Ocada

I've been looking for a third car for years checking out Z4s, miatas but finally settling on a boxster. I've found three privately owned boxsters nearby and was hoping I could get an opinion on which, on paper at least, would be the one to pursue. I've yet to see these in person but I'm making arrangements to see them in person.


1- 2000 boxster- 41k miles- One owner who actually lives in my neighborhood. Older guy so I imagine this thing is spotless. Photos look great. Cons- interesting color combo- silver with the blue top and the green full leather package. Again I haven't seen these in person so not sure if I'd like it. $14,000 listed

2- 2004 boxster- 26k miles- Blue exterior with black interior. 2nd owner with all records. Nothing else listed. $17500 list price.

3- 2003 boxster S -65k miles- one owner, but the ad is quite interesting. It says the engine was rebuilt about 2k miles ago and the IMS was replaced from a local reputable Porsche shop. Also noted that the clutch was rebuilt at 37k miles and then the flywheel was replaced with the engine rebuild. Owner says he has all records. It's a black on black. listed at $17,500. Based on the repairs this car may have had a hard life.

I know in 2003 the rear window was upgraded to glass but unless the 2000 is in bad shape this wouldn't bother me. I live in southern california so the top will be down a lot. Any advice would be great thanks guys.

Macster

The 2004 I like. Doesn't have big miles. Glass rear window. I can't speak to the price though. That is I'm not current on used Boxster market prices.

Next comes the 2000. As a used car buyer I'm more concerned about condition and price so the color combo doesn't bother me though of course I'd have to see the car in person. I mean if the thing makes me puke then the price and condition really don't matter. But it would have to make me puke to reject the car if the car otherwise checks out.

The info on the 2003 does suggest a hard life. Also, there is now the issue about the quality of the rebuild. 2K miles is not many miles. And why after a rebuild just 2K miles ago sell the car? After putting the kind of money into a car one would think the owner would hang on to it forever.

Is there any warranty on the engine rebuild? Is it transferable? Will the shop be around to call upon should there be a problem while the engine is under warranty? Would you want to go back to this shop if there was a problem?

Regardless which car you look at get a 15 mile test ride then a 15 mile test drive to give the engine/car time to manifest any issues. Particularly you want to experience the engine from a cold start, while it idles/warms up, then on the road in a variety of situations; city stop/go driving, cruising at med.to "high" (freeway) speeds, and hard acceleration up to red line.

Afterwards whichever car you then want to continue to consider give the car a full used car inspection. Assume nothing works until you verify it does work.

Then a PPI. Having the PPI done after a test ride/drive has the PPI standing a better chance of spotting leaks.

gfl

First, newer is better.

Second, condition is everything. So do a first hand look before you prioritize.

Third, get a complete, professional, on-lift PPI if you can. Its worth it. Much cheaper to pay a premium for a good car than to fix a bad one.

There will be religious arguments over the relative merits of an S vs regular. Only you can decide. But I have a non-S and it gets used vastly harder than most S cars - many tracks days, many autoX and i never feel deprived.

The car with all the rebuilds begs the question "why"?

Whatever you get, if and when you do the clutch, do the IMS at the same time.

Grant

Joe-B

Lots of good advice so far, for sure. First of all I'm happy to see you are looking only at private owners. I'd stay as far away from used car dealers as possible. The color is inconsequential; it's purely your preference. I suggest you look at and drive all 3. Then buy the one that makes you grin the most. A Boxster is purely an emotional purchase. I just bought a 2003 S model one month ago. It had high miles (88,000), but was in fantastic condition. I'm glad I bought it; the S really is nicer. I wouldn't be scared away by the rebuilt 2003. Everything can be rebuilt or replaced. However, $17,500 seems way high; I'd offer $15,000. I'd ask a lot of questions about it though. Good luck!

Byprodriver

As far as the "S" goes it is not unheard of to have to rebuild a engine early if you can post the shop that did the rebuild we may be able to semi-vouch for it. All of the prices seem high & I would not over pay for low mileage unless you are a cosmetic perfectionist. If you are a power enthusiast I would not settle for a non-"S"

Ray S

Based on your descriptions only I'd say get the '04

VGM911

This one looks easy - the '04 is the one to get. Low mileage, good price, newest model before the model change in '05.

P.S. I wasn't aware that "green" leather was available.

Ocada

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the tips so far. I'm actually scheduled to meet the owners of 2000 Boxster and 2004 Boxster tomorrow to give the cars a once over. I'll report back with the results. Both owners seem super nice and super responsible, mature owners.

I do have a question. The 2004 with 26k miles has been getting its maintenance at a local Porsche dealership and all the maintenance items have been listed on carfax. This owner will also show me the maintenance records from the dealership when i meet him tomorrow.

According to carfax, his last entry was from April of this year where the oil/filter was changed, brake fluid changed and a switch repaired. Looking over the carfax, this guy had his oil changed every 5k miles or 1 year religiously(twice going 10 months and only 2k miles between oil/filter change.) He lives in a very very affluent part of socal and is an older owner who seemingly took his maintenance requirements very seriously.

That all being said, if I were to review the dealer documents and they didn't note any deferred maintenance items(typically dealers will advise the customer of what they recommend they fix and if the customer told them no) would you be comfortable forgoing a PPI?

The only reason I ask is due to my schedule I likely won't be able to get a PPI done until a week and a half from now. If this car seems absolutely perfect I'd be kicking myself if I missed it. I mentioned this to the owner and he said he'd be happy to let me do a PPI and we could discuss scheduling tomorrow. Any advice on this matter?

Macster

Well there are two cardinal sins in shopping for a used car. Buying a bad one and letting a good one slip through your fingers.

The 2004 reads like a good car. Of course they all sound good over the phone, but you've done some homework and I believe from the tone of your post have some good feelings about this 2004. Heck I'm not in the market for another Boxster but the 2004 car does sound intriguing.

There are at least two courses of action: You can take your time, work to your schedule, and take a chance the car will not be sold in the meantime.

Sort of reads like the seller might work with you.

He ain't me: When I put a car up for sale my rule is the first person who shows up who wants the car and has the money gets the car. I hold the car for no one.

You ask to see the car tomorrow and someone calls right after you and wants to see it later today he could own the car by the time you swing by the next day. I'd call you though and save you the drive for nothing.

Or you can consider a reasonable and non-refundable deposit to hold the car.

I do not take deposits preferring to keep things simple: The first person who shows up with the money who wants to buy the car gets the car.

gfl

Risk vs reward.

On the 04 several things are in your favor:

1. cant do TOO much damage in 26k
2. Regular maint
3. solid owner

The very fact that he agreed to PPI gives you 50% of the faith that nothing awful will be found. But stuff could be.

All i can say is - if you don't have a real PPI done, at least:

1. grill the dealer
2. drive it carefully and listen/feel for everything
3.look the car over for signs of damage
4. check the basic systems - tires, control arm play, brake condition
5. look for signs of any fluids

The fact that things like the brake fluid were done, and the oil done at a modest 12 mos 5 k miles (rather than waiting for 12 or 20 k to roll around) is good.

The question is - how much unknown cost cna you accept? I always assume a "new" used car will take a couple thousand to get it my way. You OK with that?

Hey, i bought a replacement motor for my project over the phone earlier this week. Talk abotu risk - i saw/heard it run on youtube.

Grant

mikefocke

If you can't get the PPI, at least see if you can take a Porsche Boxster owner with you so that he/she can at least vouch that everything works and sounds normal. There is risk in buying any complex piece of machinery, be it new or used. (My 2 month old new car (non-Porsche) goes in for several things tomorrow.) The advantage of having someone knowledgeable exercise all the systems is they know what the system should do and sound like and aren't a newbie fumbling around with the switches and suspecting they did something wrong. At the very worst, have the owner exercise all the systems and explain everything to you.

The guy who bought my last Boxster bought without even a test drive ... not even around the block. Said his business was reading people and he could tell from the way I talked about the car that it was a loved/cared-for car. He got a good one.

So while I usually recommend a PPI, this may be the exception.

One thing to note is the tires could be up to 8 years old ... more probably ~4 and they are only good for about 5 or 6 and it will cost you $800-1200 to replace them. So make sure you read the sidewalls and find out when they were made (not when sold). Brake pads would be measured by a PPI and a full brake job could be another $1000-1200.

Mighty Shilling

I kind of don't want to tell you I bought a replacement motor for my daily based on the fact I was told it runs.... talk about scary... It came from a car that caught fire. Didn't know that until it arrived.... Fired right up, and given me a trouble free year. Nerve racking though....

FrostyNothing

I would go with the S it seems like a solid car!!

Ocada

Hey guys,

So I saw both cars today and was impressed by both. The green interior actually is stunning in person. It's a darker green then the sellers pictures showed. The car was well taken care of and it is being sold by someone who literally lives down the street from my wife and I. Very nice family who unfortunately is selling the car because its primary driver is having serious medical problems. The car was in great shape with only a few cosmetic issues to note but nothing that would prevent me from happily buying.

Then I saw the 2004. Although this one was not full leather like the other, it's interior was more refined. The switches and buttons were just a notch above the 2000's. Plus this car had the glass rear window, heated seats, 18" rims and a free Porsche hat . This one also had the wind deflectors. I checked the tires and they were replaced less than a year ago and have 3500 miles on them.

The owner had all the records and as I stated above religiously maintained this thing. He's an older gentleman who used this as a weekender. Took it for a drive and it was beautiful as was the 2000.

We also resolved our scheduling issues so I'm calling shops to schedule a PPI this weekend. Sounds like a perfect scenario to buy a Porsche. Ill keep you informed.

perfectlap

I would factor in the price of an IMS swap into your bottom line. ~$1200 if you do it minus the clutch but most do them both. And on that topic, if you are going to swap the IMS, I'm not a proponent of waiting for the clutch to wear out. The IMS can go at low mileage, moderate or high. Not worth the engine risk to save to save less than $500.