SamCrac

Hello everyone. I found a local classified for a 05 Boxster S (MT). Besides a Bose stereo it seems like its pretty basic and doesn't have many more additional options to it. It has 38k miles on it and the seller has all his records from the Porsche dealer of service. I've negotiated a price of about 1k under the Kelly Blue Book trade in value for it. The only downside (and reason why I haven't purchased yet) is that it was involved in a fender bender back in 05. According to the current owner the back bumper was hit, repaired, and repainted. The color is black, and everything looks good. The carfax even states that the "vehicle was functional" after the accident. It sounds like a pretty minor situation. I have a couple of questions:

1. Is buying at a discount worth it with the accident history?
2. What sort of problems am I buying on a Boxster with 40k miles? What sort of things can should I be aware of replacing soon after I get the car (besides regular wear items like brakes and tires)?
3. The car I test drove at the dealer was an 08 Cayman (closest thing they had at the time), how different of a drive is the Cayman/Boxster?

Thanks for all of your help!

Dino944

Although the Boxster has a well insulated top, their will be a noticeable difference in wind noise, as the Cayman is a coupe. Also the Cayman will feel more rigid. I know more about the "S" versions than the base models, but if the base followed the same path as the "S"...the 08 you test drove would have more HP and torque than an '05. You should definitely test drive a Boxster if a Boxster is what you want to buy.

I'll leave the rest of your questions to be answered by other people. Personally there are enough nice, clean, Boxsters out there that I wouldn't bother with one thats been in an accident. Some people wouldn't mind buying a car thats been in an accident, particularly if its a minor accident, but I wouldn't buy it. If there are others like me who would not buy it, then it will probably always be worth less than a non-accident car to subsequent buyers or it may be harder to sell if you decide its not the car for you.

Just my 2 cents.
Good luck.
Best regards,
Dino

Macster

My used 987 market knowledge is not too up to date but in general I am a bit worried about how much under trade-in you have managed to get the price down.

Either you are a heck of a negotiator (and you may very well be) or there's something a bit fishy about the car, that someone would be willing to let it go for so far under its listed trade-in value. This is generally where dealer's 'buy' used cars, that is allow as a trade-in valve on a used car.

Anyhow...

1) It depends. If the car suffered more serious damage or was not repaired correctly the discount is not worth it.

I touched upon this above but I think I should expand on this subject: That there is any hint of a discount due to the accident to me suggests the damage sustained was more severe that you were told or the car was not repaired properly. You need to have a much better feel for the extent of the damage the car suffered and an expert's opinion after he has thoroughly inspected the car as to the quality of the repairs.

IOWs, how hard was the car hit? Exactly what damage did it suffer? How well were the repairs done? Has the car received an after accident inspection by a qualified Porsche technician?

(My 02 was hit from behind -- I was stopped at a light -- at around 5mph and the rear bumper cover and one taillight assembly were replaced. (Actually the front bumper cover and one headlight assembly were replaced too cause the impact drove my car into the car stopped ahead of mine.) But there was no chassis/tub/running gear damage. The car was operational. Anyhow, at the rear of the car there was a tiny bit of bent sheet metal. Minor damage nonetheless: There's a sheet metal rail that runs along just behind the spoiler but is out of sight (covered by the rear bumper cover) which suffered some very minor bending but this was easily straightened out and the car was put back to its pre-collision condition. Oh, it cost around $5K to repair. The other driver's insurance paid for it. My point is that the car you are looking at could have taken a similar hit and should really be none the worse for it, if (big if) the car was repaired properly. I was fortunate to find a shop that knew how to repair the car right and which fought and prevailed when the other driver's insurance company resisted paying to have the car properly repaired.)

2) 40K miles is not many miles as long as the basic vehicle platform is sound, and the car, engine, drivetrain, etc are in good shape, the car is essentially sound. At 40K miles the car ought to be in real good shape unless it has been subject to extreme weathering, or neglect or worse.

Some wear items may need attention: Tires are always a possibility but easy to assess and if tires need doing budget for a proper alignment. Brakes are a possibility too. As is a clutch. Though knowing this requires more work, more knowledge of how to evaluate the clutch. Generally a hard to press clutch pedal is a sign the clutch is worn. Of course there are other symptoms of a problem clutch too which a good test ride/drive will or short find. Rubber CV boots on the halfshafts might need attention, that is if they're cracked.

Signs of oil, coolant, or other fluid leaks harder to assess for a non-professional.

Do not be so quick to buy the car knowing it needs things addressed. You should determine what it needs and then factor the cost of putting these right into your offer. IOWs, avoid paying good or excellent money for a car that is not in good to excellent condition because for instance it needs tires and almost certainly an alignment check, or brakes, or a clutch and so on.

3) The Cayman has similar handling characteristics as the Boxster but you really need to drive the car you are thinking about or a similar model year, model Boxster to know this car, a Boxster, is the car for you.

The two cars have different visibility characteristics and the differences in wind noise may be an issue and so on. For many they are not an issue, but it is you have to live with your decision.

Sincerely,

Macster.

SamCrac

I'd like to thank you for your response. I plan to thoroughly inspect the car before purchasing. I have already done some pretty extensive research on the actual car I would be buying and it all seems to be checking out. I will update as more things come out. Thanks again for your time and input!!!

allegretto

1) ask to see the receipt for the body work. No excuses. If he has all the other stuff he should have that too

2) Any carfax report should lower the price by $2-3K if it's small, more if bigger.

I had an M-B 550 cab that was just grazed by a dumb chick in a Starbucks parking lot. No body work, $850 worth of paint, that's it. Dealers were discounting my trade in $4-5K No reason you should not do the same... it's a less expensive car so $2-3K sound about right. There are many out there, don't fall in love with this one, Also, take it to the best body shop you can find to verify the extent of the repair

This is the minimum you should do. If the owner balks, there will be others...

SamCrac

Thanks allegretto. I am not the type to just jump into something, and I don't fall in love with my cars. The deal seems to good to pass up, but if there is any doubt or issues when the inspection comes, I will walk without even thinking about it.

MVDESQ

Unless it is the deal of the century and you are on a heavy budget I'd avoid cars with metal body work. After searching for a 986 or 987 for a long time, I have come to see many cars with shoddy body work. In fact, I find that most shops don't do the job to the factory original condition, as it is nearly impossible. Bumpers are different but still they may have been poorly sprayed, seen that too.

I always look a car over for any signs of overspray or original factory stickers missing. Then I look at the gaps and use an electric paint tester, those things are worth their weight in gold. They make shady sellers nervous. A carfax history report is only good if it says what happened but I've seen many clean carfax cars that have had extensive body work as it just was not reported. Do not ever rely on a clean carfax report.

I found a nice car in S.FL with light accident damage prior to the current owner and I tried calling many body shops and Porsche dealers and no one wanted to get involved to ascertain what damage it had sustained and even the PPI was not going to be thorough as they don't want the liability.

PM me if you have any extra questions. Good luck in your search.

P.S. I bought a flawless 2009 Boxster that was Porsche Approved and all gaps and paint were factory pristine. Took a long time and lots of hassle.