Prospective owner; I have a few questions

[DKTim]

I am looking at replacing my aging BMW 323i with a Boxster. I have located 3 in my area, here they are:

2002 with 150,000kms for $14248WP0CA29842U624314- Silver with black interior, both in perfect condition- Carbon fibre shifter knob + ebrake handle- Mismatched tires, fronts are michellin and rears are a company I have not heard of.- 2 owners, previous being a "traveling salesman, and this was his second boxster"- I saw this one while on the lift, underneath it was in impeccable condition. Brakes were rather new, no rust anywhere.- Seller is a local reputable dealer1999 with 132,000kms for $13950WP0CA2989XU625837- Silver with black interior, both in perfect condition.- Shifter knob is from a Boxster S- Michellin Pilot Sport PS2 on all 4 corners!- One owner- Front Collision in December 10th 2000, no other details, no noticable repairs and the fenders were checked with paintthickness gauge and no evidence of repaint found.- Rear window cracked, seller was willing to have it replaced- Lots of corrision (acid, not rust!) at battery location. Car has been sitting in warehouse since Nov/12.- Passenger headlight looks like it was burnt on the inside? seller willing to replace- Seller is a large used car dealer that deals mainly in luxury/sport cars. Did not seem like a trustworthy guy..1999 with 87,000kms for $13999WP0CA2981XU621233- Red, unsure of interior color, have not seen this car in person yet, I will be going to see it this week- Clean history, unsure of how many owners- Seller is a Honda Dealer

Each seller is willing to let me take it to Porsche in order to have them do a PPI. What I do not know is which one is the better deal... also I am worried (much like everyone else about the porosity issue and the IMS). From what I gather the porosity issue was fixed by '99.

Lastly I am unsure which one of these has a dual row IMS, from what I gather the '99 have dual row IMS? is this correct?

I should mention this will be my spring/summer/fall car that I plan to put about 25000kms/year. I have lots of tools, garage space and have experience doing work. I don't mind doing the work (suspension/control arms/axles) but I am not comfortable doing a clutch/IMS/RMS. Luckily there is a well known Porsche mechanic in my town.

Car to offer me any advice?

[bar10dah]

Just based on your descriptions, I personally would buy the first one. It's a newer model, slightly bigger engine, not many more dollars than the other two, comes from a reputable dealer. Of course, other factors come into play. But just based on your post, I'd pick the first.

[logray]

The third looks interesting to me based on km and price, and also 1999 is a good year for these cars, yes they have dual row IMS (strongest of any 986/7 or 996/7).

I would rather have a car with 50k miles as opposed to nearly 100k.

Certainly have a PPI done before you buy anything.

[4agdtym]

Keep looking. Be patient. Those are priced too high, have too many miles. Figure you will change IMS bearing at some point on any pre '05 that hasn't had it already changed. Just did my IMS bearing and it wasn't difficult, just took time. My '02 S engine had dual row bearing - imagine that. The tables aren't always correct. Good luck in your search.

[thom4782]

The 99s have dual row and the 02 likely has a single row IMS bearing. If you're skilled, replacing the IMSB and RMS is straight forward and there are a number of videos on the web showing the procedure. I'd put the first car at the top of the list and negotiate the price down by at least the cost of the parts for a new clutch, IMSB and RMS ~ $1200.

[mprowan87]

I would look at 2000 models and newer. The 97-99 have a 2.5 and different Bosch software than the latter years. Whichever route you go, you will want to perform the IMS replacement. I had never done a clutch replacement until I did mine. It was straightforward. One of the best aspects of owning a boxster is the infinite amount of online resources that cover just about anything that can go wrong.

Keep looking! I would also recommend investing 30 bucks and buying a Durametric style USB cable from ebay. They have knock off versions from hong kong. I have one and it works good enough to read the engine rev stats and operating hours of engine. (Range 1-ok; Range 2-bad). I would recommend purchasing the durametric tool itself if you end up getting a boxster, because the knock off version is pretty slow at reading operating parameters.

As with any used car purchase:

-check inside the gas lid-this often is a good way to tell how well the car was cared for prior to its "for sale detail"

-look at motor oil on dipstick for cleanliness

-check gauge cluster at startup to make sure ALL (abs, check engine, SRS, spoiler, seatbelt, etc.) the warning lights momentarily flash on when key is turned on.

-look for all accessories that are supposed to come with car (spare, tools, manual, tow "eye", keys, floormats)-i had to purchase most of these items. it got expensive quick!

[mprowan87]

also, it is not uncommon to see multiple owner boxsters. this makes sense from a practicality standpoint. when a baby comes along; boxsters have to go.