As the title says, I am trying to make up my mind to buy a Boxster that I found relatively local to me. I am looking at a 1997 base model with roughly 48,000 miles on the odometer, verified by Carfax. It appears to be in good physical shape with a few scrapes and small superficial dents/door dings. I was told all body panels and paint are original and it looks like it. The car is being stored in a warehouse and is only started occasionally. I have been told, no preventative maintenance has been done except for oil changes once per year. The owner is the second who bought the car in 2004.

As of today, I have it in a local shop awaiting a pre purchase inspection. It is the small local shop that has done the oil changes on the car. No dealership or Porsche expert exisits even remotely close to town to take it to for a more detailed once over.

I don't know what they will find, if anything, and since this is my first Boxster, besides the research I have done online, I really don't know what to look or "feel" for on the test drive (It ran good and didn't have anything noticable except for some shake in the steering wheel. The tires are old and need to be replaced so I am attributing the shake to them).

Can you all give me some advice on what to look for, overall advice on this 22 year old 48K mile car, and negotiating points? They are asking a bit over $11,000 for it and it comes with a factory hardtop that hasn't been used in years and years.

I know about the IMSB and the RMS...they seem to be the most expensive options for maintenance at this point. Should I drop $11,000+ taxes+ IMS/Clutch/RMS on this car? Or should I give them $11000+ taxes+ and hope?

 

Where are you located? That sounds like a lot of money for a '97 base model. In your place I would look further a field, it seems to me you could find a sorted similar car for less money.
Personally for the early cars with the double row bearing I would not worry about the IMSB, if there is an RMS leak you will see the oil at the bottom of the clutch housing. If it needs a clutch then perhaps IMSB could be changed but by then you will have spent Boxster S money for an early base model.
I would be worried about age related problems (like half-shaft boots and other rubber), seals that tend to harden when the car is not used and maintenance other than oil changes.
Keep in mind that once you have this or another Boxster there is the question of maintenance and repairs... sounds like you will have to learn to DIY it, otherwise you will be paying your local garage to learn how to maintain a Porsche...

 

As someone who has been in the market recently, prices have come up recently, unfortunately. I did find some lower price cars but they all needed several thousand $ of work, at which point the true cost of entry gets to be north of $10k for even a base model. That said, still tremendous value for $. However, for a base model you should have tons of options out there, just need to do all comparisons on an “all-in” basis. This can be tricky to know without a PPI .. Good luck!

 

One more specific comment. I would not assume the steering shake is simply replacing the old tires. You should get them to cough up for decent new tires and then test drive it OR assume the worst and that it is tires plus decent chunk of $$$ to fix whatever the issue is (assuming a PPI isnt possible). At that point factor it into your bottom line price...

 

Thank goodness.

 

way way way too much especially for a 97 as they were plagued with problems. I would look for a 2000 or newer. 11,000 should buy a nice low mile 2001 Boxster S

 

Are the 1997-1999s known to have more issues then the 2000+ cars? I know some of the introductory issues should have been sorted, but is their something specific that I should look for?

 

The general rule of used car buying is to buy the best example of the car you want, can find, and can afford. I'm not market savvy on used Boxster prices.

My usual advice is to visit www.kbb.com and www.nada.com and plug in the car's numbers and see what prices pop up. The car is really only worth trade in or whole sale. (This is what a dealer will give for the car knowing it can turn the car around in an auction for what it paid for it.) How much over this one pays depends upon how badly he wants the car and how dear the seller values the car.

For a used Boxster what to look out for? Everything! Let me paste something that may be of some value to you...


My general advice is to visit the car cold, check the oil level from inside the car, which should only require 5 seconds. (Or use the dipstick.)

In the car start the engine. Be sure all warning lights come on and then go off once the engine has started. Pay particular attention to the CEL. But you don't want to see an ABS light or airbag light on either. Be sure the A/C is off. You test the A/C later.

Let the engine idle from cold. You want to listen for any signs of ticking/noises or any other signs the engine may not be healthy. A rough idle, backfires, spitting back, anything out of the ordinary.

Get out of the car and walk around the car checking body panel finish, alignment, and gaps. Note the condition of the wheels, looking for any curb rash. Check the tires. Ideally they should be factory sanctioned tires and in good condition. Check date codes of the tires. Porsche considers tires past their replacement data after 6 years.

Check the brakes, look at the rotors for signs of damage/excessive wear. A 1mm lip around the rotor outer diameter is a sign of the rotor being worn enough to be replaced.

Check the hood and trunk hinges for any signs the fasteners have had wrenches on them. At the front carefully the bolts that hold the fenders to the chassis/tub and check the fasteners at the top of the struts for any sign of wrenching.

Look inside the radiator ducts. If full of trash budget for a bumper removal and a trash clean out. The trash won't affect cooling but can lead to corrosion of the condenser and radiator.

After some few minutes -- the longer the better -- of the engine idling and with the engine still running ok and sounding ok have the seller take you on a test ride. The route should be around 15 miles long and chosen to give the driver a chance to demo the car as you intend to use it. What is wanted is a mix of city driving with stop and go, steady moderate speed cruising on like a boulevard, and some highway/freeway driving.

If equipped with an automatic while it is still "cold" have the driver perform an K-turn to see how the transmission responds to repeated and rapid changes in direction.

Ideally there should be some opportunities -- once the engine is up to temperature -- for some rather hard acceleration with the driver starting out from a standstill or a slow roll and accelerating hard up through at least a couple of gears. No need to smoke the tires or try to duplicate the factory's 0 to 60mph time but you want to experience the engine under hard acceleration to verify it pulls good, runs right, and afterwards shows no ill effects from the hard acceleration.

While a passenger of course pay attention to how the transmission shifts, how the car rides, feels. The car should not want to pull to one side or the other and the hard acceleration should give the driver a chance to perform a hard braking. No tire lock up but you want to verify the brakes have plenty of bite and the car tracks straight under hard braking.

With the automatic transmission up to temperature, or at least warmer -- have the driver do the K-turn test again.

After the 15 mile test ride then back at the starting point -- leaving the engine running -- get behind the wheel and drive the car over the same 15 mile test route and drive it pretty much the same way although since the car is unknown to you you can dial back on the hard acceleration test. You don't want to let the car get away from you and wrap it around a telephone pole.

After your 15 mile test drive then at the starting point if you still like the car confirm all systems work. From the head lights to the tail lights. From the horn to the back up camera (if fitted). The A/C. Check all the controls. The wipers. Manually operate the spoiler. Operate the top. Check everything.

Ideally you would want to show up able to remove the Torx fasteners that secure the plastic covers on either side of the battery so you can remove these covers and check for any signs of water backing up in the front body water drains.

When you check the top as you open the top when the clam shell gets as elevated as it can be stop and get out and check the rear body water drains. There is one located on either side of the top under the clam shell arm.

Given the car has sat so long I'd want to expose the engine compartment -- you have to remove the carpet cover, then the metal panel under it -- and carefully look for any signs of mice damage or mice sign (trash, pellets, etc.).

Check the door bottoms for any signs of dampness. If damp this is a sign the door membrane is bad and should be replaced. (If one bad both should be replaced.)

While you are checking for dampness check under both seats for any signs of moisture. A water drain overflow, a leaking door membrane, a leaking top, a leaking weather strip seal can let water in the cabin and the security module is on the cabin floor under I think the driver's seat. So if you detect any signs of moisture my advice is to walk away from the car.

At this point if you still like the car and believe you can buy it for a good price -- based on your market research -- it is good idea to arrange to have the car given a pre-purchase inspection (PPI) by a tech who is qualified to evaluate the car. A Porsche dealer tech can be used. These guys evaluate trade ins all the time.

This gets the car in the air so a check can be made for any leak sign. At the same time a check can be made for any signs of damage or damage repair.

The idle time, test ride followed by a test drive give you an opportunity to really experience the car in its natural state: engine running and on the road. All cars generally look good on the lot. But it is how they look and run and feel and sound and smell on the road, or after being on the road, that really matters.

Unless the seller can supply paper work the services are current make a list of services "due" and budget for various services: oil/filter, brake fluid flush/bleed (due every 2 years), plugs maybe, transmission/diff fluid change, maybe even a drain and refill of the cooling system. (This every 4 years or so really helps preserve the water pump seals and hoses.)

Tires should be factory sanctioned tires and in good condition. If tires are worn unevenly budget for new tires and an alignment assuming wear is not severe enough to suspect the car's bent. In this case you don't want an alignment you want to walk away from the car.

With my 2002 I never bothered to replace the IMSB. The car racked up 317K miles on the original IMSB. This of course is no guarantee another Boxster will have the same luck. My preference would be to get a car that has not had the IMSB addressed then have this done after you buy the car, if you believe this worth doing. My thinking is if you have this done you can pick the best IMSB "solution" based on your research and then pick where the work is done and what is done and have some feeling the job was done right.

Remember these things: Price is not fact only an opinion. And there is always another car. If you find something seriously negative about this car don't feel you have to buy it. There is another car out there you'll like just as much if not more than this one and it won't have any negatives.

Remember price is not fact only an opinion. I want to add with this car you are probably looking at some considerable amount of catching up service and maybe some repair (cars generally do not do well when they sit unused for long periods of time and leaks happen). It is generally hard to get a seller to adjust his price down so you don't spend "good" condition money on a car that really is in "poor" condition then spend even more money *after* the purchase to bring the car up to the point you can enjoy it reliably. You are generally better off finding a car that has been actively used and has all its services current.

And if you find something off putting about the car walk away. There is always another car.

 

That does seem kind of spendy for a '97. The low miles aren't a good thing; to me they indicate that it hasn't been exercised enough.

 

This is my thought exactly. It seems like their has to be a balance between lower miles and moderate use. I just don't know where that line exists.

 

Even 'moderate' use doesn't get you anything, really. These cars like to get driven.

Right around 100k miles you're going to be replacing a bunch of wear-out parts: Coils, spark plug tubes, struts, AOS, and such all start going south around this time. Fix them and the car will run fine for another 100k miles.

My daughter has an '01 Boxster with 110k on the clock. I've done all the above and more, and all of it in my garage with hand tools. I have a '99 Boxster with 182k, and everything was done when I bought it, so I haven't done anything to that one except drive it (it's my summer daily). The only thing with that one is a persistent CEL (I probably need to get at the MAF, but it runs fine), and I need to put in coolant a couple times a year (probably a small crack in the overflow tank).

Based on my experience and observations, the sweet spot for early Boxsters right now is 100k to 120k, around $6k - $7k in good running condition with normal wear.

Where are you located? I'm in PA and I'm thinking of letting mine go. PM me if you're interested.

 

Plain & simple 1997 is the worst year to own. DME computer is not reprogrammable, there were several issues when new, Porsche recommends NOT installing wheels over 17", some do not have airbags in the doors,(possible bonus if you never need them) If you live in the North you may get some use from the hardtop but it can be a pain to store it or sell due to the size. If the tires are 5 years or older they are probably the main cause of the steering shake. If you are ok with all of this plus the cosmetic issues I would offer $10K max. As for negotiating points shop around for 98-99 models for comparison don't allow the low INDICATED mileage be a trump card.

 

Ummm.. Trump should be capitalized.

 

Thanks All!

Due to your feedback and guidance, I decided not to buy this Boxster. Instead, I took a look at a 2002 in Southern California that is absolutely mechanically sorted and in great shape. I will post pics and specifics when I get back in town!

 

Lots of excellent advice provided by the Boxster veterans in this thread.

Prices have climbed lately on Boxsters, but typically with well-maintained examples, and "S" models

For $11,000, you can spring for a well-maintained base model Boxster, or an "S" model with bits and pieces of maintenance required, some of which can be deferred. Depending on what your use case is for the Boxster, if you want to buy a time capsule, then go for it. But if you want to enjoy the Boxster, a well exercised car is a better option. Given my previous Porsche ownership and experience, I don't think I'll ever buy a low-mileage example ever again.