2013 Boxster S 3.4 purchase - essential questions to dealer? - Page 2 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

Morning all, I am hopefully going to be putting down a deposit on a rather nice looking 2013 Boxster S in the next few days. I figured that I should at least have one convertible in my life. It's got dealer service history up to 2019, reputable independent service from just recently and about 6 months left on Porsche extended warranty. I've asked them for some pictures of the underside and the hood operation and startup video just to make sure I'm happy. I'll be distance buying so won't get a chance to drive it before I receive it. Previous owner was member of the Porsche Club GB and the pictures that I've seen show that it's in very good condition overall. Little bit nervous as it's the first time I've done a distance purchase of anything like this. Is there anything I absolutely should be asking them before making the first payment? It's the PDK version with paddles. Thanks. Edited by RichTT on Tuesday 3rd August 05:48

Probably not much from asking, but as always, a PPI is advisable. They’ll be able to have a look at coils/underside gaskets/clutch/suspension components a little more closely. That said, if it’s got a Porsche warranty, if necessary you’ll be able to get anything non-wear & tear sorted. What mileage is it on? That’ll determine (to a degree) the extent of undercarriage wear to be expected. Drop links are usually the first thing to need replacing here, which is a simple procedure. Be reassured that they’re proving to be robust little things. Coil packs (cheap & easy) and active transmission mounts (sport chrono cars only - expensive but easy) seem to be the recurring themes. Both can be done under warranty. The service history of the car would suggest all is how it should be.. My Cayman S had the mounts done by the previous owner, and in my year of ownership & 4300 miles it’s been entirely faultless. There’s a host of reputable indies around who will look after your car for significantly less than your OPC once your warranty expires, should you choose not to extend it. If the mileage warrants, I’d consider a full fluids replacement (inc PDK) and filter change just for my own peace of mind. I PPI’d 2 981s prior to buying different car. If you’re concerned about it being sold from under you, I offered the seller a small non-refundable amount to hold the car until it had been PPI’d (about a week) which he accepted, and it would come off the purchase price if I proceeded - which I didn’t due to it being a high-miler with just a few too many minor things needed and me living abroad… Seemed like a fair arrangement, and probably moreso now with the fizzing market for these cars.. Enjoy the car - 981s are fabulous things. Of the 4300 miles I’ve done in mine, about 250 of them have been strictly necessary, and all 4K of them have put a smile on my face. Edited by Royal Jelly on Tuesday 3rd August 06:29

Royal Jelly said: Probably not much from asking, but as always, a PPI is advisable. They’ll be able to have a look at coils/underside gaskets/clutch/suspension components a little more closely. That said, if it’s got a Porsche warranty, if necessary you’ll be able to get anything non-wear & tear sorted. Be reassured that they’re proving to be robust little things. Coil packs (cheap & easy) and active transmission mounts (sport chrono cars only - expensive but easy) seem to be the recurring themes. Both can be done under warranty. My Cayman S had the mounts done by the previous owner, and in my year of ownership & 4300 miles it’s been entirely faultless. There’s a host of reputable indies around who will look after your car for significantly less than your OPC once your warranty expires, should you choose not to extend it. Thanks, appreciate the reply. It's non-chrono version as I wasn't overly fussed about that. Thankfully ticks every single other options box and decided to jump on it whilst I could. As far as PPI goes, is a comprehensive RAC inspection enough to cover most of the bases? Royal Jelly said: I PPI’d 2 981s prior to buying different car. If you’re concerned about it being sold from under you, I offered the seller a small non-refundable amount to hold the car until it had been PPI’d (about a week) which he accepted, and it would come off the purchase price if I proceeded - which I didn’t due to it being a high-miler with just a few too many minor things needed and me living abroad… Seemed like a fair arrangement, and probably moreso now with the fizzing market for these cars.. I'm overseas until mid-Aug and then will take me a week once I'm home to get finances finalised for the full purchase. The seller has asked for a 10% deposit to remove from sale and hold for basically 3-4 weeks which I think is fair. I've mentally accepted the silly prices that second hand cars are going for right now, and justified the purchase through a few mental gymnastics. No point being the richest man in the graveyard. In fact what spurred me on most was the fact that my Dad always wanted a Morgan for when he retired. He was still working at 67, no Morgan, had a quadruple bypass with complications and two minor strokes and now doesn't feel confident driving any more. So he never got to get the car he always wanted and I think that's such a shame. Will take him for a proper spin in this. Edited by RichTT on Tuesday 3rd August 06:38

It's only got 22,000 on the clock, so perhaps suffering from under use rather than over use.

Have to agree wholeheartedly with your last paragraph - I hope you (and your father) enjoy plenty of quality time in it. If you’re happy with your arrangement regarding holding deposits, then that’s all that matters. In my instances, I just needed a week or so of time so a small deposit to show intent was fair, and an amount I was willing to walk away from (more than once, if needed).. I can’t comment on RAC inspections, but if the mileage is higher, then have them focus on the suspension components. A Porsche specialist will know specific areas to look at, of course. Mine were £180 all-in, and very useful… That said, having a few months of warranty remaining should give you some confidence that on the off-chance anything particularly hefty needs replacing can be done under warranty - so you can always get an inspection done after you’ve bought, if that makes sense.. Or you can renew the warranty when due for another year or 2 until you’re comfortable & confident in the car.. Still, this is all abundance of caution stuff - they’re very sturdy and blooming great, so fill your boots! Edited by Royal Jelly on Tuesday 3rd August 07:12

If you have a little time, I’d definitely get a PPi carried out. It’ll highlight some things that need doing and you can then ask for these to be sorted prior to collection, or negotiate a lower price to reflect. They generally pay for themselves. Re Sport Chrono..it does make a big difference to how the car drives, I’d not have one without it personally. If you’ve not driven cars with and without it it’s hard to understand, but it makes the whole car much sharper and more ‘immediate’ in its responses. Best of luck with the purchase, they’re brilliant sports cars.

Also, 8 yrs old is bang on ‘big service’ time so check it’s had the correct one done. 8yrs is also about the time when suspension and underside components show signs of corrosion and need replacing. This can mount up to quite a bill pretty quickly (£2-3k), so definitely worth checking the underside closely.

RichTT said: It's only got 22,000 on the clock, so perhaps suffering from under use rather than over use. Perfect, so you know the coils & suspension (most likely to need work with higher milers) ought to be in good fettle. Most other things can be inspected by anyone with a bit of knowledge.. Mine had 13.5k on it and it looks and feels like new. Over the last year it’s spent two 5-month stints in storage on a trickle charger, with over-inflated tyres and being started every month. It had a similar life under the previous owner’s custody for 2 years prior to that. Battery voltage is nice and high and having had a Porsche specialist get in/under & around it, everything is as it should be, so I wouldn’t worry about under-use unless it’s years without use.. I wouldn’t worry… Edited by Royal Jelly on Tuesday 3rd August 07:22

MrVert said: Also, 8 yrs old is bang on ‘big service’ time so check it’s had the correct one done. Good point. That said, at 22k miles, I’d be surprised to see much in the way of suspension work needing to be carried out. I also agree with you regarding SC, it’s a must-have for me but each to their own..

My mate bought a 2011 997S from Porsche with warranty in April 2016. In July 2017 it was in for a service when the ‘health check’ highlighted corrosion to exhaust mounts, heat shields, suspension components etc… Obviously my mate expected these to be covered by Porsche as the car only had 30k miles on it and was purchased from the same dealer just over 12 months before….the quote was over £3k.. ‘Wear and tear items’ was the reply….despite strongly arguing the case, they would not budge, he ended up getting an Indy to do the work for £1.5k… These do need checking at this sort of age.

Yup, that's why I've asked for some back box and underside pictures just to have a look. Given the mileage and the porsche owners club sticker in the window I can imagine this would have been a fair weather ride.

Well in a rather disappointing turn of events, I've been rug pulled as it were. Whilst the sales manager was dealing with my emails someone placed a finance quote and deposit on the website so technically has jumped ahead of me in the queue for the particular car. He's promised that if the sale falls through for whatever reason that I'm first in line but I guess in the short term it's back to keeping a close eye on Autotrader. For what it's worth, is it worth considering non-paddle fitted PDK cars that are cheaper with an eye to getting my OPC to change the steering wheel out for a sports model with paddles? There's quite a few cars with great specs in budget, but I don't think I could live with a Guards Red or White car. Already got one white car in the household and that's a nightmare to keep looking good.

Sorry to hear that… plenty more fish in the sea, as they say! The sport design wheel (with paddles) is easy to stick on for 900 quid, so don’t let that put you off… I’m biased, but red 981s look fab, plus you can always wrap it… Keep us posted on your acquisition path!

Just out of interest what's your budget?

Fnumber1user said: Just out of interest what's your budget? Around the 40k mark ideally. Would stretch to 45k if it was perfect spec. For a lower mileage example in a dark colour, preferably with the polished rim carrera wheels, paddles, black interior, sport chrono nice to have, nav module essential. This is the one I'm eyeing at the moment. Although the export status and the 5 owners is a little concerning. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106163...

Royal Jelly said: Sorry to hear that… plenty more fish in the sea, as they say! The sport design wheel (with paddles) is easy to stick on for 900 quid, so don’t let that put you off… I’m biased, but red 981s look fab, plus you can always wrap it… Keep us posted on your acquisition path! FWIW this was the one I was looking at. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106123...

Royal Jelly said: Probably not much from asking, but as always, a PPI is advisable. They’ll be able to have a look at coils/underside gaskets/clutch/suspension components a little more closely. That said, if it’s got a Porsche warranty, if necessary you’ll be able to get anything non-wear & tear sorted. What mileage is it on? That’ll determine (to a degree) the extent of undercarriage wear to be expected. Drop links are usually the first thing to need replacing here, which is a simple procedure. Be reassured that they’re proving to be robust little things. Coil packs (cheap & easy) and active transmission mounts (sport chrono cars only - expensive but easy) seem to be the recurring themes. Both can be done under warranty. The service history of the car would suggest all is how it should be.. My Cayman S had the mounts done by the previous owner, and in my year of ownership & 4300 miles it’s been entirely faultless. There’s a host of reputable indies around who will look after your car for significantly less than your OPC once your warranty expires, should you choose not to extend it. If the mileage warrants, I’d consider a full fluids replacement (inc PDK) and filter change just for my own peace of mind. I PPI’d 2 981s prior to buying different car. If you’re concerned about it being sold from under you, I offered the seller a small non-refundable amount to hold the car until it had been PPI’d (about a week) which he accepted, and it would come off the purchase price if I proceeded - which I didn’t due to it being a high-miler with just a few too many minor things needed and me living abroad… Seemed like a fair arrangement, and probably moreso now with the fizzing market for these cars.. Enjoy the car - 981s are fabulous things. Of the 4300 miles I’ve done in mine, about 250 of them have been strictly necessary, and all 4K of them have put a smile on my face. Edited by Royal Jelly on Tuesday 3rd August 06:29 'Chuffed to bits' that you're still enjoying my old car and she's been so reliable! She was certainly a 'good'un' and felt brand new until the day you collected, which was a sad day for me! You certainly bought her at the right time based on how the market has gone since. To the OP, sorry you missed out on the BS but it may have been a blessing. Try to test drive a car with Sports Chrono. As others have said, it's well worth it, sharpens things up, improves involvement and IMO, adds character to the car. I couldn't recall everything it did so I shamelessly lifted the following from a thread on Planet-9. Here are some other points on the SC package. 1. You get a G force meter (lateral right and left, and braking and acceleration). 2. Sports screen on the PCM with lap timers, lap comparisons, ability to download data. 3. Dynamic Transmission mounts 4. Relaxes the point at which PSM engages. 5. Rev matching on manuals. 6. Upshift indicator screen on MFD (manual) 7. Sport + enables throatier response from PSE. 8. Clock with lap timer functionality (I like it). 9. Another button to push on the center console which also disables A/S and enables PSE, PASM sport mode with one button push. Edited by JustCallMeMac on Wednesday 4th August 08:08

Ok, so thoughts on this one? Has the full package really. It's in need of a good machine polish and change the wheels from black but other than that seems excellent. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106204...

RichTT said: Ok, so thoughts on this one? Has the full package really. It's in need of a good machine polish and change the wheels from black but other than that seems excellent. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106204... Seems a high price for an S, with only comfort seats, and no PASM or X73.

at 45k you should be able to get into a Boxster GTS?

48k but that really is budget creep! https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106244...

Siilly question time... Do you have to buy now? I reckon prices are at their peak now, WBAC quotes are starting to slide on the prices I'm seeing. Couple this with the inevitable dip in prices as the summer ends, especially for convertibles and I think you might be in for a bit of an unnecessary hit, assuming you could wait a couple of months pop course...

MrVert said: Siilly question time... Do you have to buy now? I reckon prices are at their peak now, WBAC quotes are starting to slide on the prices I'm seeing. Couple this with the inevitable dip in prices as the summer ends, especially for convertibles and I think you might be in for a bit of an unnecessary hit, assuming you could wait a couple of months pop course... Yes, and no. But I'm impulsive and like nice things and have been financially sensible for far too long. Not overly fussed about depreciation as this would (should) be my last hurrah before buying something electric and plan on having it as long as possible.

RichTT said: Ok, so thoughts on this one? Has the full package really. It's in need of a good machine polish and change the wheels from black but other than that seems excellent. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106204... If you are in any way OCD, avoid black. Paintwork really has to be mint, properly machine polished and detailed but even having done that, cleaning is a constant faff. I was forever cleaning mine and whilst a Raceglaze water filter really helped to minimise water spots, the car still needed washing again soon thereafter. And if you live, or park up, near trees, it can be a nightmare. In the end I had mine fully wrapped in Avery Carmine Red with a proper hydrophobic coating applied and didn't look back.

MrVert said: Siilly question time... Do you have to buy now? I reckon prices are at their peak now, WBAC quotes are starting to slide on the prices I'm seeing. Couple this with the inevitable dip in prices as the summer ends, especially for convertibles and I think you might be in for a bit of an unnecessary hit, assuming you could wait a couple of months pop course... The market is indeed very high right now compounded by a lack of supply and semi conductor issues. That said if you're already in the 45-50k price bracket I think I would be tempted to ignore the usual internet myths and go a bit newer: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106073...

Seen this one? Looks like a well optioned car..& GT Silver is a lovely err…colour https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/12054396

MrVert said: Seen this one? Looks like a well optioned car..& GT Silver is a lovely err…colour https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/12054396 I did but I was after a PDK. Anyway, a deal has been struck. Updates to follow

Well, I promised some updates so here it is. My two day jaunt up the country didn't exactly work to plan. I couldn't find any last minute and convenient accommodation around the lakes or borders so ended up running it in one shot. Never again! Flight from Aberdeen to Exeter via Norwich. Managed to get some sunshine around Hereford and north Wales but pretty dreary the rest of the way.

Ooft, that's a long old drive! How are you enjoying the car? Looks great and will keep an eye out for it around Aberdeen!

Lovely looking Boxster.

dirtbiker said: Ooft, that's a long old drive! How are you enjoying the car? Looks great and will keep an eye out for it around Aberdeen! Aye give us a wave if you're passing. Car's been flawless so far. Returning 40mpg on the run was a pleasant surprise. And was on plan for getting 550 miles out of a single tank of super. The ride is compliant at all speeds, and is a really civilised car at town speeds. Sport mode on back roads is where it shines. Sport plus feels pretty savage. Bearing in mind I'm coming from a s line TT it's a very nice upgrade. Finding the stock exhaust a bit quiet so might look at an upgrade, either to PSE or an aftermarket cat back job. Don't want it asbo loud but feel it just needs a bit more growl to it.

car looks fantastic Rich, such a great choice, and a pleasure doing business with you!

flow99 said: car looks fantastic Rich, such a great choice, and a pleasure doing business with you! It was indeed a pleasure. If you're ever up this way give me a shout.

623 miles and 39.8 mpg…. Not sure whether to say…’well done’… Or….’you should be ashamed of yourself’! Car looks stunning, congratulations!

MrVert said: 623 miles and 39.8 mpg…. Not sure whether to say…’well done’… Or….’you should be ashamed of yourself’! Car looks stunning, congratulations! Motorway most of the way from North Wales upwards. The coasting mechanism really does increase efficiency. Needless to say that since then the mpg has dropped a little as I've been out for a few back road runs 😉