Boxster S - Approximate Maintenance Cost

[boxster1]

Congratulations, you are asking exactly the right questions.

I just bought an 03 Boxster S and I don't know what dealer will change the oil for as little as $150.00. Brumos Porsche, of Jacksonville, FL, wanted to charge me $275.00 to change the oil. The dealer in Orlando wanted almost as much. I found two independent mechanics who would charge $155.00 and $135.00. I don't know how you would change the oil yourself if you don't own a car lift.

Furthermore, Brumos' service department told me they wanted $825.00 for annual maintenance. This consisted of an oil change, a new engine filter and they would then simply look over the car thoroughly to find what else they could charge me for. No joke.

Remember just because the value of your car has depreciated more than 70%, doesn't mean that the maintenance cost has gone down.

Before you buy your Boxster find and good local independent mechanic. How far will you have to drive to get your car serviced?

The ultimate question with buying a used Boxster, or any other used high-end vehicle, is yes, you can afford the used car however, can you afford the maintenance? Others may disagree with me but I would say, for an 02 Boxster S, make sure you have at least $4k in cash after you buy the car, just for repairs, just in case.

In my humble opinion, Porsches are meant to be driven hard and repaired frequently. If you go in expecting that, you may not be disappointed.

That said, I love my Porsche. I've never driven anything like it. Good luck and I hope you do join us as an owner.

[ekam]

Originally Posted by boxster1

a new engine filter

What's an engine filter? Is that sort of like blinker fluids that is on certain cars?

[boxster1]

Originally Posted by ekam

What's an engine filter? Is that sort of like blinker fluids that is on certain cars?

Thank you, I meant air filter.

[rick3000]

Welcome to the Forum!
Maintenance costs aren't too bad, unless you need a repair. My 30k mile service was about $600-800 (I can't remember), oil changes at a my mechanic are about $100 (it takes 9 quarts), and tire wear seems to be fair.
I drive fairly spirited, and my tear wear is probably better than what most people are quoting here. My snow tires have about 10k miles on them and the tread is still very good, I think I can get another 20k miles out of them. The rears do go faster though.

I would recommend you read as much as you can and look at as many Boxsters as possible before making a decision, good luck!

[Samson]

Originally Posted by boxster1

I don't know how you would change the oil yourself if you don't own a car lift.

In my humble opinion, Porsches are meant to be driven hard and repaired frequently. If you go in expecting that, you may not be disappointed.

The car comes with a scissor jack, so with that and $30 in jack stands and a drain pan, you're golden. You can also get a decent hydraulic floor jack for under $100, if you want to speed things up a bit.

I might change your last line from "repaired frequently" to "maintained properly"... these may not be the highest quality cars out there, but they shouldn't be breaking on a regular basis. Preventative maintenance goes a long way in keeping things working. But about the odd engine blowing up for no apparent reason, well... just hope that doesn't happen.

[Paul]

Learn how to do the maintenance yourself, most of it is very easy.