SpeedyD

Looking at a pretty unique Boxster S. Green interior, Design wheels, sport exhaust etc.

No service over past 3 years but pretty comprehensive documentation before that (same owner since 2003). No IMS upgrade. RMS is failing (slowly I hope - old service record noted minor weeping in 2011...)

Car drives very nicely - very tight. One key only. Cosmetic condition is 8/10 overall. To clarify - it is 8/10 for things like a very minor "shopping cart" ding (barely visible), part of the boxster script broke off, and very minor age related items. But otherwise probably top 10% cosmetic condition.

I am surprised but both my wife and I actually like the interior (awful in photos, surprisingly nice in person).

40K miles. ~10K miles without the service done. MSRP was $72K in 2002.

I will get PPI done before purchase. I see average Boxster S pricing around $12-$13K. The asking price on this is MUCH higher despite lack of recent service or upgrades. Tires are 8 years old as well and will need replacing.

Any thoughts (on a pricing range, private party)? Intent is to have this as a summer DD with some DE use.

Thanks in advance

Byprodriver

With $72K MSRP it must have a lot more options. 40K miles & 10K without a oil change means maybe 4-5 oil changes since new is not good I would 1st remove the oil filter housing to get a look at the oil & ask what type it is.
Might be a sign of excessive wear for the mileage. Hopefully owner will acknowledge lower price is in order due to lack of maintenance not to mention green interior is a big negative for most people.

SpeedyD

Thanks. I get the impression the owner is a "Sunday cruis'n" driver but the lack of recent basic service is concerning.

Will certainly do a PPI and review the docs more closely. I also agree on the the negatives - the interesting thing is that in-person it is one of the nicest Boxsters I have ever seen (and I have seen many). I have the full list of options, which include:

6MT Boxster S (2002)
Wheels with Colored Crest
Supple Leather Front and Rear
Arctic Silver Package - Small
Nephrite Full Leather
Black Mats - Porsche Lettering
Heated / Power seats
Sport Touring Package
Instruments Painted
Flared Rockers
Speedster Rear Color of Car
Sport Exhaust
Roll Bar Painted Silver
18" Sport Design Wheels
Porsche Crest in Headrest

It is a much more interesting and exotic looking Boxster S than most - just also listed at a substantial premium when I think it should be in-line with market (positives = options, condition, mileage / negatives = interior color (hard to sell!), lack of recent service, no IMS done, minor RMS leak that has never been addressed, old tires)...

I would like to buy the car but hard to justify anything near the asking price.

Spyder_Man

FWIW, I just purchased an exceptional and uniquely optioned 2003 986 S with 38k miles of use for $19k, which I feel is pretty strong money.

This one was specially order with Artic Silver exterior over Lipstick Red leather interior, black deviated stitching and carpet, and aluminum/arctic silver interior trim. Sport seats, sport suspension, & sport exhaust. 5-spoke wheels.

Bought it from the second owner who had it for less than a year. I'd been in contact with the original owner since before he'd sold it to #2. The original owner custom spec'd the car and opted to pick it up in Europe at the factory.

Exterior 9.5 of 10. Interior 10 of 10. Well maintained with all the records. No IMS done so I had that done right away.

One could argue it was a "lightweight" configuration due to minimum stereo option, no cruise control and rear badge delete.

Anyhow there is a market comp for you to work with. Nephrite green makes for a pretty unique car, but it is a very devising color choice (people love it or hate it). Some would say the same for red interiors too. In the end, it is what makes you happy that matters most. I'd rather have a unique example than a generic silver over black like most everyone else.

Quadcammer

a green interior will be a deal breaker to 99% of the buying public. Given the demand is almost Nil, you are in a strong negotiating position.

SpeedyD

I strongly, strongly agree with this.

Especially since it looks very bad in pictures. My wife reluctantly joined me to look at the car (it is local) and we both expected that it would be a major deal breaker. Turns out we both liked it, quite a bit - in fact, she was shocked by how nice it looked.

My plan is to wait it out (though I'm considering some other cars in the meantime) because I just don't think there is a big enough local buyer pool and I think the vast majority of online/remote buyers will not consider a green interior car.

Byprodriver

That would be my strategy too. Be sure to do a PPI & 1st step should be to inspect contents of the oil filter & ideally the oil pan too.

KC-CarGuy

The green interior is tough to get past.

SpeedyD

Thanks for the comp.

I agree and personally prefer interesting cars (or at least cars that appeal to me specifically) since I don't purchase to sell.

The green interior looks surprisingly nice but I do know that it should (and does) impact the market price negatively. The biggest issues are no IMS upgrade and no RMS addressed (with a minor weeping already) and these are things I will absolutely do. Combined with an already high price, it makes no sense for me to go forward with so many other options, even if the other options are less interesting overall...

BTW, silver over red is a classic combo and I think is classic enough to not put off many people (with enough people wanting those cars...)

Skaanning

Here in Denmark there was a 2.7 with green interior for sale for about a year ago. The market is small, so it is easy to follow. The car was put on sale as "a very uniqe car" because of the green colour. The price was quite high, but after some 6 months the price was reduced by 30-35%. Don't know if it was sold.
Silver/black and black/black may be slightly "ordinary" and a bit boring, but green interior seems a bit on the other side. At least for me. Then again...you will have something special, something you don' t see every day. And that is kind of nice, I think...ask youself....do you buy to keep or to sell?
If you wont to keep then buy it
You seem to want the car! But get it checked. IMS, clutch etc... the service history sounds odd and not too good.

SpeedyD

The owner deferred maintenance over the past 3 years but it turns out very very few miles were driven and not the 10k he ballparked. PPI at a Porsche specialist came out near perfect with clean filter and nothing worrisome in the oil. IMS will get done on the car as I have decided to move forward with the purchase after seeing the car a third time in person and given the PPI results (including checking for overrevs). Really a striking car and the interior looks very nice in person. Overall probably the nicest 986 I have ever seen and I just couldn’t let it slip out of my hands. The owner had the car since virtually new (2003 for a 2002 MY car) and he had detailed records going all the way (other than the recent gap as he drove it less and less).

It is certainly a divisive interior color but since I intend to keep the car the prospects of a slow resale are not a huge deal. I will post pics once the upgrade is done. I will provide fair warning to those who may find a green interior offensive :-)

Looking forward to joining the 986 club!

Skaanning

Great you take the chance and do something risky. If you like the green colour then forget what other people think. I like such things. Going with the flow is not always the best way to go.
I once rebuild a Jaguar E-type S1. I had it painted in an unoriginal appel-green colour. The "police" from the Jaguar Club hated it and thought I had lost my head. It took 7 days to sell when ir came to that. Everybody loved the colour. And YOUR green colour is in fact original from Porsche.
The 986 Boxster wont be a classic for a long time, but maybe some day you car will be a sought after rarity.
Looking foreward for pictures.
Sorry for mistakes in language. English is not my mother tongue.

Macster

I've seen a few cars with the green interior. I'm on the fence regarding this color. That is I don't hate it but I don't get all weak in the knees when I see it either. I could I believe get along with the color. I am more concerned about an interior color that would result in annoying reflections in the windshield. I would then I think worry about a white interior. My 2002's neutral grey interior was surprisingly not a real problem in the reflection department. Fortunately.

With very few exceptions used car buyers are mostly concerned about price and condition , condition and price. Did I mention price and condition? While no used car buyer is likely to buy a car that makes him toss his cookies every time he looks at the car a car in good condition and with the right price, even with a green interior...One can learn to love a green interior.

(I bought a 2006 Torrid Red GTO with the red hot leather interior. I liked the car including the interior. Some people kind of gave me a bit of a bad time but the color suited me. When other people pay for my cars they can choose the color and interior. Until then, <static>!")

When (if) it comes time for you at some time down the road to sell a 2002 MY believe you me the focus will be on price and condition and the green interior might actually be a plus because it is different.

SpeedyD

Your English is quite good, no apologies necessary!

I am very happy with my decision and look forward to picking up the car after the IMS upgrade is complete. I don't mind having a different car and I tend to get whatever I personally like. I think it looks good, so that is what matters.

Come resale time (if ever!) then I will just need to be patient or take a lower price (or higher price!) It is certainly one of the rarest builds out there, even if the actual car is not that rare. I think I listed the options somewhere above but it is the highest spec'd Boxster S of that era that I came across while conducting my search, and the ONLY nephrite full leather interior for sure :-)

Spyder_Man

Congrats and moving forward with the purchase.

BTW... where are the pictures?