05 Boxster. Good deal or not?

Hey all, I’m considering buying this 05 Boxster today. 97000 miles, 6 owners, one crash with airbag deployment. $9500… The leather is in good condition, interior I can live with, top works, and everything else works as it should. There are a bunch of parking dings, (philadelphia street parking) but I’m fine with that as it will be my track/autocross and fun car. It has a Fabspeed exhaust on it as it’s only modification. No PPI yet, but considering it. Clutch done 1.5k miles ago, but original IMS. I’ll try to upload a video of it running later too. Do you have any thoughts or dealbreakers for it? Thanks!

Looks pretty beat up overall. As they say, there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Porsche (or any sports car for that matter). If you're going to fix everything, it might be cheaper to buy a car that's already sorted. If you plan on driving as-is, then maybe this is a good buy for a track/fun car. What is the service history like?

Hit with airbag deployment? Unless new, check the tire wear for uniformity, you want to make sure the car tracks properly. Check the steering wheel for centering, (another indicator). Drive it and make sure it doesn't wander. It's definitely cheap if it was repaired professionally and you don't mind the result it could be a great fun car at that price. Just remember everything Palestar2700 is legitimate too. Seats are soon toast, all that small stuff = expensive stuff unless you have connects. Additionally, the front end still looks damaged, that doesn't look like a pro repaired it. Steal it at your own risk, if you're a competent hobbyist it could work out but "keep looking and be patient" is sound advise too.

Here’s a video of it idling and walk around. Service history on carfax is pretty standard, but doesn’t have any noteworthy details. Current owner has done basic maintenance and had it since 72k. No drips as far as I’ve seen either.

My last butt in. The "little dent" at .30 isn't a street parking strike IMO. Porsche owners (especially here on this board are meticulous owners) for the most part. This owner clearly is not. This car has been driven hard, apparently at one point causing the PO to sing "nearer my god to thee" and put a for sale sign on it. Myself, I'd wait and buy better. Seats are awful, also is it an exhaust leak I hear? Headlight out could be from the accident and mean more repairs are needed.

At least the cupholder works, which is more than I can say for my 987 haha.. Honestly it looks really rough, which may make for a perfect track car. Fun car though? Needs too much IMHO.

Worth it to do a PPI?

I’m not worried about fixing anything cosmetic as I still live in the city. I know you can always spend more money and get something nicer, but it prices me out of a “fun” car. At least in my wife’s eyes…

Ahhhh. And now you have revealed the back-office boundaries to the "fun" car world. Makes sense now! So with that caveat, I'll weigh in. Lol First and foremost, if you are capable and willing to do your own troubleshooting and fixes of the kinds of things that are SURELY going to pop up, don't even think about it! However, if you do have a nice toolbox, and a place to have the car parked and in non-drivable condition for a few days at a time, then that swings the needle back in your risk favor. These cars are very fixable and relatively affordable to repair IF you do the repairs yourself. And they are ridiculously expensive if you can't or won't. Just an example: The driver's side interior door handle mechanism has or will break. It might still open the door, but it will not function properly and so the window will no longer drop that 1inch before opening, or go back up that 1 inch when you close it. Well the Porsche part that is broken co$t $34 You can YouTube the repair procedure and successfully disassemble the door panel(s) and perform the repair yourself. So that's technically a $34 repair! But if you take the car to a Porsche repair guru, that's a $700 repair. [emoji15][emoji16] That's just ONE of many that car is SURE to confront you with if you are someone who wants your toy car to be in perfect mechanical condition, regardless of your willingness to live with it being rough looking. And note, unlike say... a Miata, the motor and transmission are not affordable to repair or replace, especially if the value equation is "beater budget", if you know what I mean. On the other hand, if the motor and transmission is healthy, they can just run & run & run. Seriously, what I would do is go for a VERY long test drive. You gotta get past the initial Porsche trance. Lol Get it good and warmed up. Drive it at interstate speeds. Stop and turn it off for a few minutes on perfectly clean spot, and give it another walk around and look under it and watch for drips. I could go on and on, but I'll stop here. Be happy to answer any questions you might still have. By the way, I have the same exact car, but black. But it was a 2-owner with 47,000 miles. Far closer to "pristine" and obviously not parked outside or someone's daily. It did cost $8k more than the one you are looking at, so if the back-office will budge a little, keep looking. Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk

I think its a good deal for your needs. Just because the motor and transmission are worth close to $10k .

Well, here’s the update… had it checked out by my mechanic yesterday and the big items were of course RMS was leaking, but there was also an excessive amount of blowby, and a problem with the rear axle. The top was closer to failing than we thought, roof seals were falling off, window regulator was going, and front trunk switch was dead. I could deal with the worn out seats, broken interior plastic, and bodywork, but I think this one’s issues far outweigh the price. thanks for all the reply’s! I’ll continue the search!

Sorry to hear but glad you had it checked out more thoroughly. Properly maintaining a Porsche is VERY expensive and typically the cheaper examples have a ton of deferred maintenance needed. Sounds like you dodged a bullet! If 10k is your price point, I'd be looking at 986 Boxsters personally. 987s at 10k are going to be totally beat.

I personally think the current sweet spot for MY value-quation is the 987.1 so-called "Base". Thanks to the higher demand for the S, the Base enjoys less pressure, and as a result there are lower mileage well loved examples at or below the 20k mark. And I can't help but conclude that any ~$20k Porsche that is in fantastic mechanical condition and still possessing the majority of its lifespan untapped is an amazing bargain, even in the middle of this crazy used car inflated value Era. Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk

If my car had to go in for EVERY item it would be too expensive for me to enjoy. Thanks to my amazing dad, his business and his schooling of myself and my brother I think the entire plug change job was about $50.00. Ka Ching! Not only fun to do, it also makes me feel closer to my dad now gone a while and the savings are undeniable. I've done every brake flush each two years too, that adds up like crazy. PS I still contend the owner mistreated that vehicle besides ignoring basic maintenance. The first time I shopped for a Porsche I would see Porsche cars and Vettes with cigarette burn holes in the seats, nope no test drive necessary. It's like gauging renters, if the inside of their car looks like a BK dumpster so will your house.

Excellent point @Boristhespyder , You can stop your used car evaluation, and certainly not waste money on a professional PPI if you see telltale signs of a Porsche that was previously owned by someone who didn't really have a car-respecting attitude. Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk