I am close to buying a 2000 Boxster (non S) with 100k miles. I would like to get opinions on the expected costs assuming no maintenance has been done in the last 15-20k miles. Its at a pretty good price so its worth a few repairs. I have attached a pic of something a little out of the ordinary. Could be an easy fix and I wondered if anybody else has seen this before. The top cover is not flush up on the driver side.
I'm aware of the high price for oil changes and expensive tires every 15k. Also I'm aware of the recommended inspections for such vehicles. What else should I be thinking about? Looking to fix up and drive for 1 year (8k miles) and sell. I have searched the forum and gathered a smattering of info but I'd still like to ask the following:
Cover liftted repair ideas?
Maintenance cost (non dealer) for 100k miles? (Actual costs for tune up or non traditional repairs seen with this mileage)
Rough est. of what you would pay to buy "as is" porsche with few problems?
What to expect to sell in 1 year in better condition (new tires, clutch, maintenance records for tuneup etc)?
Bad seat tear, would you reupholster ($$) or replace with racing seats ($600)?
Any other info I forgot to ask about?

thanks for help!

 

Based on the info you gave I wouldn't pay more than $8,000 for the car since you plan to sell in a year & not lose money. If your time is worth anything I doubt you will make any profit assuming the price is $8,k. Now if you drive the car & love it & plan to keep it indefinetly that's a whole different story.

 

Manual or Tiptronic? At 100K expect your 60K mile major hasn't been done and with brakes and clutch, about $4-5,000 plus 1,000 for tires if necessary. Are there any drips or leaks? I wouldn't replace the seats with anything other than nice ones so I would opt for the repair which should be much cheaper than new $600 seats. I don't see what you're expecting to pay for this vehicle. In the shape you mention I wouldn't pay more than 8,000 for it. Maybe less.

Additionally, I wouldn't buy any Porsche planning to dump money into it and sell in a year - you'll go broke. I would take my money and save for a year to buy a nicer car you might actually like to keep.

 

The lifted cover looks to me like an incorrectly timed transmission for the top, there is one for each side and are actuated by a motor by drive cables, the sheath for the cables stretch in the heat and cause the transmission to "skip"

 

Does the top operate properly? I agree on the transmissions out of time. You can retime them but should definitely replace cables. Those top transmissions put out a lot of torque and can do a lot of damage when things go wrong. That lid looks bent and I would suspect a lot more bent or broken linkages. I personally wouldn't pay more than about 6K for that car as-is.