deleted - sorry

Hello,

I’m here looking for expert advice in purchasing a BO Dyer.

Any suggestions are appreciated

Thank you,
Eddie

My advise would be to look for a car that you like and is within your budget.
Then, before you purchase it, get it inspected so that you can know what you're dealing with.
Generally the inspector will also give you their best estimate of how much that car is worth so that you can compare with what you're negotiating.
Very few cars are perfect, so keep that in mind, knowing that whatever isn't perfect can be fixed.
When you finally purchase it, please let us know and post some pictures.
Good luck and
Happy Boxstering,
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

Thank you, Pedro.

Try to find one that has had the IMS issue addressed/fixed. Maybe not just replaced, but fixed. The 01/02 years are right in the heart of IMS issues. Do research on the IMS issue on Boxsters.

Mechanics with Porsche expertise can spot a lot of stuff. As Pedro said, a car with that age will not be perfect. But it will be fun.

Quote
Eddien
Hello,

I’m here looking for expert advice in purchasing a BO Dyer.

Any suggestions are appreciated

Thank you,
Eddie

The Boxster is just used car so, the best advice I can offer is give the car a thorough used car check out.

Here is a paste from something I put together a while back...
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My general advice is to visit the car cold, check the oil level from inside the car, which should only require 5 seconds. (Or use the dipstick.)

In the car start the engine. Be sure all warning lights come on and then go off once the engine has started. Pay particular attention to the CEL. Be sure the A/C is off. You test the A/C later.

Let the engine idle from cold. You want to listen for any signs of ticking/noises or any other signs the engine may not be healthy. A rough idle, backfires, spitting back, anything out of the ordinary.

Get out of the car and walk around the car checking body panel finish, alignment, and gaps. Note the condition of the wheels, looking for any curb rash. Check the tires. Ideally they should be factory sanctioned tires and in good condition. Check the brakes, look at the rotors for signs of damage/excessive wear. A 1mm lip around the rotor outer diameter is a sign of the rotor being worn enough to be replaced.

Check the hood and trunk hinges for any signs the fasteners have had wrenches on them. At the front carefully the bolts that hold the fenders to the chassis/tub and check the fasteners at the top of the struts for any sign of wrenching.

Look inside the radiator ducts. If full of trash budget for a bumper removal and a trash clean out. The trash won't affect cooling but can lead to corrosion of the condensor and radiator.

After some few minutes -- the longer the better -- of the engine idling and with the engine still running ok and sounding ok have the seller take you on a test ride. The route should be around 15 miles long and chosen to give the driver a chance to demo the car as you intend to use it. What is wanted is a mix of city driving with stop and go, steady moderate speed cruising on like a boulevard, and some highway/freeway driving.

If equipped with an automatic while it is still "cold" have the driver perform an K-turn to see how the transmission responds to repeated and rapid changes in direction.

Ideally there should be some opportunities -- once the engine is up to temperature -- for some rather hard acceleration with the driver starting out from a standstill or a slow roll and accelerating hard up through at least a couple of gears. No need to smoke the tires or try to duplicate the factory's 0 to 60mph time but you want to experience the engine under hard acceleration to verify it pulls good, runs right, and afterwards shows no ill effects from the hard acceleration.

While a passenger of course pay attention to how the transmission shifts, how the car rides, feels. The car should not want to pull to one side or the other and the hard acceleration should give the driver a chance to perform a hard braking. No tire lock up but you want to verify the brakes have plenty of bite and the car tracks straight under hard braking.

With the automatic transmission up to temperature, or at least warmer -- have the driver do the K-turn test again.

After the 15 mile test ride then back at the starting point -- leaving the engine running -- get behind the wheel and drive the car over the same 15 mile test route and drive it pretty much the same way although since the car is unknown to you you can dial back on the hard acceleration test. You don't want to let the car get away from you and wrap it around a telephone pole.

After your 15 mile test drive then at the starting point if you still like the car confirm all systems work. From the head lights to the tail lights. From the horn to the back up camera (if fitted). The A/C. Check all the controls. The wipers. Manually operate the spoiler. Operate the top. Check everything.

Ideally you would want to show up able to remove the Torx fasteners that secure the plastic covers on either side of the battery so you can remove these covers and check for any signs of water backing up in the front body water drains.

When you check the top as you open the top when the clam shell gets as elevated as it can be stop and get out and check the rear body water drains. There is one located on either side of the top under the clam shell arm.

Check the door bottoms for any signs of dampness. If damp this is a sign the door membrane is bad and should be replaced. (If one bad both should be replaced.)

While you are checking for dampness check under both seats for any signs of moisture. A water drain overflow, a leaking door membrane, a leaking top, a leaking weather strip seal can let water in the cabin and the security module is on the cabin floor under I think the driver's seat. So if you detect any signs of moisture my advice is to walk away from the car.

At this point if you still like the car and believe you can buy it for a good price -- based on your market research -- it is good idea to arrange to have the car given a pre-purchase inspection (PPI) by a tech who is qualified to evaluate the car. A Porsche dealer tech can be used. These guys evaluate trade ins all the time.

This gets the car in the air so a check can be made for any leak sign. At the same time a check can be made for any signs of damage or damage repair.

The idle time, test ride followed by a test drive give you an opportunity to really experience the car in its natural state: engine running and on the road. All cars generally look good on the lot. But it is how they look and run and feel and sound and smell on the road, or after being on the road, that really matters.

Unless the seller can supply paper work the services are current make a ist of services "due" and budget for various services: oil/filter, brake fluid flush/bleed (due every 2 years), plugs maybe, transmission/diff fluid change, maybe even a drain and refill of the cooling system. (This every 4 years or so really helps preserve the water pump seals and hoses.)

Tires should be factory sanctioned tires and in good condition. If tires are worn unevenly budget for new tires and an alignment assuming wear is not severe enough to suspect the car's bent. In this case you don't want an alignment you want to walk away from the car.

With my 2002 I never bothered to replace the IMSB. The car racked up 317K miles on the original IMSB. This of course is no guarantee the 2001 will have the same luck. My preference would be to get a car that has not had the IMSB addressed then have this done after you buy the car, if you believe this worth doing. My thinking is if you have this done you can pick the best IMSB "solution" based on your research and then pick where the work is done and what is done and have some feeling the job was done right. But if this car pushes all the right buttons and it has had the IMSB done...

Remember these things: Price is not fact only an opinion. And there is always another car. If you find something seriously negative about this car don't feel you have to buy it. There is another car out there you'll like just as much if not more than this one and it won't have any negatives.

I



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/02/2019 06:05PM by JMstamford,ct. (view changes)

Great writeup MarcW!

I would add to it that you should establish whether the car has been poorly or well maintained.

Ask the owner what problems the car has and what maintenance is imminent. If you find problems using Marc's writeup that the owner didn't disclose its an indication that he hasn't kept up or hasn't cared.

For example if he didn't mention cleaning radiators and drains, but you find both with debris you can be pretty sure that the car is poorly maintained.

Don't let detailing distract you. A detailing job is inexpensive and if you don't go beyond the detailing by opening all covers, including the engine cover, put the car on a lift and check the underbody you are missing the opportunity to uncover where the real issues are.

If the car owner discloses a problem but claims that it is easy to fix, get suspicious right away. If its easy, why didn't he do it?

Good luck. The search can be fun and finding the right car after checking an array of examples is extremely rewarding!