Good luck, I hope you buy one and join the brotherhood!

My experience was so different from morgal's.

I had a great PPI on a two owner 42K miles '01S. On purchase, it immediately got a 60k service just so I could be sure of where services stood. It also got a complete brake job. And an alignment. Bought a set of take-off wheels with almost new Michelins from a very-posh-neighborhood dealer, sold mine for $100 less than I paid. So my ownership began.

Once into the shop at my expense for the seat belt grounding issue at $150 labor. One O2 sensor at $120 and $25 labor at a muffler shop. One CEL that pointed to a possible air leak in the intake and an hour labor at $175 securing all hose ends cured the CEL. One battery just because it was getting old. One set of tires again just because they were old. Not sure most people would have done the last 2 and, if you eliminate them, my 5 year expense (omitting oil changes, registration, insurance, etc ) was less than $500! 3% of the depreciation expense.

6 years and ~20k later sold it.In 6 years it never absolutely had to go to the shop, get towed or anything like that. Very daily driver. A few 250 mile trips. It drove me 15 miles to work in all but the worst snow, and volunteered to get pizzas, etc. (I'll bet few of you know how well a super size Pizza box wedges in the rear trunk and how warm it keeps for a 15 mile dash to home.) That car is at 93k last I heard from its 5th owner.

Note this well.
He bought a "good" low miles ,Boxster Base and has almost doubled down on the initial purchase price .He is over $18k ! And that is presumably with a lot of diy. If he had been paying an Indie ,it would have more than doubled the total to over $20K.
Not a criticism, just a financial reality check. Now THIS is the car to buy, not one that needs all the work. Trouble is that if this Poster tried to sell now to recoup his investment($18K) ,he would probably fail because people buy on price.
So buy from a wealthy OCD enthusiast !

Very true. And the best OCD enthusiasts you could ever find will sell their loved one via the PCA. If I had it to do all over again, that's where I would go to find a used P-car.

When I was researching, I looked at either a 986 with an IMS I could replace, or a 2009 or later model with no IMS to worry about. Unfortunately, the later models are still selling in the mid 30s...well above my budget.

We followed exactly the same path to M96 ownership !
With hindsight I made many shameful & expensive errors:
1. Using the word "budget" and Porsche in the same sentence is nonsense. I had no clue !
2. Buying a car with 'fresh LN IMS" -disaster because I did not learn about the gotcha phrase "Prequalification Inspection" until after the engine died - a few weeks after purchase!
3.Until you have read all 25+ "Modes of Failure" from Jake Raby , you are clueless
4.Until you have listed all the special tools,equipment and procedures required to rebuild an M96 you do not understand why a rebuild cost well over $8K.
5. Do you have FAA standard of mechanic skills ? -you will need them- read how to check cylinder bores as an example. And if you don't do this all your 8k is wasted.
6.Have you found some competent, honest M96 Indies who you will enjoy working with? You will be seeing them often !! And one of them should do a PPI on a car the other one suggest for you.
People sleepwalk into Porsche ownership blinded by the "Deutchland uber alles mechanical" nonsense.Think Ferrari and you will be closer to reality. Yes, I work on both !
And this afternoon I am re-installing an M96 .Yes, I rebuilt it and it cost way more than $8k diy.

I have been reading about a problem with some Porsches. The dreaded IMS! I understand what can happen if it fails, I am interested to know what IMS bearing is in this 2000 I have been interested in. It may have a double row IMS bearing. Not sure where the engine numbers are on the engines. So, I will have to find out. The lower chart will tell me if it has the double row bearing.

Engine Number Model Bearing Type
Up to engine # M 651 12851 Boxster 2.7L M96.22 Double Row Bearing
Up to engine # M 671 11237 Boxster S 3.2L M96.21 Double Row Bearing
Up to engine # M 661 14164 Carrera 996 3.4L Double Row Bearing
From engine # M 651 12852 Boxster 2.7L M96.22 Single Row Bearing
From engine # M 671 11238 Boxster S 3.2L M96.21 Single Row Bearing
From engine # M 661 14165 Carrera 996 3.4L Single Row Bearing
All 2005 Boxster 987 (maybe some 2006 models) Single Row Bearing
All 2005 Carrera 997 (maybe some 2006 models) Single Row Bearing
Maybe some 2006 Cayman models Single Row Bearing

If it helps, my 2000S was built 02/00 (look on the driver's door tag) and had a single row IMS.

Gelbster,

Can you post a link to Jack Raby's 25+ modes of failure? I did a search for it but got no hits.

Thanks/Anker

Be prepared to spend about $3000 on it after you purchase this car.


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Well I found out talking to the owner this 2000 Porsche I am looking at was built in 99 but called a 2000. Don't know what month in 99. Anyway, this changes my thoughts about this car again. I think the price she is asking and my 10k offer I was thinking about making could be a mistake. Even at 10k some are saying it's still over priced.
There is a Porsche dealer with a Silver 07 with black interior, and with 45k showing on a picture of the odometer. I have not talked to the dealer about this car, but the price they are advertising it for is $19775. Which states "REDUCED" I don't know if the Porsche dealers do a thorough inspection before putting cars up for sale. I might add, a sale with the dealer, you have add on's, taxes, etc., then if you get the car for less than advertised, you might have close to 20K in the 07. Can you lease a Porsche Boxster. LOL!

Lew,
For the 2000MY both single and double were fitted.Until you separate the transmission from the engine, you can't be sure which you have.You need to measure the 'dish' in the IMSB flange.
If it is an OEM flange, the depth will be 19.27mm if it is a 6204 single row. A 5204 double row flange has almost no dish - almost flat.The LN flanges and other aftermarket(like DOF) have different 'dish' depths.
There are many other things to be concerned about.
Did you see the car I PM'd you about ?

Got it Gel, watching it. Thanks!

I would stay away from that 2007...
 

The engine experts here will hopefully correct me if I'm wrong, but that model year has an IMS that cannot be replaced without splitting the engine case.

Incorrect -suggest -read up on the 2005 "large diameter IMSB" engines

Looks like the focus on this IMS bearing is big concern, and a worry for some owners. Who knows when it's going to happen. I don't want to drive a Boxster and worry or wonder when the IMS is going to cause a major problem.
I believe Porsche changed the design in 09 to avoid the failure of the bearing. So I will now be looking for a 09 or a later model to buy.

The 9A1 engine is not the perfect engine we all hoped for - just visit Jake Raby's site for some specifics.
And they are 3 times the price of a 986.
If you want ultimate reliability,reasonable service cots and have the budget ,buy anything that Raby built.
Or Japanese.

Looking for the site to ID this VIN # WP0CB29856U730760

Hope this helps you out...

Scouser's Porsche VIN Decoder

:)