Buying a used Boxster S - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Hello my new friends! I am interested in purchasing a USED 2000-2001 Boxster S and I was wondering if I could get some buyer tips from knowledgeable people such as yourselves Basically what’s a short list of what should I be looking for? I must begin by saying I will scrutinize the obvious/major parts, but are there any additional issues which I should pay attention to? I am interested in several cars near my area, but they all have 40-50K miles on them? What should I look for at this mileage? Also if I maintain the lovely beast, what do u expect my yearly maintenance costs will be from now on? The clutch on the cars seemed great so I don’t there would be any problems there in the foreseeable future… Anyway, I think this is a great forum...All of you are very helpful and I hope to become a member of the club P.S. I based my decision on a couple of drives I took w/ my friends Boaster! Oh what pleasure

I have an 01 Boxster S for sale. Feel free to call me at [phone removed] and I can answer the questions you raised above as well as any you might have about this 01. PS- It is Black with Savanah Beige interior, 6 Speed, full leather w/memory seats and Sports Package. 18" alloys, 46,900 miles. One owner California car. Rich Belloff (Brucelee) Belloff Motor Works, LLC

I bought an 01-S in January. I didn't check out anything - I bought a one-way Amtrak ticket and carried a check to take the first look/ride. Beforehand, I got a complete list of the options; the more good stuff = more good stuff. I relied on the salesman's word on the visible condition of the car, its low miles and about 60days of factory warranty. The black interior and top turned out to be Metro blue - but it was near perfect. I bought it. I took it to the closest P-dealer for a check and I be a happy-camper. "Condition - condition - condition." If Black would have been on my (..my wife's) color list, the one Bruce has got sounds great. Jim

I should have some photos posted later today.

I went through this myself 6 months ago. Basically, the S is quite fault free. It is not affected by the cylinder liner problems of the 2.5l. Rear Main Seal (RMS) is an issue on some cars but this is not a big deal. Just some oil stains on the garage floor with no consequences.... except you slipping on it! Check the brakes discs for sign of corrosion but these are not expensive to fix. At this mileage (40-50k), check the service records for clutch replacement which should've been due. Same goes for suspension components which are typically due bet 50-60k miles depending on the driving style. Regular servicing is a must obviously. The top should be lowered and raised without issue. Try to get one that comes with a glass rear window (2003 and above) as polishing the rear plastics every couple of months is a real PITA, esp the insides! I rather buy a car that's used moderately than one that is a garage queen with very low mileage on it. Things tend to go wrong if left sitting for sometime, esp the rubber seals and bearings. My main concern when buying a car of this nature would be to check the chassis for any sign of severe accident damage. I normally bring the potential car to a facility where they offer under carriage computerised measurement. This checks for body integrity by ensuring the measurement of the car is within the tolerance specs. The specs are in the computer. A badly damaged repaired accident car will never be aligned to factory tolerance specs. Sometimes, it's bad enough to cause the car to veer to one side even when the wheel alignment has done. Finally, door dings. I hate cars that has them. To a certain extent, it shows how much the previous owner cares for the car. If he/she makes a point to park it in a lot where there're less chance of someone causing a ding, you bet this person takes care of the car properly Have fun and enjoy your ride when you get it...

Just how I purchased my 2000 Boxster S with 33,000 miles on it. Took it to Hergsheimer Motorsports (Lake Forest, CA) for a complete check up (Thier Used Porsche Pre-Purchase Inspection). turned out the 30,000 mile service wasn't completed ($1000) and one CV boot was torn and needed to be changed. They checked the compression and under the car to look for salt damage for $180. Went back to the dealership as this should have been done already and they took $1,000 off the price of the boxster. Ended up spending $360 total to have them check out the 2 boxsters (ALMOST IDENTICAL in options and mileage/year) turns out one had the rear trans seal replaced and was still leaking. Small investment to be sure your picking the most trouble free used Porsche. I paid $26,900 for my 2000 Boxster S with 33.000 miles on it what a steal in February. I watched it sit on the dealer lot from December and it rained everyweekend in Cali so nobody really saw it, they could n't sell it in 2.5 months so i bought it to "take it off thier hands".

BruceLee, do you have any relation to Stefan Bellof, the late racing driver?

Sorry, but I am not. Nice to have a cool namesake though, even if the spelling is a bit different. Thanks!