Thinking of buying a Boxster ? - MUST READ !
 

The following are great sources of information for those interested in purchasing a Boxster :

http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/mikesporscheboxsterwebpages

http://www.iwantaporsche.net/

http://www.986faq.com/

Happy hunting !

Nick

I agree Nick! Should also add Randall's link on that must read list!

Edit: Nick beat me to it! It was already there!! Good catch Nick! Thanks for letting me know! :cheers:

(R.M.S) deciding factor?
 

Folks,
How much of a deciding factor would a Rear Main Seal Leak (final decision for purchase) after all checked out good on a low mileage(23K)03'S ??

RMS is not the biggest expense you can have in a Boxster or Carrera but there is no gurantee that replacing the seal will fix the leak. You could end up with another RMS leak a short while later. The shaft could be out of center in a big way and throwing another seal at it is just a band aid solution. I would pass on this Boxster unless they offered you a substantial reduction, at least $4-5K or a extended factory warranty on the drive train.

I have a 2004 Boxster that I've owned from new since July 2005.
In January I had the rms leak so had that replaced.
3 weeks ago, at only 10,181 miles the intermediate shaft did it's party trick and wrecked the engine. Porsche replaced it with a reworked one.
Today I take it for it's free detail after my recent 'inconvenience' only to have the/a power steering line break before I got to the dealer!
Am I really unlucky or is the reliability I can expect from Porsche?

weird ive had my boxster for 5years now over 100k miles...only issues i had so far was the AOS @ about 80k and my "drain holes" were plugged apparently its our responsibility to make sure plugs dont get plugged! well anyways it ended up flooding into the cabin and my head unit for the security/key was ruined couldnt lock the doors and couldnt do it manually due to the fact there is no key hole on my doors :troll:

My neighbor's 04 had the IMS at around 12K.

Go figure.

No way I would own any Porsche without a warranty. Too many horror stories lately.

I would not worry about the horror stories.

Think about it. How likely is someone without a problem to search the internet and join a Boxster forum vs. a person who has a problem and is searching the net for answers? You get a lot more people posting problems. Of the 200,000 Boxster owners, how many have posted on the net about engine failures?

The numbers on the internet are disproportionate and slightly biassed. That is just something to consider, when your considering the horror stores.

Actually, there are TONS of IMS failures on reputable Porsche websites.

No one is claiming that this is a statisticaly valid sample.

However, to ignore the chance of a 12K meldown is not necessarily smart either.

I sat next to a Corvette head on the plane yesterday. We tried to remember examples of total engine failure in the C5 and C6 models.

Could not cite even one.

Does it prove anything? Nope.

However, I have owned plently of vettes and never was concerned about the drive train in any way.

Can't say the same for Porsche experience.

Bottom line, Porsche has some design work to do, IMHO.

Still, I love the Box, only with a warranty please./

:)

I used to own a Toyota Camry and part of a the largest Toyota club online called Toyota Nation, out of all the people I know both online or off, I've never heard from anyone within that circle that have infamous engine oil slush problem which was all over the news at one point in time.

All of these are just fear-mongering from the media or from very selected few that have the problem and blow it up on the internet.

Again, you will never hear from people that have no problem with their cars.

I will disagree with you on this one. If say, the Corvette owners had engines grenading, you would see it all over the forums. You don't.

You DO see it on all Porsche forums that I have seen, including our own.

Face it, these engines have issues. These issues have even hit the Porsche magazines, where the tech guys have illustrated the IMS and RMS design flaws.

Warranty takes care of that, if it is a good one.

No one said that Porsche's don't have engine problems, which they shouldn't have. It is just debatable how often they actually happen. Of the 200,000+ Boxster's how many people have actually had a problem.
I have heard a lot of people talk about IMS and RMS but I have seen very few people post about having it actually happen to them. It does happen, but I think that the forums constantly mentioning it makes it seem as if it happens more often than it actually does.
Just my take on it! :cheers:

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.

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.

Kudos
 

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.

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!

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. :cheers:

Dont have one of these hot roadsters but man do...
 

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 :D

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.

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:

(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!)

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.

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.

regarding the RSL.

i recently took my car to a porsche event at the dealer and they gave me a "free" inspection. they told me i have a rsl leak. but ive never seen a drop of oil on my garage floor. how urgently should i take care of this?

i know its been discussed this is a common /major issue, but my question is im not sure if the dealership just told me to take some more money off of me.

thank you for your thoughts in advance.

It's RMS, Rear Main Seal, not Rls. It sounds to me like they are trying to steal your money, an RMS leak, means oil is leaking. If there is no leak then you can't really have an RMS leak.
You didn't say how they claimed to have determined you have a leak, but I doubt they would be able to tell without at least getting under the car, and even then there would be no way to be sure without a more thorough inspection. It could be another issue that they noticed (but wouldn't the dealer now the difference?)
I would seriously doubt any dealer that claims your car has a leak, when nothing is leaking.

looking to buy 97-99
 

Guys.. reading about all the engine failures and RMS leaks.. I was looking at purchasing a 97-99 with about 80k miles on it. Is it safe to say these issues are past this stage? Do they normally occur in the earlier stages of engine life?

Don't let these two issues scare you off. The new issue of Excellence stated that only one in five M96 motors had catastrophic maladies and many of them were replaced under warranty. The RMS is a gasket and when it starts leaking, you replace it... and the clutch parts too since you're right there to save on labor.

I would not buy a 97-99 model though, and this comes from someone who owns one. Suspension wear becomes a costly issue in cars with 90k or more on them. Save more money and by an 03 or an 04 S with the 3.2 motor in it... the much newer car, lower mileage, glass rear window in the top, bigger motor with more torque, and the all-important glove box are all things you will not regret waiting to get in your Porsche.

I wish I had waited. Learn from my experiences and buy the newest Porsche you can find with the lowest mileage on it and the largest engine they put in the model you want to buy.

If you buy a 12 year old boxster, you will spend as much in repairs in the first three to four years of ownership as it would cost three or four years later to buy a much newer one.

newest with less mileage
 

I agree with buying the newest boxster with the lowest mileage possible.I purchased my 1999 boxster in 2001 with about 50,000 miles. I wasn't even shopping around for a boxster but their was one on the lot and the sales guy talked me into one. One test drive and I was hooked. The car was in such good condition i couldn't resist the convertible silver on the outside with reddish leather and carbon fiber accents inside... This was a pure race car from the beginning- a mustang, -350z -s2000's all couldn't match the feeling of a well built porsche. Being 21 and owning a porsche is a great feeling. If you can afford one- buy one!!!!! All used cars have risk.... ALL... why not buy what you want!!!!!





ohh yeah.-- buy the extended warranty!!! : )

05 Boxter extended warranty ?
 

First time buyer of a Porsche 05 Boxter, approx 30k miles. out of warranty at the end of March. Do I buy or not an extended warranty and if yes can someone recommend a company. I'm told Great Lakes Warrranty Corp is reliable, are there others. Second question , are there any particular weak points with the 05 Boxter???

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

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.

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

Engine Failure Reincidence After New Motor Installed
 

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.

Thinking of buying a Boxster
 

Hi, I just bought a 1998 Boxster in Toronto,Canada my dream car? It has 50,000 miles on it runs great,only issue is the engine light stays on but after looking into it not a big problem will get it fixed. Had it diagonostic checked & maybe a vaccum leak? No worries when i bought my 1999 Pontiac Grad Prix in Toronto it had the samw problem. I drove it home 7 hours away under warranty they fixed it at home. So go for it happy motoring but if I were you I would do a history on the car get the SIN number and submit it to carfax. They can find everthing about the car if it was under maintenance?

Edgarflotte: There are a bunch of threads on this forum dealing with your question. I have a factory remanufactured motor in my 97 box. It was replaced at 80k and I now have 108k on it. No problems to date.

But the IMS bearing should be swapped out on both our motors with a newer aftermarket one that's robust and will keep the motor from cratering. The other big motor killer is "D chunks" taken out of the cylinder walls.

The M96 motor is not bulletproof, that's for sure. But don't lie awake at night worrying about it. Just replace the IMS bearing when you have your clutch replaced or your rear main seal replaced due to leaks.

BaileyMC: Carfax is total crap. Doesn't show anything that is not entered in, and my carfax was clean and my motor had blown and was replaced at a dealership!

I called my dealer with my VIN number and I was told that I could only get records from the exact dealers where the car was worked on. They have no nationwide network that they are willing to access for customers anyway.

Meticulous records kept by the PO is what one is looking for when buying a preowned Porsche.

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.

Clutch replacement
 

Hey guys,

I'm new to the forums and am loving the breadth of information it has been in helping me in maintaining my late '99 boxster. It has been a great machine since I've had it however I've recently been fronted with the task of replacing the clutch and flywheel.
The car has done 95000kms and I was wondering what kind of life expectancy I can expect out of my new parts?

Can anyone help?

Thanks in advace

987 pre-buy issues
 

Hey guys,
I am looking at buying a '05 Boxster S with low miles (~20k).

Can anyone describe or point me to a good reference that can help me understand what I'm not getting by buying a 2007 or later car? I know that the power output changed in 2007.

And do the 987-series cars have the same potential to experience RMS and IMS issues?

Generally I'm wondering if I should be concerned by a 2005 car only having 20k miles as well. Too much of a garage queen?

Any info or pointers to a good reference would be much appreciated.

Thanks!
Andrew