2001 S Purchase

[larryshomework]

Hello all, newbie here and hopefully a near future Boxster owner.

I'm currently looking at a 2001 Boxster S (black/brown). I don't know which option packages it has at this point.

It does have PSM, 17inch wheels, and seats are not power (power recline only) and 50,000 miles.

The car is from local Porsche dealer and is certified (with warranty).

The asking price is $25,900 (preliminary 'courtesy' discount of $500 offered to bring this to $25,400).

Any thoughts on the reasonableness of this price? Seems pretty good to me.

How much is the Porsche Certified Warranty worth?

Thanks in advance.

[Adam]

It sounds like a pretty good deal to me, but you may want to have another place inspect the car(PPI) just to be sure. It will cost you a couple hundred but it would be a good idea if you have any doubts and it will give you peace of mind. There are many that say never buy a used Porsche unless it is inspected by an idependent source. Even Porsche dealerships hide some things they might not want potential buyers to know about.

[z12358]

Is that a PCNA warranty (valid at any dealer) or a warranty issued by that particular shop? I thought Porsche only extends the original 4yrs warranty by 2yrs, for a total of 6. For a 2001 car that would make 2007 the last year a car can be under a Porsche warranty.

If the car is in good shape and if you get a full 2yr PCNA warranty, the price is not bad.

[larryshomework]

Thanks for the feedback.

My understanding is that it is a PCNA warranty but I will check to verify - also to verify the in-service date and duration of the warranty. Salesperson was telling my 2 years, up to 100K but a little verification never hurt!

If it is the PCNA, would you still feel the PPI is necessary? In otherwords, are there likely problems that wouldn't show up within 2 years (or 50K)? I'm sure the answer is yes but kind of assumed the PCNA cert. process took care of that.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by larryshomework

Thanks for the feedback.

My understanding is that it is a PCNA warranty but I will check to verify - also to verify the in-service date and duration of the warranty. Salesperson was telling my 2 years, up to 100K but a little verification never hurt!

If it is the PCNA, would you still feel the PPI is necessary? In otherwords, are there likely problems that wouldn't show up within 2 years (or 50K)? I'm sure the answer is yes but kind of assumed the PCNA cert. process took care of that.

The warranty is definately a plus and good insurance to have but some would still say to have a PPI done. 2 years is really not that long, how long do you plan to own it? More than likely the car is fine but some people like to cover all their bases. I would at least do a car fax and take it from there. I would also mention a PPI and see how willing they are to allow one. If they don't want one to be done then that should raise some red flags.

[larryshomework]

Makes sense.

Right now I'd say I'll keep it for a long time but then again, I've about a 10 cars in the last 3 years

It will be a weekend car for me (daily driver is BMW 330i ZHP). In addition, I plan to do DE events at Barber Motorsports Park (only 10 minutes away!!!!).

I did verify from Porsche that PCNA certification/warranty can be done on cars less than 8 years old and with less than 100K. If the car is certified after the original warranty has expired, the certified warranty runs 2 years (50K miles) from the date of sale.

I'll be getting the CarFax and the service history report - if both look clean I'll likely pass on the PPI (but then again...)

[RandallNeighbour]

Originally Posted by dbth

The cheapest Boxster is usually the most expensive Boxster to own , to paraphrase Randallneighbor.

Actually, I didn't coin that phrase, but I read it on this forum and doggonit, I sure personified it!

Let me reiterate what I've told everyone who asks me about buying a used boxster... buy the newest S you can afford, and if you can get a CPO 100,000 mile warrantied car from a dealership, that's the best S to buy in the long run, even if its more money. Let PCA pay for your high dollar repairs or just sleep well at night knowing that if the motor blows or the RMS leaks or whatever that it's covered. I sure wish I'd done this.

By the way, if I could do high school over again I'd do that completely differently too.

[larryshomework]

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

Actually, I didn't coin that phrase, but I read it on this forum and doggonit, I sure personified it!

Let me reiterate what I've told everyone who asks me about buying a used boxster... buy the newest S you can afford, and if you can get a CPO 100,000 mile warrantied car from a dealership, that's the best S to buy in the long run, even if its more money. Let PCA pay for your high dollar repairs or just sleep well at night knowing that if the motor blows or the RMS leaks or whatever that it's covered. I sure wish I'd done this.

By the way, if I could do high school over again I'd do that completely differently too.

Looks like 01 is the newest I can afford if I go for the CPO warranty. Since I've never owned a Porsche, the CPO warranty would definately ease my mind.

The limited research I've done so far indicates a preference for 03 or newer (glass window, improved RMS, more power). Of these, the RMS is the only real concern for me. Also, I might be in the minority but I like the "orange" sidemarkers and turn signals - especially on the black.

I've also noticed that the center dash layout varies quite a bit among the same year and model. The one I'm looking at has the climate controls at the bottom, a storage bin in the middle and the radio at the top. I've seen some from the same year with the climate controls at the top and what looks to be CD or cassette holders in lieu of the storage bin. I assume this is tied to a "package" but I'm way too new to this to decipher all the options/packages.

[NickCats]

Larry,

You are not the only one. I also prefer the orange ( amber ) side markers and turn signals on a black Boxster.

Good luck with your purchase !

Nick

[larryshomework]

Just checked the CarFax -- here's the details

2 owner car - first one in New York - 4 years - car sold at auction in Pennsylvania.

Second owner in Tennessee - 2 years; probably traded in here but could be another auction.

Everything is clear - car went into service in December 2000.

The auction part is a little troubling but I guess it depends on where it was traded in.

Next step is to check the service history.