While my Boxster is not a daily driver, I still put around 9-10K miles on it each year in weekend driving (friends live far). That being said, this BoxsterS has been the lowest maintenance car I have ever owned. Oil changes are pricey but you can get away with doing it every six months at least. And the air filters you change yourself. A decent independent Porsche shop can do brake flush, oil change, alignments, etc. Generally avoid the dealer for routine maintenance type stuff if you can. Just make sure you Boxster is not the first 2000 or newer Porsche the independent Porsche shop is working on. Those shops need the work nowadays.
The best way to ward off repairs is to go easy on the car. Let the oil temp come up, don't go harsh on the brakes and throttle, keep the tires properly inflated so that suspension isn't working overtime, and learn to shift smoothly so that your clutch lasts 100K miles.
There's nothing you can do if the intermediate shaft goes or you get an unexpected $1000 rear main seal leak. That's just a design flawe that Porsche never owned up to. Although I have heard some mutterings that Mobil 1 should not be used as it's too thin to properly lubricate against IMS failure.
From a Rennlist discussion (on of many on Pelican and Renntech.org now doubt)
"My understanding is Mobil 1 changed their formulation in the recent past leading to some issues. My local builder indicated to me they grenaded a few new engines using Mobil 1's new formulation and were able to trace the issue back to Mobil 1 and won't touch it as a result. My subsequent research indicated others having similar issues.
I won't pretend to be an expert because I am not, but I do listen to those I trust on the issue. For my 2004 Boxster S, I look for an oil at least an API SL, SH, or SJ rating and an HTHS viscosity of at least 4.5.
So I run Castrol full synthetic 5w-40 (which is on Porsche's approved list and is easily obtained locally) or Redline 5w-40 (which isn't on Porsche's list and has to be ordered). For my Spec Miata track car I run Brad Penn 10w-30 which I like a lot and I order from LN Engineering."
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Originally Posted by icedude
I have to agree with you on everything you said. I have no problem repairing normal wear and tear items, tires, brakes etc. I know a Boxster is a "high maintenance" vehicle..
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