Help with buying a boxster

[skidout67]

Hello all, I am looking to buy a boxster soon (within the next couple of weeks), and am looking at 2000, 2001, and 2002 models, for price considerations obviously! My question is which model year would you guys most consider. And not just 2002 because it's the newest. I'm also taking extended warrenties, mileage and color into cosideration. I have found a couple 2000 S models with similar models to 2002 standard models. Is it worth sacrificing the 2 model years to get an S model?

I am asking you all, because you seem like the experts!

I guess what I'm mainly looking for, are problems that certain years had as well!

Aaron Eigenman

Redwood City, CA

[JimEE]

I just bought a 2000S, one owner, bought and serviced at the dealer I bought it from, 16,900 miles. Mint condition, certified. As they went through the certification, the tires showed more than 50% wear, so they replaced them with new Pirelli asymetric's on the absolutely beautiful 18" wheels. They also did the 15k service. Service records showed no problems.

But, I looked for a few months. Then it just showed up and I grabbed it. The previous owner bought a Caymen to replace it. Of course, I don't know if that's really the truth, but....

One thing I did to understand the value, was grab all the data from cars.com in my area, (I just copied all the data with a swipe of the mouse) pasted it into a spreadsheet, deleted everything except year, mileage and price, sorted it by year, price, and mileage, and graphed the results. What I saw was the precipitous price drop the first couple years, then it evened out in the 30K range, all the way back to 1999. Higher mileage cars had lower prices, but a 2000S with low miles (16.9k) was a good value, though still high. I paid $31k. Newer S's, with low mileage, were in the high 30's. Almost all the other cars, even 2002 or 2003, with low miles, had several owners in different parts of the country, as I discovered with a few carfax's. I didn't like the idea of many owners on a low mileage car.

My online research about problems showed that some cars definitely had problems, but some didn't. Almost black and white. This led me to the conclusion that a one owner, zero problem car, with low mileage yet enough to have been driven a fair amount (16k), was probably a good, safe bet, at half the cost of new one, and about $8-9K less than a newer, low mileage, car.

That's my story and I'm stickin' with it! Oh, it's great, just love it. :D

Jim

[KevinH90]

I just bought a 2000 non-S and my friend just bought a 2002 non-S. Both had just under 30,000 miles on them when we bought them. My car has the On-Board Computer, silver gauge faces and painted wheel crests, but otherwise they are similarly equipped. His car has improvements that came with more recent cars such as the 3-spoke steering wheel, electric trunk openers, soft-top headliner and cup holders.

The cars are in nearly identical condition, but I paid about $5000 less. When I was looking, I found a 2000S with 60,000 miles on it for about the same price as my friend's 2002. I thought the lower mileage and lower price made sense in my situation. If you have the money and want the improved performance of the S or a newer example, I think you should do it.

My friend and I had pre-purchase inspections performed by a Porsche dealer before we bought our cars.

[breinckens]

I would agree with all the other observations. The additional HP with the S is certainly a distinct advantage. The Boxster has had some problems with rear main seals. My first Boxster S's seal failed 6 months after the original factory warranty had expired. I would look at all the TSBs for the Boxster you are considering and make sure the critical ones have been done.

[pjslowik]

Don't.

That's my story and I'm stick'n to it!

[skidout67]

Thanks for all the info and insight guys! I really appreciate it! I'm thinking about settling out around the 2002 model, S if i can find the right one for the right price, though non-s would be fine too. Luckily, there's only a few colors I don't really want, like yellow, red, and blue. So that leaves me a lot of options out there for the Blacks, Whites, Greys and Silvers! But, I'll keep looking around, even though I can't wait to be the proud new owner of one. Do any of you guys have a location to find the list of TSBs, so I can see if a boxster I'm considering has completed most of em!

Aaron

[geoff]

I've got a 2001 (non-S) Boxster and absolutely love it. As already mentioned, 2001 base models got the 3 spoke steering wheel and the headliner. Starting in 2001, to get the outside temperature display you need to hook up the on-board computer (OBC) if the car doesn't already come with it; prior to 2001, activating the OBC without hooking it up would at least give you outside temperature display.

One thing to be concerned about with the interiors - 2001 models came with a "soft touch" finish on many interior parts. This finish is absolute crap and easily scratches, flakes, peels and bubbles. I had much of my interior replaced over the years under warranty. I think the finish starting in 2002 was a bit better. If you're looking at cars from that vintage, look very carefully at the condition of all interior surfaces.

Another consideration across the years - each model year Porsche makes a number of improvements to parts, so by buying a newer model you're also getting a number of non-visible component improvements. Lots of parts will still fail over time, like coolant overflow tanks, but at least you'll get the newer revision components on an '02 compared to an '01 or '00.

[Sboxin]

Thanks for all the info and insight guys! I really appreciate it! I'm thinking about settling out around the 2002 model, S if i can find the right one for the right price, though non-s would be fine too. Luckily, there's only a few colors I don't really want, like yellow, red, and blue. So that leaves me a lot of options out there for the Blacks, Whites, Greys and Silvers! But, I'll keep looking around, even though I can't wait to be the proud new owner of one. Do any of you guys have a location to find the list of TSBs, so I can see if a boxster I'm considering has completed most of em!

Aaron

The TSB page can be seen if you contribute to renntech.org

or >> you could take your selected Boxster to a dealer for the PPI and ask them to take care of this step for you.

Good luck, you seem to be doing your research well!

Ed

[skidout67]

well guys, i think i found my car! it's a 2001 S model with 45,000 miles. i'm planning on taking it in for a PPI, also have the vin, and am going to call my local porsche dealer (who i will be doing service with) and asking them to run the vin for anything they can. services completed, TSB's needed, etc. i decided to sacrifice one model year to get the S model over the base model. did a close inspection of the interior, and found one area by the keyhole for the center console locking compartment, to be slightly scratched up, but i will find something to touch it up with. car drives like a dream. has more get up and go than i've ever felt. the 3.2 was a good choice over the 2.7 i think. the color was just what i was looking for, seal gray. with black int and top. top and headliner is in great shape, and window is coming unstitched from top at one corner. the seller is paying to have the window re-sewn into the top at his cost, which he got quoted today. car shifts beautifully, no clutch play, and no strange noises coming from the engine. spoiler works great, and car certainly feels stiff (just like all the reviews said it would). so what by chance would you guys say a fair price for this car would be? i am interested in seeing a couple of opionions, and i will post what i paid for it, after i see a few ideas! the car has the windscreen and rollbar meshes in place, and has all tools and manuals included!

Aaron

[Sboxin]

What are the options on this car - lights, seats, Bose, mods, wheels/tires, etc.? This helps determine some of the price, but not much. Is the condition A+ , besides the rear window? Where is the car located? Did you do a check on accidents for diminished value through an insurance company database?

These factors all affect price -- maybe that's why no one has responded to your question. Price could be $15K to $30K -- a big range.

Best person to answer this is mikefocke on the PPBB board.

Ed

[mikefocke]

Things that affect price include the location, time of year, mileage, condition, services record, tire condition, top condition, color, transmission, options, warranty, etc.

But the big things like year and mileage you can factor into a search to see what others are asking.

I do this by going to www.cars.com. Look for a used porsche using advanced search for all distances from your zip code for the year you are looking at. Sort on the second column to separate the S from the base. Throw out the highest few and the lowest few. See how the middle asking prices cluster. Deduct 5% from asking to get to selling price in the spring. Now you have some idea. But if all the factors I listed above are the best as opposed to the worst, then the price you should pay could vary by $5-8k.

Now that doesn't help much does it.

Because a 2002 will vary from $36k to $28k after throwing out the highest 5 and the lowest 5. The trick is to buy the best example you can afford from a motivated seller, someone who can't wait for the right price and is willing to accept your offer.

Tips on Buying a Boxster

Edited June 12, 2006 by mikefocke