I am instilled with confidence about buying a Boxster

[sd_boxster]

I've had my '03 for 2 years (bought it certified pre owned from a dealership with 22K miles on it) and love it more than the day I bought it. I autocross it, drive it harder than most, and maintain it rigorously, and it's been trouble-free so far.

Maybe it'll last for 100K miles, maybe it'll grenade sooner than later, but either way, it's been worth it for me. I bought a $60K car for $25K, and I figure I've gotten $1K a month in fun out of it since, so everything from here on out is gravy!

[ekam]

At least he's not asking "Can I afford a boxster for $500 a month? Ok what about $600?"

Worse case scenario, have $10k in your bank account so if the engine blows you can get another one put in.

Or just have the IMS retrofit done.

[nasomi]

I was looking in the 20k range price-wise. However I don't like to put hard numbers on things, it sometimes makes you compromise on what you want, and I'm not a big fan of compromises.

Yeah, I have to have 10k set aside at any given time in case my truck engine grenades.

So the IMS retrofit solves the weak point in the engine making it much more reliable?

[harryrcb]

I'm surprised no one mentioned to get a Boxster "S" or did I miss it. I got an 04 S 2 years ago, have over 51k on it, track it every DE session drive really hard, take it to every Auto Cross, drive really hard, I think the secret is to drive it often, change your oil and filter often at least every 5k and you should not have problems, if you are really afraid you get the IMS (intermediate shaft) bearing changed
A friend of mine has the same year S and he tracks it with me only his has nearly 100k on it without an IMS upgrade
So I say go for it, the only options really worth anything are the litronic lights and the bose speaker system IMO. then you can go crazy like me and put on every mod ever made ( I also had 2 AOS failures but finally decided to go with the motorsport AOS) so far so good.

[nasomi]

I actually just discovered the boxster s. I think an 00+ boxster s is what i'm looking for. 00-01 is listed as 249hp and 02-04 is listed as 255hp, vs the 201-218hp of the non-s's through the years. I am gonna call a guy about an 01 6speed boxster s with 45k and 18" pirelli's. I'll let you know how i make out. For the record I'm not looking to auto-cross, i drive a mammoth vehicle every other day of hte week, I just want a spirited drive here and there. When I do drive, I drive hard though.

[lahalte]

You want one so take a chance and enjoy a car that will give you smiles.Who knows what the future holds.I owned a audi tt and loved it(my motherin law just fit in the back seat).But the porsche has better handling and a bigger smile.I had to buy a second car(for my myher in law) Oh well.

[cbrubaker]

Thanks for the thread, I'm the guy looking for the same information so this was very useful and I don't need to re-run the thread. I'm looking at a 100k car 00-01 S as I'm in the 'austerity' mode and figure for 12-15k I can get back in a Boxster if I am willing to go with more miles, I've contemplated a late '80's 911 but doubt I'll go that route. I've had a '98 Boxster, an '01 S and an '05 S, and loved them all, right now I've been in a Miata for the last 2 years and I can't believe the difference in the comfort of the cockpit between the Miata and the Boxsters, performance aside there is just no comparison, the Miata sucks.

The question I have is cost for the IMS correction, I sent a note off to Flat 6 and will reach out to them but I figure there are ballpark costs for that correction. Also I haven't heard much about the AOS issue, can someone give me a relative order of magnitude on cost and a quick description of what the symptoms are for this?

[harryrcb]

Originally Posted by cbrubaker

Thanks for the thread, I'm the guy looking for the same information so this was very useful and I don't need to re-run the thread. I'm looking at a 100k car 00-01 S as I'm in the 'austerity' mode and figure for 12-15k I can get back in a Boxster if I am willing to go with more miles, I've contemplated a late '80's 911 but doubt I'll go that route. I've had a '98 Boxster, an '01 S and an '05 S, and loved them all, right now I've been in a Miata for the last 2 years and I can't believe the difference in the comfort of the cockpit between the Miata and the Boxsters, performance aside there is just no comparison, the Miata sucks.

The question I have is cost for the IMS correction, I sent a note off to Flat 6 and will reach out to them but I figure there are ballpark costs for that correction. Also I haven't heard much about the AOS issue, can someone give me a relative order of magnitude on cost and a quick description of what the symptoms are for this?

the part is between 5 +600.00 depending on which bearing you have, labor is around 10-12 hrs you can do the math on what your shop charges, the trans has to come out as does your clutch and flywheel, so while you are in there you might as wel1 consider changing the clutch which costs around 500, so it's not cheap but worth it in the long run, go to LN Engineering web site and read his explanation of what and why things go wrong.
the AOS problem is simply put a crankcase breather that stops working, instead of returning the oil back to the crankase it fills up you intake manifold with oil, which makes a considerable amount of smoke come out your exhaust. Sometimes when you push it hard through a turn it injest enough oil to choke the engine which as you can imagine is not good. suncoast porsche sells a motorsport version of the AOS for aroung 650 which is supposed to eliminate this problem, It has worked on mine so far. Hope this was helpful, good luck with your decision.

[kpm]

Originally Posted by nasomi

I actually just discovered the boxster s. I think an 00+ boxster s is what i'm looking for. 00-01 is listed as 249hp and 02-04 is listed as 255hp, vs the 201-218hp of the non-s's through the years. I am gonna call a guy about an 01 6speed boxster s with 45k and 18" pirelli's. I'll let you know how i make out. For the record I'm not looking to auto-cross, i drive a mammoth vehicle every other day of hte week, I just want a spirited drive here and there. When I do drive, I drive hard though.

I drive a 2006 Dodge CTD Mega Cab, so I understand the mammoth vehicle concept.

Absolutely do the PPI, I didn't and it cost me a thousand bucks to replace all 4 cv boots.

That being said, I love this car (01 S 67,000mi).

[smshirk]

I have responded to many threads of this nature over the years and try to give prospective buyers a fair picture, although for some it may turn them off. I am on my 3rd M96 car after decades of Porsche ownership and I must say they have just kept getting better, even though all Porsches throughout the history of the company have had their individual issues in all product lines. Some are worse than others, but all are expensive to fix. That being said, normal maintenance and regular driving are the best insurance against catastrophic failures in all things Porsche.

The 15k mile oil change interval Porsche recommends is IMO a dangerous practice. I sold my first Boxster a 97 with 120k+ miles with no engine issues ever, no oil leaks, and only the known trouble items, ignition switch, water pump, auto climate control unit, radiator overfill tank, MAF, in addition to normal wear items. Overall it was a great car though a bit underpowered for my tastes which is why I sold it. During the same time and after I had a 2000 996 Tip which I used as a daily driver for 2 to 3 years, selling it around 70k miles. I had 2 bad water pumps, ignition switch, idler pulley plus wear items and that was it. I changed the oil every 5k miles on both. No oil leaks, no engine issues and one of the most reliable cars I have ever owned.

My current car a 2001 Boxster S I bought with 40k miles and have had zero issues with the car thus far at 55k miles. However, for performance reasons and for long term piece of mind I opted to invest in the full performance upgrade to a 3.6 liter from flat6 innovations. I am getting significantly more HP than stock, more pertinent I have added torque and throttle response associated with additional displacement and a light weight single mass flywheel which makes a huge difference in the feel of the car. It is quicker by a long shot than my 996 and easier to drive fast if not actually faster than my E46 M3 which is a little better than stock itself having after market cold air intake and cat back exhaust.

The extra performance is great, but getting upgraded cylinders, conn rods, pistons, IMS, valves, etc, and perhaps most advantageous to me; the expertise of Jake Raby, flat6, and L&N Engineering having done the development and ongoing maintenance to my motor, assuming it ever needs anything. I say this because prior to this development we were at the mercy of Porsche's engine exchange program and they were not overly concerned about those who bought their Porsches on the used market. Jake and Charles have changed the landscape of ownership of M96 cars and right now is the perfect time to buy. I now have what I believe is the car Porsche should have provided with an 01 Boxster. The car is lighter, the performance better than the new 987s and perhaps just as reliable as the new engines Porsche is building without an IMS. I still have way less in my car than if I had bought a new 987 and I intend to keep it as long as it runs, which at my age may be longer than my engine We have yet to see what issues the 9A1 will introduce, but hopefully Porsche has worked out the kinks in their water cooled engines. We'll know for sure when they start using it for GT3s and Turbos.

The bottom line is the Boxster handles better in stock guise than all but the most advanced 911s, and hence most road cars available, has two boots that provide ample room for luggage for two on a trip, and can be tracked successfully, if that's your thing, regularly, in spite of being a rag top. Amazingly the price of entry for a good car is ~15k or so. As with all Porsches and most used cars you should get a $300-400 PPI by a qualified independent mechanic who works on these cars regularly. I wouldn't use a dealer since they mostly replace parts under warranty. Once purchased I would advise at a minimum the IMS upgrade from flat6 and at the same time a new clutch, so figure those costs into your price of admission, then enjoy.