Looking to buy a Boxster - anything I should know?

[Troutman]

Take care when buying as you would with any large purchase.
Make sure the car has Full Service History (FSH) preferably Porsche but a good indi is just as good. Frequent oil changes are very important.
If you don't know much about mechanics, take someone along who does when you think you have found a good one.
Make sure it's never been crashed/stolen/both etc...

They do have issues but to be realistic you probably don't need to worry about these things, major problems are very rare.. just budget for more than an average saloon.

I have had my 99 2.7 for 2yrs now and haven't spent a penny on anything other than a service(oil and filters)
They are fantastic little cars that will provide you with a huge amount of joy every time you drive them.
Get a good one though! Mine was a minter , 1 owner FPSH and the 1st I looked at...very lucky

[hamburglar]

If the 98 is at 92k miles and hasn't had the engine replaced or any problems with the IMS or RMS, is it safe to say if it hasn't had a problem by now that it is unlikely to have those problems?

[darknight]

Originally Posted by hamburglar

If the 98 is at 92k miles and hasn't had the engine replaced or any problems with the IMS or RMS, is it safe to say if it hasn't had a problem by now that it is unlikely to have those problems?

It is difficult to say for sure how likely it will be that you will have a problem with either the IMS or RMS. I replaced both, for the piece of mind, along with a new clutch about a month ago, and used the ceramic replacement from LN Engineering.

If it were my car, and I was concerned about it, then I would budget for the upgrade, enjoy the Boxter, and not worry about it.

Regardless of the odds, it will be good piece-of-mind.

[southernstar]

hamburglar, you can't say you will never have issues with the IMS bearing and RMS. Some of the early 2.5 Boxsters (97, 98) had problems with block porosity that typically showed up quite early on, if at all. That car will have a double-row IMS bearing (but check the engine serial numbers, because if the engine has been replaced it may be a later engine with single-row bearing), which substantially reduces the risk of IMS bearing failure ( well less than 1% versus 8-10%). However, there is no set mileage at which it can occur. I have a dual row with only 57,000 miles, but still plan on replacing the bearing when I end up having to do the clutch.