WILL break on you with the high mileage, hard driven 1997-1999 models.

These are not built like classic Porsches. The first model year boxsters were made with really crappy plastic parts and they all fall apart sooner than later and most owners don't spend the huge wads of cash to fix things like the oil filler tube (plastic) and on and on and on it goes.

If I had only listened to this advice...learn from my mistake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[NUTTY911]

Thanks, I have a low budget, and this car wowed me to get a Porsche for under $4k....but my gut has been telling me to ask the forum

[Giller]

Originally Posted by NUTTY911

Thanks, I have a low budget, and this car wowed me to get a Porsche for under $4k....but my gut has been telling me to ask the forum

Run, don't walk away from this. You gotta ask yourself - do I feel luck? Well do ya, punk? You are opening up a big can of trouble if you don't have the financial abilities to afford to keep this running. From everything I've read - you want to be able to budget $2000/year for maintenance - would assume that's a lot higher on a high mileage car like you are looking at.
Randal gives good advice. Same your nickels and dimes and get something newer and lower in K's.

[kk2002s]

Be ready financially and with your wrenching skills if your buying on a budget.
These cars are attractive and have equally attractive selling prices
BUT - These are Porsches through and through and therefore cost Porsche $$ to maintain and fix - And there ain't no getting around that

[BIGJake111]

If you are on a low budget this car is not for you. If you have money to blow but want a cheap boxster, go for it. However there is no such thing as a boxster under 10k once getting it up to snuff is considered. A cheap car with a few repairs is about the same as a 10k car that also needs a repair or two, but don't buy a boxster at all unless you always have a couple thousand sitting around for WHEN things go wrong.

[Qmulus]

Sounds like there are some cheap potential spec Boxsters out there..

[78F350]

I see that you are in the LA area. Here's a quick look at the "less than $7,900" Craigslist selection:

los angeles for sale "porsche boxster" - craigslist

Here's a 'great deal' on an '01 S that could easily cost you another $10K in parts and labor and still be worth under $10k: ** 2001 PORSCHE BOXSTER S ** ...Or maybe if you have the right parts car, tools, and knowledge it could be cheap fix and a great daily driver for another decade. Any one of these 12+ year old cars is a roll of the dice. Being an educated buyer can mitigate some of the risk, but not eliminate it.

If you can't afford for it to be a mistake, don't do it.

If you love these cars, continue to educate yourself and don't buy a particular one on a whim. There are plenty on the market.

If you read thru a lot of the stories here, you will see that for many of us, the ownership cost can be higher than the buying price, but we still don't regret having the car(s).

Welcome to the Forum.

[Run]

I must agree with everyone else on here as an example I was quoted 1600.00 for an alternator granted it was from the stealership but that should give you an example of cost of maintenance.

[BoxsterSteve]

^^
What he said.
Do like this fella's username...
Run!

There are tons of Boxsters for sale, save some $$ and buy one that's worth keeping. If you had to replace the top, you'd be in for over half of what you paid for the car, not to mention whatever else will bite you in the @$$ on an 18 year old car with well over 200,000 on the clock.
That is unless all you want to do is drive it until it needs repairs and then dump it, but hey, that's up to you. Best of luck whatever you choose.

[juiced99ws6]

Nutty, I kinda disagree with alot of the advice being given on here. One, your looking at a 2.5 liter car which if you search enough you will find that it is not prone to D-chunk failures. Another thing that car has going for it is the fact that it should have a dual row IMS. Those are also not prone to failure. You are looking at a running and driving car for 4k. You can find parts cars non-running for about 3k. If it is in good shape and passes a thorough PPI and the mechanic gives it a clean bill of health then I don't see why not. It is not a huge initial investment and if you are willing to do the standard maintenance yourself then you will be fine. If you experience a catastrophic failure then yes, you are out a car that you will have to sell for parts.. Any cheap used car has this potential.

[Dlirium]

Originally Posted by Giller

Run, don't walk away from this. You gotta ask yourself - do I feel luck? Well do ya, punk? You are opening up a big can of trouble if you don't have the financial abilities to afford to keep this running. From everything I've read - you want to be able to budget $2000/year for maintenance - would assume that's a lot higher on a high mileage car like you are looking at.
Randal gives good advice. Same your nickels and dimes and get something newer and lower in K's.

Especially in CA. I can't take mine (2000 S) into the shop for less than $1000. You will quickly, as has been pointed out, far exceed the value of the car in repair costs. They are fun to own and drive, but go by a miata rather than a 97 boxster...

[Qmulus]

OK, I will give a different point of view. If you do your own work, I personally think owning a Boxster is pretty inexpensive; on par with VWs and Audis that I have owned, although I would say that the Boxster, and 911s for that matter, are easier to work on and simpler in construction. The big question mark on any Boxster is the engine, but if you find one that has been well maintained and has had the IMS taken care of (or factored in), it can give you long and reliable service. Take a look at the abuse 2.5l spec Boxsters handle with just a few modifications for reliability on the track.

As for $1600 for getting an alternator replaced, that is how the shops pay for their nice buildings and race cars. The problem with owning a Boxster is that you are paying the same to fix it as you would a 991 Turbo or Cayenne. The big difference between working on a Subaru flat six and working on a Porsche flat six is that the Porsche customer likely has more money. There is nothing magical about the cars because they have the Porsche crest on them. You can get a rebuilt alternator from rockauto.com for less than $200, and install it in about an hour. That is likely what the shops pay, and often less. BTDT, and is was far easier than it would have been on my Audi A6. That is likely what the shops pay, and often less.

Will maintaining a $5k Boxster cost the same as a $5k Toyota? Absolutely not, but if you do it yourself, and you are aware that parts cost you more than other makes, owning a Boxster does not have to break the bank.

All that said, as a rule for ANY vehicle, get the best one that you can afford. It is ALWAYs cheaper to start with a clean, well maintained car than it is to buy a rough one and fix it up.