119k Mile Boxster S purchase

[RandallNeighbour]

Pothole, if you never plan to sell your Boxster or don't care about resale value or the length of time the car may sit without being sold, then a glass window, a glovebox, and numerous other enhancements made to the 03 and 04 S models won't be important. Nor will the reliability increases that came with every revision Porsche made to the 986.

However, many savvy shoppers will choose one of these cars over an older model without them. And their preferences become more important than yours when you want your car sold sooner than later.

[Idaho Red Rocket 3]

I'd say for that price, if you like it buy it. We purchased our first Boxster, a '98, with 107K on it. Still on original clutch. Sold it 2 years later at 133K still on original clutch and working quit well.

[pothole]

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

Pothole, if you never plan to sell your Boxster or don't care about resale value or the length of time the car may sit without being sold, then a glass window, a glovebox, and numerous other enhancements made to the 03 and 04 S models won't be important. Nor will the reliability increases that came with every revision Porsche made to the 986.

However, many savvy shoppers will choose one of these cars over an older model without them. And their preferences become more important than yours when you want your car sold sooner than later.

Sorry, I can't agree the 986/996 or indeed 987/997 got more reliable over time, with the possible exception of the latest DFI and 2.9-litre engines. The 987 / 997 seems to suffer particularly badly with bore scoring, for instance. I'd also argue that the remaining early 2.5s, the ones that were made before the porous block problems kicked in, might be among the more reliable 986s.

The bottom line is that the M96/97 engine line is problematical and that applies to all the iterations.

Of course, I agree that things like glass windows and glove boxes matter to mass market buyers, which is most people. But most people don't want 15-year Porsche and with each and every further passing year, these cars move further from the mass market and towards the specialist and classic markets. In those markets, consumerist trivia like glove boxes matters very little.

Personally, I'm not aware of anything that came with the later cars that's particularly desirable to an enthusiast owner. I also happen to think the facelift design changes look cheap and fussy. I'd take an original 2.5/2.7/3.2 complete with ambers all round over any facelift car. And I'd have no reason to think it was going to be less reliable.

[fivepointnine]

for people ********************ing about the glove compartments...does nobody have the slidie-open storage compartment between the seats on the back panel? that is where the important papers go in my car..........I have factory cupholders on my 02......they are worthless lol,,
I have a glass window too on my Robbins top

[RandallNeighbour]

Pothole, I was not referring to motor enhancements as much as revisions to parts that older cars may not have had replaced by a PO (coolant overflow tank, push rods on the top mechanism, top cables, etc.). These numerous little things breaking on old boxsters like ours were very frustrating for me and potential buyers want a car that's dependable in these non-drivetrain areas.

I've traded more than one older German car because the bits and pieces were always breaking due to poor quality.

[feelyx]

Originally Posted by mookarma

I used to have a 99 Boxster, bought at 54k miles and sold at 80k, and missing it dearly. I've read and (hopefully) understand what I'm getting with a high mileage Boxster. I don't need a car, often, so this would be a weekend getaway vehicle.

Looking at a 2002 Boxster S with 119k miles.... oil changed every 14k ( ), full leather, heated seats, xenon, etc.
Car needs:
New brakes (owner says rear, but I presume all)
Coolant reservoir
Blinker stalk replacement
Paint cracking on front bumper

Owner was quite tricky to speak with as he is sick, so I wasn't able to grill him completely. Chances are it's going to need tires and a once over, but one thing that stood out to me was that he said it's never had a clutch changed; my Boxster with 80k had never had a clutch change (none of my cars have), but 119k seems like a long time to go.

My questions are-
What''s the longest you have gone without replacing the clutch?

At $5,500-$6,000, please tell me this is a good idea.

ummm,..........sorry about that........ I saw this on CL, I pick it up weds.
Does need turnsignal stalk, coolant res, and rear brake pads. The paint is not cracked, it is the clear bra someone stuck on there that is cracked and should come off pretty easy. All service has been performed by Porsche. Clutch felt really good, and does not need service as of now, give me a couple of weeks then we will see. Love the heated seats Even the rear window plastic is clear.
feelyx

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

I've traded more than one older German car because the bits and pieces were always breaking due to poor quality.

Makes me laugh to see you write that. My dad had an Audi 4000 in 1986. They were using aluminum terminals in their wiring in those years. After about 5 years, pretty much everything electrical in the car decided to die.

[mookarma]

Haha was just coming on here to say that some lucky punk bought it before me... Seems like feelyx was that guy! Congrats! Sort of. my dog was skunked today, called the guy and told him I'd be out tomorrow and he'd sold it. Best of luck with it, feelyx. Sort of

[feelyx]

Mookarma, It was a fantastic deal couldn't pass it up.... had to stop him from talking me down any farther....

[mookarma]

well, if you decide it's not the one for you, let me know

how much did you pay if you dont mind me asking?

[Perfectlap]

Let's see if I'd a payed $2,000 for my 2000 S with 60K miles two years ago, I would have ended up paying $14K for it today. Granted some of these things were normal and probably shouldn't count like tires but this car can get expensive quickly. The funny thing is that a PPI would not have caught most of the repairs I had to make. The AOS, coolant tank, MAF, starter, alternator, control arms, throttle body, they all went suddenly, and strangely at about the same time. I'm not sure how they check the shocks for instance in a PPI but when I had the car up on the lift a very experienced Porsche mechanic I use did a quick inspection and commented how good the shocks seemed being 10 years old. It wasn't until the shocks were out that we saw that they either failed quickly thereafter or you just can't really tell while their on the car because about six months later them front shocks were fried when they came off. I ended up spending about $5K last year and about $6K this year not including spending a bit more on an upgrade or two in the exhaust department. But bear mind this is a winter-driven Porsche which IMHO means a better maintained engine (year round driving) but the rest of the car takes a beating. I'm going to limit my average distances this winter. We had a hellish winter last year and I probably should not have been more conservative.

p.s.
I would not wait until the clutch goes to upgrade the IMS. I've said this before but I think its penny wise pound foolish to pass up on the oppourtunity to address a potentially catastrophic weak point just to save a few hundred bucks on a delayed clutch job. I would spend the $1600 for the clutch/LN IMS before I even drove it home.

[feelyx]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

Let's see if I'd a payed $2,000 for my 2000 S with 60K miles two years ago, I would have ended up paying $14K for it today. Granted some of these things were normal and probably shouldn't count like tires but this car can get expensive quickly. The funny thing is that a PPI would not have caught most of the repairs I had to make. The AOS, coolant tank, MAF, starter, alternator, control arms, throttle body, they all went suddenly, and strangely at about the same time. I'm not sure how they check the shocks for instance in a PPI but when I had the car up on the lift a very experienced Porsche mechanic I use did a quick inspection and commented how good the shocks seemed being 10 years old. It wasn't until the shocks were out that we saw that they either failed quickly thereafter or you just can't really tell while their on the car because about six months later them front shocks were fried when they came off. I ended up spending about $5K last year and about $6K this year not including spending a bit more on an upgrade or two in the exhaust department. But bear mind this is a winter-driven Porsche which IMHO means a better maintained engine (year round driving) but the rest of the car takes a beating. I'm going to limit my average distances this winter. We had a hellish winter last year and I probably should not have been more conservative.

p.s.
I would not wait until the clutch goes to upgrade the IMS. I've said this before but I think its penny wise pound foolish to pass up on the oppourtunity to address a potentially catastrophic weak point just to save a few hundred bucks on a delayed clutch job. I would spend the $1600 for the clutch/LN IMS before I even drove it home.

Perfectlap,
I already drove the **** out of it in the mountains here, if the ims was failing I'm sure it would still be scattered off the hill side. I am not really sure what I'm going to do with this one, yet. I was thinking of putting the 6spd w/LSD in my '98 with the 2.5, but don't know if it will improve its performance or not.

At the price I got it, I could almost do anything with it, and I may even part it out. The sale of the 3.2 and Brembo brakes should cover the cost of the car.
Even repairing everything, I would still be way ahead. It may even become a dedicated track car. I just don't know yet.

As a side note I'm checking with Neillo Porsche here if they did infact put a replacement engine in at 8k mi. Just waiting to here on that.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by feelyx

Perfectlap,
I already drove the **** out of it in the mountains here, if the ims was failing I'm sure it would still be scattered off the hill side..

Check YouTube. There's at least one IMS failure of car that was regularly tracked (aka abused). It goes without warning. A little wobbly in that bearing that you can't feel or sense, unless they invent medical MRI's for car engines, and poof....all gone.
The beauty of upgrading the IMS and replacing the clutch is that you actually get to break in a new clutch. It's not like doing something preventative that has no utility other than peace of mind. You get a new clutch that can typically last you up to 100K miles. And doing it sooner means less abuse on the flywheel which is $600 OEM. I wouldn't even think twice if I didn't have full service records with a good sense of how frequently the car was driven. My belief is that a car with 1- at least two oil changes a year, 2- non-Mobil 1 oil, 3-driven on an at least weekly basis, 4-year round, 5-in a sunny climate is the best Boxster history.
Add points for each.

[feelyx]

Thats all true, but if this is a replacement engine, you can't replace the ims as the bearing is bigger than the opening and can't be pulled out. I should know sometime this week if indeed it has a replacement in it. If it doesn't have a replacement, then this bearing goes in, S6204-2RS Bearing 20x47x14 Si3N4 Ceramic Stainless Steel Sealed Nylon ABEC-7 Ball Bearings pronto. As for the clutch, If its a replacement engine then I will drive it till is toast, then replace it. If that is 10,000 or less mi. then so be it, I will take a day and replace it. Other than that it gets replaced with the bearing. All services were done by Porsche and they use mobil 1. I'm leaning right now to make this a street legal track car.

[pothole]

Hang on.

You can use a $70 off-the-shelf bearing?

[feelyx]

Pothole, Your 97 probably has a double row bearing.... I don't have a ceramic number for that one.. yet. When I pull the one out of my 98 I will find one. For you to use the single row you will need to use Wayne's kit or build one of your own. The ceramic bearing has a 16,000 rpm limit, where as steel only has a 11,000 rpm limit, so realistly ceramic should last over twice as long as you don't rev over 8k. Just repack the bearing with quality grease, I perfer to leave the seals on when installed.

The double row in my 98 will be replaced with a single row, as the double rows are not as strong as the single row, because they can't load the bearing with enough balls....