HELP! Newbie Wants to Spend £15-17K on Boxster S - Any Advice?

[geofashton0852]

Hi, potential first-time Porsche owner here... Used to have a TVR Tamora [cue smiles...] but sold due to working abroad. Now about to return to Blighty and looking at a Boxster around £15-17K

From what I've seen, I'm zero'ing in on an "S" with maybe 50K on the clock and around 5 years old... Can anyone give me some pointers and/or potential pitfalls to avoid, please?

I loved my Tamora. Only thing is that you couldn't really call it an everyday car - I'm banking on the Boxster being fairly low-maintenance and everyday-commuter-friendly

One specific question - I'm hemmed in on all sides by lots of serious speed bumps. Does the Boxster have any issues getting over high bumps? Should I avoid sports suspension?

At this price, should I definitely get an inspection carried out? If so, what options are there? [I've noticed references to some sort of Porsche-standard inspection?]

Similarly, what about servicing, and the service history? How important is it to stick to official Porsche dealers?

At this age/mileage, what should I particularly look out for on the test drive?

Should I avoid private sellers?

What warranty, if any, would you recommend on this age of car?

Hope you can help an innocent newbie... Cheers

 

[tommo1]

Hi Geoff

I've just traded mine in at my local OPC for an 08 C4S, after 4 very happy years, the car is now 5 years old 41000 miles.

I would say I bought it from an Indy and had no trobles at all,

its on Pistonheads at £18495, so your in the right area for price

Steve

 

[budget]

Hi Geof

A friend and fellow PCGB member is selling his boxster S It is an 03 with 39000 miles and i know the car, i recently carried out an oil change on it for him
so had the privilage of looking it over. This is a well looked after car and worth considering. And clearly in your price range.
As for servicing, i do all my own servicing/repairs (mechanic). Stamps in service books are a good thing but bills are what i loook for they list the parts and additional work that has been carried out! Thats what tells the real story. Main dealer/independants will be able to confirm there work on the phone anything else to me would be ok if it was backed up by receipts.

Jim

 

[glewis]

Hi Geoff

I currently have a Boxster S 550 Anniversary Edition for sale. It's an 'o4 plate, (so maybe slightly older than you were looking for), but only 55000 miles. It has warranty till April 2012.

Details can be found on PCGB website in the "cars for sale" section.

 

[geofashton0852]

Hi, thanks Gary, Jim and Steve

To be honest, I'm not sure exactly when I'm going to be back home... It may take a while

I was really looking to take some time and get this decision right. I'm really just looking for pointers at this stage

Besides, I think I should be going for the newer model 987, don't you think?

Cheers,
Geof

 

[Dylan1]

you would definately get a 987 for that money.and very much worth it.although getting a good one would be in the upper end-18k i would say would get a good 40-50k "s".a good indy like paragon has a current 987s for i think 18-19k offhand .
i have an 07 s which cost me 24k 30k miles but loads of extras which kicked the new price to 50k so provided you dont mind missing out on a few toys you should be fine[]

mine has sports setup with sport chrono etc and i do have to take care over speedbumps but they are not a problem

as for warranty i shelled out on 2yrs extended porsche warranty for peace of mind at my local opc for about£1500.

great cars though so i am sure you will have lots of fun per pounds

 

[Buddy]

Hi Geof,

First of all the 987 is an excellent choice for your first Porsche, two boots plus storage room behind the seats if you're not too tall like 6'6".[]

Approved Porsche Boxster S's can be as low as £20K but not often below that, they do have a two year warranty and are fully checked over so always keep an eye on the Porsche car locator. 987 S comes in the early models with a 3.2 then from about 07 3.4. As you'd expect the 3.2 model 987 does tend to be at a lower price but has 10,000/annual servicing whereas the 3.4 is 20,000miles/2 years.

On the other hand you are in the right price range for the none OPC cars on sale elsewhere for what you want to buy. And they should be loaded with options but have an inspection done.

Before I bought an OPC car, as it happens a Boxster S. I looked at private and other dealer cars but found that for the money none at that time were worth what they were asking, poor warranties and such. The car I settled on then was same price as one at a garage down the road but it had new brakes more tread on the tyres and all service history. In those days it was only a 12 month warranty but it can be renewed subject to inspection.

If you buy elsewhere then you can still get a Porsche warranty but you will pay for the inspection plus fixing anything they find and the warranty at around £1000 so you could end up with a bill for anything not to their standards! I had a my car fail their inspection for warranty once even though the same inspection was carried out with the MOT and reason for rejection was a worn track arm!

Warranties are renewable up to 10 years or 120,000miles, other warranties are available elsewhere.

I've driven Porsches for 16 years most of which were maintained by myself or none franchised before I started dealing direct with OPC's.

 

[AndySmith]

Hi Geof

It is my Boxster S that Jim was referring to. I have not generally advertised it yet and if you are interested, I can email some pics and much more detail.

Regards
Andy

 

[chard]

All 987's have a 20k or 2 year service interval including the 3.2. The 3.2s also has cheaper road tax.

ORIGINAL: Buddy

Hi Geof,

First of all the 987 is an excellent choice for your first Porsche, two boots plus storage room behind the seats if you're not too tall like 6'6".[]

Approved Porsche Boxster S's can be as low as £20K but not often below that, they do have a two year warranty and are fully checked over so always keep an eye on the Porsche car locator. 987 S comes in the early models with a 3.2 then from about 07 3.4. As you'd expect the 3.2 model 987 does tend to be at a lower price but has 10,000/annual servicing whereas the 3.4 is 20,000miles/2 years.

On the other hand you are in the right price range for the none OPC cars on sale elsewhere for what you want to buy. And they should be loaded with options but have an inspection done.

Before I bought an OPC car, as it happens a Boxster S. I looked at private and other dealer cars but found that for the money none at that time were worth what they were asking, poor warranties and such. The car I settled on then was same price as one at a garage down the road but it had new brakes more tread on the tyres and all service history. In those days it was only a 12 month warranty but it can be renewed subject to inspection.

If you buy elsewhere then you can still get a Porsche warranty but you will pay for the inspection plus fixing anything they find and the warranty at around £1000 so you could end up with a bill for anything not to their standards! I had a my car fail their inspection for warranty once even though the same inspection was carried out with the MOT and reason for rejection was a worn track arm!

Warranties are renewable up to 10 years or 120,000miles, other warranties are available elsewhere.

I've driven Porsches for 16 years most of which were maintained by myself or none franchised before I started dealing direct with OPC's.

 

[spyderman]

Its a real buyers' market at the moment and Boxsters have (sadly for existing owners like me) dropped considerably in price over the last few months. Yes, you could get a 987 S for that money, from an independent dealer, now - six months ago you'd have needed more than £20k I think. Through an OPC you can expect to spend about £5k more but they're generally very well prepared and of course you get the excellent Porsche warranty.

 

[jdpef356]

Welcome - Just remember the first part of ownership is your search, take your time, enjoy it.[]

Not a bad place to start is at the top! Why? Well when you have tested a car that just about had every optional extra thrown at when you drive another you will know what's your missing. Do it the other way round and you may reach a decision before driving the best!

With you budget you will have a choice of the 986 or 987 model. So if you want to look at the top of the range for 986 the 550 spyder limited edition is the car to look at. Last in the line before the 987 and a limited edition with all the goodies. Just read the link below and an example from autotrader.
Alos remember you are buying a limited edition so prices for these models depreciate slower that the standard cars[]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201140419052842/sort/priceasc/usedcars/price-to/18000/maximum-mileage/up_to_40000_miles/transmission/manual/engine-size-cars/3l_to_3-9l/model/boxster/make/porsche/keywords/spyder/page/1/radius/1501/postcode/cb45bx?logcode=p

http://www.porsche.com/uk/aboutporsche/pressreleases/pcgb/pressreleases2003/?pool=uk&id=2003-11-21

No need to buy from a dealer. Dealers cars a more expensive[:-] Remember that a dealers knows very little about the actual history of a second hand car, other than what is says in the service history. The guy who does know about the car is the previous owner. []
Whichever route you take make sure you get a PPI - not an option. Essential!

Good luck with your search!

 

[budget]

Hi Geoff

Like you, i looked for a long time. I had a list of must have options and i came very close to buying a 12 month old OPC car. (twice). However my wife pointed out that i was settling for something that was not quite what i wanted. The opc dealers were excellent. In the end when the sun came out i bought an older car with none of the extras i had to have not even my choice of colour.
It was low mileage Clean and had a warranty a little dear But would do the job! while i looked.
Well I love this car and it has not dissapointed!!! Sat/Nav it does not have, It makes such a wonderful noise i dont really have the radio on! (so i didnt need that after all)! I have had so much fun in this car i have not looked back!
I will indeed upgrade in the future and listen to the dealer this time about looking for a nice car and compromising on my high spec options, But i am not bothered at the moment! As i said i love this car and it was everything i discounted.
I guess what i am saying here is Dont rule out a clean low mileage 986 there are lots to choose from and they are great. And a private sale can be great if you are careful.
When i sell/trade or whatever to upgrade i will no doubt loose some money, if i loose half what i paid (which i think is unlikely) it will be a lot less than i have lost on
The newer cars that i have traditionally bought in the past.

I guess very few of us get what we think we want right first time, doing it this way i will have the choice of changing more frequently if i desire. I have learnt a big lesson here and my advise would be buy the best low mileage cleanest most documented car, not just the newest your money will buy!

Whatever you do Good Luck!

Jim

 

[rich mich]

i have owned both models 986 s and a std 2.7 987, i would say go for a 987 instead of a 986, more modern inside,psm standard , i find the handling is way better on the 987 also the 2.7 987 is only 7bhp down compared to a early 986s(245 v 252) a think the later 986s were 260 bhp,and the early 987s(3.2) was 280bhp you should be able to find a 987 s for about 17k(private sale) and you would get a good 987 2.7 car for that money(non s)(the boxster is a great car anyway any model you get)

 

[geofashton0852]

Wow, that's great! Thanks, everyone, for your fast and detailed responses

I guess the loudest message is, "Get an inspection..." Is this straightforward [contact the nearest official Porsche dealer]? Or are there alternatives? Where can I get details of the best ["proper"] inspection?

I'm tempted to think that a car of this age/mileage, with a detailed inspection, does not really need a warranty. I bought a two-year warranty with my TVR and never had to use it once. Folly?

So my preferred spec right now is:
~ Early 987. Best deal from a private seller who knows its history
~ No "must-have" accessories. Concentrate on the condition of the car, itself
~ Only personal detail is colour - Grey. Meteor grey sounds deeper/darker than seal grey...
~ Don't go for sports suspension - Speed bumps

That's it really. Hope you will keep the comments coming - Much appreciated
Cheers,
Geof

 

[jdpef356]

Peter Morgan for your PPI - Tried and Trusted witten report. http://www.porscheinspections.com/porsche_inspections.php


If I could only have one Optional Extra - every time Heated Seats - drive all year round drop the hood whenever you fancy[]

 

[BoxsterBox]

My brother bought a facelift 02 reg S back in the summer from http://www.maundrelland.co.uk/

It is a newish setup and they usually have a good stock of Boxsters from main dealers. Might be worth checking them out.

Simon