No more 986 Porsche Boxters for me. Sucks. Oh Well
 

I have had two 1999 Porsche boxters over the last year. First one was white. Second, current car is black. Well I bought both cars after having had PPIs from Porsche specialists. Second car has new tires, engine mount, top, etc., etc. Well second car, second day after car was delivered sometimes on start up smoke / white color would come out of exhaust. AOS? Third day damn check engine light came on. Put new gas cap on, no difference. Went to Auto Zone. They plugged OBDII scanner. Got following codes: PO410 and P1411. Secondary air injection system. I am in Ca. Can't have these issues. I contact Dealer / shop and talked to owner. Convinced him for me to return car. He said yes. Whew. I really wanted to have a boxter that would at least be somewhat reliable but this is ridiculous. Sad. Yes, the boxter has incredible handling, very good steering feel and good brakes. Very solid chassis. But to me, now in my life unfortunately the "headache" is not worth it. Crazy experience, especially since I did everything "by the book":confused:0000000 Ger.

Third time's the charm! Just get back up on that horse!! (You'll thank me later)

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Before you purchased your cars you never considered the costs... repairs... the investment of time associated with ownership? Your circumstances wouldn't be such a surprise with some foresight.

Maybe next time. :cheers:

Well, my own perhaps- unpopular- opinion: if you don't DIY, then you shouldn't really be buying 20 year old cars. I would say especially European cars. There's a reason euro cars are so soft on the used market: shop rates are much higher than those for domestic or Asian cars.

If you want boxster ownership without DIY, I'd look at a more current model. You'll pay a lot more, of course, but this may meet your expectations better.

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Sorry to say but sounds like routine maintenance. Both not that big of a deal but if I had a PPI done I would probably be angry.

Very unrealistic to purchase anything of a mechanical nature that is 20 plus years old.
With no expectation of wear or part replacement, maintenance costs. No matter the inspection done.

Part of maintenance with these cars (any older European sports car) is replacing original working parts. I was luck I drove 40k miles (90k+ on car) before I started replacing working parts as part of maintenance.
I also agree these cars really should be bought with a DIY attitude

There are better shop rates for some domestic and Asian cars. Is it because there area more 'lower end' garages that are familiar with them? A few years back my son needed an new alternator for a Hyundai - nearly $1,000 with labor at a dealer. My aircraft mechanic just swore off domestic trucks after his new Ram spent more time at the shop than on the road - complexity that even the dealership mechanics didn't seem to understand.

I'll DIY anything as long as I have the time, but most people are not like us and I often forget that. I think that ANY 20 year old car can suddenly become very expensive. New cars can too, but at least there's warranty. I really enjoy these cars, but not everybody should have one.

So the PPI did not reveal the SAI issue and he has nothing to say about it?

yup, this is right-on.
You put me under the hood of my daughter's 2019 Kia and I'ma curl-up into a little ball and whimper. My wife's 2015 JEEP Renegade? (It's really a FIAT) No problem at all. I think the further we stray from "ubiquitous" in favor of proprietary / bespoke, the more specialized a shop must become. This means higher shop rates, approaching that stratospheric range traditionally occupied by Euro car dealerships.

I'll also DIY anything. In fact, I trust myself far more than I trust any shop, in spite of the occasional gaff (that's a different thread, haha). Only one car has ever kicked my ass, and that was my wife's Mini Cooper S convert (R52). I know I care more than any shop possibly could, and so my troubleshooting methods are more thorough (and thus more accurate). Yes, I invest in tools s necessary. I have an entire shelf full of various diagnostic / scan tools that I've purchased because they were the "ticket" for one brand or another; like the Durametric and the PST2 on that shelf. (Though the latest purchased tool seems to do enough that it might replace almost everything else on the shelf. it's a POWERHOUSE!!)

However: the older I become, the less I enjoy doing the mundane maintenance and repairs. My enjoyment of "enthusiast vehicles" depends on this, though. I don't know where that eventuality leads.