Mark Hubley

Within the next week I plan to test drive a 1999 Boxster. It has 16,XXX miles on it. The nearest "Porsche mechanic" to the car's owner is over an hour away. Although this would make a nice test drive, it will be extremely inconvenient to get this car to that mechanic. The mechanic wants me to leave the car, and it will be a major PITA to get the car to this mechanic so that I can leave the car.

On the other hand, there is a competent "non-Porsche" mechanic five minutes away, but I'm sure he has never worked on a Boxster.

With less than 20K miles on the car, can I get away with a PPI done by a non-specialist? I know the owner of the car, and I know that it has been pampered. Are there some particular things that I could tell the mechanic to look at?

Or, should I do whatever it takes to have a Porsche mechanic look at the car?

Thanks,

Mark

Doug&Julie

Well I think the whole point to a PPI is to have somebody who knows the ins and outs of the car to look at it, as they'll know what weak points and problem areas to look for. When I sold my first Boxster, the new owner took it to a more general mechanic, but he was reasonably familiar with the cars and knew what to look for. My current Boxster I bought certified from a dealership...I didn't want to take a chance.

On the other hand, Boxsters seem to be quite reliable so maybe just having the opportunity to put it on a lift and walk around it may be enough? Bottom line is it's your money, so how much of a chance do you want to take? Remember a '99 will likely be out of warranty.

Most common thing to look for is a rear main seal leak. Not a serious problem, but one you'll want to fix. Also check the top operation...it should go up in about 13 seconds. If its slower, it could be a sign of wear. Check the brakes and rotors for premature wear. Finally be sure the tranny hasn't been abused. ...and of course other things I'm sure anybody will note concerning the general overall condition.

Keep us posted. Good luck!

Mark Hubley

I compromised and took the car to a local garage. Once up on the lift we found oil leaking--looks like the rear main seal. Also, the insides of the tires are all eaten up--metal showing on the inner edge of the left rear. With only 19K miles on the car, we figure it must have an alignment problem.

A good reminder to ALWAYS get an inspection before purchase!!!

I'm still interested in purchasing the car, so I'll ask the owner to look into having a dealer fix the oil leak. One of us will have to address the issue with the tires as well.

Cheers,

Mark

Doug&Julie

Sounds like a little money well spent then! Be careful as the tire wear could also be a sign of abuse. Not to give up on the car, but definitely give it a good thorough going over and lengthy test drive again when some of these issues are fixed.

Good luck!

Mark Hubley

Since my local shop did the inspection at no charge, it was definitely a bargain!!!

Doug&Julie

MikeinTennessee

I suspect you have an incomplete idea of the engines possible faults. if I were in your position I think I'd do an oil analysis. 19.95 at www.youroil.net. There are other companies offering this service but this one seems to focus on Porsche cars. This will tell you a lot about your engine that your mechanic can't see.

turbopop

Mark,
First, if the problem is the rear main seal, It may be something that Porsche will take care of, depends on the dealer. See if the current owner has ever had it checked by one.
Second, try posting a question on ppbb.com. There is a group that call themselves ESBB (for Eastern Shore Boxster Buddies) who may have more info for you, They do group cruises around the Chestertown area alot.

Ray in Salisbury
80 924
83 944
86 951
89 930
01 986

Mark Hubley

Thanks again for all of the replies. I have been checking out PPBB, and I got some helpful advice there!

I'll have to search for the ESBB!

Cheers,

Mark

John Krawczyk

How much more does this add to the price over a private or Ebay purchase.

I'm looking in the near future to get a Boxster so im just naturally curious.

Mark Hubley

I've seen two 1999 Boxsters on the Porsche North America web site, each with 15K-20K miles, listed for $30K to $31K. I've seen similar cars with similar mileage listed privately for about $27K to $28K.

Before buying, look at the official Porsche web site (www.porsche.com) at used vehicles at Porsche dealers. Also, check out the "Mart" at the Porsche Club site (www.pca.org). These should give you some reference values for cars that are probably going to be better cars than the average E-bay car.

Doug&Julie

Hard for me to determine only because my car was a bit unusual...it was a four year old car with only 12k miles on it and I was upside down on the trade-in so I overpaid there. I don't know that there's a set percentage, but you will definitely pay a little more at a dealership. But since my car was one month from being out of warranty, I didn't want to take a chance.

I would say that for the most part the Boxsters have proven pretty reliable, so if you are looking at one not from a dealer, have an expert look it over and if he/she thinks its good, it's probably a safe purchase. If you don't want to spend any money on it for a year or two, check out your authorized dealership!

Good luck!

turbopop

Mark ,
Keep looking, The right one will turn up.
2 dealerships down here in Salisbury frequently have used Boxsters. (Winner Saturn and Pohanka)(Saturn has an S right now)
Also look in Autotrader, My buddy picked up a nice 97 from Annapolis that was advertised there for $20k and got it for $18k. Only needed a PS hose.

turbopop

Mark ,
Keep looking, The right one will turn up.
2 dealerships down here in Salisbury frequently have used Boxsters. (Winner Saturn and Pohanka)(Saturn has an S right now)
Also look in Autotrader, My buddy picked up a nice 97 from Annapolis that was advertised there for $20k and got it for $18k. Only needed a PS hose.

turbopop

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