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She ate ice cream in her Boxster
This week: Midnight Blue 997, overlooked 987.2, joyful 987.1, and surprise Cayenne
Hi again!
I've been doing this newsletter for 14 weeks now, and I'm learning something important: not every pick needs to make perfect logical sense.
Some weeks the stars align and I find three textbook deals that check every box. Other weeks I find a Boxster owner who eats ice cream in her car (and makes me jealous of how much fun she’s having) and a 1st-gen Cayenne that has no business being here.
You never know what the universe (or the used car market) has in store for you!
This week's picks:
A Midnight Blue 997 priced like a 996
A manual 987.2 hiding in plain sight
The .1 comp that made me jealous
The Cayenne I never thought I'd feature
Onwards!
—RF
“Because it’s there.”
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One of my all-time favorite quotes is by George Mallory, a British mountain climber pioneer that attempted the summit of Mt. Everest in the early 1900s. When asked why, he simply replied: "Because it's there."
He wasn’t being flippant: "Everest is the highest mountain in the world, and no man has reached its summit. Its existence is a challenge."
This Cayenne can come across as flippant too. But it exists because Porsche Palm Springs set themselves the goal of building it for the official Porsche Classic Restoration Challenge of 2023. They documented the entire process in a video series, (with the final reveal here) and it's now for sale.
A $49,000 first-gen Cayenne S with a 4.5L V8, factory-restored by a Porsche dealer, competition-worthy build quality. This thing has no business being here, yet sometimes one must feature a Porsche (even an SUV) simply because it's there.
The stars align with this Midnight Blue.
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With patience, affordable 997s do show up.
This one's priced like a premium 996, which is what I think a well-used 997 should cost. And it must be one of only three 997 units ever made in a non-silver-on-black combo! Must be a special day.
Jokes aside, what a stunning Midnight Blue on Natural Leather Brown interior combo. Imagine dropping into those seats every morning.
The car is mostly stock, and the description is short but full of the important details. More importantly, you can feel the love the current owner has for this beauty. Give em a call before the car is gone.
Market Report
Entry-level 997.1 Carreras typically start around $38K-42K for high-mileage examples in common colors. Clean, well-maintained cars in desirable color combinations push into the high-$40Ks. This high-mileage Midnight Blue 997 at $36K represents genuine value for a car with uncommon spec, as long as the service history checks out.
What You (and Your Mechanic) Should Know
The 2005 model year uses the earlier IMS bearing design, so you may want to consider a permanent solution down the road. Check suspension components and motor mounts for wear at this mileage. With three previous owners, comprehensive service records become even more important for understanding how this car was maintained throughout its life.
Easy to scroll past, but don't.
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This looks like another typical 987 Boxster until you notice that it’s a rarer manual 987.2 priced like it's not. The most reliable and refined generation, selling for thousands under market.
The description reads like a maintenance log and tells me the owner knows the car inside-out. This is not just another beater Boxster.
I wish the listing had more pictures of the interior, so ask for those before heading down to Texas to get what could be the steal of the year.
Market Report: Special Comp
I had to highlight the .2 deal above, but my heart was with this other Boxster, most especially its owner.
The car itself is no slouch: A manual 987.1 in Carmona Red Metallic, tan interior, and half the miles of the .2 above. It’s priced $2-3K above market, and it hasn't sold in a month, so the owner is probably ready to negotiate.
But in these pictures you don't just see a car. You see how much fun you can have owning one of these. Ice cream runs in your Boxster? Yes, and I'm getting the large size. Soundtrack for the commute? Start Me Up by the Stones, nothing less.
Check the listing here. (Backup link.)
What You (and Your Mechanic) Should Know
987.2 Boxsters are the reliability sweet spot: no IMS bearing concerns, no bore scoring issues with the 2.9L engine.
The .1 uses a IMS bearing design with failure rates under 1%. No bore scoring concerns with the 2.7L base engine. The car looks in good condition, but the description is light on details, so ask the owner for service records and such.
Adopted Puppies
Good week for sold cars. Both cabs from last issue were gone in under a week. The cab cheat code is real. The $25K 981 Cayman from two weeks back didn't last long either. The 24,000-mile 987 Cayman took about three weeks, but it looks like it's gone now too. Saved the ads here for reference. |  |
Porsche Problems
See you next week with more affordable picks!
Take care,
—RF