[woodsman]

Comparing old cars to newer is pointless. There is no doubt newer is more reliable. Also Porsche produced few cars (even Boxsters) and as a result won't even register in some 'studies'. For me the problem isn't really the IMSB as I had LN"s installed soon after purchasing the car and never worried again. But the engine is incredibly time consuming to work on and it's so easy to screw something up when inside it. And there are so many potential 'fails' that can cost more than the value of the car to correct (since it's this far apart it might as well be rebuilt...) As an example if a crank bearing 'goes' ( common on M96) you're looking at a massive total rebuild whereas in most other engines you drop the oil pan and replace and go...