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Old 09-05-2015, 04:32 AM   #1
"50 Years of 550 Spyder"
 
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IMS Pre-Emptive strike Accomplished!

Howdy, Gang!

Just a note for the folks keeping score.

I am new to the Porsche world. After driving my 1993 Miata for 22 years and 347,680 miles, I sold her and bought a 2004 Boxster S "50 Years of 550 Spyder" edition with 25,000 miles on the odometer.

She was a one owner, owned by a little old lady in Denver and she slept in a garage and was only driven about 5,000 miles a year the first three years and then each year after the annual mileage kept dropping until she only put 68 miles on her the last year of ownership before she traded her in for an SUV for her daughter.

I thought a long time about what kind of car I wanted. I rented a new Z4 with the retractable hard top and drove her around northern California through the Sierra and CA36 and PCH and all those good roads. Nice car. But.....meh.

I drove several Vettes. Fast. Sticky. Boring.

I drove the new Mustang. Spectacular car. Absolutely spectacular car. But, for me, just too big.

I wanted a SPORTS car. I wanted a roadster.

Lotus Elise. Too much like the Miata and not enough luggage space for a two week vacation for us.

Alfa 4C. Ditto.

S2000. Ditto.

I kept coming back to Boxster.

So I bought this thing.

And I bought her going in with all the knowledge about all of the catastrophic failures.

So, I factored all of that into the purchase price and sent the car to Flat6 Innovations and had Raby give her the #3 IMS package.

Done.

I just wanted to share with the collective how absolutely astounding the customer service was with Raby and Jud and the folks at Flat6 Innovations.

If you are thinking of sending your car to them. Just do it.

Highly recommended.



That is all.

I look forward to seeing you folks out on that lost highway some day.

Enjoy the drive!

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Old 09-05-2015, 05:07 AM   #2
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Let's see some pictures!

Sounds like you have a very smooth buying experience and found a great car. Sometimes you gotta worry about granny driven low mile cars, but with it having had its ims done, I'd say you are ready to make up for a lot of missed mileage.

Enjoy the car and welcome.
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Old 09-05-2015, 05:50 AM   #3
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Great. That is my favorite Boxster. With those miles and Raby's number three Preventive Package you are starting fresh. An engine that is better than when new from Porsche in 2004. Very cool. Enjoy.
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Old 09-05-2015, 01:13 PM   #4
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OK, I've followed this for years and have never heard of a "number three Preventative Package".

Tell me about it please. What does it include?
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Old 09-05-2015, 01:44 PM   #5
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We must be on the same wavelength. Bought a 04 986 550 Spyder in early July after a year long search with 32K on the ticker. Today I dropped her off at Kraftwerks (Jeff Brubaker) just north of Columbus Ohio (a Raby 986 graduate X3) for the preventative maintenance package. What an amazing car soon to be made better. Enjoy!
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Old 09-05-2015, 06:15 PM   #6
"50 Years of 550 Spyder"
 
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Mikefocke,

They have four levels of pre-packaged maintenance procedures.

I chose "Level 3".

Here's the page on the Flat 6 Innovations web site that explains:

Failure Prevention Packages
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Old 10-13-2015, 01:28 PM   #7
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An open letter to Flat 6 Innovations:

Dear Flat 6 Innovations,

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Your service on my 2004 Porsche Boxster S "50 Years of 550 Spyder" Edition was amazing. From consulting with me for an HOUR in my first cold phone call to your shop, to the professional pickup and deliver service shipping my car from my Louisiana home to your Georgia shop and back, to the perfectly performed service, to the full documentation provided in the form of photographic prints, dyno plots, and an oil sample, your service has been one of the most satisfying experiences of my life.

Having the complete service history on a USB jump drive that will stay with the car, undoubtedly increases the value of the machine. The peace of mind that I can now drive the snot out of her without listening for strange engine noises in the back of my head is priceless.

My wife and I drove her to the Circuit of Americas in Austin, Texas for the "Lone Star LeMans" and parked in the Porsche car corral and many folks stopped by to admire the car. When folks found out I had you install your "IMS Solution", out came the wallets and offers to buy the car out from under us.

We took her for our second shake down run yesterday to the Natchez Trace. I know these roads well and had a chance to really let her rip. What a car. What a freaking car. My wife was very skeptical about me sending off a car I just bought to your shop for a major service when she only had 25,000 miles on her. She couldn't understand why I wouldn't drive the car until i shipped her to you. After she met the transport driver and dealt with him when he picked the car up for service, she called me and told me how professional he was and how she was originally worried about being home alone when a stranger would pick up the car, but was quickly put at ease by his professionalism and that experience made her feel better about what I was doing with the car. After yesterday's nine hour Sunday drive to Natchez and back, with the top down, the sun on our skin, and that howling Flat 6 singing in our ears, she "gets it." Out on that Mississippi levi road, when I let her race to redline, and that induction howl filled our senses, she turned to me and said, "This car sounds like the one Steve McQueen drives in that "LeMans" movie you watch all the time, I like it!"

Thank you. May you all live forever!

All the best,
John Phelps

P.S.
Enjoy the attached photo.

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Old 10-13-2015, 01:55 PM   #8
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Thanks, just asked flat6 for details via their .pdf so I'd be more knowledgeable.
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Old 10-13-2015, 06:11 PM   #9
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To be clear, these are ALL IMS Solution packages.

Different stages of package add more items that are addressed. That said, even the most basic package (Stage1) addresses the IMS Retrofit, with an IMS Solution, and adds a clutch replacement. Stage 2 adds AOS and water pump, while Stage 3 adds tensioners and spark plugs. Stage 4 is deluxe, and addresses main timing chains, wear pads, chain rails, and lifters.

John, you were great to work with. Glad to have made you happy.
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Old 10-14-2015, 07:59 AM   #10
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John,
Interesting post. Congratulations on the record miles in the old Miata !I have one too.
Your test driving report was interesting. Did you try :
1.ND Miata
2.Mercedes SLK ?
I did much the same and came to the same conclusion as you.
Your long term ownership and preventative maintenance perspective is most welcome as a counterpoint to the sense of impending doom many M96 owners have.
I hope your Boxster can match the 347,000+ miles the Miata achieved !


"I thought a long time about what kind of car I wanted. I rented a new Z4 with the retractable hard top and drove her around northern California through the Sierra and CA36 and PCH and all those good roads. Nice car. But.....meh.

I drove several Vettes. Fast. Sticky. Boring.

I drove the new Mustang. Spectacular car. Absolutely spectacular car. But, for me, just too big.

I wanted a SPORTS car. I wanted a roadster.

Lotus Elise. Too much like the Miata and not enough luggage space for a two week vacation for us.

Alfa 4C. Ditto.

S2000. Ditto."
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Old 10-14-2015, 09:45 AM   #11
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Nice story, thanks for sharing!

However one single picture does not cut it...
LOL
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Old 10-14-2015, 04:29 PM   #12
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Niiiiiiiice!

Love the 04 Anniversary Edition, especially the one with the chocolate interior (not sure if you have that). I too, went through the process with many of the alternative cars, and quite frankly the lack of luggage space was a deal killer - not to mention that I was bitten by the Porsche bug a few years ago when my wife's cousin sold his original owner 914 for a Cayman that I got to drive a few times.

I totally agree with your pre-emptive strike approach, and I'm sure you'll forever be happy you went that way. My 03 Base was with the DOF fix and I feel like I have peace of mind.

Anyway, good luck with that beauty. Happy trails!
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Old 10-14-2015, 06:04 PM   #13
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But he didn't sample drive a Jag or BMW.

My buying experience was to sample them all and many I discarded as my body didn't fit or they felt heavy. And then I was back to a mid engine Porsche and in a mile I knew.
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Old 10-14-2015, 07:03 PM   #14
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The road from Miata to Boxster...

...Well, Bought my Miata new in 1993. She was my only car for about 20 years.

I am not a high net worth individual, I can't afford a new Porsche. I have always wanted a Boxster ever since they first hit the market.

What other car provides a mid-engine, boxer configuration, power folding top with no manual boot to fool with, TWO trunks, and Porsche heritage?

I can't afford a 360 Modena.

So, I reached a point where I needed to replace the Miata this year, and Boxster prices have bottomed. When I found this 2004 Boxster S "50 years of 550 Spyder" Edition, with only 25,000 miles on her, I HAD to buy her.

As for the Merc SLK, doesn't do anything for me. In the end, the only competition was a ZO6 Vette, or some kind of classic car, or a resto-mod mid year, 63-67 Vette.

The Boxster just ticked all the boxes for me.

I don't like 911s. But I LOVE this Boxster.

Sending her to Jake Raby and Flat 6 Innovations seems like the best bet for a car that I wanted to keep forever. I DON'T want to buy another car again....Ever.

Between my three motorcycles and this Boxster, I'm satisfied.

One side benefit of buying the Boxster is that I joined the Porsche Club of America and my wife and I had a blast at the "Lone Star LeMans" Porscheplatz at COTA. It was our first trip in the car, and that seemed fitting. Being able to hang out with the President of Porsche and the race drivers and watching the car that won LeMans race was cool.

And having the support of this great forum is fun as well.

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Old 10-14-2015, 07:08 PM   #15
"50 Years of 550 Spyder"
 
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Oh, the ND Miata..

...The new ND Miata is spectacular. They NAILED it. It is exactly what the new Miata should be.

The new Miata is THE best sports car deal in the world today. That is the car I would tell everyone to buy.

But, my eleven year old Boxster is freaking amazing.
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Old 10-14-2015, 07:54 PM   #16
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I think Porsche should have hired you at that event ! You've given Porsche more positive P.R. in two posts than all their print media they buy for the month.
I look forward to subsequent posts about your Boxster relationship.

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