veleno

Hi Guys,

So I've been offered a '99 boxter that has transmission problems. According to the mechanic the fluid leaks out after you put it in (how fast/slow I don't know as I forgot to ask) and without him actually taking it out (engine and trans) he won't know for sure what the problem is. He said it could be a seal but doesn't know for sure.

Also, there is some water collecting on the driver's side and he mentioned that the computer box is in that area so hopefully it's not damaged.

The car needs a new battery and some tlc but is in overall good condition. We couldn't check the mileage due to the dead battery but let's estimate it to be around 100k to be on the safe side.

Aside from the problems above, do you think the car is worth 3k as is?
Are replacement parts (dme and trans) inexpensive?

If anyone can give real world estimates for a replacement transmission (automatic) and computer box (dme) I'd appreciate it. I'll be doing more research but any help is appreciated.

flyingpenguin

'99 has the fairly desirable 2.5L engine that SpecBoxster racers like. Worst case you can part out the car and with $3K not loose your shirt.

Bit of a gamble, but one I'd take in a heartbeat.

Where is this car located?

Macster

Boxster rollers sell for in the $3K range but the buyers are most often salvage yards that have a business of moving salvage parts.

For a private owner to buy one car with any hope of making any money on parting the car out.... who wants to turn his garage or yard into a junk yard?

If you have hopes on getting the car back on the road... If the transmission is a Tip it is possible the Tip can be repaired if all that is wrong is a bad seal or gasket. (Some leaks arise from a torque converter seal going bad.) The Tip is a ZF and there are many ZF's used in other cars so good shops that can rebuild one of these are around. The Porsche techs tell me that often when a customer with a sick Tip comes in they'll remove the Tip for it to be picked up by a transmission shop and rebuilt then brought back for installation.

Call around and get quotes on a Tip repair from several highly recommended transmission shops in your area. (Ask the local Porsche, VW, Mercedes dealers where they send customers with sick automatics.)

The car's security module is located under the passenger's seat on the floor.

Water in the cabin is not good as this can ruin that module.

For $3K you will have to either fix the Tip yourself or have it fixed. Worst case is if the Tip is bad and can't be fixed. Either you have to source a used one or a new Tip. I am not current on used or new Tip prices.

I note the battery is dead so you probably haven't heard the engine run let alone had a chance to test drive the car.

Unless you are a good judge of used car flesh the car could have other problems deeper than the Tip and the water and you could end up owning a very sick car, a money pit on 4 wheels.

If the car was in otherwise good shape I would think the owner would fix the Tip. He can't buy another car for what it would cost to do that.

You can get a running '99 for not much more than what you are thinking about paying for the non-running car and what roughly it would cost to get the car running again.

My advise would be to walk away.

extanker

if ya wanna gamble give the mechanic 50/100 bucks and have them put a used battery [all shops have a used battery lying around] get the car running and while waiting for temp check every thing electrical ,if ya trust the shop get their opine on the motor.you should have a worst case budget set aside. how much do you have ?

veleno

Thanks for the input guys.

When the car first had the leak (maybe earlier this year) the owner had it towed to the shop. The shop said the car started fine but the owner only wanted to find out what was causing the leak. The shop told him it was coming from the transmission and then had it towed back to his condo where it's been sitting since. The owner had it towed back to the shop 2 months ago to store and that's where it's at.

I was reading about the immobilizer being in the area and one comment made was that if it's bad it had to be reprogrammed by the dealership, which there are none here. I'm not sure how true that is but this may pose an issue if I can't simply do a "remove and replace" from another car.

Tip repair is also not an option. I would rather purchase a rebuilt/used transmission (complete) to make this a simple remove and replace job or the repair cost starts to go up.

I won't be able to drive it as the trans fluid leaks out once installed, but a charged battery would tell me if the immobilizer is functional or not so that's an easy check.

I don't want to go down the parting out path. That could take up too much free time.

Any other suggestions?

What if I could get the car for $2500, does it make it any better?

BostonDuce

Sorry, this is Big Red 7 bet at the craps table. If that's how you roll, then continue, if not, 7 outs. Sorry, I'm bored in Vegas...

IMO you must prepare for the worst when buying a barn find, or in this case a 'condo find'. Five hundred bucks will not ease your pain.

doomsday scenario:
rebuilt tip+install: $5-6K plus all the "while your in there" items.
DME: $1.5K plus whatever you find once you 'reboot'.

Plus, figure another easy $500-$1000 for "TLC" and safety repairs.

One thing if you have time and can wrench yourself, another metric if you have to pay a shop for heavy lifting.

BD

txhokie4life

Who is doing the work -- you or someone else?

I'd want to see where the leak is coming from and make sure
it really is transmission fluid.

My bet is it is the half shaft seals. Which is not a big deal -- even if you pay someone to do it.

I'd go with the $2-$2500 -- and then take care of the leak.

M

Macster

No. $500 doesn't make it any better. Not in my opinion.

You are facing a big and expensive unknown that is more than the Tip issue.

But first, what is the cost of a replacement (used) Tip? What kind of warranty do you get on this Tip? What happens if it proves to be bad when or shortly after you install it? Will the old Tip satisfy any core charge?

Also, when the Tip is replaced check with the tech but it probably makes sense to renew the CV joint bearing grease and replace the CV boots. The shafts are removed, the bearings are disassembled as best they can be and cleaned and inspected and if found ok repacked with grease and new boots fitted and the shafts installed.

How close does this expense put to you to what a running Boxster would cost, maybe even a newer one, if only by a year or two?

And once you have the Tip (hopefully) sorted there's other possible issues. The car has sat a while. I'm always concerned about rodent damage. So be sure you check for this very very carefully before going any further.

Then there are tires (and if tires require replacement budget for an alignment).

How many miles on the car?

The more miles the closer the car is to needing say a new water pump or a fuel pump.

What are the condition of the brake pads and rotors? Also, sitting that long the rotors may be rusted something fierce and they may need replacing.

When were the brakes flushed/bled?

What about the engine oil/filter?

Fuel filter?

Air filter?

Cabin filter?

Serpentine belt?

What do the radiator ducts look like? If filled with trash and after sitting a while the radiators/AC condensers could be corroded and if not leaking closer to it than not.

If you have no paperwork any or some of the above mentioned servicing was done recently you are faced with having these done to bring the servicing up to some known point.

I may be more conservative than most around here but to my mind the only way this car makes any sense is if you get it as a gift.

veleno

Lots of valid points guys, thanks!

I can do some of the wrenching but engine/transmission removal isn't one of them so I'll have to pay the shop for that service.

It's making more sense for me to pass on this one, not unless it was given to me. We'll see what the owner decides to do.

flyingpenguin

Where's the car located?

txhokie4life

under driver seat is immobilizer -- ~$700 and 2 hours labor to reprogram
but can only be done by a dealer.

BTW, if you passed -- where is it located -- if the penguin doesn't snag it -- my wife love's
the Boxster tips -- and I sold her last two.

Mike

lml999

Repeat after me: "There is nothing as expensive as a cheap Porsche."

...or a cheap BMW, Mercedes, or any Italian sports car....

I've been tempted by a couple of cheap cars. Fortunately, I've resisted.

They do make good track rats, but then you're not counting on them to get you to work on Monday morning...

We can't all be as lucky as the guys on Wheeler Dealer with their £1,000 Boxster!

Twos2

Hi Guys
My First post here so advise if I need to move this question. I picked up a 99 Boxster running but reported bad manual transmission, very curious symptoms, jacked the car ,both rear wheels turn easliy in neutral, put car in gear turn one the other turns opposite direction so far so good. Start car in neutral no bad noises, let clutch out in neutral no bad noises, put car in any gear 1,2,3,4,5, or R and you must rev motor to at least 3K to not stall. This is with car on jack stands, as trans heats up drag gets worse, no bearing noise or whine. Shut off car now turn wheels by hand much more drag than cold, any ideas? I will put on ramp tomorrow and drain transmission to check quantity and condition of fluid (assuming there is any of course) I budgeted 1K for a good used 5 speed box, I will do all the work. I was a 914 guy for years but got tired of getting rust in my eyes when doing any work on the car.

lml999

Yes, you should start a new thread!