Repair Costs of Your Boxster
 

How much did you spend your out of warrenty Boxster over the last year.

2003 S Boxster
Still in warranty expenditures so far:
two oil changes about $ 200 each $ 400. total
One maintenance $ 600.00
I spent about $ 1000 in a period of 16 months so far. Drove about 13,000 miles. Since I changed jobs my drive is now reduced and overall I should reduce my driving to 6,000 to 8,000 a year, using it daily.

The answers to this poll may help some people to decide whether to purchase an extended warranty when the factory warranty expires. Any comments on the type of repairs that they had that would be useful.

2 oil changes/yearly service
1 4 wheel alignment
1 window regulator

under 1K

Now, I realize that these motors take more oil than your average Asian or domestic, but I'm a little befuddled as to why a dealership would charge $200 for a simple oil change. -I'm thinking oil, oil filter, air filter (if it needs it), but not sure what else...

Can someone clue this noobie in on all of what an oil change entails?

Like a lot of others here, I'm lurking around doing reasearch to see if this is something I can really swing, financially. -Most everything sounds just great. (Best bang for your buck...) But, a $200 oil change sounds a bit extreme.

Thanks in advance,
B

Oil changes can be super expensive if done at a dealership... mine charges 180.00 plus tax.

It's far cheaper to do the following:

Buy your NINE quarts (yup, you read that right) of synthetic oil at Wal-Mart.
Buy a filter, gasket and drain plug crush washer at dealership.

Then, take it to a quick lube place or a good independent mechanic.

Should cost you about 120.00 or so... and oil should be changed every 15k or at least once a year if you drive less than this. Most Boxter owners change it more frequently.

Not to scare you off, but oil changes are not what breaks the bank when owning an older Boxster. It's the sensors that go out after 5-7 years (causing the check engine light, rough idle, lousy performance and fuel economy), control arms, etc. that get expensive and are not easy to diagnose before one buys the vehicle.

Also, I seem to see that many older Boxsters (97~99) have had the engine replaced, as was done with mine just before I bought it.

My opinion is that if you will be using the car as a daily driver, buy a newer one with some factory warranty on it and buy an extended warranty from a dealer... then you'll keep a dependable car.

If it's a toy, like my 97 is to me, just look for a car that's been cared for and doesn't have tons of miles on it... and be willing to invest what's needed to get it up and running.

You're smart ... I did NOT do my homework before buying my 97 for 15,500, and now I know why I got such a good deal. The only bright spot was a brand new engine. The dark spots were that it needed a transmission, subframe correction, etc. and I've spent about 6k in the last year fixing it up.

The car, however, drives like a dream now and I grin from ear to ear when I take this one particular U turn under a freeway near my office at 60+ mph and the tail kicks out just a foot or so... there is absolutely nothing like the feel of a balanced, mid-engine Porsche! Even my small 2.5 liter engine pulls strong and feels quite fast to me.

Hope this helps!

Thanks! Your information did help.

When I step back and really look at the costs, I remember that a routine oil change on my Honda costs $30 to $40 every 3K I put on the clock. If I spent $40 (for premium/synthetic oil and service) at every 3K interval that I put on my car, I’ve spent $200 at 15K miles… :)

Your story about the ’97-’99 year model cars sound about right, from what I’ve been able to find. -Higher mileage cars need those tweaks when sensors get old and worn out. Just like brakes, tires, suspension and some seals, -these are considered consumables that wear with age and use. They all needed engines replaced and most got new 2.5 motors, and needed some over-all manufacturing refinements.

It seems as if the best bet is to find a 2000 or 2001 model with 40 to 60K miles on it, and get an extended warranty of some sort, to function as an insurance policy for maintenance costs.

I test-drove one with a 2.7L in it, and it performed just fine (price was beyond my reach at $24,000). I don’t think there’d be too much difference between an 2.5L and a 2.7L engine. However, I really want an “S” model, -not only for the larger displacement, but for the better brakes and suspension. (I’m one of those who would notice a difference in torque. -the Honda S2000 2.0L didn't have enough...)

I’ve only seen a relative few ’00 and ’01 models that were priced in the upper teens to low twenty’s. -Add an “S”, and the price goes up a full $10K (here in the mid-west, at least).

I’m a driver first. I had a Fiero while I was in college. With the mid-engine configuration and a V-6, I absolutely loved the way it handled and performed. While it didn’t actually blow the doors off the other sports cars at the line, it was such a rush to throw the car into a corner and watch it rocket out on the other side. I just hated the maintenance on it, though. It was *always* in the shop for one repair or another. -Which I why I was interested in this post.

I want to get back to a similar engine lay-out in my daily driver, but can’t afford the 911s, NSXs or any of the Italian varieties. -That leaves me with either the Spyder by Toyota, or the Boxster… not much of a comparison in my opinion. That’s why I’m here looking at this forum, to see if I could really make this work.

Thanks again!
B

Save up and get an S with some warranty on it of some kind. The most recent ones have glass back windows which is super nice.

The owners of this board sell Boxsters... and offer list participants deals before they attempt to sell the cars to strangers. Keep an eye on posts they leave with inventory.

I would not trust just any seller when it comes to Boxsters. With a "hidden" engine, it's too easy to sell something sight unseen. Case in point, the guy who bought my car at auction in Miami and sold it to me one week later had no idea it had a brand new engine put in it just DAYS before it went to auction... he sold it to me thinking it had an original engine with 82k on it. :)

Sorry I was wrong
 

The actual cost for the oil change in Mineola, NY is 188.00 including sales tax. High Labor rates, insurance rates, labor cost etc.