Used Boxster Tips
Discussion
the Tiv owner! My Father is looking at changing his car and is interested in the Boxster. He will be looking at one that is about 4-5 years old. Any top tips or type specific problems to look out for? All help greatfully received 
Definitely get one with a Lux Pack. A slightly older S is a much better buy than a slightly newer 2.7 car. Usual caveats about HPI etc apply. There is a guy who does really excellent Porsche pre purchase inspections, but I can't find his details at the mo. I know he gets a mention on here from time to time. Might be worth a forum trawl or another post to find him 
Great cars. RMS is a bit of an internet horror story TBH and can be fixed relatively cheaply by a good indie should it occur.
Great cars. RMS is a bit of an internet horror story TBH and can be fixed relatively cheaply by a good indie should it occur.
If his budget will extend to a MY03 car he'll get a glass rear window. This is superior in that the roof can be lowered without the need to get out of the car and perform the "Boxster Chop" on the rear plastic window to get it to fold correctly.
And the S is a very worthwhile upgrade. If its a sunny days/holidays car I'd get an older S over a newer glass-rear-window non-S. If its a daily driver I'd get the S if budget allowed but be looking at MY03 on.
Heated seats make the car much more usable on cold days with the roof off.
Hardtop less important if you have glass-rear-window or don't use it daily in winter.
Sat Nav expensive - and a Tom Tom GO is £300 and better. An older car may have the out-of-date PCM 1.0 - for which you can no longer get CDs. I'd deliberately avoid a PCM1 system. MY03 on got PCM2 - for which discs can still be obtained.
Errrrm. If getting a 2.7 you want the lux pack - basically climate control and leather. The S comes with Climate as standard. Actually the non-leather interior is very, very good and although I got full leather on mine my cousins doesn't have it and its more than fine.
I've had two in a row. Best car I've ever owned. Yer Dad will love it.
Oh....I have a Tiv too...the comparison always winds people up nicely...
And the S is a very worthwhile upgrade. If its a sunny days/holidays car I'd get an older S over a newer glass-rear-window non-S. If its a daily driver I'd get the S if budget allowed but be looking at MY03 on.
Heated seats make the car much more usable on cold days with the roof off.
Hardtop less important if you have glass-rear-window or don't use it daily in winter.
Sat Nav expensive - and a Tom Tom GO is £300 and better. An older car may have the out-of-date PCM 1.0 - for which you can no longer get CDs. I'd deliberately avoid a PCM1 system. MY03 on got PCM2 - for which discs can still be obtained.
Errrrm. If getting a 2.7 you want the lux pack - basically climate control and leather. The S comes with Climate as standard. Actually the non-leather interior is very, very good and although I got full leather on mine my cousins doesn't have it and its more than fine.
I've had two in a row. Best car I've ever owned. Yer Dad will love it.
Oh....I have a Tiv too...the comparison always winds people up nicely...
BliarOut said:
There is a guy who does really excellent Porsche pre purchase inspections, but I can't find his details at the mo.
Peter Morgan?
www.petermorgan.org.uk/inspection.htm
c2look said:
There is a guy who does really excellent Porsche pre purchase inspections, but I can't find his details at the mo.
Peter Morgan?
www.petermorgan.org.uk/inspection.htm
I think that's the guy. Seem to remember seeing the nake bandied about, but I've no personal experience.
cerbyt said:
Oh. If yer Dad's based in Hampshire too you'd both be welcome to meet up in a pub car park for a pint and good nose over my car if that'd help.
Drop me a line - I live in Hampshire (Bordon just south of Farnham) and he is visiting next weekend if you are about!!
Can't work out how to e-mail you via your profile. I'm based in Basingstoke. Next weekend's a maybe - but a swift pint and a chance to have a nose at your lovely Tuscan S in exchange for a good look at my BoxS sounds good - so I'll get back to you a.s.a.p. on that.
Boxster S is an excelent choice - simply nothing comes close for £20K. Truly a great car. I never had any issues with the rear plastic window in my late 2001 car. Try before you buy. Build quality is good but not stunning as some make out. Check for oil drips by sliding a large clean sheet of card directly under the car after along hard test and let the engine cool. See what drips off. Buy sensibly and an inspection is OTT, save the cash and put it towards you car.
los angeles said:
Don's said a lot of wise things so here's my tuppence worth: the time to buy a preowned Boxster has never been better. It is more fun and reliable than old Targa 964-911s.
1. It is a completely satisfying sports car to drive.
2 Some were built in Finland, some in Stuggart (Southend): build quality is identical.
3. Look at the VIN number. If it has a "U" in the 11th place it was built in Finland.
4. The earliest ones have a mere 204bhp which your dad may feel is too close to an MX5.
5. A clean early 2.5 with close to 100k miles (or more) will cost in the very low teens.
6. I've seen a few of the standard 2.7 (from 1999) just under the 20's.
7. Unless badly treated and street stored too long, they hold their value ferociously.
8. Accident damage is easy to spot: oversprayed build stickers in bonnet and boot.
9. Poor servicing shows up in corroded brake discs and iffy wheel bearings.
10. Oil leaks mean a seal replacement - not easy to spot, the engine is locked-in.
11. Rough running may mean failed engine coils ... and that's about it.
12. As Don says, it's rare to see the crappy rear plastic window in good shape and clear.
13. Did I mention it was a completely satisfying sports car to drive?
>> Edited by los angeles on Sunday 29th January 20:39
Point 7 should be taken with a large dose of salt.....just recently (since 987 launch) residuals have been shocking. Only people who bought them in the first few years of production (pre-2001) really did well on the residual side of things. I recently got offered £26K as a trade in on a new one, and mine's a 2004 S with low miles and a good spec. Granted, you get hammered most if you bought from new/nearly new from a franchised dealer, but people also say, "It gets to a certain point and then doesn't lose any more" which is clearly also rubbish. As the newer ones get cheaper, so the older ones drop aswell. Be warned!! ;-)
jezzaaa said:
Point 7 should be taken with a large dose of salt.....just recently (since 987 launch) residuals have been shocking. Only people who bought them in the first few years of production (pre-2001) really did well on the residual side of things. I recently got offered £26K as a trade in on a new one, and mine's a 2004 S with low miles and a good spec. Granted, you get hammered most if you bought from new/nearly new from a franchised dealer, but people also say, "It gets to a certain point and then doesn't lose any more" which is clearly also rubbish. As the newer ones get cheaper, so the older ones drop aswell. Be warned!! ;-)
I've had the same experience as you with respect to depreciation of new/nearly new machines. My first car lost value. My second car plummeted in value!
The trick is to *keep* the car long enough.
Buying a car at around the 20-24K though depreciation will be far less. I reckon the car could be run on £4K to £6K a year depreciation and maintenance. Not so bad for what it is...
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