[bullwinkle]

New here. Nice Forum. I particularly appreciate the civil and informative tone.

That said, I have been considering buying a used Honda S2000. I was at a dealer that had one and had a Boxster, so I drove both. And the Boxster was really speaking to me.

Since I have one kid in college and am soon to have another, I started looking around to see what owners thought about reliability, costs, etc.

So having read all the horror stories about IMS and RMS failures I thought I would ask for a reality check: Am I nuts for considering a Boxster in the same breath as an S2000.

I presently drive an Acura RSX-type S. So the S2000 type of driving (high revs to go fast) is nothing new to me. These cars live to dart in and out of traffic at 6500 RPM, and I am OK with that. SImilarly, I am very comfortable with the ride and handling of the S2000. And it even has the same seats and the same transmission.

From a reliability and service standpoint, it's a Honda. While not bulletproof, they are very predictable. My Acura has 110,000 miles on it. It is on it's second set of brakes and third set of tires. Still has the original Clutch, Cv joints, Struts, exhaust, etc. Still Revs to 8,250 --rev limiter--with ease. The only major thing that ever went wrong is that the Airbag computer failed at about 70,000. That was a $900 part. Acura paid for it--though I paid to install it, which with an oil and filter (Oil, Air, Pollen, etc) change cost a total of $150. The only unusual thing about the RSX is it eats left side headlights at the rate of about 1 every 15,000 miles or so.

With the S2000, I was expecting that my costs for tires would go up, and that my mileage would drop a little bit (I average about 29 in the RSX). I also expect that the S2000 would be a bit louder (the RSX is not quiet).

But I would never think to buy an extended warranty for any Honda-Acura, or worry about anything remotely similar to an RMS or IMS failures. Those things just don't happen to Hondas.

But the S2000 does not talk to me like a Boxster does. And I have always wanted a Porsche.

One more thing: If I get either an S2000 or a Boxster, it would be my daily driver, getting about 1,200 miles a month of suburban/country driving for about 9 months a year. I would keep the RSX as my "inclement weather" car.

SO I have a couple of questions for the group:

My price range seems to buy either a 2004 vintage s2000 or a 2002 vintage Boxster around these parts. Which would you go for?

Is there an extended warranty or insurance policy that would cover an IMS or RMS? How much do they cost and who sells them?

Is the boxster so risky that I would be better off looking at something like a 1980s vintage 911SC or 911 Carerra, which seem to be more reliable?

Thanks for the input.