The end of the road for the daily driver.

[Gilles]

Originally Posted by thstone

You can't. We won't let you. Its that simple.

I agree with Thstone, you already replaced the suspension components, your interior and paint looks pretty nice, just find a used transmission and drive it another 100k...

And Please keep sending those Great Pictures!

Regards,
Gilles

[Retroman1969]

I really appreciate it guys!
I'll let you know what the status is. I really have enjoyed sharing the exploration trips and mis-adventures, seeing how far you can go with a used Porsche. I'd like to continue if possible, so we'll see. You all have made it fun. Even if it turns out to be fixable (reasonably... Last year bought and furnished a new house and am just now beginning to recover, but this summer had to replace my computer, camera body, brakes and AC on the other Boxster, plus putting a new engine in the Jeep, is really stretching it again), I'm going to at least put it into semi-retirement. Breaking up the miles with the Jeep, so neither wears out too quickly.

[jb92563]

Originally Posted by Retroman1969

I really appreciate it guys!
I'll let you know what the status is. I really have enjoyed sharing the exploration trips and mis-adventures, seeing how far you can go with a used Porsche. I'd like to continue if possible, so we'll see. You all have made it fun. Even if it turns out to be fixable (reasonably... Last year bought and furnished a new house and am just now beginning to recover, but this summer had to replace my computer, camera body, brakes and AC on the other Boxster, plus putting a new engine in the Jeep, is really stretching it again), I'm going to at least put it into semi-retirement. Breaking up the miles with the Jeep, so neither wears out too quickly.

Yes, love your photos, you capture the nuances that abound if one takes a moment to appreciate all that's around you, I'd describe your photo style as Zen!
What camera are you using?

Yes I do the alternating Boxster/Wrangler daily too, every other day its to the gym and all those gym bags in the parking lot scare the Boxster away with those big brutes barging between the cars like bulls in china shop.

01 Boxster 79k miles, 99 Wrangler 178k miles, not much maintenance on the Wrangler except it seems that tires only last 3-5 years before they develop the stupid death wobble, even from plain daily driving.

One hazard of driving the two contrasting cars, one with 3.2l and the other with 4l engines is that I end up trying to drive the Jeep like a Boxster. It translates into smoother driving, more body roll, and higher revs than a Wrangler is used to. Jeep Acceleration is funny, just floor it and play with tunes on the radio while waiting for it to get up to speed.

[AaronPDX]

Wow, those are some great pictures!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DWBOX2000]

I always look forward to your travel posts. Please reconsider. Best of luck with whatever you choose.

David

[Deserion]

I'd be sad to see such a rare bird (in regards to color combos) get The Big Sleep.

[Porsche9]

Say it isn't so.

[Smallblock454]

Hi,

concerning this Wheeler dealers TV show with the AT. This was a car with less than 60k miles on it. And it's a TV show and Mike Brewer is a professional car dealer. So things might not always be as they look.Never forget: it's a TV show.

But it's true. If the AT fluid level is too low, the AT might not work properly. Problem here is also that it is not easy to replace the complete AT oil on this special Porsche AT transmission. An normal oil change would only change approx. 4 litres and there are around 11-12 litres of ATF in there.

@Retroman:
Would be nice if the Box could be repaired with not too much money and lives on.

If not, what will be next? Come on, you love that green interior. How can you let that go?

Regards, Markus

[Disaster]

Your post makes me feel a little better about my newly acquired 1998 Boxster. I did a lot of little fixes here and there and the 2nd week I drove it the top broke and bent the clamshell. I was thinking "What have I got myself into?!?"

[grc0456]

Tardy to the party, but agree with all. Hope you can address at a reasonable cost. That car needs to stay on the road just to keep the Nephrite Green flag flying for all to see.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Retroman1969]

Thank you so much guys!
I use a Canon 7D. It's a mid-range SLR, but it has a magnesium body and is waterproof. Seals out against the dust and dirt very well, and I can shoot in the rain.
Many of those pics, though are just with my iPhone. I'm amazed the quality you can get out of those things these days.
Honestly the interior was off-putting to me at first, but now I love it.
Very true about the Jeep Wrangler. Mine is a 2000 TJ. Never had any other trouble with it except when the engine went out which is a biggie. Maybe it will be good to go for a long time now.
One thing I like is being able to change the oil and filter myself without even having to lift it! But it hates the open road and it reminds you that that isn't it's strong suit. The contrast is good though.

Well, she's at the shop.



I should know something by the end of the day.
Thanks to everyone again for their support!

[jb92563]

Originally Posted by Retroman1969

Very true about the Jeep Wrangler. Mine is a 2000 TJ. Never had any other trouble with it except when the engine went out which is a biggie. Maybe it will be good to go for a long time now.
One thing I like is being able to change the oil and filter myself without even having to lift it! But it hates the open road and it reminds you that that isn't it's strong suit. The contrast is good though.

Not to go too far off topic but as a 2nd vehicle the Wrangler is a nice choice.
I do like mine for the open road as well and that kind of driving requires Cruise Control, and I lower the front tire pressure a bit so that it tracks straight with less steering effort.
I've done a number of long distance Wrangler trips (Socal to St Pete's, FL & towing a trailer back ~3,200mi)(Socal to Il and towing stuff back)(Socal to Ut and towing stuff back) with it and found it comfortable to drive 12 hrs/day no problem.
It tows trailers loaded up to its own weight (I know its over the specified rating) at 70mph without issue. A real workhorse.

[professorman]

Crossing my fingers for you. Beautiful pictures.

[Racer Boy]

All those Porsches, and only one isn't a soft top!

Good luck with the diagnosis.

[BIGJake111]

Label it tranny for retro man and you'll get a ton of donations from unique communities.

[78F350]

I bet we could easily top $1000 quickly just here on the Forum. Lots of people have been entertained by the journey and pictures. $10-$25 is easy and adds up fast. Just need to convince Retro to take it from us and keep the story rolling.

[Timco]

Originally Posted by BIGJake111

Label it tranny for retro man and you'll get a ton of donations from unique communities.

I'll post that to his local Craigslist right now....

[78F350]

Originally Posted by Timco

I'll post that to his local Craigslist right now....

Maybe post "Help Big Jake get a tranny for retro man."

[Retroman1969]

Originally Posted by BIGJake111

Label it tranny for retro man and you'll get a ton of donations from unique communities.

LOL!

In all seriousness I couldn't take any money from anyone, but the gesture is moving and greatly appreciated, thank you!

The score so far....
No codes from the transmission. Records show that the service was done actually 30,000 miles ago, instead of 50,000. Fluid is full. My mechanic test drove it all day to get a good feel for what it was doing, and it's definitely acting very erratic, and is transmission related. He also said it otherwise drove beautifully for such a high milage car (I knew that) and it would be a shame to put it to pasture quite yet. (even though it's getting into that "dead man walking" territory)
Two things generally cause the behavior he was experiencing: Torque Converter or Valve Body. Not worth fixing at such mileage, he suggested another transmission service, where the valve body is taken out and really cleaned and checked thoroughly. See if it fixes or improves it, and either way, just driving it until it craps out.

I'm likely going to give it a shot, just to know for sure. It may sound like throwing good money after bad, but I've had at least two other vehicles in the past that experienced bad slipping and erratic behavior. In both cases a transmission flush and service fixed them. I'm not silly enough to forget that they had fewer miles than this car, but I think it's worth a shot.

P.S.: This helps get me off the fence about manual vs. auto.

Thanks again everyone! All advice and opinions certainly welcomed!

[itsnotanova]

There is a slight difference in a 1997-99 to 2000-04 tiptronic. I've had customers switch vice versa with no problems. I have one of each for $300 but both came from cars with a blown motor so I can't verify running condition. Drag your box down here and I'll help you replace it for beer and lunch