Thinking of buying a Boxster ? - MUST READ !

[Quickurt]

Originally Posted by AddictionRacing

It happened to me. Don't buy a boxster.

I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I would say your comment is unfair.
Every car, every manufacture has it's issues, it's good year models and not-so-good year models.
I did a lot of research and looking and searching before purchasing my Boxster.
No matter what price range I was in, I would not have bought any Boxster older than 2004, because of the plastic rear window and some more serious reliability issues. The IMS can happen on any of them, but I haven't heard about it as much on the 3.2. Ruled out a base.
I was going to pay cash for the newest one I could afford, but opted for doing a big down payment on a post 2005 with certification and financed the difference. I did this on the insistance of my oldest bestest buddy who is an 30 years experienced indy Porsche mechanic. As it was I waited nearly a year longer than I would have liked to keep the financing to a minimum, while being able to purchase a very new, low mile car with 89,000 miles and nearly 5 years of full factory warranty, precisely because I have owned expensive cars with expensive failure issues in the past. It's called high performance, which usually includes high risk on high strung, heavily stressed mechanical apparati which are also built as light as possible. If you note my avatar you will see I understand what I'm saying. Been there, done that, wrote the checks.
Buying a nine year old car with 66k miles on it, from any manufacture, that you have NO IDEA how many times it's been run to and above the redline, then taking it to a speed event yourself, where it failed, is a risk you should have understood before taking it.

[rick3000]

I have to agree with Quickurt that it is an unfair comment. I see your point of view but you're one of a select few Boxster's to have been unlucky enough to have an engine failure. Just because a few Boxster's have problems doesn't mean they all do and you shouldn't buy one.
I would also like to add that IMS is very rare on pre'-01 Boxster's. Which in my opinion makes pre-'01 Boxster's safer because you only have to worry about RMS which can be caught ahead of time and fixed. But there is nothing wrong with any year Boxster.

[ocdbilly]

I want to thank www.iwantaporsche.net. I purchased my '00 Boxster S last December. My wife noticed that there were a couple of oil drops in the garage. Based on what I had read from the above site, I took it in for service. Not happy to say that $6,000 later (RMS, clutch, 'o' rings, axles, 60,000 mile service, the list is long) I know it sounds expensive, but I chose to get everything wrong fixed. The Porsche service department said they couldn't think of anything else that could go wrong (fingers crossed). I believe $6, 000 is beter than $12,000 (new engine) on a car I paid $18,000 for.

Again, thank you to www.iwantaporsche.net for the tremendous insight.

Oh yeah, moral of the story being that if you don't like your Boxster or want to tell everyone that they are a problem and not worth the money, then go buy yourself a Mini.

[9eighty6]

I also don't think it's fair to say that boxsters in general are poor and not worth the cost. They are efficient, fun to drive and wonderful when maintained properly. Even if the engine does let go, you can put in a bigger one for about the same cost (ok, maybe slightly more). And in the end you will still have a wonderful handling car. Just do your homework and make sure that you have the ability to make an expensive repair if necessary!

Happy hunting to those looking!

[kabel]

I really, really, like my Boxster.

I'm the second owner, bought the car with 78k - car now has 102,214 miles on the odometer.

The Boxster is my daily driver & I drive my Boxster in a sensible but spirited fashion most of the time. I autocross it an average of once a month, which means it sees the rev limiter occasionally. I have only had to take care of normal ware items thus far (knock on wood) like having the oil changed ever 8-10k. And as far as I can determine, it has the original engine.

[Windrestrictor]

Originally Posted by kabel

I really, really, like my Boxster.

I'm the second owner, bought the car with 78k - car now has 102,214 miles on the odometer.

The Boxster is my daily driver & I drive my Boxster in a sensible but spirited fashion most of the time. I autocross it an average of once a month, which means it sees the rev limiter occasionally. I have only had to take care of normal ware items thus far (knock on wood) like having the oil changed ever 8-10k. And as far as I can determine, it has the original engine.

We ever have a hot aftermarket rare product for your cars, just a quick friendly reminder from windrestrictor.com 10% off forum members only!
www.windrestrictor.com

[BoxsterSbob]

Hi, I've had my S for 5 years and have roughly 22k miles. I’ve had no issues other than normal maintenance, and the front license plate holder falling off ☹. Porsche cost of ownership is higher than standard cars, but is certainly in line with other hi-end, or premium cars. I think the advice you’re getting here about getting the warranty thrown in is sound. These guys know their stuff. Get the car, with the protection, drop the top and let the similes begin.

[lejolierogue]

and if you have bad experiences, its part of the ride. Move on and get over it. I've had my 99 for 10 years now and is a daily driver. My biggest one time expense was $1000 bucks. Pretty darn great if you ask me. I've gotta say that this is one awesome forum and had provided me with lots of $ saving tips. Even if I didn't DIY, its ok to pay the extra $ to not get your hands dirty and have someone else do it for u. I'm currently in the market for a Ferrari. I'm on Ferrari Chat and its funny to see similar patterns of thinking when buying extraordinary cars. Wow - folks sure like to overthink things. Well not me - apart from doing your due diligence, you've gotta stop at some point and take the leap of faith. Life's too short mate...so good luck and may the force be with you!

-enzo

[Brockster]

I have owned many cars, my first was a 65 mustang and many VW’s which drove me nuts with maintenance. Last year my cancer required me to drive 150 miles a day on a treacherous but beautiful mountain road in order to get radiation therapy. I bought a 2002 Boxter and drove it hard every day for a month and a half. My local mechanic changed the plugs, put in new front brakes and changed all fluids. This car was so fun to drive and got me thru a rough patch so I rewarded it with a new top with a glass back window. I’m keeping it. I have a blast downshifting into corners and driving with the top down on our scenic highways. Without all of the neigh sayers, I could never afford to buy this car or keep it. It cost me 1 month income. All of the American convertibles that I looked at for almost 2 times the price were beat to **************** and drove the same. Thanks again for the negative posts, keep it up. I’ll keep my Porsche.

[RTH52]

If the pre-purchase inspection comes back clean, I will be buying my first Porsche Boxster S this afternoon! Going with a 2003 model with only $40k on it with good maintenance records. The dealer is asking about $22k which seems reasonable compared to what I've seen. This forum has been very helpful, so thanks for all the posts. I won't mind spending the SSS to keep it running the way a Boxster S should! There is always the concern about the IMS, but we don't buy these kinds of vehicles for their practicality do we! Looking forward to becoming a Porsche owner!

Things to know before buying a Boxster

1.Speaking of Carfax reports,they are total crap.Neither showed up on the Carfax. Get one though for title info.
2.Your PPI (Pre Purchase Inspection) should include a 4-wheel, laser alignment.
3.Boxsters eat tires and brakes and brake discs.
4. Find a reputable Porsche mechanic before you take possession of your out of warranty Boxster.

[RandallNeighbour]

Originally Posted by lovely09

Things to know before buying a Boxster

1.Speaking of Carfax reports,they are total crap.Neither showed up on the Carfax. Get one though for title info.
2.Your PPI (Pre Purchase Inspection) should include a 4-wheel, laser alignment.
3.Boxsters eat tires and brakes and brake discs.
4. Find a reputable Porsche mechanic before you take possession of your out of warranty Boxster.

It's like dejavu, except when I wrote these they appeared as #6, 7, 8, and 9:

http://www.iwantaporsche.net/BoxsterBuyersTips.htm

[RandallNeighbour]

Originally Posted by ocdbilly

Again, thank you to www.iwantaporsche.net for the tremendous insight. Oh yeah, moral of the story being that if you don't like your Boxster or want to tell everyone that they are a problem and not worth the money, then go buy yourself a Mini.

You are most welcome.

BTW, I was purposefully trying to scare off potential buyers who didn't have the intestinal fortitude and room in the budget to buy an older Boxster.

However, I'd say the same thing about the Mini ... very high cost of ownership after the warranty expires and not very well built for the long-haul. The statement above would be far better with "Honda S2000" or "Toyota MR2 Spyder" in it. Both are nearly maintenance free compared to Boxsters.

I half-believe they did this with the Mini to keep it's English heritage intact.

[rick3000]

My sister has a 2002 Mini. The general consencious is that the 2002 was built cheap beacuse BMW didn't know if the car would be successful. But the new version and later years are built very well, because it is now one of the most desired cars. Which has done wonders for its resale value.

It's better than the honda or toyota

(Go to Mini's new car ranking site, "CarFun Footprint," The Mini is number 1 and the Boxster is number 2, which if you remove the Mini biass the Boxster is Number 1!)

[tallis]

Originally Posted by rick3000

My sister has a 2002 Mini. The general consencious is that the 2002 was built cheap beacuse BMW didn't know if the car would be successful. But the new version and later years are built very well, because it is now one of the most desired cars. Which has done wonders for its resale value.

It's better than the honda or toyota :cheers

Thanks. I am trying to decide what to buy. I loved the Mini but was afraid of it, because of the earlier ones. I am glad they are better now. I am on this site to learn enough to have a good knowledge of them and the boxsters before I decide to buy. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

[roadracer311]

A good friend of mine has a 2003 Cooper S. It's a fun little car.

If I ever sell my Boxster S, I'll probably buy a mini. I wish they made a supercharged 2 liter though.

[petee_c]

RandallNeighbor,

The costs u list for repairs on your boxster... do most of them include labour? at what hourly rate?

(Getting a PPI done on a Chicago area boxster S this week)

Thanks,
Peter

[RandallNeighbour]

Peter, those prices include me buying the parts at Sunset at a discount and handing them to my independent mechanic, who charges me a flat rate of $100 per hour, not a book rate like a big shop or a dealership would charge.

Double the prices to get dealer charges or a larger independent shop that uses a book rate and retail parts prices.

You gotta pay to play with an old Porsche out of warrant.

Buy the newest S model you can find with a 100k Porsche warranty on it if you want to make Porsche pay for their crappy control arm bushings, coolant tanks, radiator fans, etc. Otherwise, it's your nickel, and I don't mean 5¢ either... more like $500 a dealer visit or even more.

[petee_c]

Randall,

Thanks for the insight....

I'm more of a DIY type guy,.... and tinkering is kinda fun... especially if I know I am saving on labor rates like that!

I'll have to check if Sunset Porsche ships to Canada.

Peter