Feeling paranoid about an upcoming 1,400 mile drive

[kjc2050]

Long story short, in another several weeks I'll be driving my 2000 S from south central Nebraska to Raleigh, NC.

I bought this car about a year and a half ago, and it currently has 27.5K miles on the odo. It's never so much as hiccuped while I've owned it. Since purchasing it, I've replaced all the filters (oil and filter 3x), serpentine belt, plugs, plug tubes, water pump, thermostat, coolant (Porsche), convertible top tension cables & push rod ball sockets, brake fluid (ATE Super Blue), fuel cap, coolant expansion tank cap, gearbox oil, wiper blades, and fuel filter. The cam deviation is within spec. I also removed the front bumper cover and cleaned the radiators. Also, I installed an IMS Guardian. The car runs great, and has no leaks whatsoever.

The thing is... the longest drive I've taken it on was 5 hours, and I feel a little uneasy about driving it 1,400 miles including over the mountains. I suppose it's lingering uneasiness over the IMS bearing. I know, I know. Man up and just drive the thing. It'll be fine...

...won't it????

[JayG]

Originally Posted by kjc2050

Long story short, in another several weeks I'll be driving my 2000 S from south central Nebraska to Raleigh, NC.

I bought this car about a year and a half ago, and it currently has 27.5K miles on the odo. It's never so much as hiccuped while I've owned it. Since purchasing it, I've replaced all the filters (oil and filter 3x), serpentine belt, plugs, plug tubes, water pump, thermostat, coolant (Porsche), convertible top tension cables & push rod ball sockets, brake fluid (ATE Super Blue), fuel cap, coolant expansion tank cap, gearbox oil, wiper blades, and fuel filter. The cam deviation is within spec. I also removed the front bumper cover and cleaned the radiators. Also, I installed an IMS Guardian. The car runs great, and has no leaks whatsoever.

The thing is... the longest drive I've taken it on was 5 hours, and I feel a little uneasy about driving it 1,400 miles including over the mountains. I suppose it's lingering uneasiness over the IMS bearing. I know, I know. Man up and just drive the thing. It'll be fine...

...won't it????

You have done all the right services you could and maintained it properly.

GO HAVE FUN and drive the crap out of it for 1400 miles. It will be a blast in the mountains

If the IMS is gonna go, it could go pulling out of your driveway. I would not hesitate to do the trip.
I took my 04 on a 750 mile round trip the week after I got it a few months ago. It took a couple of days to remove the grin from my face when I got home

Hopefully you will have great weather and it will be top down the whole way
Enjoy the trip and buy a V1 radar detector before you go

Just watch out for Jake's classmate if you go further south to SC

[BruceH]

Not much more you can do. Reading this forum can make you uneasy but the reality is there are lots of folks driving their Boxsters blissfully unaware of the impending doom about to befall them Like Jay said, get yourself a radar detector and then go have a blast! AAA is not bad to have either, just in case. Take lots of pictures, we like pictures here

[ammonman]

Just drive. I'm 2200 miles into a trip that will be close to 4500 by the end of the week in the 1998 I bought a month ago with 124k on the clock. The car will be fine. Drive it like you stole it!

Mike

[NewArt]

Good thing it's not a Toyota. You'd get to worry about it suddenly accelerating off into the blue! 😏


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[Paul]

Many of us have driven such distances many times. My 01 has been driven to 10 Parades. Be more worried about your tires.

[husker boxster]

I just drove my Cayman from OMA to Monterey, CA and back. 4000 mi. Not a bit of trouble, incl 2 days of DE at Laguna Seca. Enjoy the drive.

[The Radium King]

i spent last weekend driving my 2000S w/ 60 k miles 700 miles to a track event on thursday, 120 miles at the track on friday, and 700 miles home on saturday. not much front brake or tire left for the way back (cross fingers and hope it doesn't rain) but otherwise without a hitch. they like to be driven, hard, so get out there and make up for the first 13 years of it's life with only 27k miles to brag about.

[Jake Raby]

I did an 8,000 mile trek to Western Canada and back in 10 days... With an experimental 3.8L (370 HP) engine with a dozen experimental parts inside it..

Didn't even take a set of tools with me.. All was well!

Have fun!

[herve_g]

Just came back from a 1500 miles trip. Got another 2200 miles trip at the end of the month, and I didn't do half the maintenance you described.

Just drive your car, enjoy and whatever happens will happen.
You're as well prepared as you can be, so just go on the road and drive that car as it's supposed to be: hard

[rdass623]

sounds like you should sell the car. pass through new Orleans and I may buy it. or you could drive and enjoy it

[RedTele58]

Go have fun and don't worry about it. I took one of my '99's on a 900 mile trip this weekend through the southwest. It didn't skip a beat.

But damn, is the top of my head sunburnt! :ah:

Rick

[BFeller]

PM sent wi contact info if you run into trouble in NC.

[Tucker2]

Last year my 82 year old mother-in-law drove a 2000 (totally unknown service history) Boxster S from Tarpin Springs Florida to San Diego, Seattle, Yellowstone, Georgia and back home over the course of 2 months. Something around 6300+ish miles.

(Oh...I forgot about the two trips to Canada while in Seattle....)

Only things that went wrong were she had to get new tires in San Diego and she had to get a new window regulator in Seattle.

Oh yeah...did I mention she's 82? And she's on her way AGAIN in some other car (because the Boxster was sold) and arriving tomorrow night here in Seattle. The woman is a machine.

[dghii]

I bought a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee this spring as a 'round town beater, for my business. Its a 4wd V8 with 145K miles. After some initial hick ups such as a bad idle air controller and bad ECU that would cause the car to quit running with no warning (very common), the car runs great. I would have no hesitation on driving it anywhere.

My Boxster is a great car and I'm sure it would be capable of driving anywhere I wanted to go.

But...I'm sure I'd be more worried about it than the Jeep.

It's funny how paranoid we are about these cars! Maybe we've just read too many posts on the forums.

In the end, ts just a car. Cars have made successful trips for well over 100 years. Just go!

(and take your credit card and cell phone just in case!)

`

[Joe B]

Originally Posted by dghii

I bought a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee this spring as a 'round town beater, for my business. Its a 4wd V8 with 145K miles. After some initial hick ups such as a bad idle air controller and bad ECU that would cause the car to quit running with no warning (very common), the car runs great. I would have no hesitation on driving it anywhere.

My Boxster is a great car and I'm sure it would be capable of driving anywhere I wanted to go.

But...I'm sure I'd be more worried about it than the Jeep.

It's funny how paranoid we are about these cars! Maybe we've just read too many posts on the forums.

In the end, ts just a car. Cars have made successful trips for well over 100 years. Just go!

(and take your credit card and cell phone just in case!)

`

I'd worry more about the Jeep, in my experience !

Just go drive the Boxster. Life's too short to worry. I wish I had a 1,400 mile trip I needed to take .

[kjc2050]

Thanks for all the comments, guys. Of course you're right; it should be fine. I guess I just needed to hear it. BruceH, thanks for mentioning AAA; I'll of course have a cell phone with me, but AAA is a good idea. Thanks again, everyone.

-kjc

[kk2002s]

I posed the same concerns a few months back before I set out on my 2200 mile adventure.
That trip included my first day of 950 miles, 16 hours straight in 90 degree temps. 12 hours with top down. Don' forget sunscreen, I did
I just keep an eye on the Temp to make sure it stayed steady and that my MPG stayed steady
On the way home, I spent 1 day, 10 hours straight hiking up and down the Blue Ridge Parkway and I was pushing it.
Boxster gave me a worry free trip. These things really do run
You have done a lot more preventative replacements then I did. I had the basics, oil, plugs and belt and I started at 68000 mile on the odometer. I did take a new AOS with me and tools, even an extra jack. It gave me something to think about those long hours. How would I replace this thing on an engine that was as hot as the Sun?
Fortunately never needed to do anything
Enjoy, you will get bitten to do it again, I know I am

[jb92563]

Just take the drive and enjoy it. AAA premium is good inexpensive peace of mind and the first 200 miles of the tow is free.

The only thing that matters is being late to your own funeral, everything else is gravey! (I guess that means you were pronounced dead prematurely)

Life is an adventure and the unexpected detours can actually be the most memorable and rewarding of your trip.

One time in another car on a trip to Florida the radiator let go and I ended up in some Andy Griffith type tiny town in the Florida Pan Handle and ended up having a Fish Fry in the car shop garage with the mechanics, the sherrif and some other folks that looked like a mix of neighboring Business owners and Duck Dynasty bearded hillbillies.

You can't buy that kind of interesting experience anywhere, it was awesome.

Enjoy your trip and don't give the IMS a second thought, only newbies worry about the IMS.

[Davev]

Originally Posted by kjc2050

Long story short, in another several weeks I'll be driving my 2000 S... I suppose it's lingering uneasiness over the IMS bearing. I know, I know. Man up and just drive the thing.

If it wasn't for the world wide interweb- you wouldn't even be thinking twice about the trip. Of course we wouldn't be able to buy these awesome cars for half their value, either. Just do it.