Thought I would add to this post. Just picked up a 2001 S with 40.8k miles. I put 800 miles on it in two days driving back from California to Washington. I bought it from the original owner and this is the unscheduled work he has had done.

Manifold and cat
Cracked overflow tank

That's it!

The mechanic at Stead Porsche said the RMS had some very minor seepage and should be replaced when the clutch is replaced in another 10k or so. He quoted me $2800 for a new clutch, RMS, and the new LN IMS Ceramic Bearing.

I certainly wouldn't lose sleep over cylinder sleeve worries. Short of tearing the motor down and re-sleeving it, there's nothing you can do to prevent that, so drive the car and enjoy it, and if you happen to be one of the unlucky few, well, pay up. If you can't accept that slim possibility for catastrophe, sell the car.

As to the IMS issues, this does concern me, and unless you have the latest IMS from Porsche, I would swap that bearing out whenever you've got the gearbox off, likely for a clutch or RMS leak. I have the updated LN IMS shaft in the 3.6 that I'm building.

The RMS is just an oil seal. It may never leak, or it may leak within a relatively short time. Either way, while expensive, it's just an oil leak.

My 99 Boxster
 

had 58000 trouble free miles when I traded it in.

My 06 which I bought with 12k (now 14k) is going strong.

Y2K S with 38k miles, had exhaust manifold on both sides replaced by dealer under warranty (6 months apart). Other than that only oil changes. Driven to have fun every chance I get. BTW, lots of new tires also.
Ken

Im in.
2002 2.7 5-speed, 86k miles on the original motor.
RMS slowly leaks, but its gona have to wait till clutch goes. Most Porsches leak oil anyways ;) Just replaced AOS, otherwise - engine is trouble free.

It is driven year-around and driven hard. Car often sees triple digit speeds and seems to like it. :cheers:
If you do most of the work yourself and buy parts online - this cars are not expensive or hard to maintain.

I'm in too. 1998 Boxster (with hardtop) Tiptronic with 115400 miles. No leaks of any kind. Runs great although sometimes Tip unit has mind of it's own. Last 10000 miles in 6 months, moderate driving habits. Performed major maintenance: antifreeze R/F/I, trans fluid (about 4 times in 6 months, long story), tune-up, all filters, oil service, new tires, new headlights, etc. Still returns low to mid 20's in CITY and high 20's to 30 MPG on HWY. Ocassionally drive the slop out of it. Drive in all weather, including recent snow (3+ inches).

No Porche boxsters last over 20k - don't you people "google" IMS failures? :)

I like it... 91,000 here, just did an oil change and serpentine belt yesterday, and the starter's bindex is getting relubricated along with new o rings for the spark plug chamber next weekend... Runs like a charm, minus the constant need for expensive maintenance :)

I bought my 2000 4 years ago with 40k. I have 60k now with no problems at all. I've never had to do anything... no drips, not even pads, NOTHING but oil changes & Tires, that's it. (KNOCK ON WOOD:). I have to do the 60k service, but that will be easy!

62k miles on my 01. No IMS failure yet.

Oil change every 12k-15k miles or 2 yrs, whichever comes first (Mobil 1 0W-40 only oil ever used). :D

Failures:
- 38k miles (cracked coolant tank; replaced under warranty)
- 58k miles (worn motor mount; replaced with new 987 mount)
- 59k miles (broken water pump; replaced with new one)
- Fall 2009 (cracked plastic rear window on soft top; replaced with OEM 03 glass windowed soft top)

2000 S 3.2
 

2000 S with 3.2 with a TIP. Bought it with 62,000 now at just under 70,000. Engine purrs great. Doing the 60,000 maintenance after finding the serpentine belt was original and decided to replace my rotors and pads. :cheers:

05 with 41K painfree miles. One new battery under waranty. More stereo issues than Engine issues but Bose gets off easy :D

Btw, 2 oil changes done at factory recommended intervels...okay I'm ready for the oil change assualt lectures but lets not hijack the thread :D

2003 S just hit 16,000 miles. Never had a problem.

2002 72000 miles. No problems! Not going to worry about it.

Just purchased my 99 Boxster three weeks ago. Rolled over 120,000 miles today on the way to work.

The car runs great. I am getting ready to replace two tie rods in a couple of weeks.

Only complaints so far are a leak behind/under the passenger seat and the keyless remote doesn't work.

I think the leak is due to clogged rear drain holes- still trying to figure out how to clear these. It's been too cold the last couple of weeks to open the top, so I am hoping to clear these out this weekend providing I am able to locate them. I am really nervous about trying to get the top into service mode like it says to do in the owner's manual. I'm worried that I will not be able to get it back together and this is my only form of transportation. lol

Not sure what is up with the keyless remote. I replaced the battery, so it lights up now when I press the buttons, but the doors will not lock/unlock and the trunk won't open using it either... :confused:

Stopped by the local Porsche dealership today and they wanted me to pay $65 for them to "diagnose" the problem with the remote. :eek:

2004 boxster S 19,500 miles. No problems thus far (knock on wood). Mainly street driving however I purchased from a gentleman that enjoyed it in his garage far more than on the road. Had a slight oil seepage around the RMS (no drips on the floor), but went away after I drove it home from Arizona. Amazing car, absolutely love it!!

Awesome! Unless I missed something, 56 Boxster owners and only one engine failure among us...due to supercharging. Now those odds I like!

Keep these stories comin! :D

Boxtaboy, not to burst your bubble, but if you read my comment you'd see that my motor was replaced before I bought the car. You also did not ask everyone if their motor had been replaced prior to purchase from a PO.

One thing that Porsche did was improve the internals of the M96 just a bit (not enough IMO) after the initial 97-99 cars were sold. So, if most everyone responding has a 2000 and up car, their motors are probably going to be more reliable, or they don't have the age on them that a 97 might have.

Since this thread was resurrected, I've seen another failure first hand. Last fall, a friend's IMS let go after multiple tracking days and autocross events. It was a 2.7 and he made the unfortunate mistake of tracking the car with Mobil 1 0W40 in the case.

Resurrecting thread with very early '97 Boxster 2.5 5 spd, all original and stock, 143,000 miles. Driven daily year-round in PA sun and snow.