Scared new Boxster owner

[SeanZ4]

Hi all! I've been a bimmer driver for 20 years and decided to cross over to the dark side this weekend. I just bought a 2000 S model w/38k from a Porsche dealership. The only reason I went with one that old was that it is in incredible condition. Full service history, sold new at this dealership etc. They did their 155 pt. inspection/replace thing and even put brand new mich. pilots all around...

My big concern is: I'm reading all over the place about catastrophic engine failures. It kind of puts a knot in my stomach having one of these cars out of wtty. I never had these kinds of problems with my bmws in the past.....

Can anyone say anything to make me feel better???

Thanks in advance!

sean

[blue2000s]

Nope, your screwed. You're sitting in an inflatable life raft in the middle of the ocean, the raft has a hole in it and you are asthmatic. You have jumped out of an airplane with a backpack full of bricks instead of a parachute. You've climbed into a sleeping bag full of rattlesnakes.

Come on people!!!!!!! The internet isn't always right and paranoia never leads to good things. Just enjoy your frickin' Porsche!

[jmatta]

The number of cars that have had catastrophic engine failure is a very small percentage, but design weaknesses have been identified. That said, there is always the possibility that any of us could be the next to go, but I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

Spend some time reading the posts by Jake Raby or visit his site www.flat6innovations.com. Oil change maintenance (every six thousand miles) is very important with these engines to extend reliability, as they are subject to fuel contamination in the oil that can lead to problems.

Drive and enjoy your new ride!

[gmboxster]

I think a couple of the replies weren't exactly what he had in mind. The sarcasm can be felt from here. I bought a 1998 with 46K miles on it 1.5 years ago. Thus far not a bit of trouble whatsoever. The only problem is I don't get time to drive it as often as I would like. But as others have said, you have it now so drive it and ENJOY !

[kabel]

SeanZ4, welcome to the forum. Jake said the perfect sttement just yesterday:

Originally Posted by Jake Raby

Don't be afraid.. Just drive it. If it breaks, then deal with it.
A lot of these engines fail, but a lot more don't...

I bought my MY99 with 78k on the OD, it now has nearly 104k on it i drive it daily, I autocross it at least once a month (even won coverall class champ with it). Educate yourself on the quirks of this fun car, education is knowledge, knowledge is peace of mind. Enjoy!

[E Kaplan]

Welcome to the forum:

I have a 2000 base Boxster and bought it about 10 months ago with 30,000 miles. So far, I have drove it about 10,000 miles (several 500+ mile trips) and the car is completely reliable. No problems at all. Just drive it and enjoy.

Eric

[Jaxonalden]

You want to feel better? Go back to the dealership and ask if there's a warranty you can purchase on the car, if not there are a few aftermarket ones you can buy.

Or you can do like the last guy that owned your car for 38K miles, drive the piss out of it and enjoy yourself!!

[gymbloke]

Hi Sean

Welcome to the dark side, I've had my 01 S for 2 years and never had any problems with the car apart from a annoying alarm niggle which I'm getting sorted.

I use the S as my every day car 70miles per day come rain or shine or Evan snow for that matter.

PLEASE use year S and don't do as so many other do, HIDE it in a garage and only to let it lose on a nice sunny day, BORRING!!!

I've fitted a cracking s/s sports exhaust and had the engine remap and few other little tweaks .

I never get bored of that noise or driving it.

I hope this goes a little way to put your mind it rest, have fun .

Mark

[NoGaBiker]

Originally Posted by SeanZ4

Hi all! I've been a bimmer driver for 20 years and decided to cross over to the dark side this weekend. I just bought a 2000 S model w/38k from a Porsche dealership. The only reason I went with one that old was that it is in incredible condition. Full service history, sold new at this dealership etc. They did their 155 pt. inspection/replace thing and even put brand new mich. pilots all around...

My big concern is: I'm reading all over the place about catastrophic engine failures. It kind of puts a knot in my stomach having one of these cars out of wtty. I never had these kinds of problems with my bmws in the past.....

Can anyone say anything to make me feel better???

Thanks in advance!

sean

Surely it's not on the original engine with that kind of mileage? Most people see 5-10k miles before an engine/transmission full rebuild. I got almost 8,000 miles out of my first engine and that was pure luck!

But you should be fine as long as you've budgeted $12,000 every, say, 7500 miles for a new motor. They swap 'em in and out really fast at all the dealers. Most people just do that rather than an oil change, even if the motor hasn't let go yet.

Enjoy!

Matt

[johnsimion]

Sean, these guys are teasing you a lot, but your issue hits me close to home, because I recently bought a 1999 with 15K miles and had the exact same thoughts. Ever since then I have been researching every source I can find, and this is what I think now:

1. There have been something like 200,000 Boxsters produced. I have found maybe 100 to 200 reports of engine failure, and many of these may be repeats. Check the NHTSA web site -- you'll find about 11 reports. Check the Better Business Bureau -- no reports of Boxster engine failure. Check Consumer Reports -- the Boxster is rated "Better Than Average" or "Much Better Than Average" for "Major Engine Problems" (recent "Best and Worst of 2009 Automobiles", was on the newsstands a couple of weeks ago).

2. My independent mechanic has been in business for years and is the only independent that I know of in the greater KC metro area. He said he is aware of "a couple" of engines blowing up. "A couple" isn't very many, considering how many are on the roads here.

3. If the problem is as bad as everyone says, why aren't there THOUSANDS, or TENS OF THOUSANDS, of reports? If the failure rate is 10% of 200,000 Boxsters, wouldn't we expect to see 20,000 reports? Not just in forums like these, but at the BBB and NHTSA? I found maybe 200 reports, tops. Did the other 19,800 people have an engine blow up and just bent over and took it in the shorts without even complaining? If so, their response is sure a lot milder than mine would be. And I gotta wonder, why does everyone here seem to like their car so much if it is really a time bomb.

4. Google "Porsche" and "still on the road" and you get statistics from 60% up to 96%. Considering how many Boxsters have been produced, if 20,000 of them had failures, I don't see how those statistics could hold up. Of course this could all be BS but still . . .

5. Having said that, I'd hazard a SWAG that the actual failure rate is maybe 1%. Note that 1% is still a lot of engines -- more than enough for Mr. Jake Raby to analyze and work on. It's also a much higher engine failure rate than, say, a Honda or Toyota. I'd wager the rate is totally unacceptable in the industry. But at 1%, that still gives the rest of us a 99% chance that there will be NO problems. Dunno about you, but if I get a 99% on a test, I feel pretty good.

6. I know, I know, lots of people posting here have had failures, and some people have even had multiple engine failures, and they will tell you the failure rate MUST be much worse because something bad happened to them. I certainly sympathize, but anecdotal evidence that doesn't contradict the overall statistics. And, for all we know, maybe these people are abusing their cars and not taking proper care of them. It's the internet, anybody can claim to drive like my granny and that they change the oil every 1000 miles.

7. Bottom line is, like me, you're stuck with the car now, whether you like it or not. You'd lose more money than a new Jake Raby engine if you tried to trade it in again. So, you may as well enjoy it. Enjoy it, but come up with a back up plan of what you will do if you are one of the unfortunate ones. My "plan" is to save like hell for a new Jake Raby engine and pray that I never need it. I think the odds favor me. Now, please excuse me while I pray . . .

[Lordblood]

Every engine has a chance of dying right? The truth is, people don't come online and tell everyone that their engine is living, they only report things if they go wrong. From the thousands of Boxsters around the country, only a few vehicles have faced engine failure.

Just get out there and enjoy, if you are feeling too paranoid then I perhaps it's best to go Japanese, perhaps an S2000?

[rick3000]

I think it was Jake Raby who mentioned that he had only seen one Spec Boxster have an engine failure, and all the other failures he has seen where cars that where driven lightly and/or stored a lot. The key thing here is that driving your car is good for it!

[stateofidleness]

Originally Posted by Lordblood

Every engine has a chance of dying right? The truth is, people don't come online and tell everyone that their engine is living, they only report things if they go wrong. From the thousands of Boxsters around the country, only a few vehicles have faced engine failure.

Just get out there and enjoy, if you are feeling too paranoid then I perhaps it's best to go Japanese, perhaps an S2000?

I was thinkin' more along the lines of Z06

[Nineteen89]

Important thing to remember is 12k is nothing compared to the original price the car was when new, just because the overall worth of the car has lowered 75% doesn't mean the cost of maintenance did so to, and with keeping that in mind I'm straying away from a possible Porshe purchase until I have the money to maintain it properly, I can't afford the gamble on a DD, which the box would have been for me... I need to think more realistically, right now I'm just a broke college kid with Porsche fantasies, I'll wait till after college.

[stephen wilson]

Driving hard didn't make the alternator or coolant tank fail, so have fun and drive it how you want to!