986 dilemma - please help!
Discussion
Hi all,
I'd be very grateful for some advice from those who already own a 986 S, even better if it's a 2002-2004 model.
I'll be buying a 986 within the next month and have never owned one before (or indeed any Porsche). I've found a dealer close to me who offers a bullet proof warranty - 1st 3 months/3,000 miles all parts all labour, following 3 months half parts at cost and all labour and then following six months parts at cost and all labour. This is obviously hard to resist because having not had any experience of this type of car it offers a lot of peace of mind - furthermore it's included in the asking price.
The problem I have is that I want the car for the summer and if I get one through him I have to wait for the right one to come into his dealership - he doesn't actively source. It might appear in a week, but equally it might not appear until October.
The other dealer I've found (also an independant Porsche specialist) WILL source the car I want with the right spec/colour/wheels etc, but only offers the usual 3 month/3,000 miles warranty. He seems like a very trustworthy guy and he's obviously very passionate about what he does, but it doesn't offer the same peace of mind, for obvious reasons.
So what I'm longwindedly saying is...with an '02 - '04 Boxster S with about 40k on the clock, full Porsche service history etc, are there known, expensive, faults which I am likely to fall victim to, or am I likely to have trouble-free driving with only the usual wear and tear items?
Sorry for the longwinded post! Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Will
I'd be very grateful for some advice from those who already own a 986 S, even better if it's a 2002-2004 model.
I'll be buying a 986 within the next month and have never owned one before (or indeed any Porsche). I've found a dealer close to me who offers a bullet proof warranty - 1st 3 months/3,000 miles all parts all labour, following 3 months half parts at cost and all labour and then following six months parts at cost and all labour. This is obviously hard to resist because having not had any experience of this type of car it offers a lot of peace of mind - furthermore it's included in the asking price.
The problem I have is that I want the car for the summer and if I get one through him I have to wait for the right one to come into his dealership - he doesn't actively source. It might appear in a week, but equally it might not appear until October.
The other dealer I've found (also an independant Porsche specialist) WILL source the car I want with the right spec/colour/wheels etc, but only offers the usual 3 month/3,000 miles warranty. He seems like a very trustworthy guy and he's obviously very passionate about what he does, but it doesn't offer the same peace of mind, for obvious reasons.
So what I'm longwindedly saying is...with an '02 - '04 Boxster S with about 40k on the clock, full Porsche service history etc, are there known, expensive, faults which I am likely to fall victim to, or am I likely to have trouble-free driving with only the usual wear and tear items?
Sorry for the longwinded post! Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Will
CrystalWill said:
So what I'm longwindedly saying is...with an '02 - '04 Boxster S with about 40k on the clock, full Porsche service history etc, are there known, expensive, faults which I am likely to fall victim to, or am I likely to have trouble-free driving with only the usual wear and tear items?
Cheers,
Will
Prepare yourself for the following barrage of doom. They will be here any minute me thinks.Cheers,
Will
Wozy68 said:
CrystalWill said:
So what I'm longwindedly saying is...with an '02 - '04 Boxster S with about 40k on the clock, full Porsche service history etc, are there known, expensive, faults which I am likely to fall victim to, or am I likely to have trouble-free driving with only the usual wear and tear items?
Cheers,
Will
Prepare yourself for the following barrage of doom. They will be here any minute me thinks.Cheers,
Will
Wozy68 said:
Prepare yourself for the following barrage of doom. They will be here any minute me thinks.
Ha ha ha, too funny ... expect:Even if its Peter Morgan selling you the car, get a Peter Morgan inspection.
It will blow up, buy an XYZ (usually Turbo or GTx cars thrown in at this point)
Walk away, no OPC warranty then its not worth 50p.
Only buy one if its resale silver or black, all other cars will need to be given away when youw ant to sell.
Anything more than 372 miles on the clock and its a high mileage sh*tter and the seller should be glad you are taking it off them.
'My mate bought the same car for 4k less, by the same it had 4 wheels and anxtra 40k con the clock and no service history, so still makes ours look expensive'
Etc etc etc ad infinitum ....
All i would say is there are a number of good quality Indies out there so don't restrict yourself to just the one ....
CrystalWill said:
Oh dear, really?!
Yup, I'm into old Porsche, not new. But what I read on here sometimes would make you think that any watercooled Porsche Boxster/911/Cayman engine could either spew oil, overheat or just destroy itself at any second.I have no idea in how many cases or what percentage.
Like I said doom mongers will be along soon no doubt, to fill you in.
Hi Will,
I found myself in exactly the same position as you last autumn, i.e. looking to buy my first Porsche and being somewhat bewildered as to how to go about getting a good one.
I did the usual thing and monitored the PH classifieds, Autotrader website and Ebay for a few months, then went to see 4-5 examples at dealerships. I decided quite quickly that I wanted a very specific model of 986 Boxster S, namely the 550 Spyder Anniversary model. I also didn't rule out a private sale, although I did prefer to buy from a dealer for the perceived peace of mind at least.
Not being a mechanic myself, and considering that any Porsche is somewhat of a specialist car, I decided that I would have an independant Porsche inspection carried out on any car I was serious about buying. The first car I had inspected was being sold by a private seller and was about 180 miles away from where I live. The chap was nice enough and genuinely enthusiastic about his car, and assured me that barring a few minor stone chips the car was in great mechanical order and immaculate. Unfortunately the inspection told a different story and therefore saved me buying a car that ultimately would have been a dud from my point of view.
Next car I found was at a largish dealership about 10 miles away from where I work. The car looked to be in good condition, however, there were discrepancies in the service history, and the price was considerably more than other 550 Spyders on sale at the time. The dealer was also really trying to put me off having an independant inspection which really put me off even considering to buy his car.
Luckily, the next car I found (also about 200 miles away) was well priced, and the dealer had no problem in me arranging to have the car inspected. In fact, he actually delivered the car to the inspector which was a 40 mile round trip for him. The inspector gave a thorough report which included a few minor advisories, but overall said the car was "a good one". I arranged to travel up on the train the very next day (bought a return ticket just in case), and returned back down south in my gleaming new (well new for me) Boxster S 550 Spyder. The rest as they say is history. The car has been a dream in the 6 months since I've owned it, and touch wood, will continue to be so for many years to come.
If you read through the forum archives, you see that common faults such as IMS/RMS failures can afflict 986/996 Porsches, but I think these are relatively rare. However, you do need to enter in Porsche ownership with your eyes wide open to potential risks and costs. A 2002-04 Boxster is a bargain to buy considering the performance and enjoyment on offer; however, they are more expensive to maintain than a "normal" car. If you accept this, then you'll be in the right frame of mind to really enjoy your forthcoming purchase without niggling thoughts in the back of your mind.
Anyway, I hope my buying experience has proven interesting and helpful to you. I wish you all the very best and hope you find the car of your dreams. Remember to post pics and description of your car when you eventually get it.
I found myself in exactly the same position as you last autumn, i.e. looking to buy my first Porsche and being somewhat bewildered as to how to go about getting a good one.
I did the usual thing and monitored the PH classifieds, Autotrader website and Ebay for a few months, then went to see 4-5 examples at dealerships. I decided quite quickly that I wanted a very specific model of 986 Boxster S, namely the 550 Spyder Anniversary model. I also didn't rule out a private sale, although I did prefer to buy from a dealer for the perceived peace of mind at least.
Not being a mechanic myself, and considering that any Porsche is somewhat of a specialist car, I decided that I would have an independant Porsche inspection carried out on any car I was serious about buying. The first car I had inspected was being sold by a private seller and was about 180 miles away from where I live. The chap was nice enough and genuinely enthusiastic about his car, and assured me that barring a few minor stone chips the car was in great mechanical order and immaculate. Unfortunately the inspection told a different story and therefore saved me buying a car that ultimately would have been a dud from my point of view.
Next car I found was at a largish dealership about 10 miles away from where I work. The car looked to be in good condition, however, there were discrepancies in the service history, and the price was considerably more than other 550 Spyders on sale at the time. The dealer was also really trying to put me off having an independant inspection which really put me off even considering to buy his car.
Luckily, the next car I found (also about 200 miles away) was well priced, and the dealer had no problem in me arranging to have the car inspected. In fact, he actually delivered the car to the inspector which was a 40 mile round trip for him. The inspector gave a thorough report which included a few minor advisories, but overall said the car was "a good one". I arranged to travel up on the train the very next day (bought a return ticket just in case), and returned back down south in my gleaming new (well new for me) Boxster S 550 Spyder. The rest as they say is history. The car has been a dream in the 6 months since I've owned it, and touch wood, will continue to be so for many years to come.
If you read through the forum archives, you see that common faults such as IMS/RMS failures can afflict 986/996 Porsches, but I think these are relatively rare. However, you do need to enter in Porsche ownership with your eyes wide open to potential risks and costs. A 2002-04 Boxster is a bargain to buy considering the performance and enjoyment on offer; however, they are more expensive to maintain than a "normal" car. If you accept this, then you'll be in the right frame of mind to really enjoy your forthcoming purchase without niggling thoughts in the back of your mind.
Anyway, I hope my buying experience has proven interesting and helpful to you. I wish you all the very best and hope you find the car of your dreams. Remember to post pics and description of your car when you eventually get it.
SilverPorker said:
Hi Will,
I found myself in exactly the same position as you last autumn, i.e. looking to buy my first Porsche and being somewhat bewildered as to how to go about getting a good one.
I did the usual thing and monitored the PH classifieds, Autotrader website and Ebay for a few months, then went to see 4-5 examples at dealerships. I decided quite quickly that I wanted a very specific model of 986 Boxster S, namely the 550 Spyder Anniversary model. I also didn't rule out a private sale, although I did prefer to buy from a dealer for the perceived peace of mind at least.
Not being a mechanic myself, and considering that any Porsche is somewhat of a specialist car, I decided that I would have an independant Porsche inspection carried out on any car I was serious about buying. The first car I had inspected was being sold by a private seller and was about 180 miles away from where I live. The chap was nice enough and genuinely enthusiastic about his car, and assured me that barring a few minor stone chips the car was in great mechanical order and immaculate. Unfortunately the inspection told a different story and therefore saved me buying a car that ultimately would have been a dud from my point of view.
Next car I found was at a largish dealership about 10 miles away from where I work. The car looked to be in good condition, however, there were discrepancies in the service history, and the price was considerably more than other 550 Spyders on sale at the time. The dealer was also really trying to put me off having an independant inspection which really put me off even considering to buy his car.
Luckily, the next car I found (also about 200 miles away) was well priced, and the dealer had no problem in me arranging to have the car inspected. In fact, he actually delivered the car to the inspector which was a 40 mile round trip for him. The inspector gave a thorough report which included a few minor advisories, but overall said the car was "a good one". I arranged to travel up on the train the very next day (bought a return ticket just in case), and returned back down south in my gleaming new (well new for me) Boxster S 550 Spyder. The rest as they say is history. The car has been a dream in the 6 months since I've owned it, and touch wood, will continue to be so for many years to come.
If you read through the forum archives, you see that common faults such as IMS/RMS failures can afflict 986/996 Porsches, but I think these are relatively rare. However, you do need to enter in Porsche ownership with your eyes wide open to potential risks and costs. A 2002-04 Boxster is a bargain to buy considering the performance and enjoyment on offer; however, they are more expensive to maintain than a "normal" car. If you accept this, then you'll be in the right frame of mind to really enjoy your forthcoming purchase without niggling thoughts in the back of your mind.
Anyway, I hope my buying experience has proven interesting and helpful to you. I wish you all the very best and hope you find the car of your dreams. Remember to post pics and description of your car when you eventually get it.
What a lovely reply. Good on yer. I found myself in exactly the same position as you last autumn, i.e. looking to buy my first Porsche and being somewhat bewildered as to how to go about getting a good one.
I did the usual thing and monitored the PH classifieds, Autotrader website and Ebay for a few months, then went to see 4-5 examples at dealerships. I decided quite quickly that I wanted a very specific model of 986 Boxster S, namely the 550 Spyder Anniversary model. I also didn't rule out a private sale, although I did prefer to buy from a dealer for the perceived peace of mind at least.
Not being a mechanic myself, and considering that any Porsche is somewhat of a specialist car, I decided that I would have an independant Porsche inspection carried out on any car I was serious about buying. The first car I had inspected was being sold by a private seller and was about 180 miles away from where I live. The chap was nice enough and genuinely enthusiastic about his car, and assured me that barring a few minor stone chips the car was in great mechanical order and immaculate. Unfortunately the inspection told a different story and therefore saved me buying a car that ultimately would have been a dud from my point of view.
Next car I found was at a largish dealership about 10 miles away from where I work. The car looked to be in good condition, however, there were discrepancies in the service history, and the price was considerably more than other 550 Spyders on sale at the time. The dealer was also really trying to put me off having an independant inspection which really put me off even considering to buy his car.
Luckily, the next car I found (also about 200 miles away) was well priced, and the dealer had no problem in me arranging to have the car inspected. In fact, he actually delivered the car to the inspector which was a 40 mile round trip for him. The inspector gave a thorough report which included a few minor advisories, but overall said the car was "a good one". I arranged to travel up on the train the very next day (bought a return ticket just in case), and returned back down south in my gleaming new (well new for me) Boxster S 550 Spyder. The rest as they say is history. The car has been a dream in the 6 months since I've owned it, and touch wood, will continue to be so for many years to come.
If you read through the forum archives, you see that common faults such as IMS/RMS failures can afflict 986/996 Porsches, but I think these are relatively rare. However, you do need to enter in Porsche ownership with your eyes wide open to potential risks and costs. A 2002-04 Boxster is a bargain to buy considering the performance and enjoyment on offer; however, they are more expensive to maintain than a "normal" car. If you accept this, then you'll be in the right frame of mind to really enjoy your forthcoming purchase without niggling thoughts in the back of your mind.
Anyway, I hope my buying experience has proven interesting and helpful to you. I wish you all the very best and hope you find the car of your dreams. Remember to post pics and description of your car when you eventually get it.
I also wish the OP the very best of luck with his up and coming purchase.
SilverPorker said:
Hi Will,
I found myself in exactly the same position as you last autumn, i.e. looking to buy my first Porsche and being somewhat bewildered as to how to go about getting a good one.
I did the usual thing and monitored the PH classifieds, Autotrader website and Ebay for a few months, then went to see 4-5 examples at dealerships. I decided quite quickly that I wanted a very specific model of 986 Boxster S, namely the 550 Spyder Anniversary model. I also didn't rule out a private sale, although I did prefer to buy from a dealer for the perceived peace of mind at least.
Not being a mechanic myself, and considering that any Porsche is somewhat of a specialist car, I decided that I would have an independant Porsche inspection carried out on any car I was serious about buying. The first car I had inspected was being sold by a private seller and was about 180 miles away from where I live. The chap was nice enough and genuinely enthusiastic about his car, and assured me that barring a few minor stone chips the car was in great mechanical order and immaculate. Unfortunately the inspection told a different story and therefore saved me buying a car that ultimately would have been a dud from my point of view.
Next car I found was at a largish dealership about 10 miles away from where I work. The car looked to be in good condition, however, there were discrepancies in the service history, and the price was considerably more than other 550 Spyders on sale at the time. The dealer was also really trying to put me off having an independant inspection which really put me off even considering to buy his car.
Luckily, the next car I found (also about 200 miles away) was well priced, and the dealer had no problem in me arranging to have the car inspected. In fact, he actually delivered the car to the inspector which was a 40 mile round trip for him. The inspector gave a thorough report which included a few minor advisories, but overall said the car was "a good one". I arranged to travel up on the train the very next day (bought a return ticket just in case), and returned back down south in my gleaming new (well new for me) Boxster S 550 Spyder. The rest as they say is history. The car has been a dream in the 6 months since I've owned it, and touch wood, will continue to be so for many years to come.
If you read through the forum archives, you see that common faults such as IMS/RMS failures can afflict 986/996 Porsches, but I think these are relatively rare. However, you do need to enter in Porsche ownership with your eyes wide open to potential risks and costs. A 2002-04 Boxster is a bargain to buy considering the performance and enjoyment on offer; however, they are more expensive to maintain than a "normal" car. If you accept this, then you'll be in the right frame of mind to really enjoy your forthcoming purchase without niggling thoughts in the back of your mind.
Anyway, I hope my buying experience has proven interesting and helpful to you. I wish you all the very best and hope you find the car of your dreams. Remember to post pics and description of your car when you eventually get it.
Thanks so much for taking the time to pass all that on - it is very valuable advice for the as yet uninitiated! I found myself in exactly the same position as you last autumn, i.e. looking to buy my first Porsche and being somewhat bewildered as to how to go about getting a good one.
I did the usual thing and monitored the PH classifieds, Autotrader website and Ebay for a few months, then went to see 4-5 examples at dealerships. I decided quite quickly that I wanted a very specific model of 986 Boxster S, namely the 550 Spyder Anniversary model. I also didn't rule out a private sale, although I did prefer to buy from a dealer for the perceived peace of mind at least.
Not being a mechanic myself, and considering that any Porsche is somewhat of a specialist car, I decided that I would have an independant Porsche inspection carried out on any car I was serious about buying. The first car I had inspected was being sold by a private seller and was about 180 miles away from where I live. The chap was nice enough and genuinely enthusiastic about his car, and assured me that barring a few minor stone chips the car was in great mechanical order and immaculate. Unfortunately the inspection told a different story and therefore saved me buying a car that ultimately would have been a dud from my point of view.
Next car I found was at a largish dealership about 10 miles away from where I work. The car looked to be in good condition, however, there were discrepancies in the service history, and the price was considerably more than other 550 Spyders on sale at the time. The dealer was also really trying to put me off having an independant inspection which really put me off even considering to buy his car.
Luckily, the next car I found (also about 200 miles away) was well priced, and the dealer had no problem in me arranging to have the car inspected. In fact, he actually delivered the car to the inspector which was a 40 mile round trip for him. The inspector gave a thorough report which included a few minor advisories, but overall said the car was "a good one". I arranged to travel up on the train the very next day (bought a return ticket just in case), and returned back down south in my gleaming new (well new for me) Boxster S 550 Spyder. The rest as they say is history. The car has been a dream in the 6 months since I've owned it, and touch wood, will continue to be so for many years to come.
If you read through the forum archives, you see that common faults such as IMS/RMS failures can afflict 986/996 Porsches, but I think these are relatively rare. However, you do need to enter in Porsche ownership with your eyes wide open to potential risks and costs. A 2002-04 Boxster is a bargain to buy considering the performance and enjoyment on offer; however, they are more expensive to maintain than a "normal" car. If you accept this, then you'll be in the right frame of mind to really enjoy your forthcoming purchase without niggling thoughts in the back of your mind.
Anyway, I hope my buying experience has proven interesting and helpful to you. I wish you all the very best and hope you find the car of your dreams. Remember to post pics and description of your car when you eventually get it.
I actually got the opportunity to get a 550 Spyder as well - they are lovely cars. However it was a tiptronic and I just know I would miss the manual.
How many miles were on the clock when you bought it and how much did you pay in the end? If you don't mind me asking...
I'm totally open-eyed about the relative expense of owning a Boxster compared to anything more mainstream and expect the service costs/wear and tear items etc to be more expensive to repair/maintain. I'm just wary of forking out £12,000 for something which blows up three months later, leaving me with a big hole in my bank balance and a useless car!
Thanks again for your detailed reply, I really appreciate it.
Thanks Wozy68 and CrystalWill for your kind comments.
Will,
My Boxster is a second/weekend car, and like you I only considered a manual gearbox for full driving involvement. I'm lucky enough to have a very nice Audi with a dual-clutch auto for wafting about in when commuting or chauffeuring my family around. The dealer who sold me the Boxster had it advertised for £13,999, but after some negotiation I eventually bought it for £12,600 with 6 months tax thrown in. The car had 29k on the clock when I bought it - currently has just under 33k on now.
The dealer did have the car serviced by a Porsche Indie just before I bought it; however, they only did a minor service when it was actually due a major, so I've just treated the Spyder to a full (48k) service, brake fluid change and new set of coil packs. Coil packs were just starting to split. Arguably, none of this needed to be done just now, but I wanted to have a clean slate and know that the car has been serviced properly whilst in my care as I'm intending to hold on to it for the long term. I also had the wheels refurbished as they had corrosion on the inner rims. That little lot set me back £1,750, so bear that in mind when I say they are not cheap cars to maintain.
Only other thing I've spent on the car is an upgrade of the stock Becker sourced stereo. I couldn't live with a CD player (my how times have changed hey!), so needed to put something in that would work well with my iPod. So replaced the CDR-23 head unit and Bose amp with a Kenwood KIV-700 and JL Audio amp. Had both professionally fitted and the difference in sound quality is amazing.
Other than servicing and maintenance, I don't expect to do anything extra to the car now other than enjoy it. So for a total outlay of £14.5k I feel like I've got my ideal weekend toy and it now looks like it could have been driven out of a showroom just yesterday
Will,
My Boxster is a second/weekend car, and like you I only considered a manual gearbox for full driving involvement. I'm lucky enough to have a very nice Audi with a dual-clutch auto for wafting about in when commuting or chauffeuring my family around. The dealer who sold me the Boxster had it advertised for £13,999, but after some negotiation I eventually bought it for £12,600 with 6 months tax thrown in. The car had 29k on the clock when I bought it - currently has just under 33k on now.
The dealer did have the car serviced by a Porsche Indie just before I bought it; however, they only did a minor service when it was actually due a major, so I've just treated the Spyder to a full (48k) service, brake fluid change and new set of coil packs. Coil packs were just starting to split. Arguably, none of this needed to be done just now, but I wanted to have a clean slate and know that the car has been serviced properly whilst in my care as I'm intending to hold on to it for the long term. I also had the wheels refurbished as they had corrosion on the inner rims. That little lot set me back £1,750, so bear that in mind when I say they are not cheap cars to maintain.
Only other thing I've spent on the car is an upgrade of the stock Becker sourced stereo. I couldn't live with a CD player (my how times have changed hey!), so needed to put something in that would work well with my iPod. So replaced the CDR-23 head unit and Bose amp with a Kenwood KIV-700 and JL Audio amp. Had both professionally fitted and the difference in sound quality is amazing.
Other than servicing and maintenance, I don't expect to do anything extra to the car now other than enjoy it. So for a total outlay of £14.5k I feel like I've got my ideal weekend toy and it now looks like it could have been driven out of a showroom just yesterday
dibblecorse said:
Wozy68 said:
Prepare yourself for the following barrage of doom. They will be here any minute me thinks.
Ha ha ha, too funny ... expect:Even if its Peter Morgan selling you the car, get a Peter Morgan inspection.
It will blow up, buy an XYZ (usually Turbo or GTx cars thrown in at this point)
Walk away, no OPC warranty then its not worth 50p.
Only buy one if its resale silver or black, all other cars will need to be given away when youw ant to sell.
Anything more than 372 miles on the clock and its a high mileage sh*tter and the seller should be glad you are taking it off them.
'My mate bought the same car for 4k less, by the same it had 4 wheels and anxtra 40k con the clock and no service history, so still makes ours look expensive'
Etc etc etc ad infinitum ....
All i would say is there are a number of good quality Indies out there so don't restrict yourself to just the one ....
Thanks again.
SilverPorker said:
Thanks Wozy68 and CrystalWill for your kind comments.
Will,
My Boxster is a second/weekend car, and like you I only considered a manual gearbox for full driving involvement. I'm lucky enough to have a very nice Audi with a dual-clutch auto for wafting about in when commuting or chauffeuring my family around. The dealer who sold me the Boxster had it advertised for £13,999, but after some negotiation I eventually bought it for £12,600 with 6 months tax thrown in. The car had 29k on the clock when I bought it - currently has just under 33k on now.
The dealer did have the car serviced by a Porsche Indie just before I bought it; however, they only did a minor service when it was actually due a major, so I've just treated the Spyder to a full (48k) service, brake fluid change and new set of coil packs. Coil packs were just starting to split. Arguably, none of this needed to be done just now, but I wanted to have a clean slate and know that the car has been serviced properly whilst in my care as I'm intending to hold on to it for the long term. I also had the wheels refurbished as they had corrosion on the inner rims. That little lot set me back £1,750, so bear that in mind when I say they are not cheap cars to maintain.
Only other thing I've spent on the car is an upgrade of the stock Becker sourced stereo. I couldn't live with a CD player (my how times have changed hey!), so needed to put something in that would work well with my iPod. So replaced the CDR-23 head unit and Bose amp with a Kenwood KIV-700 and JL Audio amp. Had both professionally fitted and the difference in sound quality is amazing.
Other than servicing and maintenance, I don't expect to do anything extra to the car now other than enjoy it. So for a total outlay of £14.5k I feel like I've got my ideal weekend toy and it now looks like it could have been driven out of a showroom just yesterday
Sounds like you've got yourself a very nice car at a very decent price! I will have about £12k to spend, which should get me a decent S I think.Will,
My Boxster is a second/weekend car, and like you I only considered a manual gearbox for full driving involvement. I'm lucky enough to have a very nice Audi with a dual-clutch auto for wafting about in when commuting or chauffeuring my family around. The dealer who sold me the Boxster had it advertised for £13,999, but after some negotiation I eventually bought it for £12,600 with 6 months tax thrown in. The car had 29k on the clock when I bought it - currently has just under 33k on now.
The dealer did have the car serviced by a Porsche Indie just before I bought it; however, they only did a minor service when it was actually due a major, so I've just treated the Spyder to a full (48k) service, brake fluid change and new set of coil packs. Coil packs were just starting to split. Arguably, none of this needed to be done just now, but I wanted to have a clean slate and know that the car has been serviced properly whilst in my care as I'm intending to hold on to it for the long term. I also had the wheels refurbished as they had corrosion on the inner rims. That little lot set me back £1,750, so bear that in mind when I say they are not cheap cars to maintain.
Only other thing I've spent on the car is an upgrade of the stock Becker sourced stereo. I couldn't live with a CD player (my how times have changed hey!), so needed to put something in that would work well with my iPod. So replaced the CDR-23 head unit and Bose amp with a Kenwood KIV-700 and JL Audio amp. Had both professionally fitted and the difference in sound quality is amazing.
Other than servicing and maintenance, I don't expect to do anything extra to the car now other than enjoy it. So for a total outlay of £14.5k I feel like I've got my ideal weekend toy and it now looks like it could have been driven out of a showroom just yesterday
I've just had a look at the Peter Morgan inspection and it looks well worth the money - is that who yours was through?
No, I bought my car from Preston, Lancs and used an Indie that was not too far away in Wigan http://porsche-repair-service.co.uk/index.asp
I would recommend RPM Technik as a very good Indie. http://www.rpmtechnik.co.uk/
They are based near Tring in Hertfordshire.
They are based near Tring in Hertfordshire.
CrystalWill said:
Thank you for this - really helpful. Can you recommend any Indies in/near London/home counties?
Thanks again.
To buy from or to look after the car ???Thanks again.
To buy then there's Paragon, 911 Virgin, RSJ, Portiacraft and JZM amongst others and apart from 911 Virgin they can also maintain your car, along with the likes of Nine Excellence, GT One etc ....
There are a few more but those are off the top of my head, theres also 911 Box but i don't know a lot about them !!!!
Do bear in mind the following.
2002-2004 will be in the higher tax band (how much is it someone?) Sarahs 2000 Boxster S is mechanically much the same and cosmetically much the same (the headlights aren't as pretty but can be updated for not silly money) and is in the old PLG tax band, I suspect saving a fair bit per year.
12k seems an awful lot of money to spend on a car that is a couple of years later than hers, as a guide nice circa 2000 Boxster S models are ranging from £5500 up to 9k, colour/mileage/spec/condition dependent. Hers was at the top of that budget but was a dealer car with a nice colour combo, decent albeit not mint condition and lowish mileage. I did see an immaculate green with tan leather S with similar mileage and a generally well loved private sale car for £5500. If it had been my money I would probably have gone for that car as 3.5k buys an awful lot of peace of mind!
Don't necessarily be put off by a seemingly big list of problems on a PPI. When we picked the S up we knew the aircon would need some attention soon but everything worked, since then I'm going to have to change a coffin arm and the brakes will need disks and pads in a few K, on top of that the tyres were non N rated and there is a faint (and I do mean faint) long term weep from the RMS. Does that sound awful in black and white? Of course it does, but the aircon rad will be circa £100 plus £50 to refill with gas, the coffin arm was £75 for an OE new arm, new tyres are neither here nor there really, brakes are to be expected unless you fall lucky and they have just been done, and the RMS leak is present on most cars out there in various different degrees, we're lucky it's not serious and won't be done till I do a clutch, if it was serious I would want to negotiate a big discount as Boxster S are not rare cars.
It's interesting to see what the price of early Boxsters is doing to other poverty pork, I'm seeing nice 944s selling for less than 3k (including cabs) when not long ago they were 5k all day long, and you can see why, 10 years newer, quicker, glorious chassis and the flat six noise that no 944 engine can hold a candle to, same goes for the fantastic 968 (which I am looking for as my own car and rapidly thinking it is a bad idea). Cheap cheap cars now Boxsters.
2002-2004 will be in the higher tax band (how much is it someone?) Sarahs 2000 Boxster S is mechanically much the same and cosmetically much the same (the headlights aren't as pretty but can be updated for not silly money) and is in the old PLG tax band, I suspect saving a fair bit per year.
12k seems an awful lot of money to spend on a car that is a couple of years later than hers, as a guide nice circa 2000 Boxster S models are ranging from £5500 up to 9k, colour/mileage/spec/condition dependent. Hers was at the top of that budget but was a dealer car with a nice colour combo, decent albeit not mint condition and lowish mileage. I did see an immaculate green with tan leather S with similar mileage and a generally well loved private sale car for £5500. If it had been my money I would probably have gone for that car as 3.5k buys an awful lot of peace of mind!
Don't necessarily be put off by a seemingly big list of problems on a PPI. When we picked the S up we knew the aircon would need some attention soon but everything worked, since then I'm going to have to change a coffin arm and the brakes will need disks and pads in a few K, on top of that the tyres were non N rated and there is a faint (and I do mean faint) long term weep from the RMS. Does that sound awful in black and white? Of course it does, but the aircon rad will be circa £100 plus £50 to refill with gas, the coffin arm was £75 for an OE new arm, new tyres are neither here nor there really, brakes are to be expected unless you fall lucky and they have just been done, and the RMS leak is present on most cars out there in various different degrees, we're lucky it's not serious and won't be done till I do a clutch, if it was serious I would want to negotiate a big discount as Boxster S are not rare cars.
It's interesting to see what the price of early Boxsters is doing to other poverty pork, I'm seeing nice 944s selling for less than 3k (including cabs) when not long ago they were 5k all day long, and you can see why, 10 years newer, quicker, glorious chassis and the flat six noise that no 944 engine can hold a candle to, same goes for the fantastic 968 (which I am looking for as my own car and rapidly thinking it is a bad idea). Cheap cheap cars now Boxsters.
alfa phil said:
Hi Will have a look at a few at the indies , then come up to Bedfordshire and have a look at my 2003 S which is for sale on here,you will not find better, private sale yes , but had it nearly 5 years , with not so much as a missed beat, they are generaly very reliable motors.
Hi Phil,I've had a look at a lot through Indies. Have you got a link to yours on here? Sorry, new to the site and don't know where to look for it!
Cheers,
Will
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