Questions concerning Boxster purchase

[Steve 82SC]

I posted this on the Boxster BBS, but there doesn't seem to be a great amount of traffic on there, so, I'll repost it here. I don't have a canidate at this time, but I'm on the borderline of considering a used Boxster for my wife. The car would be used year around, other than in deep snow that low bodywork might create an issue and would have a winter wheel and tire package. I figure a low mileage 2001, 02, or possibly 03 would be affordable. At most, even if used 12 months a year, the car would see no more than 4000 miles. I was leaning towards buying it from a particular Porsche dealer where my friend is the senior tech....assuming the car is certifiable, he would be able to go through it and right anything that should be attended to. Here's where I need your opinions. My wife wants a Tiptronic, and these seem to be extremely scarce on dealer lots. This dealer is going to call me when a viable canidate with a Tip comes in. In thinking about it, I said to my wife that the Tip thing takes away any bargaining chip that we may have had. The dealer's attitude will be, "Here's the car with the Tip, here's the price, take it or leave it." She's agrees with my reasoning and is amenable at this point to explore the possibillity of a manual. When she has to, she drives my everyday driver (Saab), but it isn't pretty....she's way out of practice. However, she agrees that it's just a matter of driving it every day in order to be smooth. Do you agree with my reasoning regarding the Tiptronic? Also, any particular issues with particular years? The dealer certification makes me comfortable with the purchase of a used car, but have any of you had any negative or positive experience regarding private party purchases. I'd appreciate whatever you can contribute.

Thanks alot,
Steve

[Flieger]

Personally, I think driving is just more fun with a manual. Once your wife drives a Boxster instead of a Saab, she'll have much more fun shifting her own gears and will prefer the manual in the Porsche. If you drive a lot in traffic or she needs to have a Tiptronic, than it is acceptable as it is still a Porsche transmission and built for fun. An interesting point is that the design of the Tiptronic with a torque converter puts less stress on the crankshaft so there are fewer instances of rear main seal failure with Tiptronics than manuals. As far as the years you mentioned, 2003 would be best for the glass rear window. I leased my 2002 Arctic Silver Boxster S 6 speed manual and grew to love that car like a family member. It had its problems- the rear main seal had to be replaced once and started leaking again towards the end of the lease. The dealer used the tool to check the crankcase/crankshaft concentricity and said it was in spec,though(pass/fail test). Also, the plastic rear window was a pain to clean and got a crease in it that almost cracked. However, I shed a quiet tear when the lease was up,as was one of the best cars I ever drove. The memories of that car are some of the best. Have a pre-purchase inspection done and when you get it you will be having a blast with one of the best handling cars ever.

[boxster03]

I have a 2003 with tiptronic if you have an interest. You can PM me. I am however in Los Angeles. I think the market is very soft and you should have plenty to chose from. Best of luck with your purchase.

[rcwaldo]

Last year, we bought a 2003 Boxster TIP, since wifey cannot drive stick (I have tried, believe me). I must say the car is very fun, even with TIP and is pretty easy sitting in traffic etc. Since the TIP will hold the gear selected, it seems to be quite predictable and has a great balance.

Great, solid car!!

The only thing is to buy one with factory warranty remaining. We are sure glad we did.

[Doug&Julie]

I would think, if you have a friend who is a senior tech at a Porsche dealership, you should be able to find a good one from a private party and have him thoroughly inspect it. That should be enough to find a good car that will last a long time, and you won't have to worry about a dealership that has "the one" that you want...and knows it. If you're buying a car newer than 2000, you should be pretty safe with a well inspected private party car.

I just said the same thing three different ways...

[howiee]

I wouldn't limit my search to only one dealership. If you have a friend that is a tech you should be able to buy a Boxster from any Porsche dealership and then have him go over it with a fine toothed comb. Anything he finds will be covered under waranty. Just a thought.