New owner questions - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

dgentileksu · 05-06-2008, 10:20 PM

I am a new owner of a 1998 Porsche Boxster, white w/black top and gray int, 60k. Totally new to the brand and getting ready to take the car on a 3000 mile road trip. I just bought it for my wife after trading in our ford focus. I got a deal that was too good to pass up, so I did not do a lot of research before the buy...

I have a slew of questions, so any answers or opinions of prior owners would be much appreciated.

1. It needs a RMS, and I want to take it on a three thousand mile roadtrip. I assume I should get this fixed beforehand, but have gotten conflicting advice. The dealer that did the 60k maint package said it was a small leak and that the worst that would happen would be slight spotting of my driveway. No big, but I read on one post that this small leak could lead to a blown engine! I planned on replacing it when I replaced the clutch at about 70-80k miles. Any advice?

2. There is a slight drip in the coolant tank. Dealer said not that big of a deal, 900 dollar fix. Should I also fix this now? Can I DIY this since 900 seems a bit much?

3. When I bought this car, I was looking for a daily driver for my wife. I wanted to get her a used Miata for ~ 10 grand, but when I got the Porsche for the same price, I could NOT pass it up! Does anyone use these as daily drivers and if so, how has it worked out? I will be in Mississippi for the next year, and it may be used to make long road trips. Any advice?

Thanks and sorry for the long post!

Dave

tboyer · 05-07-2008, 03:53 AM

Welcome to the forum!

Regarding the RMS, if you can afford to fix, then fix it now, if you are comfortable with the advice your dealer gave you, then leave it alone until you get back and are able to do everything at once.

I would not drive the car with a leaking cooling system, you are asking for a flat-bed tow there. $900 for a dealer replacement w/warranty is a fair deal, I was quoted $1200 for mine. With your mileage and if you do not have a service record to state otherwise, I'd replace the water pump at the same time as the coolant tank.

Tons of people use their Boxsters as their DD, 10K is a good deal on a used 986, did you get a PPI? From the sounds of it you did not, I would have the car checked out and at least the oil changed before taking off.

kabel · 05-07-2008, 06:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dgentileksu

3. When I bought this car, I was looking for a daily driver for my wife. I wanted to get her a used Miata for ~ 10 grand, but when I got the Porsche for the same price, I could NOT pass it up! Does anyone use these as daily drivers and if so, how has it worked out? I will be in Mississippi for the next year, and it may be used to make long road trips. Any advice?

Welcome Dave!

Similar experience here when i bought mine, I really could not pass on the deal I got. Fortunately two years later I have had a very positive experience with mine and little in the way of unexpected or overly expensive repairs (knock wood). The boxster is my daily driver and it really is great for that.
-Wicked fun to drive
-Gas mileage doesn't suck too bad
-Great trunk space (see: The Groceries in your Trunk thread)

I was even considered a job in MS, location was a bit too rural for me though (Meridian)!

one item you might want to have on hand for your 3k road trip are ear plugs, if you find your self driving top down on the hwy for extended periods you'll know what i mean.

Brucelee · 05-07-2008, 06:36 AM

I have made the drive across the country. If it were me, I would:

Get a complete inspection of the car.

Fix the coolant leak.

Fix the RMS.

I have been stuck in New Mexico waiting for parts. It was not fun.

Yes, the Box is a nice DD.

Good luck.

dgentileksu · 05-07-2008, 07:10 AM

All,

Thanks for the quick responses and advice! I plan to get both the RMS and coolant tank fixed before I head out at the end of the month. Just not sure if I want to do it at the Stealership that did the 60k mile or find a good private party wrench in the bay area.

As for extra preventitive maintenance, would you recommend replacing the water pump and clutch at the same time to save costs downrange? So far I have not had a problem with the clutch, but I know one of the previous owners had tracked the car...

Also, I got a carfax report, but would like to start building a maintenance history file on the box. Any advice on how to track down prior maintenance records with 3 previous owners?

Thanks again,

Dave

NickCats · 05-07-2008, 07:23 AM

Dave,

Have the clutch done when you do the RMS. This will kill two birds with one stone ( they have to access the clutch unit for the RMS replacement )...

Only way I know of to track down the service records is to go to the dealers that did prior work on the car, and I have heard that some of them are hesitant to release this information for some reason

Congrats and enjoy !

Nick

dgentileksu · 05-07-2008, 07:32 AM

One more noob question...

The recommended octane is 94, according to the placard under the gas cap, but nearly every gas station I go to only has 92. Any advice on what you all put in and if I should only be using 94, where to get it?

Thanks,

Dave

NickCats · 05-07-2008, 07:52 AM

Dave,

Those in Cali are stuck using 92. Your car should be fine :

The manual then states you won't necessarily harm the motor with only 91 octane. It simply will play with the ignition, an potentially reduce power, so as to limit any detonation.

In many places 91 is the highest and many people are using it without issues. You may see a reduction in performance with 91, but it would be hard to test and statistically prove a performance difference with 93 over 91 for the consumer.

What octane really required?

Nick