987 Boxster with limited service records - Buy, Lowball or Pass?

[Benji94]

About to take the dive into buying my first Porsche! Very sorry if this isn't the right sub forum, it's my first time here.

Thinking of getting serious about a car I saw advertised, the catch is that it only has service records going back 2 years on a 2005 model.

Seller is a generic used car dealership and I will definitely be getting a PPI done by a Porsche specialist before committing to buying.

Do you guys think it's even worth getting it checked out or should I just pass on this one?

140,000 KM on the clock. Manual. Asking price is $42,000, but they seem open to dropping the price.

Only comes with a 1 month, 1,000 KM 'lemon law' warranty.

I would normally pass, but there aren't any other manual 987 cars selling in my price range in my area so I could be waiting months for something else to come on the market.

Thoughts?

[42 South]

It's overpriced - expect about $32K to $35K for that mileage unless it's an "S"

[Benji94]

59 minutes ago, 42 South said:

It's overpriced - expect about $32K to $35K for that mileage unless it's an "S"

Thanks, yes, agree the price is on the high side.

[WB997.2GTS]

2 hours ago, 42 South said:

It's overpriced - expect about $32K to $35K for that mileage unless it's an "S"

Any suggestions on a price for a 2006 S with 45k on the clock.

[TwoHeadsTas]

39 minutes ago, WB997.2GTS said:

Any suggestions on a price for a 2006 S with 45k on the clock.

Warren, I'd have thought 50-55ish if it's a manual, 2nd gen would be 55-65, any more than that you're close to 981 pricing, and, having gone from an 05 manual S to a base 981 PDK, you'd pay the extra for a 981 at that level - in almost every way a better car

[Arne Krix]

Price is one thing . Bit of a worry the car ended up with a generic trader as a trade in . Likely you will buy some problems as well. 

[WB997.2GTS]

3 hours ago, TwoHeadsTas said:

Warren, I'd have thought 50-55ish if it's a manual, 2nd gen would be 55-65, any more than that you're close to 981 pricing, and, having gone from an 05 manual S to a base 981 PDK, you'd pay the extra for a 981 at that level - in almost every way a better car

Thanks, I was thinking 50-55k, I have not driven for the past 6 months so I think its time to go, I have been enjoying the 993 that I restored (thanks again for the tip off).

I enjoy the 993 so much the that I am undecided which car to take to Tassie in October, 993 or 997. Any suggestions anybody? 

[TwoHeadsTas]

47 minutes ago, WB997.2GTS said:

Thanks, I was thinking 50-55k, I have not driven for the past 6 months so I think its time to go, I have been enjoying the 993 that I restored (thanks again for the tip off).

I enjoy the 993 so much the that I am undecided which car to take to Tassie in October, 993 or 997. Any suggestions anybody? 

Either, but depending on where you're going and whether you need 98 from a reputable brand servo, if one likes 95 better than the other then bring that....

[Benji94]

1 hour ago, Arne Krix said:

Price is one thing . Bit of a worry the car ended up with a generic trader as a trade in . Likely you will buy some problems as well. 

Thanks for your input, this is what I'm worried about. With patchy service records there's no way to tell what maintenance has been kept up with. I think I'll give the car a pass.

[Philbee]

I bought a 987 from a generic dealer too… a few things from me.. ask a lot of questions and check everything yourself.

- why is there no history?  where did it come? prev owner, get their number.

- apart from engine & drive stuff the ppi should help you with check all non-rwc items as the ppi doesn’t check every little bit, eg. Boot releases, windows, hood operation, fuel cap flap, check all heater, cooling knobs, switches. Sounds trivial but fixing these can be expensive…

- the electric hood on mine died 3mths after I bought it. Cost me $8k for a full replacement 

- sometimes a rough exterior or interior indicates it’s had a rough life (that’s a possible red flag)

- eg. The remote operates both boot releases, but there’s also manual switches ;scuff panel)… on mine the remote worked ok but the manual switches didn’t work and the boot light didn’t work either (it was a wiring issue not just a globe)… again little stuff but a few hundred saved if the dealer does it for you…

[Fishcop]

Some good advice here.  But my 2c is to be patient - 986s aren't exactly uncommon and you can afford to be choosy.  What is it about the car you're looking at that has you keen?

[Benji94]

2 hours ago, Fishcop said:

Some good advice here.  But my 2c is to be patient - 986s aren't exactly uncommon and you can afford to be choosy.  What is it about the car you're looking at that has you keen?

Thank you everyone for your input, very good advice all around.

It's really just impatience - I've seen some great examples on the used market get snapped up when I wan't quite ready to buy, and now that I'm ready to pull the trigger I'm just excited. Have slept on the decision for a couple of nights now and will be passing on this particular vehicle and biding my time for another one to come along - something with full service records and ideally in my state so I can have a good look at it in person as well as getting a PPI done.

[Philbee]

That sounds very… sound!

Best of luck,

philbee

[Yeatesy]

3 hours ago, Benji94 said:

Thank you everyone for your input, very good advice all around.

It's really just impatience - I've seen some great examples on the used market get snapped up when I wan't quite ready to buy, and now that I'm ready to pull the trigger I'm just excited. Have slept on the decision for a couple of nights now and will be passing on this particular vehicle and biding my time for another one to come along - something with full service records and ideally in my state so I can have a good look at it in person as well as getting a PPI done.

I’ve always been prepared to travel or buy interstate to get the right car, it’s actually not that expensive to fly across the country to see a car or to freight it back but it would have to have a full service history for me to consider it in the first place. 

[Benji94]

11 hours ago, Yeatesy said:

I’ve always been prepared to travel or buy interstate to get the right car, it’s actually not that expensive to fly across the country to see a car or to freight it back but it would have to have a full service history for me to consider it in the first place. 

I'm based in Melbourne so have also been looking in Adelaide and Sydney. Agree it's not difficult or expensive to fly there and drive back. This particular boxster is at the Gold Coast. Dealership said delivering the car to Melbourne would be fairly expensive but didn't provide an exact figure.

[Dalai]

12 hours ago, Yeatesy said:

I’ve always been prepared to travel or buy interstate to get the right car, it’s actually not that expensive to fly across the country to see a car or to freight it back but it would have to have a full service history for me to consider it in the first place. 

^^^^^ This.

I bought my 911 in Perth and had it shipped back to Melbourne after flying over to inspect.

Another car bought (non P car) was near Noosa. Flew and trained it North and drove it home.

[Yeatesy]

4 hours ago, Benji94 said:

I'm based in Melbourne so have also been looking in Adelaide and Sydney. Agree it's not difficult or expensive to fly there and drive back. This particular boxster is at the Gold Coast. Dealership said delivering the car to Melbourne would be fairly expensive but didn't provide an exact figure.

I'll be on the Gold Coast next week if you want me to check it out for you

[Yeatesy]

4 hours ago, Dalai said:

^^^^^ This.

I bought my 911 in Perth and had it shipped back to Melbourne after flying over to inspect.

Another car bought (non P car) was near Noosa. Flew and trained it North and drove it home.

I've previously bought a 930 from Perth & a 987 Cayman from Townsville, I didn't go and see either car myself but bought them from the private owners who were genuine sellers after confirming the cars condition and service history with the local Porsche dealership. I arranged the freight back to Victoria and the cars were immaculate when they arrived. 

[Benji94]

2 hours ago, Yeatesy said:

I'll be on the Gold Coast next week if you want me to check it out for you

Thanks for the very kind offer! I'm going to pass on this one and wait a bit longer to see what else shows up on the used market - ideally with the Bose option.

[42 South]

On 04/07/2022 at 19:06, Benji94 said:

Thanks for the very kind offer! I'm going to pass on this one and wait a bit longer to see what else shows up on the used market - ideally with the Bose option.

Just be careful with the door speakers - on mine the paper cones in the doors had partially disintegrated, but relatively easy to replace. If you do need to do this I can offer some suggested replacements as the speaker size is non-standard

[Joz]

7 hours ago, 42 South said:

Just be careful with the door speakers - on mine the paper cones in the doors had partially disintegrated, but relatively easy to replace. If you do need to do this I can offer some suggested replacements as the speaker size is non-standard

Unfortunately the Bose foam surrounds perish easily, when retrofitting new speakers get something with rubber surrounds. They’ll last.

[Grimmy]

1 hour ago, Joz said:

Unfortunately the Bose foam surrounds perish easily, when retrofitting new speakers get something with rubber surrounds. They’ll last.

Foam Surrounds are EVIL!! Just a matter of time until they fail