Bloody boxster falling apart

[lejolierogue]

Dear enthusiast,

I've had a barrage of problems with my 99 boxster lately. Here's the list of things that were or needs to be replaced/fixed:

1. Water pump
2. Torn serpentine belt (after only 44K miles)
3. Rear alignment
4. Oil leak
5. Fu**ing air-bag light stays on
6. Bloody right side power window no functioning

Changing all four tires was the bloody sword in the gullet too...

Thats all folks ... just wanted to vent.

Later,
le jolie rogue

Sounds pretty reasonable for a 7-year old high performance car. Feel free to vent anytime you want. No problem.

[Pablito]

I replaced the water pump on my 98', beware I could be overheating, check your front fans, radiators and coolant reservoir tank in the back any leaks on those items could trigger overheating, if they haven't failed eventually they will.....Your air bag light is on because of your seat belt buckles, replace those and your light is gone....The serpentine belt, check if by any chance it's not rubbing with a bolt or a tensioner, this can shorten it's life significantly. The oil leak could be your oil separator failing, check where the leak in coming from. Before realigning your rear end check all the cross member bars to see if any is bent, they will change your rear alignment significantly.....Sorry I got nothing for the passenger side window thing.....Good luck

[MNBoxster]

Hi,

Sorry to hear of your troubles. But, I am increasingly coming to believe that the Boxster is a true China Doll. A Great Car, but not worth all the hassle (unlike my Lotus). While I have had no serious issues with my '99 w/ 25k mi. to date, the angst which accompanies owning these cars is slowly starting to wear on me.

I am SERIOUSLY contemplating trading my Boxster next spring for a late model Miata or Corvette, probably an '06. I find no excitement, bragging rights, or prestige in saying that I own a Car which is going to cost me on average $2k-$3k/yr. just so I have a Stutgartt badge on the front.

It would be a great car if the potential for it disintergrating before my eyes weren't so high - and I do 99% of all the work myself, I am an accomplished, ASE Certified Mechanic.

So far as the Driving experience, it's FANTASTIC, but the Ownership experience leaves too much to be desired - at this point, I would not recommend the Boxster to anyone but a direct decendant of the Marquis de Sade.

I have owned 29 two-seat Sports Cars of various marques in my time and the Boxster ranks in the top 5 in driving, but in the bottom 25 in Ownership experience. Fact is, I now wish I'd never bought it and staid my original course to get either a Miata, 'Vette or Viper.

It's really too bad because I expected more of Porsche. My 912 and 914 2.0 of years gone by were much more robust, and frankly I am disappointed that Porsche actually seems to have gone backwards in terms of reliability than they were 25 years ago. While it's true, virtually all performance cars possess an Achilles Heel, the Boxster is simply ridden with them, waaay too many for a manufacturer like Porsche to produce. From RMS to Intermediate Shaft Failures to MAF sensors to bogus coolant recovery tanks to screwed-up electronics, and the list goes on and on. I am sure less secure owners will oppose my views rather than admit they also have made a mistake, but the facts are irrefutable, just because yours (as mine) hasn't greanaded yet doesn't mean the potential isn't there.

It's great to have a Car which will go like Stink, but only if it actually does go like stink on demand. I am no longer at the stage where I'm willing to spend as much time under it as I am in it to experience a great ride.

Prestige has NEVER been one of my criteria for owning ANY car, even though I've owned numerous prestigious cars (assuming a Boxster is prestigious). In fact, if anyone wants to offer me $19k for my Boxster, it's yours.

I have to say that after 16 mos. ownership, I have found little to confirm my choice, but much to condemn it. I have regretted selling virtually every car I've sold through the years, but am convinced that the primary emotion I will feel when selling my Boxster is going to be RELIEF! To any non-Boxster owning Lurkers here, all I can say is BE AFRAID... BE VERY AFRAID!...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[the ant]

Hi,

If you don't mind, can you elaborate a little bit on what sort of problems you are getting?

I am seriously considering a used Boxster but your post really scares me now...

Thanks

Originally Posted by MNBoxster

Hi,

Sorry to hear of your troubles. But, I am increasingly coming to believe that the Boxster is a true China Doll. A Great Car, but not worth all the hassle (unlike my Lotus). While I have had no serious issues with my '99 w/ 25k mi. to date, the angst which accompanies owning these cars is slowly starting to wear on me.

I am SERIOUSLY contemplating trading my Boxster next spring for a late model Miata or Corvette, probably an '06. I find no excitement, bragging rights, or prestige in saying that I own a Car which is going to cost me on average $2k-$3k/yr. just so I have a Stutgartt badge on the front.

It would be a great car if the potential for it disintergrating before my eyes weren't so high - and I do 99% of all the work myself, I am an accomplished, ASE Certified Mechanic.

So far as the Driving experience, it's FANTASTIC, but the Ownership experience leaves too much to be desired - at this point, I would not recommend the Boxster to anyone but a direct decendant of the Marquis de Sade.

I have owned 29 two-seat Sports Cars of various marques in my time and the Boxster ranks in the top 5 in driving, but in the bottom 25 in Ownership experience. Fact is, I now wish I'd never bought it and staid my original course to get either a Miata, 'Vette or Viper.

It's really too bad because I expected more of Porsche. My 912 and 914 2.0 of years gone by were much more robust, and frankly I am disappointed that Porsche actually seems to have gone backwards in terms of reliability than they were 25 years ago.

It's great to have a Car which will go like Stink, but only if it actually does go like stink on demand. I am no longer at the stage where I'm willing to spend as much time under it as in it to experience a great ride.

Prestige has NEVER been one of my criteria for owning ANY car, even though I've owned numerous prestigious cars. In fact, if anyone wants to offer me $19k for my Boxster, it's yours. I have to say that after 16 mos. ownership, I have found little to confirm my choice, but much to condemn it. I have regretted selling virtually every car I've sold through the years, but am convinced that the primary emotion I will feel when selling my Boxster is going to be RELIEF! To any non-Boxster owning Lurkers here, all I can say is BE AFRAID... BE VERY AFRAID!...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[MNBoxster]

Originally Posted by the ant

Hi,

If you don't mind, can you elaborate a little bit on what sort of problems you are getting?

I am seriously considering a used Boxster but your post really scares me now...

Thanks

Hi,

I have had no problems to-date (hard as that may be to believe with a Car with only 25k mi. on the Odo), but this car is seriously flawed from a design and engineering standpoint. I have owned everything from Morgans, TR3s, XKEs, 240Zs, 328s, 2002Tiis, Elans, Europas, Esprits, MGs, Fiats, Healeys, Minis (real not BMW), and a couple other Porsches. If you have late-model Boxster money, I would seriously consider any number of alternatives before settling on the Boxster. It's a GREAT car to drive, but IMHO, it carries too much baggage to make ownership worthwhile for all but the shortest time...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[Grizzly]

Yo Ant,

Don't be scared. The Boxster is a great car. Yeah, the newer cars are better than the earlier ones, but they're all fine cars. The older ones just have a bit less power and a couple of...uh... glitches. I own an older one; a '97 in fact. For what I saved by buying an older model rather than a newer one, I'll risk having to fix it from time to time. Same looks, great fun, and ten grand less. So the newer S is faster and I gotta' keep a couple bucks in reserve for the inevitable repair. Whatever.

Some of us tend to forget that cars break. They all break. I don't care what you drive. If you want rock solid reliability, buy a Camry; maybe a nice beige one would be good. The money's comparable to a pre-owned Boxster and you can ride around in absolute anonymity, having exactly zero fun. Guess what? Sooner or later, it will break, and the Toyota dealer will knock your brains out for the repairs. That's just how it works.

This particular thread is about a '99. It needs a water pump, a serpentine belt a window switch and an alignment. Frustrating? Yeah maybe, but friggin' deal. The car is a '99. Look around. A lot of '99 cars are wheels up in the wrecking yard by now. Several of this particular car's "problems" are normal maintenance issues. Inconceivable that an eight year old car needs an alignment and a fanbelt? I think not.

Hey lejolierogue, I'm not picking on you, I swear. I'm just trying to make a point.

Just do your homework. By reading all the information you can find on this forum, you can become an expert in all things Boxster in a hurry. Be certain that you can afford to maintain such a car. They do break. Buy the latest model you can afford and be sure to have Porsche do a Pre-Purchase Inspection before you pull the trigger. Then drop the top and enjoy the crap out of it.

Also, buy the shop manuals and learn to fix it yourself. Most things you can do on your own, and there's a certain satisfaction in knowing you were able to beat the dealer out of his payday.

[longislander1]

Originally Posted by MNBoxster

I am SERIOUSLY contemplating trading my Boxster next spring for a late model Miata or Corvette, probably an '06.

Uhhh, you might want to go over to the C6 forum and read about some of the problems there. Roofs are flying off for no reason and GM has been painfully slow to replace them.

I looked at a C6 before buying the Boxster. The salesman was all pumped up about showing me the heads-up display. Of course, it was crooked -- yet another symbol of GM's "craftsmanship."

Believe me, I'm no fan of Porsche and its arrogance, but I wonder if a 'Vette is really an improvement. Now, a Miata, that might be a different story. I've always found Mazdas to be bullet-proof.

[Brucelee]

In my experience, the Corvette C5 and C6 are much more bulletproof than the Boxster.