Concours Candidate: 2002 Porsche Boxster – SOLD!
February 12, 2021 Update – we confirmed the seller of this Porsche Boxster deleted their listing, so we’re now able to call this one “SOLD!” While this one got away, please reach out either by email or call Rudy directly if you’d like to be informed when we come across something similar.
Hard to believe, but 2021 marks the 25th anniversary of the car that saved Porsche: the Boxster. As owners of a 1998 example ourselves, we love how comfortable, practical, and reliable the 986 versions of these cars truly are. Many consumers bought Boxsters as third, weekend-only cars when new, so it’s very easy to come across low-mileage and well-cared-for cars such as this gorgeous Forest Green over black leather 2002 example originally listed in January 2021 on Craigslist in Anderson, South Carolina with only 28,700 original miles and an asking price of $17,400. It wasn’t long ago that the asking price would have made this car a candidate for our “NEW!” (short for No Effin Way!”) Award, however, prices for Boxsters are on the rise. A quick check of the Hagerty Insurance Online Valuation Tool confirms the asking price falls between this guide’s #2 “Excellent” estimate of $16,800 and its #1 “Concours” appraisal of $25,300.
Not only do we love the rare Forest Green Metallic exterior, but the extremely low mileage of this Boxster also makes it a prime candidate for participating in the Porsche Club of America Concours events at both the local and national levels in addition to enjoying the driving activities the club offers. As with any Porsche, we highly recommend having a pre-purchase inspection (“PPI”) completed. In this particular case, the fact the seller does not mention it likely means you need to budget approximately $2,500 for the installation of an Intermediate Shaft Bearing (“IMS”) upgrade as most 1999-2006 vintage Porsche experienced a high failure rate. Once completed, you’ll have peace of mind knowing you’ll have a very reliable Porsche that’s a blast to drive every chance you can.
Here’s the seller’s description:
“Excellent condition inside and out w/ only 28,700 (less than 1,750 miles per year), a clean Carfax and just serviced. This Boxster is rare Rain Forest Green Metallic ($825) w/ Black leather interior, Black soft top, the 2.7L H-6 engine and 5-speed manual transmission w/ overdrive. It has the Sport Package ($2,140) which includes the Cruise control, alarm system, the Hi-Fi sound system w/ Becker radio w/ CD & separate amp, CD storage shelf and the Porsche windstop w/ storage box above the engine cover) and the rare Sport Design Package ($1,380) which includes leather hand brake grip, door pulls, shift lever knob, airbag cover, roll bar trim, cover of center console, upper part of instrument cover and 3 spoke steering wheel; metal grey bottom of instrument bridge, instrument rims, switch plates, seat buckets, switch plates on seats, center console, hand brake lever, ash tray lid, door handle tubes, panel in front of door lever and door storage compartment lids and Sport Seats w/ the full leather option ($755). This Porsche also has Porsche Stability Management (PSM $1230), heated seats ($415), the 17” Boxster design wheels ($1230) and wheel caps w/colored Porsche crest ($175). MSRP was $50,725 for this Boxster in 2002 and today the Carfax History based value is $18,080.
Show or go: what would you do with this low-mileage Boxster? Comment below and let us know!
Great looking car – but I thought the failure rates were <10% – certainly high for any commercial vehicle staring at a catastrophic loss. However I thought most failures occur early in the cars life When the clutch goes the work should be done for sure
Hi Ed, the 2.7L engine this particular car has was known to have one of the higher failure rates as Porsche engineers changed to a single-row IMS bearing in an effort to reduce engine noise. It’s well-documented the failures tend to occur in low-mileage cars not driven hard or tracked. The theory being hard-driving forces oil into the bearing to keep it lubricated. Since this example is such low mileage, we recommend erring on the side of caution to replace the IMS. Our ’98 Boxster has the original 2.5L engine that relied on a double-row IMS bearing. We’re at 105K miles and counting with the original bearing in place.