02 Boxster or 01 Boxster S

[southernstar]

Kris, do you also get the invoices for the work that was done, or just the stamps in the warranty book? If not, I'd be somewhat worried - i.e., the previoius owner has the car in at the Porsche dealership at 38.000 miles for (?????) and then sells it (or trades it) 1000 miles later..... Like you, I wouldn't have much faith in the warranty (check the company out on the net and read the fine print, but I can't believe that it would cover pre-exisitng problems at the time of purchase).

I really do think that a PPI is important in these cars as it is not difficult to get up into the thousands in repairs. Is it a dual-row IMS bearing (did you check the engine serial number)? If not, it is not exceptioinally rare even for low-mileage versions to have IMS bearing failures. Have you tried other mechanics for the PPI - it doesn't have to be a Porsche dealer. At minimum, I would want someone to get it on a lift, check for leaks from the coolant expansion tank, check for leaks from the water pump (when dried, you'll see white powder), check for oil leaks, check to see what shape the suspension components are in and at that point, if all looks good, have the spark plugs removed and have a compression test done (and maybe a drip down test). If all still looks good, I would pay for an oil change. Once the filter is removed, have it cut in half and inspect for particles (should be nil, or virtually nil, if the last change was 1200 miles ago). If that is good, you will sleep much better.

Brad

[Coffinhunter]

Originally Posted by southernstar

Is it a dual-row IMS bearing (did you check the engine serial number)? If not, it is not unusual for low-mileage versions to have IMS bearing failures.

Brad

Not to start this arguement again, but I think saying "not unusual" is a bit much. The failure rate is somwhere around 2-5% , so I would say that it would be unusual for there to be a failure. Granted if it goes out that is a big deal, but not something that I am going to lose sleep over. Get the PPI, if you are really paranoid about the IMS failure, get the guardian, or replacement. Even with those expenses the car is a good deal.

[Heiko]

Hey all things aside... you gotta remember this thing is 13yrs old... and it doesn't matter what you buy at that age you'll likely have to put some money into it; especially if you're picky about your car. Porsche ownership doesn't come cheap (at least not as cheap as a regular cars) and as long as you remember that and are willing to pay the price, you should be ok buying it.
Too many people buy them and then complain that they had to spend 2-3K in the first year of ownership, or just neglect to do the maintenance because its too expensive... eventually you will pay for it