Yearly repairs? Thinking of selling
 

This car is just so hard on the wallet... Which I expected when I purchased it, but it never seems to drive the way I want it to. I always am fearful behind the wheel that something is going to break at any time spontaneously.

Since owning the 75k mile car in January, I've replaced:
Tires (understandable) ~ $1,000
Clutch (kind of understandable) - $2300
Shifter cables and brackets - ~$900
Vacuum leak for check engine light to pass emissions ~$2000

brakes are on the way to needing replacement (brake wear light is on)
the engine 'rattles' when I drive it
the AC Compressor is gone, meaning I have no AC (which may be cause of rattle)

Not having AC is death when you drive a black leather car in the 120F deserts of Arizona.

My friends and family just tell me to sell the thing because it is getting really expensive really fast. And there's always the IMS boogeyman around the corner too.
But I love this car so much.

So my question: How much do people spend on yearly repairs?

Sure, sell it.

Or, learn to wrench it yourself. :)

Assuming these are the last of the items to sort, you're going to quit with $1500 to go after sinking $6K in repairs?

The brakes are an easy DIY.

The engine rattle is probably a motor mount. Another DIY job.

You can pick up a compressor at OK Foreign or Porsche Dismantlers, install it yourself, and have someone clear and charge the system.

So many questions from your post. You bought the car knowing the AC wasn't working and now it's an issue? When you had the trans out for the clutch, why didn't you pop for the IMS? Did the car come with records?

It sounds like you bought a car that's been neglected for a while and needs some lovin to get it back up to snuff. You're probably not too far from the end of the tunnel. It would be a shame to sell it to someone else to enjoy. But wait for the response from Randall...

Apologies, allow me to clarify

I wasn't very knowledgeable about cars (still am not). Before I purchased the car, I had a mechanic look at it, and he said the only thing he could find wrong was the vacuum leak (hence the check engine light). In retrospect, I don't think I took the car to a very good mechanic, as all this stuff happened to break down as I was driving it.

The AC problem is recent (just happened within the past few weeks), and the engine rattle just happened today. I took the engine cover off to listen to it, and it got worse when I turned the AC on. I'm almost convinced its the compressor, belt, or pulley...

I didn't replace the IMS when I had the clutch out (which I know I should have, because everything was out and ready), because I just didn't have the money, having already spent $3000 not more than a month ago to fix the vacuum leak.

But it seems that whenever I get done repairing one thing, another thing goes on the way, which is why I wanted to ask the drivers here how much they spend on yearly maintenance. I have no doubt this car was neglected from the previous owner, just from the amounts of soda spills and cigarette marks all over the car (poor thing).

I love the 986 to death, but it's not loving my wallet too much.

A Porsche is an amazing car but it is not for everyone. A little knowledge, experience and elbow grease probably would have saved you about $4k on the repairs you listed. I would not have driven the car 1 week in AZ without working AC. If you are unable to do maintenance and repairs yourself, and unable to pay for professional repairs to keep it in good running order, it's time to move on. Good luck and good hunting. Hondas are pretty nice. :cheers:

... yea, sadly. It seems that way. The 986 is a fun little car.
But if I could get some people to answer the question, it'd be nice.

I think I've been averaging about $1500 - 2000 per year on maintenance and about $2500 a year on cosmetic restoration. (that part is just about finished fortunately). The only actual break down I've had was a ruptured clutch line. No check engine light to date.

The car is a 99 and I've had it for four years.

What you are really asking is: "How much do you spend annually on repairs and maintenance?"

You probably won't like my answer. My car is set up for TT competition and I spend plenty. A typical year if I paid someone else to do all the work:

Periodic Maintenance
3 sets of tires: $2700
1 set of racing brakes/rotors all four corners: $2000
Small spoilers and plastic ducts that get rubbed off: $200
3 oil changes: $450
1 Transaxle fluid change $250
2 Brake fluid flush Motul 600: $300

Repairs last year
A/C diagnose/recharge: $250
Clutch, FW, IMS, used trans install, water pump, T-stat, coolant flush: $4500
4 wheel bearings: $1800

Makes my eyes water just looking at the numbers. My car has only missed one event in seven years due to breakdown (cracked radiator). It is as bulletproof as any car I have driven but it didn't happen by accident, and it doesn't come cheap.

You could always read up on the threads already started about average annual maintenance costs. May save you some time from waiting for others to post here.

$2,000 for a vacuum leak? What's that about? I don't recall seeing you post about that in the past several months. Do tell! :)

Apologies, I should've been more clear. I'll edit the post.
Yes, how much do you guys spend on yearly maintenance?

My car is a daily driver, and my pockets aren't deep enough to take it to the track yet.
If it's between 2-4k dollars per year, I'll keep it. But if I'm expected to spend upwards of $6k, it may just not be the car for me.

Emissions was coming up, and I needed to clear the CEL in order to pass, so I took it into the shop. I haven't actually posted about a lot of the problems I've been getting with the car. Perhaps I'll do that in the future.
It was $330 (3 hours of $110 labor) for my mechanic to go in and see what the problem was. Apparently, my vacuum resevoir (993 110 140 03) wasn't holding any vacuum. Along the way, we also replaced the change over valve (996 605 123 01) injection check (993 113 250 03) and air injection valve (993 113 245 01).

I live in a small college town in Arizona called Tucson, where all the places that service Porsches have bad reviews. So, in order to circumvent that, I drive up to Scottsdale (not a problem since I have family nearby) to a mechanic who has stellar reviews. They're very nice and personable, but perhaps I'm getting ripped off?

Many owners reserve $1500-$2000 annually for repairs. Some yrs you won't spend that much, some yrs you'll spend more. The thing with your situation is if the previous owner(s) didn't do proper maintenance, you're going to pay extra catching it back up. While it's not always a correlation, an interior in poor condition can be an indicator of how well the owner took care of the rest of the car. Maintenance needs to be done, whether on the proper schedule or all at once later on. You may be better off unloading this one. Maybe wait a few yrs, save up, and then find a low mileage (not insanely low - they can have maintenance issues too) Boxster with a maintenance history.

As far as your Scottsdale mechanic is concerned, he might be pricey but that doesn't necessarily mean he's ripping you off. Good mechanics know they're good and don't charge $5 / hr. You pay for quality. If you can't find a good mechanic that charges fair prices, you're better off paying extra for quality work.

Sorry I've given you two different opinions but now that more info is available, you do need to consider bailing on this one. We have a member who's spent a ton on a 'cheap' Boxster that he bought. Deciding when to bail is always a crap shoot.

Old (10 yrs +) sports cars are notorious for high maintenance costs and the Boxster is no different. I have spent half of the purchase price in repairs for my car in 18 months (and double that in upgrades). There are no cheap Porsche's.

If you're worried about the money you've put out so far, don't even think about taking it to the track. I would advise that you've probably spent most of what you are going to. Once you get it "right" you will likely be done. If you like the car, stick it out. If not sell as soon as you're ready. I have driven over 180,000 miles on my 3-in-a-row Porsches with only one coolant reservoir, one water pump and the requisite tires.

Chrono0001, I've been reading your posts since you joined this forum. And I didn't see any posts about your emissions problems. And since I was chasing my own emissions issues, I was surprised I had missed your posts. Kinda glad to see you hadn't made any posts about it. ;)

Tucson is a bustling metropolis. Not like Phoenix, but getting very close. Especially since they've updated I-10 a few years ago. Too bad the citizens didn't want a bypass around the east side of town. Would have helped alleviate the traffic jams throughout the city.

My "maintenance" has been real low. Even considering some of the catch-up maintenance I had to do when I first bought my '99 a year ago. I never added it all up, but I'm guessing around $2K. New rotors, pads, spark plugs/tubes, belt, filters, oil, rear tires, alignment, etc. However, my repairs are probably at about $3K. Which also includes the $1K glass window top I put on when my plastic window broke. So I've doubled the purchase price of my car over the past year. But, I should be good for a while now. I don't expect to spend that much next year. Afterall, most of the failure type components are all new now.

I do have a few things I still have to do, which total about $500. Motor mount, water pump, gasket, low-temp thermostat, and AirLift tool.

I think I'll continue driving it until the end of the year or until something completely catastrophic fails. I really am happy to hear that most Boxsters are not as unreliable as mine. The feeling of insecurity when you step into your vehicle is something I didn't want to deal with when purchasing the vehicle.

Many thanks for your responses.

What was wrong with the shifter cables/brackets?

The cable apparently lost tension, and slipped out of the bracket. It felt as though the gear positions on the shifter had 'shifted' in position (haha). For example, third gear would go into fifth gear, and first gear would go into third gear, and you had to force it very hard to the left to get it into first gear. Apparently, it had worn down the little ear tabs of the bracket for the 100 miles from Tucson to Phoenix, so he recommended replacing the shifter and bracket.

It didn't make me start to worry until the clutch began to fail. Fixing the clutch was $2300 that I did not want to spend, and now the AC cut out and the car rattles at high speeds. It seems to stop rattling when you take it out of gear, let the RPMs go to zero, and drive again. The rattle is not easily reproducible, almost random at times. It can happen in any gear, even in neutral while you are revving up, and it sounds like a belt issue. You definitely feel it in the gas pedal when the car starts to rattle and shake. Revving it up makes it worse, but the car still drives fine. No loss in power or speed... just an annoying (and very concerning) rattle.

At idle there's also the clanky sound, which I believe to be the AC Compressor, pulley, or something related. Video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy6JGnRo7Uo&feature=plcp

The clanking becomes even more... clanky... like heavy metal, when the AC is turned on. Full on refrigerant.

The reason I started this thread is because I wanted to know if my Porsche was just neglected and needed a plethora of repairs to get her back to speed...
... or if the 986 is as unreliable as it is fun.

EDIT: some more information. '99 Boxster 2.5 with 80800 miles now. Driven daily, bought it for $8,000 off some kid with a rich dad.

I think that your experience is somewhat normal for the Boxster. You paid $8K and have done about $6K in repairs while I paid $10K for my '99 and have done about $4K in repairs (tires, clutch, starter, etc). So we both have spent about $14K to buy it and keep it running. You still have to fix the A/C and I just did the brakes (rotors/pads) and still need a new water pump. Close enough for me to call it even. Welcome to the club. The best thing to do now is to drive it like you stole it and enjoy the heck out of it because the money is spent and we're not going to get it back in resale. :cheers:

Buying one of these cars in easy. Affording to keep one is not always so easy. I have always enjoyed working on cars and knew from the start that this car could be fairly high maintenance. Mine is a 2002 S I bought with 32000 mi. In the two years I have had it I replaced the top with a glass window, clutch, IMS, rear main seal, AOS, 3 or 4 oil changes, wheel bearings all around (only one actually failed), lower rear control arms, rotors and pads all around, new tires, and second gear detent. Paying a mechanic to do all this would have been unaffordable for me. I had a local Porsche shop do the clutch, IMS and RMS more as matter of time savings as opposed to could not do it myself. The car is an every day driver and it handles and feels almost new. That is the way I prefer to keep it, not waiting for failures to occur. If you really like the car this is an excellent opportunity to learn to do it yourself. With help from this site, and publications such as Wayne's 101 Projects for your Boxster, Bentley manual and fellow enthusiasts there is a lot you can do to keep the cost of ownership down and have the satisfaction of knowing you did it yourself.

It's unfortunate that you bought the car and immediately had to do so many costly repairs, however many of the repairs you have had to do are fairly normal at 75k miles. What happened to you is exactly why its better to spend more upfront for a newer or lower mile car, than spend the extra on repairs. This is all hindsight, but worth considering in the future. And it sounds like you got a bad PPI.

That said, why would you sell the car after repairing everything that is wrong with it, and losing more money selling a car that needs AC repairs, etc? Also, you have to keep in mind that IMS is not nearly as prominent as it is made out to be on the internet. Think of the hundreds of thousands of Boxster owners that don't post on the internet, and are very happy!

I got my 99' Boxster in '06 w/ 17k, it now has 73k. I had no big problems with my car until this last year when I needed a new clutch, AOS, MAS, etc. Not exactly cheap. I do tires/brakes every two years, minor DIY repairs every now and then, plus services. It averages out to about $1400 a year, before the recently big repairs, it was about $800 a year.

Tires, brakes and motor mount are regular maintenance items. Other items are likely due to neglect from the previous owner. Clutch shouldn't need to be done at 80k unless it was a daily driver in Manhattan, but as you said you bought it from a rich kid so he likely dumped the clutch in front of his friends just for fun.

It's been said many times, people bought boxsters for a few grand thinking they got a deal, but what may be cheap to buy a Porsche doesn't equal cheap to maintain...

Such is my case. Well, I'm really happy that none of you guys are encountering problems. That means once I get mine up to speed, it should be easy running.

Are there any other reasons why you don't seem to be getting the typical enjoyment out of the car? The rest of us are nearly giddy after each drive.

Oh no, it's a pure pleasure driving, especially on mountain passes. It's the constant worry when I'm getting behind the wheel wondering "is it going to break down" that really irks me. That kind of feeling is not something I want from my car. This thread has reassured me that there will be light somewhere at the end of this tunnel.

hang in there
 

fix it, drive it..... very few drivers report getting stranded. all repairs youve mentioned are common wear items. Ask me about the repairs on my boat, 2 minibikes, camper, ford expedition 03, LAWN , 2000 silverado 2500 and the list goes on. It seems to me that everything I,ve done is layed out in b and w on this forum. MY INDY CONTINUALLY TELLS ME TO DRIVE THE CAR!!!! My pelican parts friend tells me I could spend alot of money trying to make it bullet proof, as well as wasting alot of time stressing on the car and not enjoying it. Soooooo I quit stressing and started driving. I think your about at the end of the tunnel....sorry about the a.c. Trust me, I know first hand what your going thru. My 02 s is my daily driver and I am so glad I hung in there because I CANT THINK OF ONE TIME I'VE BEEN GLAD TO GET TO MY DESTINATION..... Speaking of operating costs did I mention my 10, 9 and 7 year old ?

"Ask me about the repairs on my boat"

Ha,Ha. boy did that strike a nerve.
Owning boats from 30 feet to 120 feet - I know you run 'm and you fix'm - constantly.
Then when you've had enough of that buy a "classic car" - "get out and get under" does that sound familiar ?

If you want to drive a throughbred be prepared - having said that I find the Boxster very reliable ( but look at my history )

If your really stressed about the car do what I did get a neuralyzer.

No worries mate.

This, unfortunately

Before I bought mine I had two things ready:
1. Good mechanic willing to extend a line of credit
2. Toyota as a backup car

But I've been fortunate and haven't needed either

I can't believe you bought a Porsche with a check engine light on. I hope you got it for next to nothing.

Then I must be rare, I paid that for a 98 with 100k from dealership. 10,000 miles later no major repairs other than routine maintenance (oil, filters, etc)

No engine lights, other than occasional slow flashing coolant, but mechanic says temp sensor accurate and engine not overheating (180-210) and recent midwest weather has been highest on record so I should be safe

Brakes, rotors, tires coming up

[QUOTE=986_inquiry;298738]
1. Good mechanic willing to extend a line of credit

986_inquiry: Which mechanic do you take your care to? I'm also in STL, and have used Le Stable in Glen Carbon and was considering Plaza for some other work. Just seeing who else others in the area are using.

Your situation is probably not uncommon. Porsches are not cheap to buy or to maintain, but they are fantastic to drive. If you follow a new one from day one you are probably looking at an average of about $1500 to $2,000 a year for maintenance. Unfortunately, the previous owner didn"t pay his part and you got stuck with yours and his.
That said, there are a couple of ways around some of the expense. Avoid Porsche dealers because they will rape you repeatedly. However don't go to joe blow at the corner garage. I have a fine mechanic that was with porsche for many years and now has his own shop. He saves me about 40 percent on labor and almost that much on parts. I use him for anything that I can't do myself.
And speaking of doing it yourself, if you are going to drive a porsche learn to do much of your own work. There is a wealth of information in this forum that will guide you thru much of it. Especially the routine maintenance. I have 3 porsches and there is no way I could pay dealers to maintain them. I have invested in a lift for the garage ($2K) and it has saved me thousands. I bought a $300 bearing tool and I can now change a wheel bearing in 3 hours for $60 while the dealer gets $600. I do a complete brake job for $500 (rotors and all) while the dealer gets $2K. I do an oil change for $60 while the dealer gets $200. Etc, etc,etc
Everyone thinks they can"t do their own repairs, but many of them are much easier to do than you think. Hang around a garage for a while and watch. These guys are not rocket scientists. You will not be able to do it all, but what you save on the easy stuff will make the IMS and RMS repairs hurt less when you have to shell out for them. Buy some tools and get greasy. You will appreciate your car a lot more after you work on it yourself. That's my opinion and it is worth just what I charged you for it.

when i first bought my car with 42k on the odometer, i took it to porsche for the RMS to be replaced. while in there, i told them to fix anything else they saw an issue with. Final tally was about $1500 with a 2 year warranty on the work and a car that had been inspected thoroughly inside and out.

since then, i've done brake pads in the front, 3 oil changes, and charged the AC (all done myself except for the first oil change, learned my lesson about going to the dealer for that...). that's all.

my car's driven every day and runs like a dream. have yet to see a check engine light and everything works as new. almost to 60k miles. come april/may 2013 i'll have the 60k tune up and prob spring for the waterpump/thermostat/AOS.

bought the car for 14,500 in 2010, spent about $1700 in repairs and have a car that is, in my opinion, in excellent condition for the year and mileage. I do not anticipate any problems and plan on preventing some of the more common issues before they even present themselves. after april/may next year, i plan on hitting 100k with ONLY maintainance items to complete.

I have spent $4200 on maintenance this year. That includes a new clutch ( I knew that going in and budgeted for it based on the PPI , negotiated the price down with the PO based on the PPI) did the IMS while in there, some new brake pads, 2 oil changes, replaced turn signal clockspring.I put a new set of Pilot Sports on (I knew that going in and budgeted for it based on the PPI, negotiated the price down with the PO based on the PPI) Minus PO price reduction I have put $2200 into one fine fun ride. The PPI was money well spent ! it helped me get some of the undone maintenance costs from the PO.

I went to Pelican to see what the parts cost for your repairs. Couple of hundred bucks for the parts. Labor cost was really high...the dealer may have been cheaper.

I bought my 2000 base in May of 2010 at which time I spent about $1800 replacing the clutch, flywheel, RMS, IMS bearing, AOS and other assorted small things like the serpentine belt. Since that time I've had to replace the headlight switch, water pump and motor mount for about $500 or so. The only maintenance I've had to do since May of 2011 is the whistling vent valve for the carbon canister at about $100. My car was well cared for before me by a Porsche mechanic who kept records. I wouldn't own this car if I couldn't do the wrenching myself and I'd never buy a Pcar that didn't have a documented history of owner love.

Steve

mine costs very little to keep running..

but here is the rub. when something needs doing i do it, not let it fester and run into bigger bucks from putting it off.

sure, things will wear as on anything mechanical and i've also spent a little engery and time into getting the car up to my own high standards.

the box is actaully a piece of p1ss to work on, when i first started out with it i was very much shy of getting my hands dirty because it is a 'porsche'.

now i use nitrile gloves. :p

seriously though, there is a whole host of maintenance that you can do yourself brake discs (rotors) pads drop links etc, you just need a standard socket and spanner set of decent quality and perhaps some more tools along the way like a meter long breaker bar and a torque wrench, oh and some torx bits for the socket set..

i drop my front bumper/valence off every year and clear out the debris to prevent the rads/condesors rotting out.. it takes less than 15 mins...

just changed the spark plug tubes, using the data from this forum and the transom plug method (tip when you do the rubber bung up keep turning it with some grips and your feel a pop as the rubber seals slip loose and the tube slides straight out. other wise if you try to pull the tube out the plug slides out the tube) now i've figuered that out i could redo a set in about 30 mins.

A BIG tip for doing it yourself is clean off bolt / torx heads before getting into it and use the correct size spanner / torx / socket rounding heads off will just leave you having to get bolts machined out. also use a breaker bar to break the seal on a bolt dont use a short socket and just keep tugging, you'll end up rounding heads off.

i've only ended up doing work myself as i've fed up with 'specialists' charging the earth for frankly crap work and i know that if i do it myself, it will be done to the standard i expect.

tyres shouldn't wear out too quickly i've had my p-zero rossos on for close to 24 months now and they still have more than 6.5mm, but then i make sure the alignment is done regularly, poor alignment eats tyres.


my sister on her volvo xc-90 has gone through 2 sets of tyres in the past year and i keep telling her to get the alignment done. she's done more on tyres on her volvo in one year that i have spent on the porsche in 5...

again, it's keeping on top of things, when you get the boxster tip top keep it that way, it will cost you less to run and maintain its value..

as one poster said previously there are cheap boxsters, but they are cheap beacuse they need money thrown at them.. no matter the mileage a well maintained boxster has considerable value where as one that hasnt doesnt.

if you get stuck, or need help there are some very, very knowledgable people here that will be more than willing to help you out.

keep the faith.

That's a first. My mechanic charges anywhere between $80 to $120 per hour depending on the job.
How much do you guys usually pay for a mechanic to do things?

.. that is, those of you who are like me and not brave (or smart?... or willing due to laziness :P ) enough to wrench it yourself.

Once again, happy to be apart of this community. Lots of informative, helpful folks here.

Local dealer was around $140/hr, indie is $98/hr. A good part of the reason why I bring the car to them is because I don't have the time to go at the car myself, and I don't want to start something that's going to leave the car undriveable, not be able to get back to it, and leave the car sitting like that for any length of time. Basically I'm paying for the convenience of not having to do that and having someone do it for me. Otherwise, I'd thoroughly enjoy wrenching on the car myself.

My sentiments EXACTLY!

I have a bunch of new tools to prove it. However, most are used well by now….and lovin' it! Worked on bikes but was intimidated because it was a Porsche too. I just started doing things that were within my wrench-ability! I washed the car and was hooked in from there….doing bearings and drop links next!

These Pcars are a blast! I am surprised more people do not know our secret….you put up with a lot to drive this car but there is no other car I would rather be in!

So ENJOY IT NOW-while you can! There are only so many sunny days my friends….BASK in the sunshine! And wear sunscreen just in case I'm wrong!

My $.02