[Perfectlap]

very simple rule:

The higher the mileage the bigger the stack of receipts has to be.

Major maintenance items: full suspension overhaul. My original set up only made it to 70K miles for a car driven only on weekends but driven through four seasons.

IMS/Clutch/Flywheel $4K. rear axle boots were both torn, that's another "while you're in there" job.

My exhaust and catalytic converters also went belly up around 70k miles.
That was at least $2k in parts.

The cooling system needs to be inspected every 5 years or so as far as the water pump and after 10 years the coolant tank is probably brittle. if you flush the coolant in that condition it will split and dump your pricey pink kook aide. So new tank and DEFINITELY replace cap. If the old cap doesn't hold enough pressure you could end up with a big big problem that will cost you more than the car is worth...all for a $20 cap.

Then you have the usual culprits like the AOS, starter, alternator, fuel pump, coil packs, and the very expensive AC compressor job. I had to replace ALL of these before 100K miles. Not cheap.

Also look at the rear tires, and make sure that model is still available. Tires are expensive for this car due to the larger size in the rear which I suspect is a red flag for the tire maker to add a price premium.

And of course these engines are reliable but they are not durable if driven all four seasons. We have one forum member from South Florida who has managed over $300k miles but he kept very strict dealer maintenance and obviously drove the the car every day for at least an hour. When these cars sit for too long moisture builds up and causes the oil to be more of an frenemy than friend.


I think you need to realize that even if you do a lot of repairs yourself, any Boxster or 996 with high miles is a $10-$15K car no matter how much you paid for it. While you can discount your labor, time, space, and equipment, those parts are still expensive.