Can $15K get you a RELIABLE Boxster?

[Geronimo]

My neighbor is looking, maybe wishing for a toy. He has always love my cars because I spend like a child without a care.

I think he might be getting close to letting himself have something. He mentioned a Boxster S he saw online.

My concern is that Porsche are not cheap to own and can bite hard. I thought maybe an S2000, but they have gone up like crazy.

I also thought Vette because nothing can touch the value and cheap to service.

I don't know 986's that well so I thought I would check to confirm my "it will bite" you concern.

Thanks for the help.

[husker boxster]

Who will do the work on it - him, an Indy, or the dealer? For $15K, you're talking about a 986S or some early 987Ss. All are between 15-20 yrs old and will have 15 yr old needs that any car of that age would have. If your neighbor has to have the dealer do every repair, his $15K "investment" will cost a lot more because of the Porsche parts tax and the $150 / hr labor to install those spendy parts. On the other hand, if he (or you) can do 80% of the work yourselves, the cost of ownership goes down to just the expensive parts. 986Ss are not complicated cars and are fairly easy to work on.

The key would be to find the best maintained car he could afford. There's a chance the one he's found online has been maintained, but a better chance it hasn't. Don't buy anything that has little or no maintenance documentation. That's an open invitation to a very empty wallet and a negative ownership experience, esp if the dealer has to do the work.

Of course a Porsche will "bite", it's just a matter of it being good or bad.

[av8bpilot]

You can easily find a GOOD 986 Boxster S under $15k and a good 987.1 Base under 15k. For an S or a 987.2, pickings are slim under $15k based on a quick search. Like husker said, maintenance history is key. A solid history that shows proper maintenance will go a long way for insuring reliability. While the IMS is one of those iffy topics, depending on the mileage, it could be a deal breaker if it hasn't been addressed.

986's are pretty cheap to maintain, IF you do it yourself. Parts are plentiful and access is pretty easy. Stuff tends to get a little pricier with the 987s. I would avoid a tiptronic car like the plague, but that's just me.

[mikefocke]

Owned two, both had Tiptronics auto trans. Still fun and driveable in heavy traffic. Been following the Porsche forums for years, not a lot of complaints about Tips.

Maintenance history. Pre-purchase inspection paid for by the buyer with a P-car mechanic doing the inspecting so you can predict what will need to be done.

[Pedro '84 Coupe]

I found a 2000 S for my wife in California last year on Pelican for right under $10K. Flew out to the Bay Area to buy it and drove it back to Louisiana. It was well maintained by the previous owners. Has about 85K on it now and all I've done is fluid and filter changes. Had to replace the climate control LCD too but that was no big deal. Car looks and drives great.

Husker makes a good point - if he's not planning on doing work on the car then it will be $$$$.

[BYprodriver]

$15,000 will get you a 986 S in great condition now & should go up in value in the future. Be sure to get a good PPI.

[Doug&Julie]

Seems to me with a $15k budget, you could find a good $10k - $12k car and spend the other $3k - $5k on preventative / updating maintenance and have a pretty damn reliable car. I don't remember spending a lot on my 986 cars*, but to be fair, I had them at pretty low mileage so my experience may not be so relevant today.

* - oh yeah, there was that one time when my IMS failed and my motor blew and I had to pay out of pocket for a new motor. That was fun.

[Geronimo]

I'm steering him toward either a fox body Mustang Vert, or C4 or C5 Corvette, so much more car for the money. Easy to enjoy, no stress over when is my overpriced German car going to break.

I thought s2000, but they have shot up a lot in price.

[BYprodriver]

Originally Posted by Geronimo

I'm steering him toward either a fox body Mustang Vert, or C4 or C5 Corvette, so much more car for the money. Easy to enjoy, no stress over when is my overpriced German car going to break.

I thought s2000, but they have shot up a lot in price.

I had a new 1994 Mustang GT convertible when I worked for Saleen, it was fun but no where near a Porsche Boxster S like I've had 17 years. I test drove a S2000 before buying the Box, it's fun if you are ok shifting every 20 seconds to stay in the power band. C5 is fun & comfortable but you have to break the law to make it as fun as my Boxster S. The Fox body Mustang is junk in stock condition, Saleen motto for them is "Brace it before you race it!

[ASD]

Ive been looking for a boxster s in good maintained shape under 15000 for awhile,tiptronic...
Found 1 in indiana, I am in Georgia.Still thinking and trying to sell my Audi tt vert.Will keep watching the ads,is an S a lot better than the base?

[BYprodriver]

Originally Posted by ASD

Ive been looking for a boxster s in good maintained shape under 15000 for awhile,tiptronic...
Found 1 in indiana, I am in Georgia.Still thinking and trying to sell my Audi tt vert.Will keep watching the ads,is an S a lot better than the base?

A 986 base with tiptronic is going to be a real slug. I would insist on a S minimum!

[mikefocke]

Owned a '00 2.5 base and a '01S 3.2. Prior sports cars were 1.3, 1.6 and 1.6L.

The one that was the most fun was either the 1.3 or one of the 1.6s. The right foot could press harder longer, it was more about the driver.

When you get into the base versus the S models, there really isn't that much difference as they are both small displacement low horsepower models that need to be wound up to get into the power curve. You can get tickets in either one. And you'll lose a race to a Tesla or a 'vette in both.

When I was back to looking for a sports car I found I could tell within a mile if the car would fit my image of what I'd like to be driving. Some within a block. I tried 7.

I'd suggest you go find one on a lot you can drive. See how you fit in the car and how it fits you. You'll know.

And can you have fun in a Tip equipped car? Yea. I'm proof. Both mine were Tip because of where I had to drive them. They were both my go to work cars sometimes in heavy traffic. In a more rural environment like I live in now, I'd have chosen a stick but in dense urban traffic that wasn't a good idea. I'd use the paddles on the back roads. In dense traffic I let it do its thing.

Good hunting. I only hope you are happy with the end result.

[husker boxster]

Doug&Julie had the best advice - find a well maintained $12K car and save back $3K for repairs you're bound to find after purchase.

[ASD]

It's not like I want the tip, it's like I can't use a clutch pedal anymore.��

[9ELVNTT]

I bought a '99 986 5speed with 52k miles for my daughter's first car 2 years ago. Set me back $2500+new tires and front shocks. So far no issues and she's learning how to wrench her own car.

[ASD]

that's a skill a girl will truly benefit from, there's a lotta guys today who can't find the hood latch on their car.My kids both wrench on their rides and bikes.