Another ebay adventure, come along for the ride!
Discussion
d! Well done!I had a similar Ebay adventure about 14-15 years ago, though certainly not at that price. I was perusing ebay ads, having an itch for a decently powered 2 door convertible and after bidding what I thought was a ridiculously low bid for such a car, found myself being the high bidder but well below the reserve. After a couple of days I received a message from the seller that they would, indeed, accept the offer, and that I could come collect it. I live in Los Angeles and the car was about 5 hours north of me in San Jose, so I rented a one way rental car figuring I could drive the new car home. I drove up one morning to find a nearly mint condition 2002 Jaguar XKR convertible (I would have called it mint except for one poorly touched up scratch on a rear quarter and 4 badly nicked wheels, otherwise the car looked as new) with 60,000 miles, and every Jaguar dealer service record from new. The owner was an elderly man who could no longer drive and his daughter was selling the car for him. I exchanged $15,000. for the car keys, drove it home, and still enjoy it today as it shares time with my 2010 XKR coupe for daily chores. After 175,000 miles, I think I've gotten my money's worth of enjoyment. It's still as gorgeous in today's car world as it was stunning then. 
geeks said:
Top work OP, I am a little jealous!
A little? He is now the shed GOD! £1000 (minus £80 for a battery for God's sake) for any Boxster capable of moving under it's own motive power is nothing short of a miracle. For those of us with the space and skills, but a cold hard shedders heart, this is the holy grail surely? What is the bodywork and interior like OP? Any oil leaks? We must know!!!
I warn you, if you dont keep this updated, I shan't be held responsible for my actions.
mrtwisty said:
A little? He is now the shed GOD! £1000 (minus £80 for a battery for God's sake) for any Boxster capable of moving under it's own motive power is nothing short of a miracle. For those of us with the space and skills, but a cold hard shedders heart, this is the holy grail surely?
What is the bodywork and interior like OP? Any oil leaks? We must know!!!
I warn you, if you dont keep this updated, I shan't be held responsible for my actions.
The shed god is over in the bargain barge thread, £1 paid for a LS400 and then found £1.14 in change in the car:What is the bodywork and interior like OP? Any oil leaks? We must know!!!
I warn you, if you dont keep this updated, I shan't be held responsible for my actions.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Great find though OP, I keep looking at boxsters, just never able to pull the trigger (yet,anyway).
MC Bodge said:
Why so cheap?
"non runner" put people off? Why didn't the seller replace the battery before listing?
Can’t imagine the smokes on start up coupled with The car does not move under power the car will need to be trailered/towed away at buyers expense"non runner" put people off? Why didn't the seller replace the battery before listing?
Body is what you would expect for 20 year old car - there are dents and dings on most panels
Helped...
A long overdue update, apologies!
I've been a bit under the weather, obviously the excitement of buying such a cracking car
I don't mean to be smug, but the more I look the better this car gets, I'm half expecting to find a gold bar if I look under the seats!
I went through the history paperwork that I got with the car and since May 2019 the car has had £5843.51 spent on it, yep you read that right - yet I paid just £920 for it, the mind boggles!
In May 2019 it had a new Alarm Control Unit, New Key fob with blade, all programmed to the car and the existing key programmed to new ACU, done at a Porsche specialist in Dorset - £1224.18
In July 2019, at a Porsche Specialist in Birstall it had, Major Service with plugs - new N/S roof drip pan - rear discs, pads, sensors and dampening discs and handbrake shoes - rear ARB bushes and droplinks - Both PreCAT lambdas - brake light switch - front to rear brake pipes - coil packs and plug tubes - window adjustment - £2319.21
Also in July 2019 at the same place - Front shocks, springs, top mounts, bump stops and stem washers - Rear shocks, top mounts and tuning forks - 4 wheel alignment - £1910.77
In August 2019 at the same place - Replace O/S window regulator and door membrane - £389.35
Some general observations from the drive home and a short journey today...
I really like the car, Boxsters have never been on my radar and I've never really been interested in them but having driven one has really changed my opinion - I'm certainly not going to go out and buy a Porsche branded cap and shirt to wear whilst driving though
As mentioned earlier, it's a fair bit quicker then I'd thought it would be being a 2.5, particularly above about 4k rpm.
All the gears seem really tall, except 5th which seems quite short in comparison!
Other people really do hate Boxsters on the road - the number of people who would refuse to move out of L2 when L1 was empty on dual carriage ways was astonishing, one guy was even waving his arms around in anger!
Good points about the car:
1, It drives really nicely (with 1 or two minor exceptions), like a brand new car really, owing to all the recent suspension work no doubt.
2, Interior is in really good condition, the car came with replacements for any broken parts (new doorcard as 1 doorbin is broken, new visor as 1 is broken, new stereo knobs as they are sticky/worn). Also came with a proper outdoor car cover and a spare remote key.
3, Brakes feel really nice, almost like having the control of no servo assistance but with the lightness of servo assistance.
4, It's really good on fuel!
Bad points:
1, Something isn't right with the gearshift/stick - it's doesn't like to move side to side.
2, Engine doesn't like to idle when cold - it tries to idle too low (below 500rpm) and stalls - holding the revs at 1200rpm for 20 seconds or so will then see it idle ok with a bit of hunting.
3, Something squeaks on startup - sounds like a belt
4, There is a rattle from the front which sounds like an ARB droplink, but I'm not sure it is as it's only present when the car is warm after a long journey - possibly steering arm or track rod end? (Note ARB droplinks are absent from the suspension work above - so probably worth me doing them).
To answer some of the previous posters (I can't do the multiquote thingy)...
The seller did mention that my offer was the lowest one he had on ebay, but I was also the only one to email him in normal english, detailing when I could collect and that I am a serious buyer etc - he said that is what swung it for him as the other offers either had no messages with them or were the usual 'wats ur best price mate'.
He clearly listed it so as to receive no possible comeback as the advert was far more negative then the real picture. I've not been over the bodywork properly yet (as it's not stopped raining) but I certainly can't see 'dents and scratches on every panel'. There is a badly painted bit on the N/S front wing and the paint has faded in some parts, but it looks straight on initial viewing. Similarly the smoke on startup is a very small amount, as in it clears within seconds and doesn't reappear whilst driving - I have already bought a new AOS so will replace it anyway as it does need doing but it's certainly not a show stopper! After the long drive home the battery has held up overnight and it started up fine this morning, so I'll see if it lasts over the coming weeks but looks promising.
Apologies for the lack of photos, firstly as you can tell from the 1 picture I did post (badly) - I've smashed my phone camera lens so the pictures are appalling, secondly I couldn't get the image upload function to work and it's a right faff having to upload the photos to an image hosting website and them embed them here. I will get some decent pics on the camera this week and get them uploaded
I did buy the car planning to get it running, fix it up, use it for a few weeks and then sell it on for a few quid profit, but as the car is so nice to drive I may have to alter those plans and hang on to it a bit longer!
I've been a bit under the weather, obviously the excitement of buying such a cracking car
I don't mean to be smug, but the more I look the better this car gets, I'm half expecting to find a gold bar if I look under the seats!
I went through the history paperwork that I got with the car and since May 2019 the car has had £5843.51 spent on it, yep you read that right - yet I paid just £920 for it, the mind boggles!
In May 2019 it had a new Alarm Control Unit, New Key fob with blade, all programmed to the car and the existing key programmed to new ACU, done at a Porsche specialist in Dorset - £1224.18
In July 2019, at a Porsche Specialist in Birstall it had, Major Service with plugs - new N/S roof drip pan - rear discs, pads, sensors and dampening discs and handbrake shoes - rear ARB bushes and droplinks - Both PreCAT lambdas - brake light switch - front to rear brake pipes - coil packs and plug tubes - window adjustment - £2319.21
Also in July 2019 at the same place - Front shocks, springs, top mounts, bump stops and stem washers - Rear shocks, top mounts and tuning forks - 4 wheel alignment - £1910.77
In August 2019 at the same place - Replace O/S window regulator and door membrane - £389.35
Some general observations from the drive home and a short journey today...
I really like the car, Boxsters have never been on my radar and I've never really been interested in them but having driven one has really changed my opinion - I'm certainly not going to go out and buy a Porsche branded cap and shirt to wear whilst driving though
As mentioned earlier, it's a fair bit quicker then I'd thought it would be being a 2.5, particularly above about 4k rpm.
All the gears seem really tall, except 5th which seems quite short in comparison!
Other people really do hate Boxsters on the road - the number of people who would refuse to move out of L2 when L1 was empty on dual carriage ways was astonishing, one guy was even waving his arms around in anger!
Good points about the car:
1, It drives really nicely (with 1 or two minor exceptions), like a brand new car really, owing to all the recent suspension work no doubt.
2, Interior is in really good condition, the car came with replacements for any broken parts (new doorcard as 1 doorbin is broken, new visor as 1 is broken, new stereo knobs as they are sticky/worn). Also came with a proper outdoor car cover and a spare remote key.
3, Brakes feel really nice, almost like having the control of no servo assistance but with the lightness of servo assistance.
4, It's really good on fuel!
Bad points:
1, Something isn't right with the gearshift/stick - it's doesn't like to move side to side.
2, Engine doesn't like to idle when cold - it tries to idle too low (below 500rpm) and stalls - holding the revs at 1200rpm for 20 seconds or so will then see it idle ok with a bit of hunting.
3, Something squeaks on startup - sounds like a belt
4, There is a rattle from the front which sounds like an ARB droplink, but I'm not sure it is as it's only present when the car is warm after a long journey - possibly steering arm or track rod end? (Note ARB droplinks are absent from the suspension work above - so probably worth me doing them).
To answer some of the previous posters (I can't do the multiquote thingy)...
The seller did mention that my offer was the lowest one he had on ebay, but I was also the only one to email him in normal english, detailing when I could collect and that I am a serious buyer etc - he said that is what swung it for him as the other offers either had no messages with them or were the usual 'wats ur best price mate'.
He clearly listed it so as to receive no possible comeback as the advert was far more negative then the real picture. I've not been over the bodywork properly yet (as it's not stopped raining) but I certainly can't see 'dents and scratches on every panel'. There is a badly painted bit on the N/S front wing and the paint has faded in some parts, but it looks straight on initial viewing. Similarly the smoke on startup is a very small amount, as in it clears within seconds and doesn't reappear whilst driving - I have already bought a new AOS so will replace it anyway as it does need doing but it's certainly not a show stopper! After the long drive home the battery has held up overnight and it started up fine this morning, so I'll see if it lasts over the coming weeks but looks promising.
Apologies for the lack of photos, firstly as you can tell from the 1 picture I did post (badly) - I've smashed my phone camera lens so the pictures are appalling, secondly I couldn't get the image upload function to work and it's a right faff having to upload the photos to an image hosting website and them embed them here. I will get some decent pics on the camera this week and get them uploaded
I did buy the car planning to get it running, fix it up, use it for a few weeks and then sell it on for a few quid profit, but as the car is so nice to drive I may have to alter those plans and hang on to it a bit longer!
Sounds like a solid car and a fun DIY project. Parts for these aren't too bad for the most part if you steer clear of OPCs and there's loads available secondhand.
If you've the space, time, and money it would be nice to get it ship-shape over the winter and enjoy it properly next spring and summer.
If you've the space, time, and money it would be nice to get it ship-shape over the winter and enjoy it properly next spring and summer.
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