Buying guide

[sawood12]

A friend of mine has asked me to go and look at a Boxter he's thinking about buying. Is there anything specific I should look out for other than the usual e.g. FPSH. I realise RMS is a potential problem but I probably won't be able to spot anything other than the odd signs of an oil leak. Are the hoods pretty reliable and trouble-free?

Thanks.

 

[Black80XSA]

Check the roof operation, the windows and the central locking - all potential weak spots. Also thoroughly check the air con, is pumping cold air as condensors and rads are expensive repairs. IF you can look through the front air intakes with a torch for evidence of build up of leaves and road debris in at the end and base of the rads.

Also check the wear on the tyres, especially the inside edges which can go unnoticed.

As for engines, rough idle as well as any oilo leaks.

If its 4 yrs or more check the history for signs of the polybelt change(4 yearly), regular brake fluid changes (every 2 years).

 

[Mark_Bennett]

If it is a plastic rear window (pre MY2003) then look for "stress-points" in the plastic - this indicates the roof has been folded just using the button and the correct crease not put in to the window by stoppping half-way and smoothing it. The screen will fracture at these stress points requiing at least a £200 bill to sew a new one in.

Check for blue smoke on startup.

RMS not an issue really unless you can see it drip-drip-dripping. (A drop a week isn't going to hurt)

 

[Rodney Naghar]

Check all the tyres are 'N' rated (they should ideally be of the same make)
Check the 'oddments' compartment hinge isn't broken.
Check that the VIL sticker under the bonnet matches with the Service book and contains the 'C16' (UK spec) option.
Check that if there is any smoke from the exhaust at startup (which there invariably will be with any Boxer engine layout) it doesn't last more than say 20 seconds.
Check for rust, or bubbling paint, behind the door catches.
Make sure the tool-box is still present (behind the spare tyre)
Check carpet behind seats, make sure they are not damp (usually caused by the roof drainage channels being blocked) this could cause havoc with the ECU.
Check disks, make sure they are not rusty or cracked (see if you can feel the rear of the disk, that is where they are most prone to rust)
If it's a tiptronic, make sure the lever moves freely, and in manual mode, shifts up and down the gears smoothly.
Make sure all the switches work, including the electirc seats.
Look out for 'Lux Pack' which includes a wind deflector,top tinted window, larger battery, full leather and 17" alloys....these are very desireable options.
Listen out for a knocking sound while test driving, the suspension bushes may need replacing.
A rumbling sound (especially round corners) may point to a wheel bearing going.

If all of those are ok i would then get a Porsche 111 point inspection done on it. (about £200) Then he can get the Porsche Extended warranty for £725 (comes with Porsce Assist Europe Wide) once any faults are rectified (can be done elsewhere)

Good luck!

 

[sawood12]

Thanks all for your input. We went to see the car this morning, a 51 plate '02 facelift model in the dark metallic grey/silver colour and about 23k miles. It looked absolutely stunning. Checked all the things suggested above and all appeared to check out. Two rear tyres were brand new and the only blemishes on the body were a few stone chips and a very small dent on the front boot lid that looks like the lid had been closed onto something sticking up in the boot, but it was very small and only noticeable if you knew where to look. Other than that it seemed fine. I had a blast in it which was my first time behind the wheel of a Boxter and I must say that it was a superb drive and the engine tone was superb - real tingle down the spine stuff. I've never really considered a Boxter but I must say I was quite smitten - although I think i'd have to go for the S as I think i'd miss the grunt after getting used to my 944 turbo. But the ride and handling was fantasic and felt very similar to my 944 although a bit more refined.

One thing I didn't check up on was the price, my mate reckoned Parkers Guide has it valued at £19.5k, it was up for £18,850 and my mate managed to get it for £18.5k after knocking a bit off for the small boot lid dent and just being cheeky and bluffing his budget was only £18k. I have no idea if thats a decent price or not but my mate seems to be happy with it.

Anyway, thanks again for your help and you never know - you might see me again in a couple of years time.

 

[THX911]

ORIGINAL: sawood12

Thanks all for your input. We went to see the car this morning, a 51 plate '02 facelift model in the dark metallic grey/silver colour and about 23k miles. It looked absolutely stunning. Checked all the things suggested above and all appeared to check out. Two rear tyres were brand new and the only blemishes on the body were a few stone chips and a very small dent on the front boot lid that looks like the lid had been closed onto something sticking up in the boot, but it was very small and only noticeable if you knew where to look. Other than that it seemed fine. I had a blast in it which was my first time behind the wheel of a Boxter and I must say that it was a superb drive and the engine tone was superb - real tingle down the spine stuff. I've never really considered a Boxter but I must say I was quite smitten - although I think i'd have to go for the S as I think i'd miss the grunt after getting used to my 944 turbo. But the ride and handling was fantasic and felt very similar to my 944 although a bit more refined.

Anyway, thanks again for your help and you never know - you might see me again in a couple of years time.

Looking forward to you joining the Boxster S club and we'll also show to how to spell it too [] LOL

 

[sawood12]

I'd never noticed that extra letter, seems a bit unneccessary. Oh well every day is a school day!

 

[JCB..]

ORIGINAL: sawood12

I'd never noticed that extra letter, seems a bit unneccessary. Oh well every day is a school day!

Yes Boxster looks so much better without that 'S' tagged on the end! []

 

[Dapster]

One thing I didn't check up on was the price, my mate reckoned Parkers Guide has it valued at £19.5k, it was up for £18,850 and my mate managed to get it for £18.5k after knocking a bit off for the small boot lid dent and just being cheeky and bluffing his budget was only £18k. I have no idea if thats a decent price or not but my mate seems to be happy with it.

Been a while since I was checking but it feels to me like your mate got a really good deal.....

 

[sawood12]

That's good news. I just hope he doesn't have any RMS related problems with it as I didn't tell him about this as I suspect it's a pretty rare problem and didn't want to put him off and condemn him to a plasticky 350Z. I had a good look under the car and there were no signs whatsoever of an oil leak and no signs that the underside of the car and engine had been steam cleaned to try to hide any evidence of an oil leak so after 28k miles I hope he's past the infintile failure zone.

I did get a bit confused to open the rear boot expecting to see an engine but seeing another boot. Just how do you get to see the engine in these things without getting under the car?