Thinking of a 55 plate Boxter, not been moved for 2 years.. - Page 1 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

So I mentioned to someone that I was thinking of a little convertable for the summer, an elise or a boxter and he mentioned someone in his block has one that hasn't moved for 18 months to 2 years. Apparently they emigrated to oz and left the motor. He's checking if theres a deal to be done here, and I'm only interested if there's an absolute bargain to be had... All I know at the moment is that its a 55 plate Boxter S, hopefully more info to follow. I'm assuming that it needs a bloody good service, any idea what that would cost, and given it hasn't moved for 2 years, are there any additional items that should be budgeted for? RMS/IMS issues in these? They seem to be going for about £11-£12k on autotrader, so I literally have no idea what to offer on this. I'm assuming low mileage for age here also. Thoughts...?

The 987 has a 2 year service interval so even if it hasn't done much in the way of mileage it may not be too far over in terms of time. However I'd be a bit dubious about a car which has stood unused for this period of time. Some say that it doesn't do these cars much good - seals drying out etc which causes leaks & Boxsters are well known for RMS leaks or IMS seal leaks. Other things to watch out for would be the brakes - potentially large cost here as discs / pads all round won't be cheap. Porsches have brake discs that corrode badly if you just breathe on them. Also, check that the hood drain holes aren't blocked by debris / leaves etc if the car has stood outside - this leads to water ingress into the cabin & it can gather where the ECU / electric modules are for the roof etc which can cause all sorts of electrical problems & again are costly to replace. Factor in resale issues as well, most people conduct a fair amount of research when buying these cars & a period where the car has been laid up may not appear attractive to a future purchaser. Hope this helps.

helps for sure! didn't realise theres a 2 year service interval on these, thats something! -Fortunately its just been sitting in a decent, dry, underground garage, so no exposure to the elements. The whole IMS/RMS thing is the real worry for me. Are there preventative options that could have been taken, or that I could have done if I get the car cheap?

If its not moved an inch in 18 to 24 months apart from the obvious servicing required it will probably also need new battery, tyres, possibly discs and attention to air con the seals etc of which could well have dried out....: The car would have to be seriously cheap factoring in the above costs and potential for further issues when you start using it.....good luck...

think I might have to get an expert to take a look at it then!

I think you'll need to budget for a full service, some consumables as mentioned and have a reserve fund. If it's a rare spec that appeals it might be worth a punt. If it's common then it needs to be cheap. Remember it won't have an mot (there'll be more than that to worry about though). If the guy's in aus then try a low ball offer. Try to establish the market price for a road worthy equivalent and then half it.

pretty much what I was thinking. Looks like a £5k offer! Though really, even then whats the point spend all that time, and money, and end up basically paying market price. Only works if the gamble pays off, which is unlikely at the end of the day, since some things are 100% needed.

Right, have spoken to two different experts and got 2 conflicting sets of opinions, so need some advice! Expert 1) I wouldn't jump start it, it has a high chance of blowing xyz up and causing xyz problems. If you have the model year 2006 there's no IMS problems. Expert 2) No problem jump starting it at all. You still need to fix the IMS issues, "I would fix it on any year before 2009" Expert 1 has been mentioned on here a fair bit, expert 2 was recommended by expert 1! Thoughts on either of these views?

Very strange. I'm sure this would be fairly valuable in Oz if imported. Why leave it? Or why not sell prior to departure? There are hundreds of used boxsters for sale. I would move on and buy another.

Has the owner said he will sell? I would wait to hear before wasting your time with ifs and buts. But I would do an oil change then start the car. Will probably need a battery unless the guy has left it on a trickle charger. Discs may need replaced or skimmed. Hopefully the handbrake has been left off. The tyres could need changed but you may be ok. There could be mould inside if there has not been any ventilation.

Ryanodine said: Very strange. I'm sure this would be fairly valuable in Oz if imported. Why leave it? Or why not sell prior to departure? There are hundreds of used boxsters for sale. I would move on and buy another. The only reason I'm interested in it is that I could get a deal on it, I wasn't massively after a boxter, but a combination of it basically being here, and it potentially being cheap got me interested. As to the why, I'm not totally sure, but the family isn't short a few quid, so I'm assuming he left it thinking he'd be coming back using it etc, but just hasn't. Soupie69uk said: Has the owner said he will sell? I would wait to hear before wasting your time with ifs and buts. But I would do an oil change then start the car. Will probably need a battery unless the guy has left it on a trickle charger. Discs may need replaced or skimmed. Hopefully the handbrake has been left off. The tyres could need changed but you may be ok. There could be mould inside if there has not been any ventilation. I have confirmation that it is for sale, I just haven't got around to meeting them yet to discuss it. I've got ideas for prices on servicing it, IMS replacement etc. and getting it going again all of which I'd use to beat them down on price, but combining it with the amount of work, if it keeps increasing I'd skip the car. Was also told that it might be an idea to get some kind of cylinder inspection done since that can cause problems? Car has been kept dry in an underground garage. Think I'll just get them to inspect it, and take it from there. The real problem is likely to be price perception, they guy left a couple of years back he's likely to still think of it in terms of being worth £20k!

The good thing about PH etc is that he can get a feel for prices in the UK, so hopefully perception not a problem. Could be a bargain if kept in a dry environment. I have a friend who is emigrating to OZ. He offered me his convertible for free, but had been left outside for 18mths. Had to be scrapped in the end, which is why I suggested avoiding in the first place. Good luck!