Boxster Purchase

[sapsecurity01]

Hi everyone.

I'm trying to fight the urge to trade in my 2005.5 Audi A4 for a CPO Boxster or Cayman. I'm serious enough about this to lose some money on the Audi and see my payment jump. I have read an awful lot about the RMS and IMS issues. I understand that a used car that has been driven is better than a garage queen with no/little miles. Ok, but what do I look for in a pre-owned Porsche - obvious signs of abuse, accidents, lack of care? When I test drive both the Boxster and Cayman this weekend are there any signs of trouble that I should be aware of?

I'm sure adding the negative equity of my Audi into the Porsche is a stupid idea on some levels (my wife will kill me) however I have wanted a Porsche since I was a little kid. I can finally afford one so why not?

So if any of you can provide guidance and advice on purchasing my first Porsche I would really appreciate it. I searched the forum and found general answers - I'm looking for specific things to watch out for.

Thanks.

Todd

[number9ine]

Hi everyone.

I'm trying to fight the urge to trade in my 2005.5 Audi A4 for a CPO Boxster or Cayman. I'm serious enough about this to lose some money on the Audi and see my payment jump. I have read an awful lot about the RMS and IMS issues. I understand that a used car that has been driven is better than a garage queen with no/little miles. Ok, but what do I look for in a pre-owned Porsche - obvious signs of abuse, accidents, lack of care? When I test drive both the Boxster and Cayman this weekend are there any signs of trouble that I should be aware of?

I'm sure adding the negative equity of my Audi into the Porsche is a stupid idea on some levels (my wife will kill me) however I have wanted a Porsche since I was a little kid. I can finally afford one so why not?

So if any of you can provide guidance and advice on purchasing my first Porsche I would really appreciate it. I searched the forum and found general answers - I'm looking for specific things to watch out for.

Thanks.

Todd

Hi,

Since you've posted this already, you may want to PM Loren or one of the other admins to move your original post to the Boxster section.

Mark

[1schoir]

Hi everyone.

I'm trying to fight the urge to trade in my 2005.5 Audi A4 for a CPO Boxster or Cayman. I'm serious enough about this to lose some money on the Audi and see my payment jump. I have read an awful lot about the RMS and IMS issues. I understand that a used car that has been driven is better than a garage queen with no/little miles. Ok, but what do I look for in a pre-owned Porsche - obvious signs of abuse, accidents, lack of care? When I test drive both the Boxster and Cayman this weekend are there any signs of trouble that I should be aware of?

I'm sure adding the negative equity of my Audi into the Porsche is a stupid idea on some levels (my wife will kill me) however I have wanted a Porsche since I was a little kid. I can finally afford one so why not?

So if any of you can provide guidance and advice on purchasing my first Porsche I would really appreciate it. I searched the forum and found general answers - I'm looking for specific things to watch out for.

Thanks.

Todd

Todd:

As my CPA friend always says to me when I hesitate to make a purchase for something I am considering "...What the f*** are you working for???". So I say go for it, and never look back, especially since you have always wanted one.

The general rule of thumb is "buy the newest one you can afford". The dreaded IMS problem was allegedly resolved in any cars after mid -2005. The RMS is a much less catastrophic issue and is not a great concern, even if it weeps a little.

The caution about buying garage queens is probably more applicable to these cars than most, IMHO.

Do some reading on the LN Engineering.com website for some more detailed information on the IMS bearing and the retrofits available for peace of mind. Lots of info there from a professional.

Also, take a look at Mike Focke's Boxster pages for advice on how to buy a used Boxster, here: http://sites.google.com/site/mikefocke2/mi...boxsterwebpages

Good luck, and remember, we really like photos of cars here! :welcome:

Regards, Maurice.

[Guest]

I bought a 2005 CPO Boxster S. As long as CPO, you should not have to worry. You are paying extra for the piece of mind. I have had no issues with mine since purchase and minor issues were all taken care of by the dealer under warranty.

[ericinboca]

I bought a 2005 CPO Boxster S. As long as CPO, you should not have to worry. You are paying extra for the piece of mind. I have had no issues with mine since purchase and minor issues were all taken care of by the dealer under warranty.

+1 for 1choir and docdyh.

CPO is good. M97 motor in 987 versus the M96 in the 986.

[jfoxny]

If you do not go CPO then you might want to look into getting a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) at a Porsche dealer. I purchased my car long-distance through eBay motors and paid Carchex (owned by Carfax) to look at it for me, but, it wasn't as thorough or specific as a PPI. After I got the car I took it to the dealer for a PPI (post-purchase in my case :)).

The PPI turned up several small issues with it, mainly cosmetic in nature, but, this being my first Porsche, I wanted to get it as close to perfect as possible. So, I sprung to fix most of them:

* Ash tray lid ~ $200

* Cup holder door ~ $300

* Air vents ~ $300

* Cigarette lighter ~ $50

...and one or town other small things; I skipped the sport chrono "clip" that was broken and one of the home link buttons that I don't use. Even though these issues were small you can see that they add up quickly. The reason for this is the dealer just replaces these parts rather than fix them (the broken sport chrono clip would have cost me $550 alone as they would just replace the unit). Thankfully, the PPI turned up no mechanical issues. If you can, get a PPI if you can it's worth the money even if it just ferrets out the "small stuff." Also, I think they check for over-rev's which I believe void your warranty, but, don't quote me on that.

My car is a 2005 987 that had 33k miles on it when I purchased it in California and had it shipped to New York where I live. Aside from the aforementioned cosmetic issues, it's been perfect. It also came with Porsche's extended 6 year/100,000 mile warranty (another thing you should look for).

Hope this is helpful,

Jason

PS - I've attached a pic for 1schoir; I don't think I ever posted one.

Edited December 22, 2009 by jfoxny

[1schoir]

Jason:

Thanks for the pic!

Beautiful 987 in a nice, uncrowded setting.

There's a poster on PPBB named kcorsun who has a twin to your Boxster.

Regards, Maurice.

[Jay H]

The CPO status of a used Boxster/Cayman is also good to insure that wear items like brakes and tires are at or over 50% remaining use yet. So, the tires need to be "N" spec tires and at least 50% of tread depth all the way around in order for the Porsche to be CPO'd. The brake pads and rotors also need to be at 50% or less wear to keep the CPO rating.

I've read of a only a couple 2005 model year Boxster/Caymans with failed intermediate shaft bearings. However, for model year 2006, Porsche updated the intermediate shaft bearing to a much beefier bearing (even larger than the 1997 to 1999 bearings), so for now, that larger bearing seems to be doing the trick since I've not read any posts of '06 to '08 cars having IMS bearing issues. So far so good. However, you may wish to try to confirm when exactly Porsche put this larger IMS bearing in the M97 motors for model year 2006.

As for other items to look for on a used Boxster/Cayman, be sure to check those tires for tread depth and what model of tire is on the car. Inspect the brakes for wear, insure there is no clutch slipping, check the top operation (on a Boxster) many times during your test drives, turn on all the accesories, insure the A/C is functioning, window regulators (indexing) is working properly, the flat tire goop is present, the theft deterant lug nut socket is in place in the trunk, the stereo is operating, A/C blows cold, etc., etc. Also, does the driver's seat leather look more worn than it should based on the miles on the car? Is the gear shift all pounded up from shifting or the owner's rings? Do the pedals seem to show wear as compared to the mileage? All of these little clues can add up to help you determine how much or how little the car was loved.

I also would scroll through the on board computer (especially on the 2005 and newer since it was standard equipment) to see what kind of averages the computer is showing for gas mileage and average speed. While these readouts can easily be reset at any point, sometimes that info is left to accumulate over thousands of miles and may indicate how the car was driven. Low mpg may mean the person drove the car hard and low average speed may indicate a lot of in town driving. Again, these are not real solid clues on a car's past, but it's worth scrolling through for a look to see if you find any trends in how this car was treated.

Since these later Boxsters and Caymans are pretty robust cars and if the car has lower miles, you shouldn't see too many service records for the cars other than regular maintenance.

I'm on my second Boxster and have two older 911's. There really is no substitute for how a Porsche drives. You'll love the Boxster or Cayman experience!

Good luck!

Jay

08 987

90 911

84 911

[Jay H]

I'm trying to fight the urge to trade in my 2005.5 Audi A4 for a CPO Boxster or Cayman. ...however I have wanted a Porsche since I was a little kid.

One more thing Todd...

Don't fight it.

If you have wanted a Porsche since you were a little kid, you're f'd. There is no denying the Porsche urge, so you won't rest until you have one.

Then you'll own two.

If you have the garage space, you'll then have three. They are like a drug addiction.

Don't justify your purchase to anyone. Just go buy the Porsche.

[sapsecurity01]

I say "fighting" the urge jokingly. If I could I would fill my garage with these wonderful little Tonka toys my garage would include:

'73 911 White/Blue

'83 928 Black

'86 944 Red

Any TT, GT2/GT3 Does it matter - Ok, Green and Orange

Unfortunately I work for a living so I'm starting with a Boxster. My first memory of a Porsche was riding in a bright green 911 as a very young child. I can close my eyes and still smell the leather, hear the roar of the engine and see that beautiful green paint. My wife is starting to understand and maybe, possibly, hopefully get excited about our new child. I'm looking for a pretty sweet deal - Burying serious negative equity, keeping my payment "close" and not putting anything down. If Porsche Finance can work it out I'm buying as soon as I get the approval.

If not....I'll weep while paying off more of my Audi and buy one this spring - maybe a Cayman?

Happy Holidays everyone.