Maintenance Costs Insane?

[Ghostrider 310]

I'll bet I know why they tell you to disassemble the oil system, that oil tube and it's associated connectors are made of legendary Porsche polymers. You get one chance to seat it right, get it wrong and the chinzy clip disintegrates in your hand. Beyond that, the tolerances are such that installing it is not anywhere as simple as it should be, I found myself longing for a flexible tube and some hose clamps!! I did not encounter any special clips that could not be taken apart by hand. The issue I had was the piece is easier to service from the top and bottom so you have to access it from two service points.

[Joel-Box-ster]

Originally Posted by FirstPorscheAt18

or should I sell it? Though I love my Boxster,

Keep your Boxster and get yourself a reliable used daily driver.

[ProjectM96]

I spent an average of $90 per month for car repairs, maintenance, and modifications for the past 20 months I have owned the car.

[Coffinhunter]

Originally Posted by ProjectM96

I spent an average of $90 per month for car repairs, maintenance, and modifications for the past 20 months I have owned the car.

I think you should take modifications out of that equation, as that is not a true cost of ownership.

I have found through the combination of my brief ownership, and my father in law who bought it new and kept all records, the cost has been not much more than most other cars. Sure each part is more expensive, but they also seem to last longer. Oil changes are more, but factor that over 15,000 miles as opposed to every3,000 miles (just using manufacture recommendations) and it is about even, if not less.

[ekam]

Originally Posted by Coffinhunter

Oil changes are more, but factor that over 15,000 miles as opposed to every3,000 miles (just using manufacture recommendations) and it is about even, if not less.

Umm... most people do it at every 6k miles...

[mikefocke]

OTOH, I had an occasion to replace an O2 sensor the same week on a Honda CRV and my Boxster.

The cost to have a muffler shop do the labor was the same.

The cost of the part was more for the Honda branded part than the Porsche branded part.

The cost for the part from the manufacturer who supplied the part to Honda was more than the cost for the part from the manufacturer who supplied the part to Porsche.

Result was about $100 difference in favor of the Porsche.

Tires (best available Michelins) were $700 for the CRV, $1100 for the Boxster. Only real difference in 5-6 years and it was something I could have avoided by buying a different brand of tire for the Boxster.

But maybe one reason I had such a good history of low maintenance costs was because I didn't try to spare the maintenance. I did it early and often in the case of oil changes. Use OEM parts, yes. Use my labor (very unskilled) or low cost labor (yes). But when it took someone with specific knowledge of a Boxster, I went to the best and only paid once.

[ltusler]

Its simple: Don't do the math!

[doragman]

agree - my head hurts when I do that

[ekam]

And how many times do we read from these "catch and release" owners that "oh my boxster is so expensive to fix, maybe I should get rid of it."

The car gets passed to a new owner who neglect to fix it too and pass it to the next guy who thinks he got a deal on a porsche, then the next guy...

It goes on and on. I'm thankful that I got mine from the original owner with all the paperwork.

Is that kind of like buying a house with $0 down? You mean you actually have to afford the payments? No wonder our society is going downhill fast...

[986_inquiry]

Originally Posted by Topless

A ton of threads already on this. Plan to spend $2k/yr on general maintenance, plus any mods or major work:
986 Forum - for Porsche Boxster Owners and Others - Search Results

A Porsche is not for everyone.

$2,000 a year? i read set aside $200-$300 a month, $2400-$3600 a year roughly, for a out-of-warranty boxster

That's just... what you do. Like, buying a dog dog food, that's just what you do when you have a dog.

If someone don't like it, don't get a dog. Or a Porsche.

[recycledsixtie]

If you can't afford a Porsche you should not even consider it. First rule is if you buy a 2nd hand Porsche pay cash for it. Because if it is out of Porsche warranty, then you need more $$$ to fix it (or less $$ to fix it yourself). It is easy to get underwater with these cars particularly if you get a car with problems. A PPI should be mandatory unless you think you know lots about Porsches.I love my P car and did lots of research before I bought it. Information is $$$$ saved. This car is not a Miata costwise. But is way more fun.

[Ghostrider 310]

Since a high school friend passed last week at 53 of cancer, lest us not forget that we spend a long time in the dirt. Recently, I received digits from someone I was keenly interested in who now appears to be married. Point of both short stories? I'd rather spend my fought for wealth on myself than someone with questionable honor and before I'm too old to enjoy having piled it up.

[Coffinhunter]

Originally Posted by ekam

Umm... most people do it at every 6k miles...

Not being a smart @$$, really.

Why do "most" people do it at 6k? The manufacturers recommendation is 12K. (I mistyped 15k in original post ) Unless you are only putting 6k in the 2 year time frame, or driving hard/tracking the car, why that often?

[Ghostrider 310]

Because at the end of the day you are still recycling the same oil regardless of how great a spin converter might be. Other than gas it's the cheapest thing you will put in your car and truly cheap insurance against crankcase buildup and oil break down.

[ekam]

Originally Posted by Coffinhunter

Not being a smart @$$, really.

Why do "most" people do it at 6k? The manufacturers recommendation is 12K. (I mistyped 15k in original post ) Unless you are only putting 6k in the 2 year time frame, or driving hard/tracking the car, why that often?

http://www.lnengineering.com/oil.html

The manufacturer also recommends using only N-rated tires and nothing but Mobil1 0W40 oil... do you follow both of these recommendations as well?

[Topless]

Originally Posted by Coffinhunter

Not being a smart @$$, really.

Why do "most" people do it at 6k? The manufacturers recommendation is 12K. (I mistyped 15k in original post ) Unless you are only putting 6k in the 2 year time frame, or driving hard/tracking the car, why that often?

Fuel and water contamination causes premature IMS failure. Changing every 5k is just good preventative maintenance. Ultimately it is your car and your $$ so each driver must choose the best interval for you. I change mine every 3k but my car is "special".

[Coffinhunter]

Originally Posted by ekam

Oils: What motor oil should I use? Which oil is best for my Porsche or aircooled engine?

The manufacturer also recommends using only N-rated tires and nothing but Mobil1 0W40 oil... do you follow both of these recommendations as well?

Not really the same thing.....but I get your point.

Of course I do use Mobil 1..... did before I got a Porsche.

None of this really answers my question though. One of the "advantages" of running a synthetic oil is that you should be able to go longer between oil changes. I run synthetics in my other vehicles and change the oil every 5 or 6k. 140k later and still no problems. Those cars don't have the 9 quart capacity the Boxster does, nor the "technological advances" of the car.

I am not trying to argue at all, just learn about the car that I have "owned" for a whole 4 weeks.

Thanks

[ekam]

From the link:

"On newer water-cooled Porsche engines where Mobil 1 0w40 is recommended, a simple change to an oil with CJ-4 rating or preferably an oil with SL or CI-4 rating as well as a viscosity of 5w40 rather than 0w40 are two changes that can be done in addition to more frequent oil changes to ensure longevity of newer engines."

"Failure to use the right oil, use proper filtration, or observe proper changing intervals can affect the performance of even the best motor oil. It is also worth noting that some manufacturers have gone to shorter intervals and requiring fully synthetic oils (Group 4 or 5) due to litigation surrounding sludge formation and failed engines as a result of factory recommended long drain intervals, so drain interval recommendations are often in a state of flux. Based off of extremely long drain intervals recommended by most European manufacturers, some in excess of 30,000 mi at some point in recent history. Most users have found it best to reduce those intervals by half or even a quarter. Porsche over the last decade has had intervals ranging from 12,000 to 24,000 miles and up to 2 years. Based on UOAs provided to us by our customers, new Porsche owners should consider reducing their drain intervals to no more than six months or 5,000 mi. On newer water cooled models prone to IMS failures, some shops even recommend changing your oil every three months or 3,000 mi allowing for early detection of a failing IMS bearing. Also, remember, Porsche drain intervals are based off a fill of min. 10 quarts, so engines with smaller sumps have to run shorter drain intervals! Cars that have less oil volume can benefit from more frequent oil changes."

Wayne, the owner of this forum and PelicanParts, also recommends changing every 5k miles.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/box_oil_change/box_oil_change.htm

[Coffinhunter]

Originally Posted by ekam

From the link:

Now that's an explination I understand! Thanks. I'm a little thick sometimes, especially when I THINK I understand something.