Porsche Boxster reliability -- let's get better info

[ganseg]

How should we adjust for this caveat:

"Important note: these cars are only driven an average of 5,500 miles a year, about half as much as the average car. No adjustment has been made for this."

For example, would we double the numbers here, to make them more comparable to cars that are driven 11k per year?

[mkaresh]

Originally Posted by ganseg

How should we adjust for this caveat:

"Important note: these cars are only driven an average of 5,500 miles a year, about half as much as the average car. No adjustment has been made for this."

For example, would we double the numbers here, to make them more comparable to cars that are driven 11k per year?

I'm not sure how to adjust for it. Some problems occur due to due, not miles, so it's not a simply linear function. Driving conditions, number of cold starts, etc. also make a difference. Many Porsches are garaged during the winter, and winter miles are likely much harder on cars.

In general I'm thinking we might need a different way to measure reliability with older cars, as people start letting the small stuff slide. We're going to start posting a second set of stats that include only problems with the powertrain and chassis, and these might be better for older cars.

[mkaresh]

We've updated our reliability stats for the Boxster to include owner experiences through December 31, 2013.

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:

2013 Boxster: 0, low, small sample size
2008 Boxster: 33, low
2007 Boxster: 47, low
2006 Boxster: 39, low
2005 Boxster: 40, low
2004 Boxster: 47, low, small sample size
2003 Boxster: 52, low
2002 Boxster: 85, moderate, small sample size
2001 Boxster: 57, low
2000 Boxster: 39, low
1999 Boxster: 24, low, small sample size

We have had one report in the past two years of an IMS bearing failure, to a car that had the bearing upgraded when its clutch was changed.

We have two additional statistics, "Nada-odds" and "Lemon-odds", to indicate the percentage of cars with no repairs in the past year and those that required 3+ trips to the repair shop:

2008 Boxster: 74, < 1
2006 Boxster: 67, < 1
2001 Boxster: 65, 3

We'll have further updates in May and in August. The more owners participate, the more comprehensive and precise these will be.

To see the repairs behind these stats, and to sign up to help improve this information:

Porsche Boxster reliability ratings and comparisons