986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners - View Single Post

mikefocke · 12-22-2015, 04:15 PM

Every car ever built has some design weaknesses.

You know so much about the Boxster because we love them and obsess over them because they are such great cars and fun to drive.

I've read/written on forums and blogged over the years about the IMS. I knew about the IMS when I bought a '01S.

My previous Boxster was a '99 2.5 and I actually liked driving it more because it had a smaller motor and it was more about the driver and not just a big engine I could seldom use all of. I could put my foot down harder and longer and still keep my license.

No car that cost the equivalent of what the Boxster cost new is going to have a $25 engine you can swap in in a couple of hours like a Model A. Everything is more complex. And IF you have big engine problems in a Boxster, it won't be cheap.

My 2 Boxsters were more economical year for year and mile for mile than my Honda and Acura of the same model years. And the Boxsters were bought used as third owner where the Honda and Acura were bought new.

IMHO the ideal car is a '04S whose clutch, brakes, IMS, RMS, water pump and AOS have just been done with quality parts by the best Porsche water-cooled specialist mechanic in town. But few sell those kind of cars, they are maintained by people who intend to keep them forever. The next best is one where the best mechanic in town went over the car for 2-3 hours (PPI) and told you and the seller exactly what it needed to put it in a state of highest probability of future reliability. And the PPI helped you pay a fair price, fair to you and the seller.

There is no guarantee.

12-22-2015, 04:15 PM	#7
mikefocke Registered User Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Sanford NC Posts: 2,538	Every car ever built has some design weaknesses. You know so much about the Boxster because we love them and obsess over them because they are such great cars and fun to drive. I've read/written on forums and blogged over the years about the IMS. I knew about the IMS when I bought a '01S. My previous Boxster was a '99 2.5 and I actually liked driving it more because it had a smaller motor and it was more about the driver and not just a big engine I could seldom use all of. I could put my foot down harder and longer and still keep my license. No car that cost the equivalent of what the Boxster cost new is going to have a $25 engine you can swap in in a couple of hours like a Model A. Everything is more complex. And IF you have big engine problems in a Boxster, it won't be cheap. My 2 Boxsters were more economical year for year and mile for mile than my Honda and Acura of the same model years. And the Boxsters were bought used as third owner where the Honda and Acura were bought new. IMHO the ideal car is a '04S whose clutch, brakes, IMS, RMS, water pump and AOS have just been done with quality parts by the best Porsche water-cooled specialist mechanic in town. But few sell those kind of cars, they are maintained by people who intend to keep them forever. The next best is one where the best mechanic in town went over the car for 2-3 hours (PPI) and told you and the seller exactly what it needed to put it in a state of highest probability of future reliability. And the PPI helped you pay a fair price, fair to you and the seller. There is no guarantee.