£4k Boxster S. What could possibly go wrong...

£4k Boxster S. What could possibly go wrong...

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Discussion

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

61 months

Sunday 18th September 2016
quotequote all
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p...

A wise bargain sports car purchase, or a wallet emptying game of car roulette?

Was thinking of buying a cheap soft top and this turned up. ....

V8RX7

27,678 posts

270 months

Sunday 18th September 2016
quotequote all
As with an car that's expensive when new you could get a large bill - however there are plenty about so used spares are relatively available and cheap.


Matt UK

17,955 posts

207 months

Sunday 18th September 2016
quotequote all
Google the poverty pork thread, lots of info and experience there.

deltashad

6,731 posts

204 months

Sunday 18th September 2016
quotequote all
That's cheap

TroubledSoul

4,612 posts

201 months

Sunday 18th September 2016
quotequote all
Well that sounds like something I'd take a punt on. Going by my past cars, that usually means there will be something wrong with it laugh

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

61 months

Monday 19th September 2016
quotequote all
Matt UK said:
Google the poverty pork thread, lots of info and experience there.
Cheers, have found it, and will peruse.

was8v

1,988 posts

202 months

Monday 19th September 2016
quotequote all
Buy it!

As long as theres no funny engine noises / smoke / big leaks.

Fit all new suspension arms (prob £500 in parts and a weekend on the spanners) and it will drive like new.

snotrag

14,929 posts

218 months

Monday 19th September 2016
quotequote all
As above, see the Poverty pork thread.


Had my Boxster since spring. Best £4100 I ever spent!

mikearwas

1,112 posts

166 months

Monday 19th September 2016
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My friend and fellow Pher tried exactly this on another 4k Boxster. It broke down on his way home. AA couldn't fix at the roadside. Thankfully he was able to return the car to the seller and got his money back.

benjijames28

1,702 posts

99 months

Monday 19th September 2016
quotequote all
Sounds like it's had a lot of expensive bits done recently. And the mileage isn't exactly high for a 15 year old 3.2 litre engine.

It's not the type of car but racers get, so it's probably been treated very well.

Long as engine is sound you will get more than your money's worth from that.

Steamer

13,972 posts

220 months

Monday 19th September 2016
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Great colour for that car, and I like the wheels too.

Edited by Steamer on Monday 19th September 10:37

Piersman2

6,639 posts

206 months

Monday 19th September 2016
quotequote all
Well.... based on the £6k 'S' I bought 4 years back... just about everything! laugh

The most expensive thing was a replacement cylinder head , one was cracked allowing oil into the water. That was £2.5k to fix and nearly led to the car being scrapped, if I hadn't already spent £3k on other stuff It would have been gone! smile

But, I've still got it, it's all sorted (barring a newly rough idle that I've not had a look at yet) and is a joy to drive.

Part of me would be checking that one over very,very carefully for some hidden engine issue, it took me 6 months to suss the cracked cylinder head as I was using the car so infrequently. I was convinced it was the AOS until I'd swapped it out, twice!... and started looking elsewhere. The coolant tank full of mayonnaise was the clue I'd been missing, and the ability of the car to use 1 litre of oil in 300 miles.

james_gt3rs

4,816 posts

198 months

Monday 19th September 2016
quotequote all
Piersman2 said:
Well.... based on the £6k 'S' I bought 4 years back... just about everything! laugh

The most expensive thing was a replacement cylinder head , one was cracked allowing oil into the water. That was £2.5k to fix and nearly led to the car being scrapped, if I hadn't already spent £3k on other stuff It would have been gone! smile

But, I've still got it, it's all sorted (barring a newly rough idle that I've not had a look at yet) and is a joy to drive.

Part of me would be checking that one over very,very carefully for some hidden engine issue, it took me 6 months to suss the cracked cylinder head as I was using the car so infrequently. I was convinced it was the AOS until I'd swapped it out, twice!... and started looking elsewhere. The coolant tank full of mayonnaise was the clue I'd been missing, and the ability of the car to use 1 litre of oil in 300 miles.
I always get exciting and think about buying a Boxster but then I always find a post like this...

Steamer

13,972 posts

220 months

Monday 19th September 2016
quotequote all
james_gt3rs said:
Piersman2 said:
Well.... based on the £6k 'S' I bought 4 years back... just about everything! laugh

The most expensive thing was a replacement cylinder head , one was cracked allowing oil into the water. That was £2.5k to fix and nearly led to the car being scrapped, if I hadn't already spent £3k on other stuff It would have been gone! smile

But, I've still got it, it's all sorted (barring a newly rough idle that I've not had a look at yet) and is a joy to drive.

Part of me would be checking that one over very,very carefully for some hidden engine issue, it took me 6 months to suss the cracked cylinder head as I was using the car so infrequently. I was convinced it was the AOS until I'd swapped it out, twice!... and started looking elsewhere. The coolant tank full of mayonnaise was the clue I'd been missing, and the ability of the car to use 1 litre of oil in 300 miles.
I always get exciting and think about buying a Boxster but then I always find a post like this...
Had a friend with very similar wows, but decided to cut their losses and let it go... although at this kind of money and with a good independent specialist to help you along they are only go to start going up in price soon, arnt they?!

Piersman2

6,639 posts

206 months

Monday 19th September 2016
quotequote all
Steamer said:
james_gt3rs said:
Piersman2 said:
Well.... based on the £6k 'S' I bought 4 years back... just about everything! laugh

The most expensive thing was a replacement cylinder head , one was cracked allowing oil into the water. That was £2.5k to fix and nearly led to the car being scrapped, if I hadn't already spent £3k on other stuff It would have been gone! smile

But, I've still got it, it's all sorted (barring a newly rough idle that I've not had a look at yet) and is a joy to drive.

Part of me would be checking that one over very,very carefully for some hidden engine issue, it took me 6 months to suss the cracked cylinder head as I was using the car so infrequently. I was convinced it was the AOS until I'd swapped it out, twice!... and started looking elsewhere. The coolant tank full of mayonnaise was the clue I'd been missing, and the ability of the car to use 1 litre of oil in 300 miles.
I always get exciting and think about buying a Boxster but then I always find a post like this...
Had a friend with very similar wows, but decided to cut their losses and let it go... although at this kind of money and with a good independent specialist to help you along they are only go to start going up in price soon, arnt they?!
I can't imagine at £4k that they can go any lower. I was offered £3.5k for mine as a scrapper to be broken. What will keep the prices low though is the numbers out there and the continuing fears about the fragility of the engines. When these have a problem, it's not cheap as every decent job involves dropping the engine. For mine, the cylinder head was £500 second hand and the labour to partially drop the engine and fit was £2k.

Unfortunately for me, at least two of the previous owners had 'cut their losses' and PX'd it on without paying for a proper fix, it was muggins here that got lumbered, and I only did it because I'd spent a lot of time and money sorting other things out first (like tyres, brakes, air con, new hood, etc...).

TTwiggy

11,635 posts

211 months

Monday 19th September 2016
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Buy it, they are fabulous cars.

Jasandjules

70,505 posts

236 months

Monday 19th September 2016
quotequote all
I'd get it checked over by someone who knows what they are doing, then go for it.... But hey, I'm an idiot when it comes to buying cars...

Shnozz

28,008 posts

278 months

Monday 19th September 2016
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james_gt3rs said:
I always get exciting and think about buying a Boxster but then I always find a post like this...
Compared to the costs of running a GT3RS I really dont think you have to worry too much.

As another poster has said, you'll get your money back sticking it on ebay as spares or repair even if you have a full on IMS failure.

nunpuncher

3,464 posts

132 months

Monday 19th September 2016
quotequote all
I bought a £7k S a few years back and only kept it 6 months because I couldn't sleep at night thinking about the what if's.

Knowing what I know now i'd buy an early 2.5 for £4k and sleep better.

james_gt3rs

4,816 posts

198 months

Monday 19th September 2016
quotequote all
Shnozz said:
Compared to the costs of running a GT3RS I really dont think you have to worry too much.
Need to change my username I'm a peasant that would like a GT3..