[mikefocke]

And your budget can't afford absolute surety. (Mine won't either.)

Lets just for discussions sake say there are 21 modes of failure you have to prevent against to have the utmost assurance that the as-Porsche-designed engine faults are avoided. Lets say there are 50 different parts involved. 50 different processes to install them. And all the parts and processes are 99.99 percent perfect...failure proof. That still leaves some failures. And we haven't factored in the unimproved parts like the suspension, brakes, ECU, transmission, clutch, security, Radio, HVAC, etc.

I guess what I'm getting to in this ramble is you can't get to absolute certainty of no failures ... stuff happens even with the best design and intentions. And oh does it cost to try to get as near to problem-free as is currently possible.

So you try to get to a degree of uncertainty and risk can YOU live with. And doesn't your perception of that risk change over time...remember all those smug Toyota owners who were suddenly scared to drive their cars...think their concern for their car's reliability went from zero to off the chart.

Also remember how much you know about Boxsters thanks to forums like these. Other makes have similar problem areas that you don't know about. We just care more about our cars so we learn more about them and talk more about them.

Jake is being straight up. He sees failures, hears daily cries of woe and people's shock at what a fix to do it right will cost because he doesn't do it half-way. But not all Boxster engines fail...not by a long shot.

Some of those people in shock paid too much relative to what they could afford and relative to the risk entailed in owning such a car. Some are just not accepting of risk.

You want no financial risk in a Porsche, stay under warranty..with all the expense that entails. (Of course get in an accident and your car's value plummets and that isn't covered by insurance or the manufacturer's warranty.) Can't afford that approach, you buy a cheaper to purchase car and stay under that warranty. Can't afford that you buy the cheapest used car that you perceive to be a probable high reliability car. But of course in any of those approaches you could be wrong.

Been there, done that many times over the probably 30+ cars I've bought. Been wrong in the new cars I've bought about as often as I've been wrong with the used ones. One bad against 2 good for Porsches...both the good ones being Boxsters. I accept that there is some reward to accepting risk because everyone isn't equipped to accept risk the same way and some overvalue perceived safety and thus overpay for it. Both my Boxsters were 5+ years old and had been owned by 2 prior owners before me. On my second I declined an extended warranty. I saved about $2k doing that I now know. Could have worked out differently but I played the odds.

As one who has been saving and investing since 1967, my advice would be don't use all your credit on a car. Don't even use all your spare cash. Don't put your serious money in depreciating assets. Because stuff happens.

Boy do I enjoy my Boxster...and it will be 66 on Saturday and the snow will be gone. Think I'll go for a pointless romp through winding country roads.