ponjeg

Hey all, I've recently come across a 987.1 boxster with 150k miles on it for $12k.

It looks incredibly clean, both interior and exterior and has an extensive list of maintenance records.

My questions are:
Is there any way to know the life left in the engine? how long do these engines typically last with proper maintenance? is it worth it?

Curious to hear your guys' thoughts

deilenberger

I think you have to look at this worst-case - which would be you buy it with no pre-purchase inspection, and you buy it as-is, and the engine explodes on the way home. We've seen this numerous times here (one today actually on FB.) You're now roughly doubling the price of the car to pay for a used replacement engine, so you'd be in it for $25k, or you'd have to sell it as a parts-car for probably $1-2k. The problem if you fix it is - you'd have to keep it a LONG time to get any value out of it - since it would still have 150k miles on it - and no 150k mile boxster is selling for anything near $25k you'd have in it.

The engines can last a long time - maintenance isn't the only factor though - the use the car had (tracked? driven by a youngster?) can drastically change the engine life as can simple bad luck.

I'm guessing it's not an "S" since you didn't mention that, but you also didn't mention the year. Some are better than others for engine reliability. We know it's 2008 or older, but how much older?

My point on the value is based on I'm guessing this purchase would be a stretch for you - but you've always desired a Porsche, and here is one for money you can afford. That's great - but IF something goes wrong - the money it costs to fix it becomes as much as the car is worth, basically making it valueless.. so if you are independently wealthy and have $12k in change in your pocket - go for it. If not - think about what could happen and how you might want to avoid that and save up for one without so many miles.

BTW - welcome to the forum! And feel free to ask more questions..

ZuffenZeus

I'll cut to the chase... if you purchase this car, and it needs a full engine rebuild, do you have and/or willing to put $20,000 into it?

SeanPatrick31

This is just my opinion, but I would run away at that price. Too many miles for that price point even with maintenance records.

What is your budget?

if you really like this car, and are accepting of the risk, you can always just make an offer that YOU are comfortable with. It’s just business and not personal. What year is this car? What part of the country is the car located?

KrisA

It sucks that there's no better option than $20,000 for a new engine. It makes me sad to think of all of the wonderful 987's, and one day 981's, that will be "mechanically totaled" by dead engines. If you could get that down to $10,000 for a good rebuild that would help to keep these fabulous cars on the road.

As to the OP, all I can add is "who knows?!?!" Engine could fail in 1000 miles, or you could get 50,000 miles of fun motoring out of it. It's a total crap shoot. How's the suspension, brakes, top? How long ago were those parts replaced last?

ZuffenZeus

I'll add this simple bit of advice to the OP - "The cheapest Porsche you buy will quickly become the MOST expensive to own." Think about it.

ponjeg

Thank you all for your replies!

The car is a 2007, non S located in the Bay Area. I was not planning to offer 12k of course, but it does seem like its a dangerous move to buy it, given that it could just be almost total loss if it doesnt hold up. The poster did say the car mainly got miles from commuting, but of course I have no way to verify that.

I was considering checking the car out and doing a ppi if it feels good; though maybe after hearing your guys' thoughts, maybe its good to just move on.

Thank you all!

9ate7

I think you wont have trouble finding 987.1 boxters in that price range with much less miles. Widening the search area to include more of the country would def help!