About to purchase 2000 Boxster
03-19-2012, 08:05 PM
#1
Racer
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About to purchase 2000 Boxster
Fellow Rennlisters, I am about to pull the trigger on a 2000 Boxster 5 speed with 90,000 km. Dealer serviced from day one and winter stored. Anything to look out for besides getting brakes, clutch, callipers, and rotors checked. What should I be expecting for maintenance costs.
Much Appreciated,
Much Appreciated,
03-20-2012, 12:25 PM
#3
winter-stored? I guess you have no alternative up there. 56K is right at the entry of moderate mileage.
Your seller may think it a plus, but I don't like the idea of buying cars that are winter-stored unless the owner takes it for weekly leg-stretching drives around the block. Depending on the length of the winter, that can be a long time of unlubricated parts sitting dry when you look at it for a 12 year vantage point. Things internally can get brittle and if you start driving it harder and more frequently who knows what shakes out. I don't think winter-storing m96 engines is a plus when it comes to a sale.
I don't what import issues are like but buying a Southern California garage queen driven year round is optimal in my book. Particularly if its enthusiast owned. A year round driven car in a more moderate climate with reduced winter mileage would be second best.
Not really your car but to other potential buyers reading, a car with year round driving in areas with more intense winters with that kind of mileage would need significant maintenace records. Among other things, shocks $2K, control arms $2K, IMS/RMS/Clutch (2K), AOS, water pump, cats, 02 sensors, coolant tank (all common fails at around 70-100K miles that can cost at least $500-$1000 each. And then you have you're unexpected repairs like a toasted throttle body, starter, alternator. You could esily spend $10K on that Boxster and find that you'll need to do multiple simultaneous repairs that account for 20% of the cost of entry...just like that. Point is budget minimum $3K a year in repairs for any Porsche with either mileage over 70K or driven in winter, rough roads, etc.
Your seller may think it a plus, but I don't like the idea of buying cars that are winter-stored unless the owner takes it for weekly leg-stretching drives around the block. Depending on the length of the winter, that can be a long time of unlubricated parts sitting dry when you look at it for a 12 year vantage point. Things internally can get brittle and if you start driving it harder and more frequently who knows what shakes out. I don't think winter-storing m96 engines is a plus when it comes to a sale.
I don't what import issues are like but buying a Southern California garage queen driven year round is optimal in my book. Particularly if its enthusiast owned. A year round driven car in a more moderate climate with reduced winter mileage would be second best.
Not really your car but to other potential buyers reading, a car with year round driving in areas with more intense winters with that kind of mileage would need significant maintenace records. Among other things, shocks $2K, control arms $2K, IMS/RMS/Clutch (2K), AOS, water pump, cats, 02 sensors, coolant tank (all common fails at around 70-100K miles that can cost at least $500-$1000 each. And then you have you're unexpected repairs like a toasted throttle body, starter, alternator. You could esily spend $10K on that Boxster and find that you'll need to do multiple simultaneous repairs that account for 20% of the cost of entry...just like that. Point is budget minimum $3K a year in repairs for any Porsche with either mileage over 70K or driven in winter, rough roads, etc.
03-20-2012, 07:08 PM
#4
Race Director
Fellow Rennlisters, I am about to pull the trigger on a 2000 Boxster 5 speed with 90,000 km. Dealer serviced from day one and winter stored. Anything to look out for besides getting brakes, clutch, callipers, and rotors checked. What should I be expecting for maintenance costs.
Much Appreciated,
Much Appreciated,
Brakes, clutch, calipers and rotors may be are probably fine -- since if they're not almost any test drive will turn up the fact they're not -- so owners generally (though not always) address any real serious issues in these areas.
Plan for a 15 mile test ride then a 15 mile test drive to really give the car and the engine and the engine controller time to manifest/flag any issues.
At 55K miles to around 80K miles my 02 needed nothing but gas and oil and tires.
Roughly budget for 5K mile (some like to go longer but I like 5K miles) oil/filter changes, rear tires every 20K miles, front tires double that miles, and engine/cabin air filters at the owners manual schedule. Brake fluid flush/bleed every 2 years and keep the water drains clean, the radiator air ducts and A/C condensors free of trash/dirt.
If the alignment is ok you can think about getting an alignment done every time all 4 tires are replaced, though I let the old tires' wear pattern drive this for my cars. If the wear is even across the tread face from side to side and there are no other signs of misalignment, I skip the alignment, unless the dealer offers a discount alignment as part of the tire replacement.
Sincerely,
Macster.
03-22-2012, 01:14 PM
#5
Burning Brakes
Loved my '01S of similar mileage, quite reliable. Do get a PPI by a Porsche mechanic as that should reveal things you might overlook just because he has brand-specific experience. More thoughts/articles on buying a Boxster here including a thoughts on what should be included with the car, etc.
You'll love it.
I stored my car for some of the winter months over 5+ years using a battery maintainer and a car cover and never had any of the problems cited above. Granted I did take it out if there were a few nice days interspersed with the bad ones. Do pay attention to the type of tires you have on the car.
Had a chance to spend some time last Autumn in your area, the roads were quite good. Just finished reading a book on the early convoys out of Halifax during WWII and am now into one telling the stories of all the Canadian merchant ships lost during the war. A dose of non-USA-centric history sparked by seeing one of the books in a book store up there and finding the other in a local North Carolina library.
You'll love it.
I stored my car for some of the winter months over 5+ years using a battery maintainer and a car cover and never had any of the problems cited above. Granted I did take it out if there were a few nice days interspersed with the bad ones. Do pay attention to the type of tires you have on the car.
Had a chance to spend some time last Autumn in your area, the roads were quite good. Just finished reading a book on the early convoys out of Halifax during WWII and am now into one telling the stories of all the Canadian merchant ships lost during the war. A dose of non-USA-centric history sparked by seeing one of the books in a book store up there and finding the other in a local North Carolina library.
