[RandallNeighbour]

The new engine was installed a few days before the wholesaler bought the car at the Miami auction, evidently. When I picked it up the engine was pristine, and two mechanics told me it was a brand new engine installed a matter of days before. No road grime, grease, oil leaks, etc.

My mechanic estimated the new engine went in at 81k, I bought it with 82k on it. I put in a tranny with approximately 40k or less on it from a salvage yard here in Texas. The originally tranny developed a "brraaaap" sound in first gear that I suspected would become far more than a sound with the amount of torque the new engine produced, so I spent the 2,500 to buy it and have my mechanic install it (that's the total price).

My car was one of those horror stories from the beginning. I bought it cheap off ebay ($15k) sight unseen and flew to Miami to drive it back home to Houston. Made the trip home just fine, but the AC went out along the way (crushed O rings from the engine install), and I discovered the car had been spun out into a curb (cheap replacement rims, a bent rear strut and front sub frame damage). I found pot in the car (flakes-o-plenty in the cracks of both seats), numerous rusty lighters under the seats, and both the trunks had been overfilled with luggage and the driver or passenger just jammed down the lids, creating "reverse dings" in the hood and trunk lids (from the inside out, as it were.) One or more of the three previous owners were party animals and neglected the care and maintenance the car requires. I'm guessing the first owner babied his new car and got tired of it. The second enjoyed it and got tired of it. The third one bought it and beat on it good!

I've put about 6k in repairs into the car and now it's very dependable, drives great and I can sleep at night. That page on my web site (and the other one that gives my top ten things to check for when buying a Boxster, accessed through the front page) are all a result of my "learn as you replace and repair stuff" on the car.

Had I had the ability to go back in time a year, I would have saved my money and saved far more and just now be buying a 2000 S in far better shape with no damage and hopefully, find a garage queen. I just got ants in my pants and bought the cheapest 97 I could find. But, with that said I'd have to also say that the last year has been filled with learning experiences and the challenge has been fun... sort of!

But God has a sense of humor... other boxster owners here, with far younger cars and with far fewer miles have had problems and breakdowns I have yet to have with the same original equipment installed. Go figure.