Hello Everyone. Long time member but have not posted much.

Looking to possibly get in to my very first p-car but wanted a little guidance before doing so. Locally there is a 2004 Boxster S with 13.5k on the odometer. Cosmetically the car looks almost new inside and out. It is a one owner car but the carfax reports clean with the exception of a frontal impact. After inspecting the vehicle, you can tell where it was painted but to my eye appears to have been a minor impact.

Here is a list of installed optional equipment:

INCLUDED OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT

BOSE HIGH END SOUND PKG W/WINDSTOP[P73]
Original Price:$1860.00
Details:
Premium Sound System
PORSCHE STABILITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM[476]
Original Price:$1235.00
Details:
Traction Control
Electronic Stability Control
LIGHT ALLOY CARRERA 18" WHEELS[411]
Original Price:$2920.00
Details:
Tires - Rear Performance
Tires - Front Performance
Aluminum Wheels
CRUISE CONTROL[454]
Original Price:$570.00
Details:
Cruise Control
2-STAGE HEATED FRONT SEATS[342]
Original Price:$410.00
Details:
Heated Passenger Seat
Heated Driver Seat
Heated Driver Seat
XENON HEADLAMP PKG[P74]
Original Price:$1090.00
Details:
HID headlights

My questions are, what is a fair price to pay for a car like this? They have offered it to me for 24k plus TTL. Also, are there any gotchas I need to be aware of? Obviously, I don't want to end up holding huge maintenance bills.

Any and all help is greatly appreciated in advance!

 

$24K seems expensive.

Definitely have a PPI done and also try and find out the extent of the damage during the accident. Make sure the radiators etc up front are in good shape.

The final offer would depend on what the PPI says and then research comps.

 

I offered 22k and they aren't hearing any of it. Claim the car is already priced very aggressively. They did however just take it in on trade a few days ago.

 

A 986 Boxster for 24k????? That is nuts! As a matter of fact I would consider the low mileage a negative as it usually means the car sat for long periods of time not being used which usually leads to trouble. A search on this can reveal the details. I bought my 2000 Boxster S for $13k a couple years ago with 70k miles and it was a blast.

 

While the impact might have been minor -- more on this below -- if you can tell the car was painted the repair is shoddy. (What is the color of the car?)

Walk away.

About that impact was minor comment the seller made: Everything a car salesman tells you is intended to get you to buy the car right now and pay as much for it as possible.

If you can't walk away... The car I think is expensive. The rule of thumb is a car depreciates 10% from teh dealer's cost the minute the 1st owner drives the car off the lot.

Then every year when the next year models come out the car drops another 10%.

You need to get the car's MSRP (not including TTL, delivery and any dealer markup) and work the numbers.

If you can't walk away...If you can't or don't want to work the numbers as I covered above, then plug the car's numbers into www.kbb.com and see what the car's wholesale value is. Since the car had an accident chances are very good car is worth even less than this value.

This is of course a wholesale value but how much over wholesale you want to pay is up to you. However, you may not get the seller to agree. But you should have a hard number going in.

If you can't walk away...If you can arrange it, have the car inspected by a reputable body/paint shop that doesn't have any fiduciary tie-ins with the seller. If the body/paint report comes back that the paint is just a bit off, but the rest of the car is sound... This check out can cost some money: The body/paint shop will probably want to remove the bumper cover since that can hide a lot of shoddy repairs. You can also have the car inspected at a Porsche dealer. The techs can remove the bumper cover in no time and advise you regarding the condition of the car, the hardware, hose routings, etc, hidden by the bumper cover.

Also, look closely into the radiator ducts. If you see 'fresh' looking A/C condensors or one that has been in service for a while while the other one looks new the impact got into at least one (maybe both) A/C condensors and this almost always means the radiators were damaged too, along with the fan and brackets.

Then there are the headlights. Check the fit of both headlights. If the fenders were damaged/replaced, it is tricky to get the headlight and headlight platforms aligned properly.

The car has low miles, which is a plus but is also a negative. It is a plus in that well, the car has low miles, thus it has more life than a car with more miles. A negative is that based on low miles, the car is still 'new' and can fall ill with any number of new car troubles. Without any warranty...

Also, the seller will want a premium for the low miles and if you pay that and then drive the car -- as you would so I'm sure -- the miles really cause the car to depreciate.

You need to spend time in the car. A 15 mile test ride then a 15 mile test drive. The route wants to get the test driver a chance to demo the car in a variety of driving scenarios. As a test driver you follow the same route and drive the car the same way.

The car is then just a used car and should be subjected to a thorough used car check out and if after this you still like the car and believe you can make a deal for it, have the car PPI'd. Hopefully the PPI'er will/can advise you better on the car's repaired condition.

Added: The car probably has original tires which are if they have nto already reached the age (6 years old) at which they should be replaced. An alignment is probably a good idea. I would like one *before* I bought the car because if the alignment requires too much adjustment or say the caster is way out on one or both sides, this can be a side the impact was more severe than you are being told. Then there is a brake fluid flush/bleed that should be done ever 2 years. Plugs might be due to be changed on time if not on miles. You need to speak with a Porsche service about the plug change schedule. Cabin air filter (these can stink if left in service too long).

Sincerely,

Macster.