hacker-pschorr

Some of you may remember these threads started by myself helping my father find a used Boxster:
https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...hreadid=100736
https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...hreadid=111480

He found a car (ok many) but this one is very local and he likes the combo.
1998
50,xxx miles
Silver with a blue top
The 2nd owner is selling
He is claiming to have all records from a dealer in Milwaukee
He was asking $25k in the ad, my father has him down to $19k

Here is my problem. The top is not original, the seller put in the blue top and made a comment that it is very common for these tops to be replaced on the Boxsters (news to me) and the odometer isn't working.

He has the car at the dealer right now getting two computer chips replaced for $2,200 to fix this problem. I'm nervous about that problem. Why would these go bad?

My father has a very long history with sports cars going back to his first Corvette in 1960, he's no idiot when looking over a car, and he feels the car is "mint" and the mileage looks accurate based on condition.

Is the odometer an issue? Lets assume the mileage is close to what is listed. I'm not really worried about the car having more miles than indicated, I'm worried about these chips going bad that could be a sign of something to come.

Any advice, let me know ASAP, he will probably buy the car by this Friday if I cannot convince him otherwise.

Doug&Julie

I know the plastic windows are prone to split if you try to open them in cooler (cold) temps. Dealers recommend replacing the entire top, although I've seen/heard of many who have just the window replaced. I wouldn't be surprised if this has happened here.

I would be a little more worried about the odometer reading. There may be nothing wrong (i.e. the seller is completely honest here), but think again if/when you go to sell this car...you'll have to disclose the odometer error. As for why the chips would go bad...I have no idea other than sometimes electronics just go bad. I know many people with 3.2 Carreras recommend carrying around an extra DME in the glove box "just in case".

If the car checks out from a certified dealer or mechanic via PPI, then these problems probably aren't too significant. A nice Boxster for under $20k is a great bargain.

Good luck!

hacker-pschorr

Didn't remember the plastic window part, good call.

The part about trying to re-sell the car is valid, but not for my father. We tend to keep things for a long time. By the time he sells this car, it will have well over 100k and blue book will be under $10k.

The DME in the glove box? Damn, 944's have the same issue. After all these years they have the same problem. So, are timing belts and water pumps going to be the big "whtch out" item on the Boxsters in a few years?

Sean

It's not uncommon for tops to be replaced because of plastic window cracks. (Mine was just done a couple of weeks ago - thankfully, under warranty.)

Good luck with the glove box! Pre-2003 cars don't have 'em.

I've never heard of the odo problem. Have you done a Carfax? Sounds like a good idea in this case.

Turboflyer

If you really think there is something wrong with the mileage, the dealer should be able to tell you what it is. Or check the last smog, it has to have the mileage as part of the smog. I definitely would do a search on the vehicle. there are a couple of ways to go. Good luck, scary stuff.

jcnesq

I replaced my '01 Boxster S top recently when I was selling - after some hassle, got PCNA to approve a warranty replacement. The top problems were common and apart from the plastic window, the sides of the top would wear, so this does not sound unusual.

If the old owner has the maintenance records, they ought to show milages and should tell you whether the claimed current milage makes sense.

hacker-pschorr

Checking the smog records won't work, no smog testing up here, but a good idea.

Just to recap, I'm not worried about what the actual mileage is but what caused the computer chips to go bad that caused the odometer to not work. I know things can break, I'm in the IT field. Who knows, maybe at one time the car got a jump start and it shorted out part of the ECU.

I was hoping someone has heard of this particular problem before. Since it doesn't seam to be very common, I hope it doesn't mean future electrical problems are the future of this car.

Tool Pants

Anything electronic can go bad. Clusters do go bad but it is not common.

With the PST2 you can get the engine operating hours from the DME and compare it to the odometer reading. The rule of thumb is 30 mph.

Doug&Julie

God I hope not. My 944 broke it's belt once. Once...

I've read a number of people on this board who have high mileage cars with few or no problems. I do believe it's in the 60k maintenance to change the belts. I've not heard of any chronic water pump issues.

I'm very curious to hear if you ever find out the cause of the chip failure. That's a new one on me. I will throw in, however, that when my brother bought his '03 (brand new) he had some problems with his Bose system. We never really found the cause, other than a bad unit. (It would occasionally stop working and he'd have to unplug the whole thing to 'reboot' it.) Porsche eventually just replaced the main stereo unit and all is find now.

..electronics..

hacker-pschorr

Stupid me, Boxsters have timing chains. Wow, a water cooled Porsche that you can actually wait until the water pump totally dies before you have to replace it. What a concept. With they would have thought of this back in 1971 when the 928 project started.

Greg D.

I would not worry about those issues too much. Tops do fail in their mechanism as well, they car tear at the corners, and sometimes need replacement. It's not like it's got a new engine, a new top is a plus as far as I am concerned - the rear window will be nice and new !

On an old obxster I would worry about one thing exclusively: the rear main seal (And to a smaller degree the coolant tank cracking). Mileage is almost of no importance, if it was gonna leak or the engine have to be replaced, it will have by now on a 98. If not, then it's probably a good one !

RMS replacement is $$$$ if not under warranty, and if they cannot fix the mating surfaces, you need a new engine - Porsche has been good so far about fixing those after warranty expiration, but their goodwill is not gonna last much longer IMO - esp on a 98... So I would not worry about the stuff you mentioned, I'd worry about other stuff ;-)

hacker-pschorr

BUMP,

Here is the car in question:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...or=&cardist=33

Ghost Rider

Considering he lowered his price to $19,500 in the ad your dad might be able to get it for less than $19K now...

Speedster4s

With so many pre-owned B's on the market I would steer clear. Sometimes it's nice to have problems that are your own vs. someone else's nightmare. The rapid drop in price along with the 2k repair bill means the seller wants OUT. Good luck.

hacker-pschorr

The price listed in the ad is AFTER he already fixed the chips for the odometer.