Scared to Death of these cars !
 

I guess I should say howdy! I just found this forum.

Little background, I was a Corvette guy but sold it about 18 months ago....seemed like the thing to do at the time, definately miss her :(

Anyways, I decided I wanted a new toy and was amazed at the prices that used boxsters were going for. I had almost pulled the trigger and then decided to do some more research on these cars....I have to tell you, i'm not so sure now.

Yes, I know that people are much more likely to type a post about a problem then a post about no problems with their cars, but i don't know...

After reading the thread about "how much have you spent on repairs this year", I am amazed! To be honest, in the 6 years I owned my Vette, with the exception of a bad rear-end that was replaced under warranty, I never put a dime into any repairs. Mods? Yeah, lots of bucks, but that was fun stuff at my discretion.

I don't race or autoX. I just want a nice cruiser for weekends and love the Boxster...always wanted a Porsche.

Are yearly parts and maintenance really in the range of $1500 per year? Is this typical? I'm looking at 2003-2007 model year with as low miles as possible, so don't expect a factory fresh experience, but I don't want a money pit either.

Can you talk me off the ledge, or is this just par for the course?

If you want piece of mind, get a dealer certified Porsche and have them add an extended warranty. You can get some good deals with Porsche sales down. :cheers:

YMMV and it all depends on the car, how it was maintained, ,etc..

I bought a 2000 with 75k miles on it.. from my dad..the car had all it's records since new, was always well maintained, and driven responsibly... despite knowingi the history, I still did a PPI which it passed with flying colors.

I've had it about two years and drive it on weekends... i put ONLY about 5000 miles on it in two years of ownership!

in ONLY those 5k miles I've had to replace the following:

I put new tires/brakes..but that was routine maintenance.

in terms of unexpected repairs I had a leaky windshield washer tank, two vacuum leaks, a bad MAF, and a bad water pump. total out of pocket by me to fix all this stuff was about 1700.

my window regulator is now broken..the window goes up and down but it makes a terrible crunching noise..so it's only a matter of tiem untit it stops working. $200ish dollar part. I also have a crackion my rear plastic window.. another $350-400 to get fixed at an upholstery shop.

to me.. that's a LOT of stuff to go bad on a car with only 75-79k miles that ONLY had 5k put on it in almost two years of driving! Compared to some of the horror stories on here, I've had it not too bad.. but compared to other cars I've owned, I think more stuff than normal has worn out..

I have owned quite a few other cars, some better some worse. I had a 1990 Miata tat I owned when younger, thoroughly abused... and it NEVER broke. NEVER. it just ran and ran.. i ran it almost 50k miles. I had a Honda Prelude that I redlined every time I drove it.. and put almost 60k miles on it and it NEVER broke.. nothing. I had a 1999 Volvo S70 T5 turbo that I bought used with 30ki miles and sold it to my bro in law at about 140k... he still has it...it now has almost 160k on it. it maybe cost $1700 in repairs over the LIFE of the car... fr unexpected stuff... and it's still on the OEM water pump, engine, tranny, turbo...

I'm NOT impressed with teh reliability of Porsche stuff. compared to other cars, I think they have a far worse track record for parts going bad and unfortunately, ALL the parts are expensive...

I AM impressed with how muc fun it is to drive. it is THE most fun car I have ever owned.

you pay to play.

if you want a fun roaodster with more peace of mind get a newer one with a warranty or buy an S2000. they are pretty nice, used ones are less than a Boxser, and they likely will have far better reliability...

good luck.

Hi.
 

These are not inexpensive cars. No European sports car will be as cheap to own as a Corvette. If you want peace of mind do NOT buy a modern Porsche.

What are your priorities? Fun to drive? Cost of ownership?

If you buy a Porsche with the wrong expectations, you'll only be dissipointed. If you don't like the prospects by what you're reading, and there is alot of exageration on the boards but failures do happen, do yourself a favor and don't buy the car.

I have had a base '04 for three years and have put about 20K miles on it with no repairs. I change the oil myself for about $75 a pop and I've had a 30K service, but otherwise no problems. I don't expect to be that lucky forever, but for now I'm not complaining.

I to was a Vette owner for 17 years, I have owned my Box for 18 months now I have put about $ 400.00 into it so far.

I to also have always wanted to own a porsche and am happy W/ the car I bought it is a 99 Boxster,it had 57K miles on it when I bought it, the car was well cared for be the last owner.I bought it at a dealer for: $ 9,400.00 as-is out the door Tax,title & plates.

Before I bought my Box I did my homework part of my homework was on this site it was vary helpful in me finding the right car.

Yes P-cars need a little more maintenace then a Vette but thay are easy to work on,You should go to the Porsche links,on this site and find the link to buying a 986 it will be vary helpful in finding the right car for you & tell you what to look for in buying a Boxster.

Good Luck :)

I just got an '03 with 80k miles. Lots of horror stories here, but like you say, people or more likely to complain than they are to praise.

But had I done my homework, I may not have gone the Porsche route. And had I read this forum, I know I would not have purchased a Boxster. What really gets me are the failures that are chalked up to "wear items". I'm changing my motor mount this weekend. I've read that these just wear out in as little as 30 or 40,000 miles and replacement is to be expected, huh??? I've read it's the same for the suspension. Parts that typically last the lifetime on other cars don't with a Porsche.

But like others have said, what a fun car to drive. And I'm just learning to drive it and will probably never be able to drive to even half it's potential.

And it is a Porsche. Yes, there are better cars out there, faster, more reliable, cheaper, and maybe even just as fun to drive. But they aren't Porsches. If you have your heart on owning a Porsche, then get it, enjoy it, and be prepared to maintain it.

So I'm torn. Big grin while driving, but always worrying if the next funny noise I hear is going to bankrupt me.

Oh, one other thing. Get the S. If you're going to get a sporty looking car, it ought to at least have the performance to back it up. Just my 2 cents.

Your concerns are very real.

The cost of ownership thread and several of the anecdotal replies here average out to somewhere around $1500/yr., some years more, some less.

But, that average can swing wildly with a near or catastrophic failure - IMS, Chain tensioner failure, etc.

Two schools of thought here:

a.) Drive it like you stole it, throw caution to the wind, and if (some may argue when) you come up Snake Eyes, part it out or sell it to a spec racer. The loss is matched by the car's Fun Quotient.

b.) Live under the Sword of Damacles, baby the car, worry about every little creak, rattle or hickup and still crap out. Then lament that you didn't have the fun you intended with it.

If you're more the 'b' type, take a pass.

Life is too short not to enjoy the car you drive! Some may say at whatever the cost.

No one can tell you if this is the right car for you, except you. Do your research, drive several and then decide.

The Boxster isn't the only nice car out there, BMW, Nissan, MB, Mini, Mazda make many nice cars and some of these are more reliable and less expensive to maintain. These are facts.

But, if facts or praticality were the only measure, there'd be only 1 car on the market and it's nameplate would likely be either Honda or Toyota.

Cheers!

For me, I am quite surprised that the 03 Boxster (manual) I bought with 52k is holding up quite well. I did not do a PPI as people have recommended but I know a little bit more about cars than an average person. It now has 68k miles in a yr and a half that I have her. I did a couple of oil changes and air filter myself, and paid a mechanic $70 to replace the plugs that I bought online. Generally I think there are certain years that you should try to avoid (such as pre-02), I think Porsche made some changes to 02-04 cars that have improved the reliability.

I have a 98 tip with about 68K on the clock. I bought it 4 years ago with 32 K miles. Besides oil changes and other wear items and normal maintenance I have about $500 into mine. it boils down to about $1000 per year when you include trans flushes and brake fluid & such. It is a sort of everyday car which has seen track days and rallys and some all around stupid driving and has never let me down. If you consider all the Boxsters which were made and the actual # of really bad things happening, I would wager it is not much more than normal , but yes it does happen. All I can say toyou is that the first time you a Boxster in earnest, you will know what the grin is about. Ed

It's a high performance sports car - repairs and maintenance are less than a Ferrari, but more than many other sports cars (Mazda Miata and Honda S2000 come to mind).

It's simply the price of admission. And it's the premium one pays for the fun of driving a Porsche.

It depends what you consider as "repair" and what is "maintenance".

I consider the motor mount as a maintenance item, but most people here see it as a repair item. :ah:

Just curious, what do you think is a reasonable expectation for annual parts and maintenance for an 8 year old car? How about a 10 or12 year old car?

$1500 is low when you factor in oil changes, fluids, tires, etc.




/

I forgot who wrote this (23109VC?) but I thought someone said he/she should have $5k in reserve annually for repair/maintenance and I think that's a safe number.

Step 1: Don't buy a car that you are scared of.
Step 2: ???
Step 3: Profit

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.c...nts-gnomes.jpg

so far, year and a half later i'm not sorry i bought the car. it's been fun. every once in a while some little bit of my brain will say "what about the IMS?" and then i just give the car a little more gas and go around a corner. that part of my brain shuts down and all is well again.

if you're scared, pass on it. it's not for you.

I was worried also, so I bought an '06 CPO car last year, and I'm in love every time I drive it! ( well, except for the ticket I just got.... )

I will have to make a decision in 2 years though, when the warranty is up. I'd love to trade up to an '09-'10 S.

Steve

-new top $500, should be good for the life of the car now
-1 drop link, don't remember how much, but not that expensive
-a section of clutch line that was damaged by road conditions, not the car's fault, cost about $300 including the power bleeder
-new tires, about $1200 for Michelins cuz the tires on the car when I bought it were crap. Based on the wear I see so far they should last another couple of years
-regular maintenance, filters, fluids, plugs, a couple of hundred bucks per year
-upgrades, about $2800. Includes new seats, steering wheel, shifter, cupholders, all totally discretionary
-I need to do brakes next spring - that will be $800 or so.

So, actual required maintenance and repair costs the first year were a little over $2200, and I expect that to be a bit above average because it was the first year and I had to deal with the previous owner's neglect. This is better than any other car of this age that I have ever owned - American, ricer, whatever and certainly less than I expected to pay to keep an exotic on the road.

Hey, if they were cheap to run then everybody would have one. Any good hobby costs money and this is no exception. I am actually suprised that somone might balk at $1500 - $2000 a year operating costs for a vehicle of this type.

My '00 S is up to 108K miles & it has been problem free during my 3.5 years of ownership. Only work has been maintenance, including a few major wear items at 103K -- clutch, pressure plate, flywheel, throwout bearing, and rear wheel bearings. All done by me for a total cost of about $950 in parts.

It is on engine #2 -- first one started leaking oil at 69K and PCNA offered to cover 75% of the replacement so previous owner went ahead. No clear indication of what necessitated the replacement -- but could have been a failing IMS or an unrepairable RMS.

I may be crazy, but this car is now my DD and I plan to run it into the ground. Should be a good reliability test over the next few years.

I find the Boxster to be extremely well built and easy to work on. The model does have a few problem areas -- some quite serious -- but I'm more than willing to roll the dice. If I find any evidence of a failing IMS (I cut open and inspect my oil filter at every change), in will go the Raby upgraded bearing.

As others have said on this thread, you won't enjoy a car if you are worried it could blow up at any moment. If that's your mindset, stay away. Me, I'm very comfortable rolling the dice given how little I paid for this very fun machine.

I have an '02 S, and with the exception of oil changes (usually only once a year), my annual maintenance costs have been zero . Granted my vehicle only has 17k original miles, and as of late is seldom driven. Nevertheless, I have had no issues with repairs. Mods are another is$$$$$$$$$ue !

Bought mine about 5-6 months ago. Very nicely modded, so those mod expenses have been eaten up by someone else. I have a few grand in the warchest just for the Boxster, would rather it was in the retirement fund, but it is part of the tradeoff of Porsche ownership.

I realized today I put 4k miles on it already. Wow. And I still get a crazy grin every time I'm behind the wheel, hell I get that grin every time I catch a glance of the car when it is just parked.

Here are my expenses:
1) $80 for oil change. Changed almost immediately after I drove it home just to be sure.
2) $40 to replace the locking lug nuts with regular lugs. Found out the car didn't come with the lock lug key, so I just went to Porsche dealership to have them swapped out.
3) $40 for wheel balancing. On the ride home it had jitters, nothing until you got up to 75+

Here are things I WANT to do:
1) The door lock button on the key was worn when I bought the car. Someone else knocked out the worn button, so now I want to buy a second key and get it programmed at dealership. ($~200) Used car tradeoff IMO.
2) My top is pinching itself on the driver's side when it closes. I have no idea what is wrong with it and need to seek out help for it. Caused small 1/2" worn spot on canvas. I think top needs greased or fiddled with, maybe both.
3) I'm scheduling the IMS replacement this month. I want the insurance this provides against catastrophic failure. This car was very well taken car of and modded, so I don't doubt that we may pull the tranny and find the IMS to have already been done, but I'm not risking it.
4) One of the Porsche wheel crests fell off the center cap, missing when I bought the car. $40 to have one delivered to me. Part of used car tradeoff.

The car runs flawlessly and is one hell of a car for the price I paid. I got the newest/nicest 986 I could find. I didn't want to get the early 987 and the later 987s were getting too pricey for my tastes, although in the fall some will be sold at great prices by people that don't want to or can't garage/insure over the winter.

Oh and I drive mine like it was stolen and I've been caught. No way I'm driving it like an Accord.

My advice. Buy one. Set aside $ for an IMS replacement and a small amount for miscellaneous items. Be prepared to tinker. Get the IMS done within a few months and don't think twice about the things that might happen.

Life is too short to drive slow or worry about such things.

Off topic.

Andy clean out your PM box !!

And thanks for the parts..they're perfect.

Davemon, you wrote, "I realized today I put 4k miles on it already. Wow. And I still get a crazy grin every time I'm behind the wheel, hell I get that grin every time I catch a glance of the car when it is just parked."

I bought mine four months ago and have put 11,000 miles on it including five track days. :cheers:

i aint scared...i bought new

I guess most people just spend $500 a year on their regular Camry or Civic so that's already 3-4 times that amount so it's considered significant.

They were all new once.

There are
 

some good indies in the KCMO area. I got a quote for IMS replacement, new clutch etc. for around $2200. PM me and I'll give you the name of the company. Just find one you like, do a ppi, negotiate from there and don't look back. I had the same issues as you a couple of years ago. The more I drive the car the less I worry that it's going to hand-grenade on me. I put 300 miles on it last week and it ran flawlessly. Mine is a '00S purchased from Scholfield Porsche in Wichita and it is a third car for us so it doesn't see many miles. For sure get the S version though. I had a vette approx. 10 years ago and it's the reason I say I haven't owned a GM in 10 years! I've been kind of stalking Jag XKRs and have been lurking around the Jaguar sites.... Yikes! Read those for comparison.

sean

get a 987
 

All of the usual problems are gone with the 987 rebuild - '05 & on. I've got 40,000 miles and, besides maintenance, have only replaced tires & a clutch.

Having had a Vet you will probably want an S.

Wow, that's not true. The mechanical issues that plague the 986 are mostly still present in the 987.1.

Man, you guys sure make me feel like a dweeb for buying the base model instead of the S. I was perfectly happy with the car up until now. No, wait, I'm still happy. :cheers:

If you like the Vette
 

you won't like the Porsche.

My '01S Boxster over the last 5 years has been more reliable measured in total cost of maintenance or replacement parts or trips to a mechanic than a Honda, Acura and Mazda I also maintain (aprox same years and miles on each).

Thanks guys...
Great points and advice. I'm going to let this sit for awhile and make a decision later. I went to the Chevy dealer today, they have new Vettes for 0% for 72 months...was very tempted, but not really wanting that much of an investment for a toy right now.

Someone asked me on this thread what I consider "normal" for maintenance. When I had my vette, which I bought new, it ate tires like a demon, so I am not unacusomed to sports car cost of ownership. I usually put a new set on every 18 months. I used tirerack.com and eventually figured out that expensive tires were foolish and started getting better value with the un-trendy brands. I always do my own oil changes not only to save money, but to make sure it is done right. Never had to do a transmission or radiator flush the entire 6 years I owned her, wasnt a required item per maintenance instructions. Swapped out the break pads to ceramics as well as the rotors, but they could have lasted longer. Never needed anything else....oops, it did burn out a tail light!

So, with 6 years of ownership, my maint. costs were probably about $600 per year, and most of that was the tires.

Sorry guys, motor mounts are NOT maintenance items, neither are RMS's. Clutch gear, yes...Convert. Top cables, no.

So my plan is to watch for awhile and see if I can find a 2004+ with low miles and a CPO warranty. If I find it, I will see if I want to roll the dice :cheers:

I bought my 03 base tip with 65k on it last year in July and the dealer had a PPI done prior to him buying it because he knew I was looking for one. My wife and I went to Florida last month with it and rolled the odometer past 80k on the way down there. It now has almost 82k and I've only spent $200 on maintenance.

Amen, brother. I'm replacing my mount this weekend and still scratching my head as to why others think this is routine maintenance on these cars.

One mitigating factor seems to be the TipS vs. the manual. The TipS has lower RMS incidence and it also seems IMS. The fluid coupling (torque convertor) is most likely easier on the motor.

Cheers!

Honestly, if you do your homework, get a PPI done or buy a certified Porsche with an extended warranty, you can have a two seater roadster where the enjoyment overcomes any fear you might have. Yes, there are some fundamental issues that the Porsche Boxster could have, but there are repairs and fixes for those. I autocross with a friend of mine that has a Z06, and he has different niggles with his. (transmission, fuel pump, and something else) No car is perfect, but if you properly take care of it, and take some precautionary measures, you will have an absolutely amazing car.

I have never regretted my decision to buy my Boxster and if that faithful day comes that she wants to join the other Porsche's in the sky......I will yank her back down and put a 3.6 in her. I enjoy the experience THAT MUCH!

On a side note....almost 2 years, completely repair free. Used pretty much as a daily driver and an autocross car.

Happy Porsche Hunting!! :dance:

It is a shame (on Porsche) that your fears are well founded.

Between the RMS and IMS issues that Porsche left unresolved for 9 years of so, the concern you have is quite valid when it comes to used Porsches.

Moreover, Porsche is quite variable when it comes to their warranty policies, which I know from bitter experience.

Too bad, in that a used boxster can be a very affordable purchase. It is the concern over the engine etc. that keeps me from buying one right now.

I would have no such concern over a used C4 or C5, all things being equal.

Now, if engine replacement/repair were more affordable, I would change my mind.

:)

For those of you who have read the story on my 26K mile '99 Boxster (http://986forum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=224340&postcount=104) and having owned various P cars before, I was happy as a clam for 3 years/20K miles followed by 4 months of anxiety and hard work rebuilding my own engine.

Now with my engine repaired better than OEM and $7K poorer, i'm happy as a clam once again and cannot see myself driving anything else (except a newer P car maybe :rolleyes: ) . With all the $$ invested so far, I plan to ride this horse to the ground. And when this engine gives up, I will either part it out (hopefully get half of the investment) or turn it into an electric vehicle and a project for me and my son, now 7 years old.

IMO, to own a Porsche, (specifically a 97-05 Boxster) you must either;
a. Have the mean$ to keep up with maintenance
b. Have good mechanical abilities to tackle any issues yourself
c. Know somebody that does
d. All of the above

I'm not poor but definetely not 'a' either, on my way on becoming b (after having tackling an engine rebuild) and, I got this excellent forum to take care of 'c'. ;)

Regards,
Fred from Puerto Rico

So, just bought a '01 S this week, looking for info on the IMS problem. What do you look for when you inspect the oil filter?