Want to buy a Boxster, but I'm Afraid..very afraid!

[Perfectlap]

good News,
A few more quotes for my 2000 S which is out of warranty:

Century Warranty Services(from CarFax site)1-877-404-2066(Egor x12946)
CWS is a sub. of Fidelity Investments

(AAA coverage 800-528-2054 and service at any ASE certified dealer)
full coverage (-$100 ded. per visit, not per part)
NOT COVERED:
1.paint
2.glass
3.seating surfaces
4.oil change,tires,battery,brake pads,rotors,softop fabric.
(clutch and flywheel are covered, as well as the softop motor)

Price:
coverage for an additional 60 months/60,000 miles=$1795 (30 payments plus 10% down which is refundable for 60 days if you change your mind. $53 a month no interest)

72 months/72,000 miles=$2096 (30 payments as well, $62 )

This seems like a no brainer. For $350 a year I'm covering the engine, Clutch and all the electrical stuff for the next 6 years. Labor at a Porsche dealer without an extended service warranty seems like it would prohibitively expensive and the parts on electrical and HVAC OEM equipment will easily surpass $1000 (50% of my investment).

I get the feeling that the dealer would have interest to "find" things that "should" be fixed with much more "interest" than if I were walking in without coverage.
Sounds logical right?

[RandallNeighbour]

Lots of the 97s and 98s had rear main seal problems because of out-of-round crank shafts made in the first 2.5's. It wobbled horribly and eventually tore up the seal. I agree with those above this post that said if it has a bad engine, it's already been replaced for these year models... except if you find one a garage queen with 12k on it. I'd be scared of that just because it was in the garage far more than it was on the road and who knows what is rotting out from the inside out.

My '97 had a new $8,000 engine put in it just before I bought it. Right now, it's in my mechanic's garage having the transmission replaced, but only because of of an idiot previous owner jamming it into first gear and dropping the clutch repeatedly, or downshifting into first gear at a high rate of speed.

Search this site for threads about warranties outside of Porsche, and you'll read a recurring theme: "It's a waste of your money as they find loopholes as to why your problem isn't covered."

Buy a Boxster with some factory warranty on it... or better yet, one that is Porsche certified pre-owned and warrented to 100k. IMHO, this is the way to go and what I should have done. I like the older certified pre-owned option because all the stuff that goes wrong with most cars happens at 75-100k, not under 50k, so you get the biggest bang for your buck when X goes out at 79k miles. Also, the certified pre-owned Porsches are thoroughly checked out because they don't want to warrant a dog of a car. Just my opinion.

[jonomo]

Okay.. i'm convinced not to get a Boxster... Owning a porsche has always been a dream of mine... but starting now with a boxster doesn't seem like a good idea.. i was kinda riding the fence and this sort of convinced me.. I think the best time to get one is when I have a bit more money at my disposal so that I can either a) buy a newer one with a warrantee or b) buy one and get ready to shell out money for a huge overhaul of the motor or tranny....

Now i work in the video game industry, so I know how boards and forums usualy work... they are usually filled with whiners and complainers, and its usualy not a good place to judge a product or service.. but people here seem fairly level headed, and I don't see too much whining... what concerns me is that people speak of $10K+ engine and tranny swaps as if they were common as oil changes... like it was part of regular maintnance... sorry folks but I can't afford that... and even if i could... i'd be a bit reluctant..

so I guess i'm sticking to my GTI.. or i'm gonna look into other alternatives.. S2000, SLK, Z3, Z4, etc.... thanks everyone for your input!!! and I'll see ya on the road!

[Perfectlap]

yes, its generally true if you can't afford to repair the car, you can't afford the car.

But waiting is definitely a good idea. Soon the prices will come down to where you will be comfortable jumping in. And if the car has low miles and was well maintained its a great oppourtunity because at a certain point the Boxster maintains its value like no other car. Face it everyone wants a Porsche.

I read not so long ago that when the Design for the Boxster was put onto paper the engineers and designers were told that it could not be manufactured for less than $80,000. It was only with the help of Japanese production experts that the German engineering was made possible to the public at $50,000. Without those Japanese experts they would not have sold all those Boxsters and allowed the newest Boxster to be offered at nearly 50% (2005=$43K) of the inital $80,000 design estimate from 10 years ago. Imagine the design equivalent of the $130,000 Ferrari 360 being sold to the public in the year 2015 for a new asking price of $65,000?! One Ferrari for me please in Silver and Red!
The Boxster is an amazing success that saved the Porsche company from going bankrupt.

The other car's you mentioned are nice but are not that much cheaper to make you forget that the Porsche Boxster was engineered to be a world class car.

[jonomo]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

The other car's you mentioned are nice but are not that much cheaper to make you forget that the Porsche Boxster was engineered to be a world class car.

True, they aren't cheaper, in fact the SLK and s2000 tend to be more expensive used, and I'm starting to see why. I have no problem affording the car, and even normal maintance, what I can't afford is the possibility of shelling out another 10gs for something that I feel shouldn't really break. I've never heard too many complaints about the S2000 or SLK, and the BMW I own has been solid!

From what people say, even if I spend 30K for a decent model, there's still a good chance of the motor blowing out within a year. One forum member below said "yeah, this is my second motor, and its solid!"... that doesn't build much confidence... to me thats like saying "my second heart beats great!"...

Alota my friends own roadsters, Z4, S2000, Miata, Z3, TT, the whole gambit.. no one owns a Boxster... and I would love to represent Porsche.. I love german cars and Porsche has been a childhood fantasy... but reliability has to be a sserious consideration.... A Rolex is a great watch, but if it told the time incorrect 1/2 the time, i doubt people would buy it....

[98blackboxster]

If you go to enough forums for the other roadsters I'm sure you'll find that someone has managed to blow a motor in an s2000 or a z4 as well. The car isn't going to blow the motor because it's build quality is poor, becuase it's not. I had a z3 and a Z4 and the build quality there is questionable. The s2000 is a better quality car, but not as much fun and people still see it as a honda. My 98 boxster is my daily driver, but I don't abuse it, I have the Lotus for that