Buy 2008 Boxster S or 2014 BRZ limited?

[220volt]

Originally Posted by brzaapi

Then the only question left to ask is, when do you go for some test drives?

That's the thing, it supposed to be here last Friday, but it just arrived today. But the title did not arrive with it, so they can't let me test it yet. They will let me know when the title comes in. Damn.

[Drakelee117]

Originally Posted by 220volt

Well, I'm OP

Yes, it will be my daily driver.

In that case I wouldn't get that kind of used car. Yes, 2008 is probably not that big of a issue comparing to some of my student friends who wants to get a Delorean and drive it daily but considering the bare-bone nature of the Boxster, it's gonna be a struggle.

[devtec]

Originally Posted by 220volt

I did my "extensive" research on IMS, talked to some shops and mechanics as well as Porsche forums. 987 later model (late 2006 - 2008) failure is very rare since they upgraded to a larger bearings. Failures are likley less than 1 %, and actually 987 2008 models have been one of the most reliable Porsche to date. So it is not exactly " buy it and roll the dice" thing.
Nonetheless, failures can still occur, and that is why if I do buy this one, I am also buying Carmax warranty which covers pretty much all larger (and lot of smaller) components. Will also do PPI just for the piece of mind.

Just to be clear, the reliability of the updated bearing is still unclear, since the 2006-8 are only now starting to reach the miles at which the previous bearings failed. Now that the 2006-8s are getting up there in age/miles, failure of even the new bearings can be expected. Once again, the real issue may be engine blocks which are out of true, in which case old or updated bearings do not make a difference.

It would be best to wait until you can afford the DFI engines from 2009 on.

But the risk profile you are willing to accept is of course a personal decision. And they are in the end, of course, incredible cars. Best of luck!!

[220volt]

Originally Posted by devtec

Just to be clear, the reliability of the updated bearing is still unclear, since the 2006-8 are only now starting to reach the miles at which the previous bearings failed. Now that the 2006-8s are getting up there in age/miles, failure of even the new bearings can be expected. Once again, the real issue may be engine blocks which are out of true, in which case old or updated bearings do not make a difference.

It would be best to wait until you can afford the DFI engines from 2009 on.

But the risk profile you are willing to accept is of course a personal decision. And they are in the end, of course, incredible cars. Best of luck!!

That is why I will do PPI, and buy full warranty for 5 year/75,000 miles

[NLS8520]

Not certain what how financially sound you are or how much income you are willing to spend if the vehicle needs repairs. Porsche repairs are incredibly expensive and even maintenance is sky high unless you plan to do it yourself. Big factor there.. its not so much the purchase its the upkeep that kills you with Porsche. Unless certified with warranty covering major repairs, I would not even entertain the idea of a used Porsche IMHO.

[220volt]

Originally Posted by NLS8520

Not certain what how financially sound you are or how much income you are willing to spend if the vehicle needs repairs. Porsche repairs are incredibly expensive and even maintenance is sky high unless you plan to do it yourself. Big factor there.. its not so much the purchase its the upkeep that kills you with Porsche. Unless certified with warranty covering major repairs, I would not even entertain the idea of a used Porsche IMHO.

Not sure if you read through the thread, but I mentioned several times that I'm getting a full Car Max warranty with it Here's what it all covers:
http://www.carmax.com/enus/maxcare/default.html

It looks like everything major and most minor stuff, including the interior is covered.

Oil change is $135 at Stuttgart Specialists here in KY. I can do it myself for about $100. Tires are the same price as my GTI. Same radius too.

Now, what attracted me for one to this car is that it has only 20k miles, and it is $29,950, one owner, clean. I have scoured the whole interwebs and found not a single better deal. Not even close actually. NADA puts retail at $36,000, and trade-in close to $33,000. Kelly Blue book is little lower but still way above $29,500. That gives me enough room for warranty.
And I'll be putting two thirds down payment and finance the rest (about $10k).

This is contingent on that test drive of course

[NLS8520]

Originally Posted by 220volt

Not sure if you read through the thread, but I mentioned several times that I'm getting a full Car Max warranty with it Here's what it all covers:
http://www.carmax.com/enus/maxcare/default.html

It looks like everything major and most minor stuff, including the interior is covered.

Oil change is $135 at Stuttgart Specialists here in KY. I can do it myself for about $100. Tires are the same price as my GTI. Same radius too.

Now, what attracted me for one to this car is that it has only 20k miles, and it is $29,950, one owner, clean. I have scoured the whole interwebs and found not a single better deal. Not even close actually. NADA puts retail at $36,000, and trade-in close to $33,000. Kelly Blue book is little lower but still way above $29,500. That gives me enough room for warranty.
And I'll be putting two thirds down payment and finance the rest (about $10k).

This is contingent on that test drive of course

More of a quick glance than a thorough read. I can tell you first hand I had a Carmax car and Carmax tell you they cover the world, but when its time to get repairs it seemed to cover nothing that went wrong on my car lol. Also I owned a Boxster back for about a year back in the day and it milked me DRY, of course I had 0 warranty though in fairness. Well I hope that you get the car that works best for your needs and it is trouble free, good luck my friend.

[Ouhei]

I drove a 2009 Cayman S before picking up my BRZ and absolutely hated the manual gearbox. It's like a freaking ocean between gears. The salesman (it was at a Porsche dealer) said he recommends anyone that gets one of those years to get the short shift kit as it's way way better.

The chassis and power on the car were great. One thing to keep in mind is that a Boxter is infinitely less practical than your current GTI and a whole lot less practical than the BRZ. I was coming from an s2000 as my only car and am really happy to have something with a bit more room in it.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by 220volt

Now, what attracted me for one to this car is that it has only 20k miles, and it is $29,950, one owner, clean. I have scoured the whole interwebs and found not a single better deal. Not even close actually. NADA puts retail at $36,000, and trade-in close to $33,000. Kelly Blue book is little lower but still way above $29,500. That gives me enough room for warranty.
And I'll be putting two thirds down payment and finance the rest (about $10k).

So why exactly is it so cheap? Nobody sells a car for below the trade in value out of the goodness of their heart. Also why is it still there after all this time if such a great deal? The truly good deals don't sit around without some reason.
Not trying to discourage or downplay but it just seems really odd that weeks after you asked the car is still around at that price.

[thill]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

So why exactly is it so cheap? Nobody sells a car for below the trade in value out of the goodness of their heart. Also why is it still there after all this time if such a great deal? The truly good deals don't sit around without some reason.
Not trying to discourage or downplay but it just seems really odd that weeks after you asked the car is still around at that price.

Some of this is regional. You will see Boxsters here selling for much less as well once winter gets close as there are very few people wanting to buy a Boxster in the winter.

As long as he gets the PPI done from a trusted/knowledgeable place and it comes back clean it may just come down to the OP getting a great deal. I came close to buying a 911 a few months ago because it was a crazy good deal but somebody else grabbed it before I could do the PPI. There are some great deals on Porsche's out there for sure.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by thill

Some of this is regional. You will see Boxsters here selling for much less as well once winter gets close as there are very few people wanting to buy a Boxster in the winter.

As long as he gets the PPI done from a trusted/knowledgeable place and it comes back clean it may just come down to the OP getting a great deal. I came close to buying a 911 a few months ago because it was a crazy good deal but somebody else grabbed it before I could do the PPI. There are some great deals on Porsche's out there for sure.

I get all that and was looking at them myself at one point but like you said the great deals don't last long. My son's, wife's, brother works at the dealership here and was letting me know when good deals came in. Most never even got to be advertised if they were really good. I was just curious about why the one he was looking at would still be around after several weeks. Don't think OP has the advantage of winter buying in Kentucky.

[jdp530]

If you do purchase a Boxster, keep in mind that the intermediate shaft bearing can fail and destroy the engine in a matter of minutes. There is an upgraded bearing that can be used now to replace the original piece. I believe there was a class action lawsuit against Porsche because of this failure. It will cost around $600 to 1K to replace the bearing depending on the model of car and bearing used.

See the following article on this bearing/shaft:

http://theimssolution.com/ims-101/

[thill]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

I get all that and was looking at them myself at one point but like you said the great deals don't last long. My son's, wife's, brother works at the dealership here and was letting me know when good deals came in. Most never even got to be advertised if they were really good. I was just curious about why the one he was looking at would still be around after several weeks. Don't think OP has the advantage of winter buying in Kentucky.

LOL, he probably has the advantage in that 90% of the people in Kentucky drive trucks/SUV's and don't know how to spell Porsche...

Caveat, I am basing this on my experience of being stationed in the military near the Kentucky/Tennessee border and having driven an FD RX-7 at the time that many people confused for a new Corvette...

[220volt]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

So why exactly is it so cheap? Nobody sells a car for below the trade in value out of the goodness of their heart. Also why is it still there after all this time if such a great deal? The truly good deals don't sit around without some reason.
Not trying to discourage or downplay but it just seems really odd that weeks after you asked the car is still around at that price.

I honestly have no idea, especially since Carmax prices are very high compared to some dealers and private sale. But with PPI and warranty for 5 years I should be good.