I need a new Engine, where to buy? Please help

[BoxsterLewis]

Thanks Mike, the engine is already out of the car as i had to approve that to show the warranty company the broken part and take pictures. So the shop is charging me 750 to drop in a new engine in a empty car. I might suck it up and get a 3.2 Reman since it has the 2 year warranty so I can be in the piece of mind.

[tnoice]

I found a couple of motors on ebay that were in that price range that you would work. Simply search Boxster Motor.

[Jaxonalden]

Oklahoma Foreign here in Oklahoma City are always putting engines on EBay. They're strictly a Porsche salvage company. I'm luckily only 10 miles from my favorite place for used Boxster parts. :dance:

My two cents....... If I had a M96 engine blow I would never spend that kind of cash to cross my fingers again. Face it, we all crave more power & speed but these cars go like snot even in the so called anemic 2.5 version. I hope to have the flat six options performed on my car before it has any trouble. The 2.5 grows to 2.7 and gains healthy torque & HP more importantly, the engine becomes reliable..


PS If you have no legal option against said warranty company then go to war! Write letters to your state attorney general, make sure you tell them you intend on doing it. Tell them you will post on the net and do everything in your power to dissuade anyone from ever using their service again. Even though you probably won't, tell them you will put a sign on your car that they screwed you and drive it everywhere (that worked like a charm when I proposed it) In short, they need to know you will do everything legally possible to make their life a nightmare and cost them further business. I had to do it to a boat dealer once and when the smoke cleared they were begging me for a equitable solution or willing to refund my money..good luck!

[Kirk]

For the other Boxster S owners on this board do you mind sharing how your engine failed and how many miles it had on it? It sounds like you had a broken piston. Did the piston really just crack? That's not a common failure mode that I've heard of on these cars.

As to what to do.... well you're in a GREAT position with the shop willing to drop in another engine for only $750. You DEFINITELY should get a replacement for your 3.2L. Why on earth you'd want another 3.2L though is beyond me. For just about the same money you can get an e-gas 3.4L which will fit with minor changes.

Personally I would call the national Porsche dismantlers to see what they have. Remember that now is a buyer's market, so don't be afraid to haggle and work a good deal for yourself. The economy is slowing down ALL business these days. I would recommend Silver Star Recycling in Sacramento, CA. I believe Oklahoma Foreign is good too. I know Silver Star compression checks their engines and will let you know how many miles were on it. Their engines also come with a 30 day warranty, so if it's a total dud you'll get your money back. I would bet that you can get a 3.2L or 3.4L from them for $4K to $5K (before haggling). Now on top of that you'll want to do a little more work while the engine is out of the car, like the water pump and clutch, so figure maybe another $1K in parts.

In the end, a used engine like this is going to be half the cost of a Porsche remanufactured engine or Raby rebuild, plus you get to keep your core (old engine) or sell it. I know you're concerned about the assurance of having somethings that's good, but at these costs I see it as a no-brainer. Buy a used engine and if it only lasts 5 years and you have to swap in another one, you're still just maybe breaking even with your other options, if not still money ahead.

Kirk

[Cloudsurfer]

First off, I would not recommend a 3.4. The 3.4 has the highest rate of "D-chunk" failures, due to running the same bore spacing as the 3.2. The only way to get the increased displacement is thinner cylinder walls.

If you are looking for a factory Porsche motor, I would recommend a 3.6, or even better, a 3.8. I'd also look for a "new" motor (i.e. one pulled from a wreck) vs a factory rebuild.

If you're considering the $10k for a factory 3.2, I would much rather give my money to Raby and get a quality re-engineered powerplant, if it were me.

Sorry to hear about your misfortune, but as has been pointed out, it is absolutely a buyer's market for everything in our current economy, so shop wisely.

[Kirk]

>The 3.4 has the highest rate of "D-chunk" failures

True, I'd personally take my chances... but I don't frequent the 911 boards enough to know how much (how frequent) of a problem this is. Maybe I should count my blessings for having a 3.2L.

>I would recommend a 3.6, or even better, a 3.8.

He's got an '01 Boxster S. Going to a 3.6 or 3.8 would require more parts and a lot more headaches. JP just gave up on his 3.6L conversion for this reason. I think that with this guy being concerned about price, going to a 3.6 or 3.8 might be a stretch for him.

>it is absolutely a buyer's market for everything in our current economy

I can't believe how cheap some things are getting. My Assistant wants to buy an '05+ Mercedes SLK350. We went and test drove one several weeks ago and I checked out the used pricing. It looked like $30K could get a decent one, $28K was rock bottom. NOW I see that two low mile (20,000 miles) SLK350's sold on eBay for $19K and $20K, and it seems that most decent ones are going for $24K. So I've seen the prices on this particular used model drop by 20% in the last two months on eBay and Autotrader. That's just crazy!!!

Kirk