Scared new Boxster owner - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Nineteen89 · 01-13-2009, 06:27 PM

Would the 2000 be a sweet-spot per se? RMS is no big deal as long as corrected early, as with any car, right? And that would probably be it for the bigger issues right?

941MXVET · 01-13-2009, 07:01 PM

Thanks Rick3000, I got a little long winded. Nineteen89, search all the 2000 Boxster S's for sale, find what their average milage is, and how many if any are being sold as rollers.

cvhs18472 · 01-14-2009, 03:10 AM

Why do people who drive cars capable of 150 mph act like such little girls at times. You've got a Porsche because you wanted to be cool, you wanted to impress people or like the majority of Boxster owners you wanted the pleasure of driving a really nice car. Everyone got what they wanted, but there is nothing for nothing. Before I got my Boxster I drove a souped up 64 MGB for 25 years that was almost as fast as the Box. It was more dependable than any stock B but I still couldn't take it on any trip where I couldn't get it towed home. The only thing was that I could work on it. Be happy that you drive such dependable cars. Ed

Dave S. · 01-14-2009, 03:45 AM

SeanZ4 - I am also a new first time Porsche/Boxster S owner and I know exactly how you feel. I agree with all the posts on this thread. The number of engine failures must be a very small percentage, but you hear a lot about the ones that have failed and it scares you.
We should probably start a thread about cars without major engine problems just to contrast all the negative stuff folks have said. In fact I'm going to start that thread right now...

Dave S.

SeanZ4 · 01-14-2009, 05:51 AM

Thanks for all your great responses. I DO feel a little better now. I had a 325Cic before this car and a Z4 before that and 2 Z3s before that going back to the mid 90s. They were all wonderful cars. It is a third car for me, so the biggest challenge will be to get out and drive it.

johnsimion: who's your mech. in KC?? I'm in the Manhattan/Salina area. I'd like to find a good indie..

Once again, thank you guys for all your wisdom!

sean

johnsimion · 01-14-2009, 03:50 PM

Sean: You asked who is my indie mech in KC? Aaron or Eric at www.bobhindsonracinginc.com or www.kcporsche.com. They are located a few blocks south of downtown. Nice guys to talk to, and seem to know their stuff. I hope not to get to know them too well, however. LOL

Stunin_Stud · 01-14-2009, 01:46 PM

hey congrats on crossing over to the dark side. the grass is greener here too..

When i got my 986 I was worried once I came on this forum and others online. Try not to worry. I became very paranoid with every sound and imperfection i felt in the car.

this is a sports car, enjoy it. it wont be perfect but its a different and better experience than a BMW.

take care of it and it will take care of you.

be resourceful with mods and maintenance. theres alot of advice, parts and mods out there cheap and available which can enhance your experience.

JUST DRIVE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT

P-51 Mustang · 01-14-2009, 05:47 PM

Ive got a 98 box with straight pipes its my daily driver its got over 90k on it, I love the car to death and Ive never had anything big go wrong... and I drive pretty fast. Just maintain it put some nice oil in it and love the car, and it will love you.

stateofidleness · 01-14-2009, 05:52 PM

Just bought my 2000 base from dealership less than 2 months ago with 42k miles and so far:

cracked coolant reservoir - $1200 dealer fix
alternator - $400
alternator bracket - $770

picking it up tomorrow from the shop and bidding that car adieu.

the maintenance is ridiculous...

maybe i'll get back into p cars later on when i can afford a DD AND a toy...

rick3000 · 01-14-2009, 06:25 PM

Everybody nows the Boxster is more expensive than a normal car to maintain, but the alternator is common on every car and the coolant tank is common on the Boxster. I wouldn't write the Boxster off after you've already put $2k into it to get it running well.
In my first three months of ownership I had to have vacuum leak and seat belt receptacle replaced. Since then I have had no problems.

stateofidleness · 01-14-2009, 06:28 PM

seems like the most delicate sports car i've ever driven..
like i have to drive it very carefully so as not to disturb it.

i love driving it like a sports car (semi aggressive.. mostly quick accels)
but it seems like every time i do, something breaks..

and i dread doing it that one time and leaving me with a broken engine or trans...

we'll see... maybe when i get it back and see her again, i'll fall in love all over again

JackG · 01-15-2009, 06:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stateofidleness

Just bought my 2000 base from dealership less than 2 months ago with 42k miles and so far:

cracked coolant reservoir - $1200 dealer fix
alternator - $400
alternator bracket - $770

picking it up tomorrow from the shop and bidding that car adieu.

The next owner will appreciate you working out all the bugs.

Hey, you bought a 9 year old car with 42k on the clock. That's less than 5k miles a year! Cars don't like to sit. Now that it's being driven, some things are going to need to be fixed. Once you work through the list, you'll have a nice, reliable car. Besides, it may be cheaper to keep and fix it than to trade it in right now. You'll lose a bunch.

fastorange · 01-15-2009, 06:44 AM

Greetings all, I am new to the board. Two months ago i bought a 2002 base with 30K miles for $14 grand. I live in Bismarck, ND, where it was -40 degrees actual temp last night. Needless to say, I won't be driving the Box anytime soon. I was able to put a couple hundred miles on it before storing it, and so far I love it. My take is this, all of the fun cars I have owned have had potential issues. My last car was a BMW M coupe, which everyone on the forums were afraid that the rear subframe was going to rip itself loose from the car. My car before that was a 85 Carrera, which had it own set of fearful issues. I have had over 35 cars, and 13 motorcycles. If you look hard enough ( forums are great for this), you will find people that have had problems, and love to spread fear. If you can't take it, don't buy the car. Sports and muscle cars by nature are going to be less reliable, because they are more high-strung, closer to the edge. If you want reliabilty, by a super-boring, vanilla Honda civic or Toyota camry. The tradeoff to reliability is a less exiting ride. I personally got lucky and found my car for a very resonable price. If the car grenades, I am still not out much. There are cars out there that are a fair tradoff price vs. risk, you just gotta find them. I personally plan on driving the hell out of my car, and maintaining it properly. I even bought this "risky" car, and the nearest dealership is 200 miles away. Life's too short to worry about what "might" happen. If you can't take the heat, get outta the kitchen.....sorry for the rant, I just get sick of reading all the doom and gloom.....