New to the Porsche world. Have always loved them.

I am going to buy a 1997 to 2001 boxster and looking for advice on what I should be looking for. Obvious service requirements, etc. I don't want to spend much more than $14k.

Not sure whether I should look for an older one with more miles and all the maintenance completed or a newer one, lower miles with maintenance requirements. I don't want to spend an arm and leg on required maintenance right out of the box.

Somewhat mechanically inclined - so some of the easy stuff - I can certainly do myself.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Hi Bill,

Having driven both the 2.7 liter Boxster and the 3.2 liter 'S', I would strongly recommend you don't test drive the 'S'... unless it's already too late for that! Once you do, it's pretty hard to wipe the grin off your face that the extra displacement induces.

But as far as age and mileage are concerned in either case, both cars are extremely durable if they've been taken care of regularly.

I would lean towards a higher mileage car myself, if the oil and filter was changed every 3 to 5 thousand miles. I know that Porsche recommends 10k service intervals, but I suspect that's only to get these engines to wear out eventually. There's a noticeable difference in performance with fresh oil even at 3k intervals in my opinion.

The thing that I've heard about the lower mileage Boxsters and 911s that sit in the garage for long periods of time is that they have a tendency for the oil seals to dry out and crack then need replacement. That's not something I would call 'easy stuff'.

The 986 and 987 engines that have been driven regularly and well maintained will go for a loooong time with very little more than plugs, wires, filters and oil.

Good luck in your search!

Bill - Good luck, there are many garage babies people are selling in this economy, and the older Boxsters can be had with low mileage as well. NADA value for the '99 2.5 liter Boxster I'm in the process of buying is 16,250. I would assume that if you find a slightly higher mileage Porsche than the one I'm getting (it has 15,2XX on the odometer), you could easily meet your price, or negotiate to it. I was able to negotiate my car down almost 2 grand, after he'd already dropped his asking price by a thousand. This was because I'm young and a decent driver and he saw how much I'd appreciate and love his car.

Rox - What you're saying about garaged cars worries me slightly, could I be at risk? The 1999 Boxster I'm getting has been driven less than 1500 miles a year on average, and he changed the oil every spring. I don't know how long he drove on the 5-month-old oil, or if he did the oil change before even starting up the car. I have also heard about cylinder liner problems in the earlier M96 engines, and I really hope I don't fall victim to a similar tragedy, as this car is perfect for me. I sat in it, and after the first downshift and turn, I knew I had to have it. Am I at risk for either oil problems or any engine internal issues because the car was sitting for months at a time? Is there any simple check that can confirm it's free of such burdens?

Snus, as long as the car is started once a week or so and allowed to warm up, the seals do just fine. It's when the engines are allowed to sit for weeks or months at a time that the seals begin to dry up and become brittle. The colder winter months don't help this either, since most of these cars are stored during the bad weather we see in the northern climates.

To that end, I've just seen a 2002 Boxster S 6 speed with 38k miles for $16,000 which HAS been started every week, and had Mobil 1 oil changes every 5k miles. I know these gems are out there, and that particular car should go for the next decade without so much as a hiccup.

However, if you have your heart set on the 5 speed, then a simple check would be to spend a little time on all fours looking for ANY oil on the floor where the car has been stored, and of course you'll want to get it on a lift after that and thoroughly inspect the underside for any tell-tale drips with some bright lighting. Any further questions would be easily answered by the local Porsche dealership who should do a full checkover for about $100.

Good luck!

Yeah, well, I already got a loan for this specific car, and put down a $1600 deposit. Every time I buy anything I always think of a way I could have gotten something "better". I have been shuffling and borrowing cars and rides, and at this point I'm ready to have a fun car again, even if it's just the 2.5 liter 200 horse engine. And, theoretically, down the road, I can buy some expensive mods for it. Also, I know it's been taken care of well. I have seen the service records and he's done everything. Definitely no oil leaks. He's a Porsche Car Club of America member, and loved this car. It's the best Boxster in the area (Detroit Metro), and I really don't care about the 15-30 horsepower difference.

EDIT: he also had it serviced at a licensed Porsche Dealership.

It sounds like you've done all your homework then Snus. The thing that stands out to me about your car is that the oil was essentially changed every 1500 miles which is OUTSTANDING. The Porsche recommended service intervals are 10,000 miles which is pushing synthetic too far IMO. Too much dirt is introduced, and my oil is almost black at 3,000 miles.

I think you've found a gem, I can't wait to see some pictures:)

Yeah, it's a classic, "Old-man-owned, babied, washed and waxed, coddled summer car," which is exactly what I was hoping to find. I was trying to decide between a Porsche Boxster and a BMW Z4, and drove both. The Z4 (3.0 liter) definitely had more torque, but lacks top end power (similar to the Z3 my stepfather had), whereas the Boxster seems to have a much smoother powerband, despite being a little slower off the line. I got in the car and at first was overwhelmed simply in my unfamiliarity with the interior setup (The Porsche felt much tighter in all regards, matching downshifts will take me a couple weeks to get used to, and I'm still learning heel-toe.

But it felt so much more precise than the Z4. If driving is surgery, the Z4 is a butcher's knife to the Boxster's scalpel. I have a friend who leased a 335i and now leases a Cayman, and he said when he drove his 335i again it just felt like a truck :). When he first took me for a ride in his Cayman, I immediately realized I needed a Porsche at some point in life, and when my Acura RSX Type-S was totaled, it really was a blessing in disguise.

In all honesty, I don't like the rear-end styling of the Boxster, I hate the way the exhaust looks, and it has such a boring butt for a Porsche, but the styling of a car is mostly irrelevant to me.

The power difference between the BMW and the Porsche is slim - about 25bhp, enough to notice, but I don't really care. The Porsche just felt perfect. I plan on having this car as long as I can, and I've looked up some performance mods in case I do decide I want it to be faster in the future. The best part is that it's not like when I was thinking about modifying my RSX, the Porsche's handling is already so phenomenal that suspension upgrades don't seem completely necessary.

I found a site run by a smaller tuner out of Germany, and they have a really nice, simple twin turbo package. Their dyno sheet showed an almost 100hp gain. It's not something I can do right away, and if I do, it won't be for months if not years. I'm going to need snow tires and a radar detector first. I'm sure the turbos are pricey, and I definitely can't afford heavy mods like that right now. But like I said, if I end up feeling underpowered, there's definitely a performance market for the 2.5 liter 986.

Also - this forum seems kind of dead, are there many active members, or should I use a different Boxster or Porsche forum?

My neighbor drives a beautiful dark blue 2005 325i convertible, which he has let me drive. I took him out last fall in the Boxster S, and he's STILL talking about it! There's really no comparison when it comes to the amount of 'fun' that's engineered into these! We've got a little break in the weather this Friday and I'm going to take the day off and go for a long drive.

I actually love the styling all the way around on the Boxster, but that may also be partially due to my age and my affinity for 'rounded' shapes. It's such a clean, continuous curvature all the way to the back, and I've found very few cars on the road with such nice lines all the way around. I do prefer the newer 987 over the 986 just because it seems to visually have a wider stance. I also dig the twin pipes!

As for additional power in your car? Just leave it alone and enjoy the brilliant handling with good gas mileage! If you decide down the road that you need more power, just opt for the S. It scoots with 280 hp for the '06. I would like to test drive an '09 with 310 hp, but I may find myself rationalizing that at the expense of my children's college educations, lol.

Ruf does a conversion where they drop the 3.8 liter out of the Carrera S into the boxster. Do a quick search for the Ruf 3800s...

As they say, there is no substitute for cubic inches :)

I also like the immediate throttle response you get from a normally aspirated engine since it makes over steer adjustments in mid corner so much easier and more precise. Unless you go with the super charger route or twin turbos I suppose. But then there's all the extra cooling plumbing to thing about.

In terms of other forums, I've joined a few and everything seems pretty slow right now. I've only been a member of this one for a few months but I'm sure once spring rolls around things will pick up again!

Rox - thought I'd give you an update. Today is the eighth day that I've had my '99 986, 2.5 liter, 5-speed. I could explain to you how amazing it is, but you drive an S. Even though it claims to put out the same power vs. my RSX-S, and only slightly more torque, it feels phenomenal. It is the best car I've ever driven, the only vehicle I've ever driven near it's class is a 370z, which felt slower. Compared to my Acura RSX-S, with the 200hp, 160lb-ft torque, 6-speed manual, the Boxster feels twice as fast, twice as sharp in turns, and infinitely better overall. My friend, who has an '09 Cayman, tells me he thinks my car must be rated with less power than it's putting out. He said it feels very similiar to his car, which supposedly has 25-30% more power than mine (on paper).

There are some things on the interior that feel old/junky, but there are many things about the interior that feel better than I could have imagined. I smoke cigars, and the removable ashtray is very nice, the TCS is great, etc.

I could have bought a car with more power, or newer creature comforts, but I'm glad I didn't. Even as the most basic Boxster they ever built, and possibly the most "entry-level" Porsche I could have gotten, it still is an amazing car. It's a Porsche, and even if it only puts out 200hp, it still behaves like a Porsche, in every way possible. I love it, and am glad I got it, at a good price, with low miles, etc. I've put about 100 miles on it everyday on average, and I really am smitten. The only problem will be when I have to get another car-nothing will be able to compete, unless I get an M3 or another Porsche.

Honestly Snus, that's fantastic! I don't know if you'll ever be able to go back to driving a pedestrian car. I just read a review on the new Spider and the author mentioned that it may be the most amazing car he's ever driven. The top down iMax experience, with the surround sound of this flat six roaring right behind you and the... how did he put it... nearly pornographic intimacy with the road! That's pretty high praise coming from a Road and Track hardened reviewer.

Anyhow, welcome to the best miles of your life!

Haha, I work part-time with the caranddriver.com staff, and while I was in India, they rebuilt Road and Track's website for them. For car reviews-seriously-caranddriver.com is the best and one of the oldest-they used to be Sports Cars illustrated in the 50s. The website I help put out is one of the best automotive websites out there. a Biddy of mine put up the Spyder Article that C and D wrote, check it out sometime. They just developed what's supposed to be a pretty sweet iPhone/iTouch app if you've got one of those too.