After 10 months of ownership...SHOULD I EXCHANGE IT?

[HAUSIDMT]

Personal decision really, but if you want the "S" I would bail now before there's more depreciation on your current Boxster. But keep in mind those "gremlins" are pretty standard throughout. You have to determine the willingness to pony up when some thing needs to be replaced. I've heard many times there's nothing more expensive then an old Porsche, but I'm willing to keep owning one.

[southernstar]

I'm not sure how you spend $600.00 on the coolant tank this year and it now needs replacing..... In any event, yes you should have had a PPI but by now, you have a pretty good idea what is wrong with the car. As has been pointed out, the coolant expansion tanks and A/OS are fairly common problems with these cars and, unless they have been recently replaced on the Boxster S you buy, there is no guarantee that you won't soon need to replace them on that car as well. Brakes and tires are a wear item on any car and unlike many cars, at least one seldom needs to replace the calipers on a Boxster.

We have no idea how many miles are on your Boxster and whether you know the maintenance history, but that combined with what you already have replaced and have diagnosed for future replacement should go a long ways towards telling you whether it will continue to have significant maintenance issues. If your car has over 80,000 miles and has the original suspension components, they may soon be due for replacement. Ditto the clutch.

Having said all of that, if you heart is set on a Boxster S with a 6 speed manual, then get one. Just make sure to check out the maintenance records and have a thorough PPI!

Brad

[batshapedheart]

Originally Posted by southernstar

I'm not sure how you spend $600.00 on the coolant tank this year and it now needs replacing.....

You are absolutely right, before it was the "cap" now they said it was "bleeding"
I asked the guy, "if 6 months ago, you looked at it, why does it need replacing now?"
And then he gave me a "explanation" that i feel discredited the Porsche brand instead of owning up to the issue.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by batshapedheart

You are absolutely right, before it was the "cap" now they said it was "bleeding"
I asked the guy, "if 6 months ago, you looked at it, why does it need replacing now?"
And then he gave me a "explanation" that i feel discredited the Porsche brand instead of owning up to the issue.

The coolant system is an "eco-system" as far as replacing things.
If you don't address the coolant cap before tinkering about with the coolant tank or water pump the pressure will be always be off and you'll end up with weird coolant levels every time you check the trunk. Removing an old coolant cap is like trying to re-use the same piece of scotch tape. It's not going to hold tight once screwed back on.

If you flush the system without updating to the most recent coolant cap, or periodically changing it, you can end up with air in the system which will cause the original and now brittle coolant tank to split, spill all that coolant (1-800 flat bed).

Also, ask your mechanic if they filled with an Airlift. If a shop does a lot of these they should not be doing it old school. As a general rule put a new coolant cap on every time you refresh the brake fluid. It's a cheap part that can cause expensive damage. If this was a dealer, find a an indepedent mechanic. Maybe Pedro can point you towards one.

[The Radium King]

best value for money is always the car that the other guy got tired of fixing - most of the work is done by the time you get your hands on it and he typically gives it away because he's so tired of fixing it ...

[recycledsixtie]

You did not say how many miles you have on it. If it is high mileage then it is more likely that accessories need to be replaced. Obviously the previous owner was not into proactive replacement. Tiptronic = more moving parts. Possibly harder to sell.
Non S model also likely harder to sell.

For myself what I did when buying my Boxster 2001 base:
- buy privately(unless you buy a car from the Porsche stealership which is certified previous owned with a P car warranty which is also more $$$)
- buying privately you are able to get better access to receipts for work done.
- offer purchase price(lower than asked) subject to PPI. Deduct costs of work to be done from your offer.
- looked for a manual transmission and lower mileage( I bought mine with 30k miles)
- Boxsters are easy to buy and can be hard to sell. Much patience is needed buying and selling.
- Do not be in a hurry!

[batshapedheart]

Originally Posted by recycledsixtie

You did not say how many miles you have on it. If it is high mileage then it is more likely that accessories need to be replaced. Obviously the previous owner was not into proactive replacement. Tiptronic = more moving parts.

It currently has 89k miles. And you are right, I think the previous owners did not give it proper care.

My train of thought was " If I'm gonna spend the same amount buying pieces than upgrading to the better model why not do it now before I have to spend even more?"

[deptotpr]

My opinion is... I think your too far committed to give up now!
Just think, one way to look at it is... once you get it up to par, it will be a brand new car again . I understand your hardship, but once my 01' got a new water pump, brakes, tires, thermostat, heater, front engine fan; I have been maintenance free for over a year now...."knock on wood."
Your pain is normal ownership, and still "less" maintenance than our wives lol All relationships are tough at first....keep your 02' alive and running!

[husker boxster]

Get a 987.1 S. I had an 01S and it was always breaking something. I own 2 987Ss and had a third. Put a combined total of 51K mi on them and the only problems have been 1 water pump (fixed under warranty) and a temp sensor that was $50 and 2 hrs of my time to replace.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by husker boxster

Get a 987.1 S. I had an 01S and it was always breaking something..

^ I had exactly one repair on my 2000 S for the first 70K miles/9 years. It Needed a new throttle body, even at the dealer that was only a $300 repair. Other than that it was by far the most reliable car I've ever driven and mine is not a Souther California Sunday driver. It was driven year-round on winter beaten roads. I thought I was driving a Lexus. Mine is a Valmet build btw.

Unfortunately when the big ticket maintenace repairs came due (clutch/IMS, shocks, etc.) it was time to break open the piggybank. But that's true of all Boxsters/Caymans and Carreras. My rule now is "in by 20K miles out by 50K".
Let the previous owner take the first big hit on depreciation and let the next owner pay up for major maintenance.

[Frodo]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

My rule now is "in by 20K miles out by 50K".

Not to hijack the thread (or to do so only temporarily ), but PL...is that your rule, or is it "in by 20K miles out by 50K, except for with this car." (I noticed from your post you apparently have at least 70K on the odo---about what I have on my 01S, coincidentally.)

Just curious as to when you planned on selling her...?

[husker boxster]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

"in by 20K miles out by 50K".

This fits my 01S. I bought it when it was 4 yrs old, a CPO w/ 15K mi on it. In the 2.5 yrs I owned it, the following was replaced:

rt rear wheel bearing
lft front bushing
RMS
pwr steering pump
driver's window regulator

And that's what I can remember. I was getting to know my service advisor quite well. The first 2 items listed weren't covered by CPO either. Owned the car 1/2 yr after CPO expired and was scared to death of the next item that would break because it would be on my dime. But the issues I had were typical 986 issues, which you read about all the time on this forum. I was lucky and didn't have the coolant tank failure or cables snapping or rear windows cracking, which are also typical to the 986. Traded it in w/ 48K mi.

Bought the 08 S LE (that's what I traded my 01S for) new and have owned it almost 6 yrs. It had the 2 issues I listed in the earlier post. Not bad for 6 yrs and 35K mi. One of the best cars in terms of quality and reliability I've ever owned.

Bought an 07 Cayman S with 17K mi that had 1.5 yrs left on the CPO. I put 18K mi on it and never had to take it to the dealer in the almost 2 yrs I owned it. I did 2 DEs with it.

Bought my 08 Cayman S Sport with 7400 mi and it had 9 mo left on CPO. In the 10 mo I've owned it, I've put 8K mi on with 0 problems. I've done 3 DEs this yr with it.

Based on my experience, these three 987s have been way better cars than the one 986 I owned. To reiterate from the earlier post - a total of 51K mi and 2 problems in 9 yrs of ownership vs 35K mi, 5 issues, 2.5 yrs of ownership. The 986 wasn't a lemon because the majority of forum members have had the same issues. The 987s are not perfect - the one main issue is the water pump. But I can live with that vs the constant crap that keeps breaking on a 986.

Your mileage may vary.