Buying a cheap Porsche Boxster

[alfabadass]

Currently driving a Crossfire. Very happy with it but itching for a Boxster for a long time.

3k boxster a bad idea? What can go wrong and what are the parts/servicing costs? Assuming they're similar to a Crossfire?

[billzeebub]

£3k Boxster is a minefield. Doable, but most at that price will require the purchase price again to get them driving anything like they are supposed to. My philosophy is always to put the money in up front. Someone else's maintenance record is much cheaper to purchase with a car than doing it all yourself. If you up the budget to £5k/£6k then you should get one that has been very well maintained and it should be a relatively painless ownership proposition. A reasonable early 2.5 is more likely achievable at £3k.

If looking at the 2.7/3.2 it would also be a good idea to find one that's had the IMS upgrade for peace of mind, which isn't cheap to do

In summary you may be able to pick one up for £3k, but they are not £3k cars maintenance wise. I roughly allow £1k-£2k a year maintenance fund to keep mine fettled, it's worth it. Great. Cars when properly sorted.

[fivepointnine]

I owned my Boxster S for a year, in that time I replaced the IMS bearing, alarm control module and several small parts.

things to look out for:
window on the convertible top cracks and breaks
RMS leaks, especially on the early ones
dual mass flywheel normally needs replaced with the clutch
water pump needs replaced every 60-80k miles
o2 sensors have been known to fail early

If I were to get another Boxster, I would go for an early 2.5 car that has been well looked after,they just seem to have less issues

[jkh112]

Have a look at this thread:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[alane29]

I considered the boxster before I bought my z4 I agree with what others have said try pay more for the car upfront and get a better one wit a good history .in the end I was put off by the expensive maintance costs