At $ 3,500, is this 1999 Porsche Boxster a good deal?

They say there are no cheap Porsches and yet today Good price or no dice Boxster is … a cheap Porsche. Could its low price make it an easy onramp to Porsche ownership? Othat’s it a tough road to future spending?

The path taken by that of yesterday 1979 Ford F-250 was certainly interesting. For one thing, there were a lot of reviews praising both the era the truck was originally from and the overall specifications and condition of the queen-size bed. On the other hand, there was that Asking price of $ 14,500 which, with a loss of 56% without dice, failed. the the juxtaposition of praise and overtaking may not have lined up, but hopefully this cool truck always finds a new owner.

Speaking of new owners, many of you know that I recently acquired an older Porsche Boxster and I am detailing the joys and work of his property to share with all of you.

My experience may well inspire one or more of you to take the ‘Porsche plunge’ and purchase your own reasonably turnkey sports car from the German manufacturer. If you are of this inclination then maybe Porsche Boxster 1999 is a good place to start. It certainly seems to be the cheapest.

The ad for this black on savannah beige is clear on the details, though it does provide some important information. The images also tell a story. Here is everything the seller provides in the description of the car:

175K miles.

convertible.

In very decent shape.

Runs and drives really well.

Look good.

Custom exhaust.

Top works manually. No electricity.

Fair price for a quick sale.

Title in hand.

OK, so first of all we find out the car has driven 175,000 miles on the road. It’s a good stretch for a 986 and may cause you to wonder about the condition of the suspension consumables etc. Perhaps to alleviate these concerns slightly, the seller notes that the car “runs and drives very well”. Not just great but “really great”.

On the other hand, the seller denies the aesthetics of the car, saying that it looks just fine. The photos prove it, especially when you get inside. On the outside there are a few obvious flaws. These include paint chips and dents as well as the lack of intake grilles and front side marker lights.

The car later featured 996 headlights with the more subtly colored turn signal lenses. Some people greatly prefer them. The rear trunk lid bears a Porsche badge instead of the Boxster scenario. The factory Twists appear to be in good condition, but there is no mention of tire life.

Above, the convertible top appears intact, but with a darkened rear window. It’s all too common on these cars. Failure of the upper electric mechanism is less common, which is good as it is an expensive repair. It failed on this car and requires muscle from the man (or woman) to move up or down the roof.

Lowering that peak reveals an interior that has seen better days. The seat upholstery is cracked and broken on both sides, showing foam padding in some places and pockets to swallow the change in others. The rest of the interior looks dirty and in need of a deep cleaning, but at least looks intact. The rubber trim also seems to hold its place.

Other things to note here are what is described as a “custom exhaust” and the seller’s claim that the car has a six-speed transmission. We don’t see anything of this exhaust other than a twin tail outlet under the rear license plate, but hopefully the customization still maintains all the catalyst.s. As for the six gears: Uunless there was a replacement gearbox from a Boxster later S, the only way he could have so many cogs is to count backwards.

A quick VIN check shows that this Boxster is not an S and has the 201 horsepower 2.5-liter pancake under its now manual roof. For those of you with your panties in a twist on the infamous IMS bearing problem, you can relax. The failure rate on the 2.5 was around 1%, and if this car’s engine had exploded, it would have done so long before it hit 175,000 miles.

The title of the car is clean, and in fact we can see it in one of the images in the ad. This is a good thing. From other photos we can see that the registration expired in December and the car still has its 2020 labels. This may indicate old snapshots, or it may just be that the seller just doesn’t want to. not refurbish a car for sale. Whatever the reason, it will take 2021 tags and – if you live in California, where this car is located – a smog test to get them.

The car will set you back $ 3,500 before all registration, which makes it the cheapest Porsche Boxster in the country to run and drive (really great, remember). Does that sound like a deal to you?

What do you think, is this worn out but seemingly unworn Boxster so much worth ditching? Or is it just too cheap considering how much more you’ll likely have to spend to get it right?

You decide!

Sacramento, California, Craigslist, where to go here if the ad disappears.

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