What are the + and - of the years from MY97 - 04?

I like the red interiors and see that they're only offered from 97-99 w/silver exteriors...otherwise black/blk, slv/blk, wht/blk combos are good enough

What are reasonable mileages for these years and what issues come with them? TIA

 

Good choice Drew. I had an 04 Boxster and loved it. I would stay away from the 97, 98, 99 models. There were issues with the engine in the beginning (RMS failure, do a search on that in Boxster forums and you'll see what I mean). I believe 2003 was when they did away with the orange in the tail lights & headlights and updated the front bumper and side air vents.

Mine wasn't an "S" but if I could do it all over again I would definitely go for the "S" model. Keep us posted, I'm excited you're looking into getting one!

 

so rear main seal goes bad. damn I'm now reading about the bad blocks that they manu'd and just sleeved them. Yikes!
No wonder they are selling for so low

here is what I have been finding from 12.5k to 20k
1997 Porsche Boxster Cabriolet 2D

 

Hey Drew,

I have a '97 and I love it. The car is a pleasure to drive and, so far, has been problem free (42,000 miles). The 99 model year is the one to stay away from. The 99s had the sleeved blocks (not all of them, but some). The RMS is a problem on all years. Even the 987s are starting to show up with RMS problems. No biggie, really. If your RMS goes bad, it's a $1,000 repair and you can upgrade your clutch while you're in there. There is another Boxster problem you should know about, though. It's the IMS (intermediate shaft). If it breaks, goodbye engine. It only happens in a small number of cars and appears to happen at fairly low mileage, so when you're looking for one, look for one with higher miles, say 30,000 or more.

Even though I own a '97, I would recommend the newest car you can afford. They made improvements over the years, and the later cars are better than the earlier ones. Also, if you can afford an S, buy one. More power, better suspension, and brakes. How can that be a bad thing?

The information you got on red interiors is bad. Red interiors came in most, if not all of the model years. It could be had with several different colors, to include black, white, silver, Seal Gray (very sharp) and even blue.

Check out http://www.986forum.com. It's a great forum. Use the search feature to find out anything you want to know about Boxsters.

If I can help, shoot me a PM.

Here's mine...

 

Thanks guys. I just mostly see the red int. on artic silver. Yeah I just reg. on 986forum and another 986faq one yesterday. So how do you know if the IMS will be going bad?

fastback= clean boxster

 

It just breaks without warning. Bang. New engine. Don't let it scare you, though. It only happens on a small percentage of cars. See if you can find one with a CPO warranty. Then you have nothing to worry about.

 

up to 02, you get amber in your front lights and tail lights, 03-04 had clears all around (litronics in pre-03 are clear up front but still amber in rear... rear clears can be had for about $200)

up to 02, no glove box on passenger side, 03-04 have it (i feel there's plenty of storage regardless, considering doors, center console and rear sliding if you don't get bose)

up to 02, plastic rear window, 03-04 are glass

03-04 have slightly different front & rear bumper (rear has the 'splitters' near the exhaust, looks much better IMO)

03-04 have slightly more power

there's a noticeable price jump into 03, and wasn't worth it to me personally... mod money can be spent to make a pre-03 as good or better than 03+

 

I had a 99 and an 00. Both were fun cars. Pretty similar.

The 99 was made in Finland. It left me stranded on El Camino right out of Atherton. Bolts flew off that held my axles together and the car stopped moving. It would go into gear and the motor was running, but no movement. Carlson had it for 3 weeks, fixed it, never told me what happened.

The 00 was made in Germany. No issues with that car except for a total.

I don't know about the other years. But in those years I guess all year round the built Boxsters in Finland. Half the year or one season they were built in Germany. That is my understanding. I think I prefer the German one.

I've been in newer ones and the have more gadgets like cup holders, etc.

 

I had a '03 & '04 S, modded both of em

if you get a '03+ you get a glass rear window & glove box
and find one with BOSE, very much worth it!

 

i've been considering picking up the bose speaker for the rear area... it seems i can sell my storage area for approx the same price that the bose goes for on ebay...

but it'll have to wait till after the wedding and house, just like the clear headlights and tails