Boxsters with reliable engines

[70Sixter]

25,000 miles and no problems. 3.2 986S with 6 spd bought new in April 04.

[gerrygug]

2000 Boxster S
Engine history
No problems until 46K
46K replace drive belt tensioner pully
46k power steering hose replaced
77K O2 sensor
79K DME replaced
79K Oil separator
79K Air Mas Sensor
79K Right Cam Cover Seal
82K Water Pump
82K Left Cam Cover Seal
88K Vacuum Reservoir and Change over Valve
Current mileage 95K

I have a 2001 BMW 3 series with 135K and the Boxster maintenance is comparable.

These problems are about average in my experience with German cars.

[j.fro]

I'll DEFINITELY be knocking on some wood after this post...
2000 S with 114xxx miles.
Headers + modified cats + modified muffler (CEL, 1117, reset every 200mi)
EVO intake. No MAF CEL since replacing oiled filter with AEM Dryflow
Suspension mods, brake mods, short shifter, but those things have nothing to do with the motor
2 years of regional PCA autocross success, plus plenty of spirited touring
Almost daily driven, and she's running great. It's a long-time dream come true.

Awesome car!

- 2006 987S
- Just over 25,000 miles
- Driven about once per week, April-October, at least 300 miles when taken out
- 4 Oil Changes
- 1 brake fluid flush
- 1 air filter
- 4 new tires
- 1 alignment
- gallons of wax, leather conditioner, window cleaner and tire dressing!


I will forever be a Porsche owner.

[Stunin_Stud]

I have a 2001 3.2L S with 31,000 miles no problems. did the 30k maintenance myself. seems to have some kind of oil under it but no leak yet. I am a student so got no money for repairs thats why I hope nothing goes wrong.

my buddy has a 99 996 with 190k on the 3.4L and that gives me hope.

[Grizzly]

54,000 as of today. Never any major issues...ever.

[blue2000s]

In other words, this is the jinx thread

[tnoice]

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!!

[Boxtaboy]

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!

[RandallNeighbour]

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.

[jmatta]

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.

[John99Boxster]

1999 Boxster (2.5L) 62,000 miles..just changed plugs and cleaned out the radiators. In the process of doing the 60k maintainance.

Purchased 1 month ago......nice car...no issues.

[fdunphy]

1997 Boxster 2.5L 126,000 kms and no troubles. Had it up on the rack and the engine is bone dry. no leaks whatsoever. just did the waterpump et al. I should add that I purchased the car last April 2011 and have put on 12km since. I can't stop driving it. It is my daily driver. I've heard from Porsche mechanics that driving these things everyday and maintaining them is better than letting them sit for months in a garage. Low miles on a boxster is not always a good thing. My goal is to get it perfectly maintained and when I can afford an '09 pull the trigger.