action fab

what would be a better buy? both are $12K

2003 2.7, manual, yellow with black interior. very clean but will need 90k service (which I can easly do myself) with 92k miles
or
1998 2.5, manual, black with black interior. very clean with 47K miles

This will be my wifes DD she will put about 50 miles a day on it...

dallison28

i'd choose the 03. If you were closer i would sell you my 02-s

nosnow

I would agree the 03 providing the options are the same.

judd944

get the 03 for sure

action fab

Id come get your s for $12k... will you e-mail me some specs and pics?

Fly911

First, 92k miles is not high mileage. You get a car that is just broken in. With proper maintenance and spirited driving (don't put-put at 1,500-2,000 rpm), the M96 engine can last for several hundred thousand miles. As for the early 2.5L engines, I would never buy a low mileage car. Most of the failures on those early M96 engines happen around 50k miles, cars with 100k miles are usually a safer purchase. The pre 2000 M96 engines had so many potential failure modes, that I personally would avoid them, again, especially a low mileage car. As far as the Boxster engines, the 3.2L "S" engine is the most reliable one. This is based on the 3.4L 996 engine, but with smaller cylinder bore, and hence bigger cylinder wall thickness. The cylider cracking that a lot of 996 experience, is not seen on the 3.2L Boxster S. You can get a 2000 Boxster S for around $12,000 with 100k miles on the clock. With a good maintenance record, that should be the safest purchase for the money.

action fab

so what about an 02 that I found wout 78K and $12K

racer

03 = standard glass rear window... 228hp ; nicer interior trim/materials.
98 = plastic rear window ... 201hp.

98-99 had some "slipped sleeve" engine issues iirc. Unless you are going Boxster Spec racing, stick to the newer one.

jason952

03

action fab

Well I just called the seller and she said she sold it today, so if anyone knows of a good $12K> 986 I am in the market. I am also selling a B6 A4 cabriolet if anyone wants one of thoes.

must be a 00-04.

action fab

Oh I found an 01 S for $10K but it has 137K miles. It does have very good service history though. I also found a few other 00-02's for around $10K with 60K-80K miles. It just sucks that they are all over 300 miles away, so going to compare them is not really an option. That is making this much harder....

Is 137K miles going to be bad if we plan to put another 70K miles on it in the next 3 years?

Fly911

Assuming the service history is good, with frequent oil changes and regular maintenance, 137k miles should be OK. However, you should look closely on other parts, like suspension bushings, shock absorbers, clutch, brakes, etc, etc. All those are subject to wear and tear, and will have to be changed sooner or later.