2004 Boxster S
 

I am new to the Porsche world. Always wanted one but never really committed to purchasing one. I had many different sport cars in the past, including a z4, WRX, Miata(turbo / supercharged). Currently I have a 2014 370Z. So I recently sold my 2012 Miata retractable hard top and decided to get a Boxster.

I found a 2004 Boxster S with one owner and only 27,xxx miles. I will be looking at this car this Sunday. I am pretty much aware of the inherent problems with the 986. If I ended up purchasing this vehicle I plan to have the IMS / clutch / RMS replaced. I have gotten quotes from different independent shops for this job. I was surprised the quotes ranged from $2500 to $5000. This vehicle appears to be in excellent condition based on the photos. What do any of you suggest to look for when I see the car? I know the basic stuff like the operation of the soft top, check the condition of the oil, look under the oil cap to make sure there is no "oil/water residue" . But stuff like the water pump and the belt can't be access easily. Also, I have a regular OBDII scanner. Will it work on the Boxster?

Thanks

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I hope you find the car you are looking for.
I recently sold my Miata and purchased a Boxster, the best move I ever made.
Like I said I’m new, I really can’t help you with your questions.
My only advice would be you not purchase a used car on faith, look at the service records,
those who are serious about taking care of their cars will have paperwork that clearly indicates how well the car has been maintained.
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Three words: P P I

I purchased an 03 S in Jun without a PPI (Dumbass) and spent the summer and a major amount of savings getting her back to tip top shape.

So yea. Pre Purchase Inspection WITH service records are a must! CARFAX is a joke.

A 12-yr old sports car with only 27K miles? It sat. A lot.

Get a professional PPI. I know that a PPI can be a PITA to arrange and get done, but force yourself to do it. It will be the best $300 you ever spend and its the only way to have some idea of what you're getting into.

IMS price quotes could be different due to different replacement parts that will be used - LN IMS Solution vs LN Single Row Pro or some other IMS bearing, whether or not estimate includes a new flywheel, clutch, pressure plate and throw out bearing, etc. At 27,000 miles none of those may need replacing. You should decide what kind of IMS bearing replacement you want and get an independent Porsche specialist who really knows how to replace the IMS, there are threads here of engines failing from incorrect IMS bearing replacements. And +1,000 on the PPI. Good luck and happy hunting!

^^^^^^^this^^^^^^^^^

Sounds like a great car if everything checks out. Good luck!
I had the IMS bearing replaced with the LN Engineering retrofit, (along with the clutch and RMS which were still fine) on my '03 at 25k miles at an independent shop for $2100.00 a few years ago.
Now everything should be fine from that major service until they all need replacing again at 75k miles. Provides good peace of mind and is worth doing as long as you find a shop that has done a lot of them. The shop I went to had done dozens of IMS retrofits and showed me boxes of parts from other IMS replacements they had done including some catastrophic failures where the owners had not done the retrofit.

Find a good independent shop with a lot of experience with IMSB retrofits and expect to pay between $2100 - $2500 for the whole job.

I would be very careful with this purchase. That car sat around, which is not good for any car. I triple recommend the PPI....it's a must. I believe the 04 S would have the double row? If so, very very low failure rate....be careful with the IMS, way overblown in those later model years, although the sitting around would worry me.
I would want to see evidence of regular oil changes. Sitting around with old oil is horrible on a car.

The 04 model M96 engines are fitted with the single row bearing.....about an 8% failure rate if you listen to all the hype.

I did the same thing last year...
 

...Same life history, same vehicle history (still own the turbocharged Miata) and I bought a 25,000 mile 2004 Boxster S last June.

I'm driving the snot outta her right now in Crested Butte, Colorado.

Freaking awesome car.

So, FWIW, my .02, etc., etc., yada yada yada......Just ship the car the Flat 6 Innovations on a flat bed like I did and have them replace the IMS and give the car a look over.

NOW, having said that, do that AFTER you have had a PPI performed and the car passes that and you buy the car.

Good luck.

I have not regretted any of it.

:cheers:

Yowser....flat bed and flat 6 innovations....for the cost of that you could move up into a 987 and pretty much completely eliminate the IMS issue.....

Possibly...
 

...but I wanted this 986 "50 Years of 550 Spyder Edition"

I didn't want the 987 car.

I wanted the original styling. I wanted a spare tire. I wanted an oil dipstick.

I wanted a car that was styled and engineered by a dedicated, small, group of Porsche engineers who were focused on building the world's best $40,000 sports car.

The later cars were engineered to meet more stringent crash and emissions standards and are not as much fun to drive. They got heavier, and more saddled with computers. And they got uglier.

I LOVE this car. It's only money. Driving this bad boy through the mountains today, with the Aspens at peak Fall color, I wasn't worried about the credit card payments.

You folks put too much emphasis on money.

In 100 years none of this will matter.

Today, with my wife sitting next to me, as I shifted at redline, flying through a slot canyon, with the top down, the sun shining, the exhaust bellowing, the Aspens glowing....priceless.

:ah:

Get busy LIVING, or get busy dying.

"For the price...."

Gimme a freaking break!

Really!

Freaking money?

I feel sorry for you.

Oops, I'm sorry, I just saw your end sig, you bought a PDK. That explains everything.

Never Mind. No use. You wouldn't understand what driving is all about.

Now I REALLY feel sorry for you.

Wow...tell us how you really feel? Wait, you didn't mention anything about mine not being a real Porsche cause it isn't a stick?

You sir, are hilarious.

It's your money, you want to waste it, go right ahead. Unlike you, I spend my money wisely so I can truly enjoy all life has to offer, and not piss it away on 'experts'...lol.

Nice post buddy....bet you are voting for Trump, right? Idiot.....

Oh and yeah, those Indy car drivers don't understand driving at all....what with their non-clutch flappy-paddle shifters (very similar to PDK)....

You sir, are not only hilarious, but a genius too! Good for you! Honoured to be in your presence!

Not only do you need a clutch pedal
 

[QUOTE=10/10ths;5106021
Oops, I'm sorry, I just saw your end sig, you bought a PDK. That explains everything.

Never Mind. No use. You wouldn't understand what driving is all about.

[/QUOTE]

To really understand what driving is all about, you need to go back to Brass Era cars so you have:

• Hand crank for starting
• Manual fuel pump on the dash board
• Manual spark advance on the steering wheel
• Cable actuated rear brakes only

Progress happens. Choices are good. My Boxster S is a stick, I've driven PDK cars. I'm glad I'm not in the market for a new car right now so I can put off the decision on what the next car will have.

People, people, please. Why all the animosity? Love your Porsche regardless. I love my '03 S 6 speed but I'd be perfectly happy with a newer 987 or 981 PDK as well.

Two people obviously questioning their respective choices. No other reason to be so defensive....

? Really? Um, not defensive at all. Do I enjoy driving a stick....yeah, sorta, and yes, sometimes I miss it, but first, my knee sure appreciates the PDK, second, the performance of the computer is far superiour to my ability (or anyones) and with all the stop and go traffic....it's the way to go. Made a choice and love it! PDK's rock - and flappy paddles are all the rage!

Apologies...
 

...I'm sorry.

I lost it. Please forgive my post. Your post about shipping my car to Raby being a waste of money just struck me the wrong way. I have no problem with your transmission choice.

My wife and i just got back from a 3,700 mile round trip to colorado in our car.

Because I shipped my car to Flat 6 Innovations, we were able to enjoy driving this 2004 Boxster with no worries about breaking down. Again, I chose to buy a 2004 on purpose. I wanted the first generation car. I wanted the "purer" vehicle with an actual oil dipstick and a spare tire. i prefer the styling of the original car. The later cars were built to conform to stricter crash and EPA standards and lost a little something in my opinion.

So, if you feel that that was a waste of money, fine. For ME, it was an investment in the car that I wanted to own forever.

I'm glad I did. We had so much fun in this car. We have driven her to Missouri, South Carolina, and Colorado and back in the last eight months. No drama. Just joy.



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