Newb Portland OR
 

Hello All,

I’m Alex, just wanted to introduce myself. I’m in market for a Boxter. Test drove a 2005 yesterday, loved the way it drives, but there was a ticking sound at idle which worried me. Obviously a PPI may answer some questions, but there were many other cosmetic blemishes, including corners of bonnet folded up from being hyper extended.

Have heart set on a 1999 now, has hard top, and owner seems to be a knowledgeable Porsche guy who cares for it well. His brother also has Boxter and they’re club members. It’s at 110k miles, but the clutch is still good, had hard top, and present owner is conscientious when doing oil changes, inspecting the oil that comes out, looking st filter,etc. For me it won’t be a daily driver, so the risk is less. I hope to get at least 1 or 2 summers out of it before I have to replace clutch as winter project. He just did AOS, fuel pump & relay, and new O2 sensors.

The 1999 Seems like a better bet than the 2005 I drove which the dealer had picked up at an auction.

Glad to be on the forum, and I appreciste the wealth of knowledge here. I have lots of reading to do.

Know feeling just bought 2000 with low mileage. Having it inspected no service record but mileage verified. Maintenance is key. First ever Porsche for me. Concern is how much preventive comfort maintenance I do immediately.

Fun indeed! I’ve had mine for about 6 weeks now, and absolutely love it.

I know what you mean about maintenance and being able to get ahead of it just so I know where things are at in the time maint cycle.

Here’s what I’ve done so far:
New tires and 4 wheel alignment day after I bought it
Wash, polish,buff and wax (very gratifying)
Changed serpentine belt a couple weeks ago.
This weekend changing waterpump, thermostat and coolant. (Hoses and motor mount look ok)
Oil was changed just before I bought it, but that was almost 3k miles ago now, so will do that next weekend probably. Really I just want to inspect the oil and filter, but after that I’ll likely go with a 5k interval. I’m pleasantly surprised that the level on the dipstick hasn’t changed in all this time. The readout on the dash will vary with top three bars depending. It shows one bar overfill when cold first thing in the morn, but when I arrive at work it’s one bar under full. Go out for lunch and exactly at full mark, yet dipstick always shows full to the top mark.

Want to do brake fluid, air filter and spark plugs, but not urgently. Then I think I’m done with the preventative for a while.

I’m not sure if wheel bearings, altranator, clutch or brake pads will wear out next, we’ll see.
I discovered a rattle in the front suspension that seems more prevelent on warm days. When weathet got to 80^+ a couple weeks ago it was very disturbing. I’ve got new sway bar end links on the bench, hoping that’s it.

It sounds like a lot now that I’ve listed it out, but no regrets. The Box doesn’t feel like a maint hog to me, just need to get in front of it during early part of ownership, albeit may be just for my comfort.

Just came back from driving my Passat to town. Haven’t been in it for weeks. I used to think it was a very nimble sedan, but gosh it seemed so soft and huge, turns and stops much like a boat by comparison to the Porsche.

Exited for you rvernie. How many miles on your 2000 Boxter ? What color is it?

The color is black. 15600 miles that are verifiable. Automatic Trans so Mom feels comfortable driving it. Liked your approach. I am going to do cooling system as a high priority replace coolant and thermostat mainly precautionary, May replace hoses as summers in Texas are brutal. Like you found it is best to be in front of it.
“Keep it between the white lines and below the redline”. RVERNIE

Welcome to the forum, sorry we missed you till now, hard to see this thread at the top of the page. Sounds like you have a great start to Box ownership. I bought my Box 19 yr. ago in Portland & drove down Hwy 1 back to L.A.

When you change the oil next time you should remove the cover plate after most of the oil has drained, to see what might be stuck inside. Any auto silicone sealer will do to reinstall it. :)

Thanks for the Welcome Byprodriver.

You’re right, I’ve been thinking of dropping the pan to check it out. Will probably just order new oil sump gasket for reinstallation.

Yours looks fun. A 3.6 Liter, wow!