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Old 07-16-2006, 09:54 AM   #16
MNBoxster
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
Posts: 3,308
Quote:
Originally Posted by blue2000s
Are you saying that you fear that the Boxster is less reliable than a Lotus, Morgan, old Ferrari Triumph or Healey? I'd be very surpised if you say that none of them had an oil leak or questionable electronics. Was the maintanence of the Ferrari actually less costly than the Boxster? Please share more.
Hi,

That is not what I'm saying exactly. The issues with the Brit Cars were annoying, not life-threatening. And, remember, these cars were of a technology that was essentially from the 1940's and '50's where Metallurgy, Machining and Production techniques were not nearly so advanced as today. And, the Brit Cars were both easy and cheap to fix.

With today's available technology and the price tag of the Boxster, the issues with this car are inexcusable, even more inexcusable for a company with the engineering legacy of Porsche.

So far as my own cars are concerned, I have never had one of them fail to start or strand me. Maintenance has always been performed properly and timely. I was knowledgeable enough to cull the Dogs from the Cremepuffs when I bought them, but with the Boxster, there isn't really any way to do this.

A seemingly perfect car can lose the RMS or Intermediate shaft with no advance warning, neither easy or cheap to fix. The worst thing which ever happened to one of my cars was an intake leak caused a lean condition in my Esprit and the #4 Piston melted. But, I was able to totally rebuild the engine myself in 3 weeks (due to turnaround time at the Machine and Turbo Shops) for under $1,500. 28k mi. later, the car is as reliable as ever and has not experienced even a 1PSI drop in compression on any cylinder. I put slightly over 20k mi. on my Ferrari without a single issue aside from routine maintenance (this model and engine are known as the most reliable though). My 240Z I still own and have owned since new (every available option for '71 with a Sticker Price of $3,045.00), 23k mi. on the ODO and not a speck of rust on it, though I concede that it isn't driven in rain or snow, ever. And, that to make weight (for the SCCA Classes they expected to compete in), Datsun used a lighter weight and lighter gauge Steel making them prone to corrosion.

Some are surprised that I have praised the Boxster while condemning it at the same time. Well, it's quite simple; the Boxster is a Great Driver, but not a good car to own unless you have deep pockets and some mechanical skill to keep it on the road.

Many cars which can hit the edge of the envelope are less robust, often because this is how they derive their exceptional performance. But, the Boxster doesn't reach those heights (many cars available today will outperform it), but it is less robust than it should be. And, we're not talking about faulty power windows here, but serious design flaws in the engine which have remained unaddressed for a decade.

Many cars have flaws, the Datsun is prone to overheating and the Esprit had a tendency for it's Cast Iron Exhaust Manifold to crack, but these issues can be eliminated with aftermarket or upgraded parts such as switching to a Turbo Oil pump and 4-core radiator on the Z and a SS Tubular header for the Esprit (designed, built, and sold by Neil Mickelwright- GM of Forsythe Racing, and a fellow Esprit owner and personal friend). But, the flaws in the Boxster cannot be eliminated, only fixed each time they fail.

And, there's little logic in the statements of some noting flaws in other cars. These may well exist, but the fact that these cars are also flawed, maybe even more flawed, does not alleviate the flaws in the Boxster. It's of little comfort to a Boxster owner to know that the Bimmer, Audi or Vette suffer from some deficiency when they have a $3000 bill for a failed RMS in their hand.

I do not concede that the newer cars are any better. The same engine is used fundamentally unchanged. If the newer cars haven't failed, I say they haven't failed yet. As a whole, they will have accumulated fewer miles than the earlier models. I recently spoke with both the area PCNA Service Rep and the Gen'l. Mgr. of one of the local dealerships at a local event, and the Service Rep said RMS failure is in the 20-22% range depending upon model year, and that it affects all models. The Gen'l. Mgr. said that the quality issues are starting to affect sales as well.

Of the 4 local Boxster owners whom I know personally, three of the four cars have had RMS Failure. One required engine replacement, another failed twice and the third (mine), had the seal replaced at 4k mi. and it's still holding (knock on wood). But, that's a 75% failure rate. I realize that this is far from a statistically relevant sample, but even so, it's too high to be insignificant.

I believe that this is one of the reasons for the rapid depreciation of the Boxster and why so many people can pick them up cheap. But people need to know that a $20k Boxster can become a $30k Boxster with no warning, and for $30k, there are a lot more reliable Sports Cars to be had.

Porsche is living on borrowed time and a past reputation (I do not count the RS Spyder in ALMS or the Race-Bred 911s because they bear no resemblance to the street Porsches at all). These do not even use the M96 engine - I wonder what Porsche knows that we don't?

I don't believe that burying one's head in the sand or putting a Pollyanna face on it does any service to potential owners. Many will still be willing to risk the downside to gain the upside, but they need to be informed of these real and potential problems. I care NOTHING for the Bling Factor or Prestige of owning a Porsche, I've owned cars from most of the prestigeous marques out there in my time, most good, some not so good. I want a fun car with some performance, style, and reliability which isn't going to put me on Prozac or in the Poor House and the Boxster simply isn't the one. It gives outstanding performance, but so far as reliability, it simply fails to deliver.

Those of you on the board for some time can attest that we see a failed Ignition lock, maybe monthly, a failed MAF sensor maybe every other month and a failed RMS at least once every 3 mos. Many may disagree with me now, condemning me for stating that the Emperor has no clothes, but I suspect that in time, I'll gain a few converts...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Last edited by MNBoxster; 07-16-2006 at 09:01 PM.
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