DIY maintenance - unpossible?

[Intense]

Hey all, I'm a n00b here and looking into an 01 S.

However, in trying to figure out my budget, I'm want to factor in maintenance costs.

With respect to cars, I'm pretty much a DIYer (with the exception of LARGE projects), but I've heard working on these cars yourself is nearly impossible given the way it's mounted and covered up.

So, I wanted to know from the collective how true this was and what can (or cannot) be realiistically accomplished on my own.

Not that I can't afford to pay for service, if needed. I just find working on cars be be relaxing (odd, I know). But I'd rather spend an afternoon in the garage than out on a golf course.

As a side note, the S I'm looking at just cleared 52K miles and cmae off lease. My biggest concerns are clutch and tires. Tires I can see, but what kind of life should I expect out of the clutch? Also, are there any known oil leakge issues with this car? Esp. if it wasn't broken in properly?

thanks

[Adam]

You should probably be able to do most of the maintenence yourself. Doing a new clutch is a big project and best left up to the pros unless you have some serious hardware(ie full hydro lift) at your disposal. The cars are very reliable and besides the usual stuff like oil changes...are a joy to own. Some cars have RMS issues(small percentage), but if your car hasn't had one yet it most likely wont ever be an issue. I would check out the vehicle history...it may have a fresh clutch in there already?

[Lux]

It is a common misconception that working on the Boxster engine is difficult. All you have to do is remove a few panels to get to the top, front and bottom of the engine. An added bonus is that you don't have the radiators sitting right in front of the engine like in most cars.

Here's a good FAQ if you're new to Boxsters.
http://www.986faq.com/default.asp

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[Brucelee]

As indicated, most of the maint stuff is doable, esp if you have access to a lift. Jack stands are a pain.

Re: leaks, plenty of RMS and some cam cover/valve cover leaks. Again, a pain to get to mostly.

Use a quality synthetic oil and change every 7500 miles IMHO.

Best of luck!