How much have you done in your first year of ownership?

[Rickinduncan]

Had the 03 since march. Have spent about $700 in gas so far. Begin of edit: Feeling really good about how much money I haven't spent on the car so far, I decided to take it out for a run before the rains start tomorrow. I was out on the Trans Canada Highway travelling with the traffic and noticed a ratty looking Z3 a bit ahead of me. Time for a little ' seeya, wouldn't wanna beya' time. I punched the pedal and instead of instant gratification, I noticed the revs shoot way up, but the speedo didn't move much. Thinking it was a one off, I did it again. Same results. A less than quick ride home and a phone call to my dealer. - Yep, clutch slipping. About $2200 for that, and since they were in there - the IMS bearing too. Might as well change the oil at the same time. Another $450 I reckon.

[southernstar]

Thinking back, in my first year of ownership I had one repair (replacement of ignition switch) and then regular maintenance (oil/filter changes, replaced air filter and serpentine belt). In the second year, only oil/filter changes, although this winter I will be replacing my spark plug tubes/seals and plugs as one is leaking slightly. I am also close to needing replacement of my rear tires.

Car is a 2000 Boxster 2.7 that was purchased with 86,000 km (54,000 miles) and now has 103,000 km (64,000). I paid more than some, but as the car was cosmetically pristine with excellent service records, oil changes every year/5-6,000 km (3-4,000 miles) and passed a thorough PPI with flying colors, I was prepared to pay a little more. So far I have no regrets. Once again, I think it shows the importance of a thorough PPI and service records when buying a used Porsche.

I know that there has been a lot of criticism of the marque on this and other sites with respect to reliability, but we have to keep in mind that these cars are now getting rather long in the tooth and that a number have been abused and subjected to inadequate maintenance. Sadly, as the prices have plummeted, I suspect that poorly maintained and abused examples will become the norm.

Brad