New Boxster owner - my story, lessons learned.
 

Hi there everyone, first time poster. I hope this is the right subforum. I found this site a few months ago when I was shopping around for a new car. Browsing around, I noticed there are a few common problems with the Boxster but that's really no different than any other car. And after looking at a bunch of photos and performance data, I was very interested. I've owned several RX-7's and I really love those cars but I was ready for something a little newer. The '00 - '02 Boxster S seemed to fit the bill and was in my price range.

I went to see a 2000 S with 56k on it at an exotic car dealership in Greensboro, NC that specializes in Ferrari, Aston Martin, Maserati and Porsche. All I can say is wow! Not only did it feel great in terms of performance, it was just nice all around. I loved how quiet it was inside and how solid it felt. 56,000 miles was a lot but I was intoxicated by the atmosphere at the dealership and the car was exactly what I was looking for otherwise. It was the right color combination and had zero options (I like that) other than the upgraded 18" wheels. It was super clean and felt very good on the test drive. No wierd noises, good power, handling was tight, etc. It had brand new tires too. It seemed like a winner and I was getting excited.

After the drive, the sales consultant and I went back to his office to talk. Even though there were six figure cars outside, he still took his time and treated me with a lot of respect. We started to look through all of the paperwork and I was very disappointed when I found out the car had no service records whatsoever. They told me when it was traded in, they changed the oil but it didn't need anything else. They also showed me a clean carfax report but we all know how much stock we can put into those. I had read about PPI's but I didn't know anything about the area I was in and it was getting late. I was nervous and thought about walking but I was too caught up in the situation and just didn't have the will power to leave the car. I thought about how good it felt on the test drive and decided to gamble.

I drove the car for a few weeks and all was well. I thought I heard some strange noises coming from the engine area that I hadn't heard before, especially at idle, but I thought I was being paranoid so I dismissed them as normal. After spending more time with the vehicle, I also started to hear something coming from the drivetrain. At 57k, I decided to take the car in early for the 60k mile service at a reputable Porsche dealership near where I live. The next day I get a call from the service manager. He tells me that they found an RMS leak, another leak around the spark plugs(?), they wanted to replace the clutch and the front brakes because they only had about 1000 miles left. With the 60k mile service, I was looking at around $4500! Yikes...


Get a PPI!!


With that said, would I have still purchased the car even if I had gotten a PPI? Probably. Yes. Even after all this, I still feel like it was a good buy and I'm extremely happy with it. But I probably could have used the information from the PPI during the negotiation. Now I'm just looking forward to getting the car back and having the piece of mind knowing that everything is good to go. Happy Motoring everyone.


Cheers


http://www.rx7club.com/vbgarage.php?...ype=im&id=7306

I just purchased a 2000 triple black boxster
 

happy b-day to me...it is my 38th ...i have a question for you...did you have any leaking from the car..or was the noise very pronounced and getting worse before the 60k checkup??? mine is tip top no leaks...and quiet as a mouse when in idle...the check engine light came on once...a week after purchase..and scared the hell out of me...the next day it was gone and has not returned..the car drives perfect...i have my 60k tune up the first week of april 08...i have 59311 on the odometer...should i be worried...im not a mechanic but i attribute the check engine light coming on breifly..to the fact that the car sat from oct07 at the dealership until 3-1-08 my bday and probably had some fouling in one of the plugs that needed to be cleared out..let me know if that sounds crazy...but it run like brand new...thanks for your insight.

collin

p.s....not to sound ignorant..but what is a ppi???

A PPI is short for Point of Purchase Inspection.., Cost about $250 at any porsche dealer and is usually good to have done before purchasing any porsche... Usually you have a different porsche Dealer perform the PPI than the one your purchasing the car from.

They inspect the condition of the engine, transmission suspension and brake system... also they check the interior and exterior electrical and let you know of any obvious cosmetic or convertible top issues that may slip by the untrained eye.

thanks
 

thanks for the speedy reply..any insights you can give me into my car...things to watch and listen for??

$4500 seems quite pricey. How much of that is the RMS and clutch?

The brakes are an easy DIY job.

As for the clutch and RMS, $1500 should cover parts and labor for the clutch at independent Porsche shops. They can easily change the RMS while they are in there replacing the clutch. Oil leaks from the spark plugs can be solved by replacing the plug tubes and O-rings, another DIY job with parts costing less than $100.

I think you should be able to find an independent shop that will tackle the brakes, RMS, clutch, sparkplug tubes for about $2000.

Hello again,



I didn't notice any bad leaks. There certainly wasn't a puddle under the car but I swear I saw a drop of oil gathering on the underside of the car one day. Next day, after a drive it was gone and never came back. The drivetrain noise I heard was the throw out bearing I think. I only heard it when the clutch was in. It was pretty loud but never got any worse. Never got a service engine light.



They still have the car so I'm not sure yet. Very interested as well though. They did tell me that they are replacing the RMS with a new one they use on 911's as well that is bulletproof. Not sure how accurate that is..



You're absolutely right. I know it's the dealership and I'm probably getting reamed but I just needed to get it done. I'm moving this weekend and unfortunately don't have time to do any of this myself or find a good independent shop. I used to enjoy doing basic work like brakes on my RX-7's but I told myself after I got this car that I'm letting the professionals service it.

On another note, I'd like to take this time to inform everyone in the Upstate SC area about the level of service at Porsche of Greenville in Greenville, SC. Like I said, I heard from a friend that they were a reputable shop but I'm starting to disagree.

I took the car in last week on Tuesday around 5:00pm. They called me on Wednesday morning with their findings and the bad news and told me it would be ready Friday afternoon (that week). Friday rolls around and I haven't heard anything. At 5:30 I decide to call for an update. They told me that had to order some parts so it probably wouldn't be ready until "the beginning of the week". I don't know what their definition of "the beginning of the week" is but it's Wednesday and I still haven't heard anything. I'm afraid to call back; I don't want to sound like an a-hole but this is getting ridiculous. I understand they have a lot of work to do but don't tell me it'll be ready on Friday if it's not gonna be ready. And now it's been over a week and I haven't heard squat. I mean, calling me with an update every now and then is just common courtesy. If their customer service is this bad, I'm a little worried about what they're doing to my car. And you think with the kind a business I'm giving them, they might try a little harder. In my experience, I would steer clear of this dealership.

final bill.. $5884.31... :eek:

No one said owning a Porsche was cheap. They ended up replacing the flywheel and CV boots too.

Well the good news is that the car feels frickin' terrific! Way better than before. There was something definately wrong with my clutch; it was so stiff. Now, it feels nice and smooth. And she pulls so much better now.. prolly due to the tune up.

I'm one happy (but broke) camper!

Congrats. There was another recent post from someone with a Pettit modified FD asking if moving to a Boxster would be cheaper. I warned him that moving to a Porsche is not going to save him any money in repairs/maintainence.

I am pretty sure there is no German work for inexpensive! :D

I can see why you fell for the car hook, line and sinker. Red over tan does that to many of us.

Nice car.

Thank you. I'm lovin it

Your car is beautiful! Sorry you had to spend so much to get everything working right, but at least now you can just focus on enjoying it. :)

Congrats and welcome to the forum! Glad to hear it's all taken care of. :cheers:

you guys aren't going to believe this... I must have the worst luck.

Yesterday I was on the highway and noticed the temp needle starting to rise so I pulled off. As I was slowing to a stop, I heard some awful noises coming from the engine bay area. It sounded sort of like metal on metal whirring or clanking or tapping. I shut down the engine and noticed the needle on the temp gauge had gotten to about the 3rd hash mark. Then I saw smoke coming from the passenger side vent. It smelled like coolant and looking underneath the car, I saw that and OIL spewing everywhere! What the hell happened? The car was running great and then all of the sudden... kablooey?

I'm just not sure what to do. I called the dealer and they said they would go pick it up and tow it in but I don't think this is related to the work they did and I have no warranty. Man, what a nightmare.. I just got this car, spent almost $6000 getting everything worked out and now this happens. Could it be the IMS failure I've read about? If it is, does Porsche do anything about it?

This sounds exacly like the dreaded IMS engine implosion. I hope I am wrong.

Keep you cool and go back to the bird who sold you this lemon.

:mad:

Do you know anything about the lemon laws where you live? I'd hope somehow you can get the dealer to help out with this.

wow...sucks....I would definitely see if ou can get some form of recourse....altho I get a feeling there is going to be a buyer beware attitude coming from the dealer...

if it makes you feel better, my porsche dealer sucks at doing warranty work....

I'd check on the lemon law itself, not just ask the dealer. My only experience with this is limited, but years ago I bought a used Miata from a dealer and discovered shortly after I bought it there was some undercarriage work that needed to be done. An attorney told me it was a hidden defect and that if the dealer wouldn't repair it I should take the car back and lock the keys in it on their lot. However, this is Louisiana and it's over ten years ago. But definitely worth checking into.

Right now I'm waiting to hear from the local dealer with the diagnosis. But if they don't have any good news, I may have to contact the other dealer I bought it from. I'm just so unfamiliar with this situation; nothing like this has ever happened to anyone I know. I'm not sure if I should expect help from some entity like Porsche or the dealer or am I simply SOL since I bought the car as-is?

Well thanks everyone for the comments and suggestions. I'll definitely look into some of these things.

Likley you are SOL. Check your documents and then check DMV and Consumer Laws in your state.

Report back, maybe we can help.

Awful, sorry you have had such bad luck. Good luck and keep the pressure on all involved parties.

Just got off the phone with the service manager and he said it was the water pump! The water pump!

He said that for whatever reason, the water pump locked up and shreaded the belt into a million pieces. That's obviously why she overheated and it would also account for the noise I suppose.. but I've NEVER seen coolant look like that before. I swear it was oil. Even the tow truck driver thought so. I don't get it. I asked him if he was sure we were talking about the same car. Do you guys think this sounds right? Could the failure be in any way related to the 60k mile service they did about 2 weeks ago?

Anyway, he said they couldn't find any oil anywhere and there shouldn't be any other damage. So it's gonna cost me another $1200 for a new water pump installed (that includes a 10% discount apparently because I just spent $6k there). Whatever. I guess I should be pissed that I'm having to pour even more into this car but to tell you the truth, I'm relieved :)

I'm freakin' ecstatic actually. Thought I was gonna need a new engine.. I bet you've never seen anyone this happy to see their water pump fail and have to spend over a grand having it fixed! haha

Antifreeze does NOT look anything like oil. Hmmmm.

Certainly, clean AF doesn't. Did they change the AF at the 60K, they should have.

$1200 for a water pump sounds mighty high to me.

Wow. I can get a new timing belt, water pump, and fan belt installed in my Lexus for half that.

:eek:

Turns out my friend's brother-in-law is a service manager at another Porsche dealership in the state, so I spoke with him today. He looked it up in his system and said a new water pump, coolant and the belt with labor only came to $900. I wonder if they're charging me for the tow? I thought it would be complementary if I got the service done there. Guess I better call back tomorrow to see what all the quote included.

I'm not gonna make a big stink over a few hundred dollars but I'll be a little irritated if they're trying to take advantage of me. Especially after they business I gave them a few weeks ago. I would how much that would have cost at the other place...

This sounds like the SAME problem I had, one hour after I purchased my Porsche, mind you!

Was driving nice, heard some wierd noises, then a boom, and the needles rocketed.

My AC Compressor had no coolant or something, caused some things to lock up...when it was all said and done I needed a new serp belt, crank shaft pulley, and some other odds and ends....$2000 for parts and labor.

Same problem, I've had 2 Boxster's BOTH needed water pumps within 1500 miles of ownership. 60K+ on both

Replacement was a bit over $1000 each for water pump, gasket, and labor. I saw a DIY posted here awhile back, doesn't look complicated. If I lose another, I'm doing it myself, I pay myself in :cheers:

I've been tempted to buy one of these with a metal impeller.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsche-911-996-986-BOXSTER-S-CARRERA-2-4-Water-Pump_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33604QQihZ022QQite mZ350046618740QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

Plastic components have their place, submerged in a fluid while under constant loads is not one of them.

wow, interesting stuff.. sounds pretty common. I'm feeling much better now but now I fear that after the car's fixed and I get it back, I'll always be worrying about the dreaded IMS failure that I thought this was. I was doing some research and it sounds like the faulty part wasn't introduced until '01. Does that mean that my car is immune to this problem?

You drove an Rx-7 right? Constant analyzing and consideration of every seemingly strange noise should be second nature.

There were changes that make IMS more likely in later models, but I wouldn't say it's unheard of in the earlier cars.

It was *never* my daily driver.. :)

I just had a similar experience. Couple of days ago my driver side "comfort open / close" feature stopped working, ie the way the window goes up / down a fraction when you open the door. I call Porsche, they tell me it's either the regulator or the micro switch. If it's the latter, my certified Porsche warranty covers it, otherwise it's a $550 job. So I take into the dealership this morning, and while I'm there they remind it's coming up for a service, so I say ok, go ahead and do it. That's another $500. Then I get a call an hour later, to say that they've noticed 2 of my CV Boots are broken / leaking (I'm not a mechanic, so forgive me if I've got the terminology wrong). That'll be another $900, as guess what? My warranty doesn't cover those either. So in short, that's a total of about $2000 that I didn't think I'd be paying out until a couple of days ago. Kind of a bitter pill to swallow given, I've only done 6K in the car since I bought it, and it was supposed to have gone through Porsche's certification program....

Ouch. I don't see how the warranty would cover one switch and not the other. That makes no sense. Have you tried taking it to an independent shop to have it looked at?

No idea why that's the case. The regulator is subject to normal wear and tear, which usually results in exclusion from the warranty. That coupled with the CV boots (I'm having all 4 replaced given the high cost of labor and the cars 40K mileage) have made me realise that maybe Porsche's certified warranty ain't that great. I did ask them to detail the car for nothing, given my displeasure at paying 2k out of the blue, to which they agreed. Hey, it's better than nothing!

Insofar as dealer prices go I've found that they are high. Try to find another dealer with better prices or an independent or two that specialize in Porsches. Finding another source or two is always a good option if you need another opinion, and this also helps to keep everyone honest and competitive.

Good independents can do a lot of the work for a lot less in some cases as the dealers for the most part follow their charted rates religiously. I probably will continue to go to the P-dealer until the factory warranty expires, then we'll see. If they're fair, I'll stay, but they start playing around, I'll go.

Anyways, sorry to hear about all the problems, but if it's any consolation, I had 2 PPIs done and a DME download, and warranty replacements were needed a month later anyways. Sometimes PPIs can be a false sense of security.

I would go back to the guy that sold you the car and if they have a good reputation, they will look at your situation and try to help you out in some way. As I've noted before, 2 dealers tried to sell me P-cars with flaws - full well knowing they had flaws - but they didn't tell me. I had to do my own sleuth-work to find out what was wrong.

So pressure the guys first that sold you the car, then the dealer charging you those higher than anticipated costs. Only you can look out for #1.

Good luck :)

I read this thread and it makes me worried about buying a used boxster.

some of you guys got hit with some pretty big bills on your boxster.

are these expenses normal? on a 60-75k mile car - is it "normal" to get nailed with 6000 in bills overa year period?

if that's "normal" i honestly think i might pass on a boxster and go for a newer less "prestigious" car, like an s2k. the boxster is my first choice, but i'm on a budget and don't wnat to be nickel and dimed with repairs. i'm only 35...maybe i shoudl wait for a porsche until my kids are out of the house and i actually get to keep all my money for myself! :) :ah:

or are these "horror stories" and not the norm?