Just bought a Boxster S, what should I know?

[Drew J]

Originally Posted by gthompson999

I thought about looking at this one before I found mine locally. Love the aftermarket pedals. It has been available for a while so I hope you were able to beat them up on price

Yeah, I got it for $13.5k all told, they were asking $15.5k. My family has a Ford dealership, so I'm not paying tax, doc fee, anything. Or insurance


Also, I am gonna drive it for a good 3-4 months before I put any more money in it. All I've bought so far is the mesh screens recommended in this thread, a hard-wired FM modulator for my Zune, and a pair of fuzzy dice.

[just_me]

1. as others have said, slow down on the mods. You may find they are not needed. These cars are pretty impressive right out of the box. I track my car a bit and it works - box stock.

2. That said, you can make dramatic changes to handling for not that much money, while power is very, very costly ( and sometimes elusive too). As always, handling is a trade off with ride and practicality.

3. Problem areas. Not too many. One biggie: the IMS. read up. really. Also motor mounts (mines out as i type), and, uh, not much*. Did i mention the IMS? If it fails, your $15k motor is toast.

These are fantastic cars to drive; sorted on the track; mostly very reliable; fairly easy to work on (considering); fuel efficient, comfortable on a long haul. Just great.

*ok, there are a few things. air-oil-separators; water pumps; a few micro-switches; few of them major issues.

Have fun with it.

[jmatta]

I completely agree on shorter oil change intervals...4 to 5000 miles at the most/at least annually. In your climate, I would use a good quality 10W40 synthetic oil...30 weight is way too thin of base. If you drive in hot weather, 15W50 is a good choice.

Look into the LN IMS bearing upgrade...your engine (and wallet) will thank you. Also see if you have the original water pump...the impellers are plastic and don't last long and could ruin your engine should it break...cheap maintenance; replace the coolant with a fresh batch of OEM while you're at it.

Enjoy the car!

[Drew J]

Originally Posted by jmatta

I completely agree on shorter oil change intervals...4 to 5000 miles at the most/at least annually. In your climate, I would use a good quality 10W40 synthetic oil...30 weight is way too thin of base. If you drive in hot weather, 15W50 is a good choice.

Look into the LN IMS bearing upgrade...your engine (and wallet) will thank you. Also see if you have the original water pump...the impellers are plastic and don't last long and could ruin your engine should it break...cheap maintenance; replace the coolant with a fresh batch of OEM while you're at it.

Enjoy the car!

Yeah, I'll definitely do all of that. Is this stuff I can do myself with very little experience working on cars? Should a Ford Mastertech be able to do it? Do I need special tools?

[just_me]

The IMS upgrade is pretty involved. Lift car; pull tranny completely; remove flywheel. So far a Ford MT is on board (with the right lifts, etc.). Now comes the tough part - use MANY special tools to lock all the ams and pull the cam timing bearing ( the IMS) without disturbing cam timing of any of the 4 cams.

Yes, you can do it. No, its not simple. I'd leave it to someone who's rebuilt a few M96 motors.

[Overdrive]

Besides being able to do oil changes yourself, it is possible for you to do some of the other items people have mentioned. There are people here who do as much of it as possible and I'm sure they're saving some good money in doing so. If you're not that comfortable with the idea, then I'd say don't be afraid to pay someone you trust to have it done right. And in the case of the IMS fix, I think it's well worth taking the car right to Flat 6 Innovations to have it done, because there will be no doubt that it's been done perfectly.

[just_me]

Dd you say South Alabama and 10w30? I assume its generally warm there. Have you read the owner's manual? Doing so how could you possibly think 10w30 is a good idea? I mean if oyu put around town anything is ok. But the right selection would be far thicker, and would meet the key european high performance oil specs (ACEA A3)

Anyway, if its normally warm - say over 50 deg in the coldest times of year, i'd use 15w50 or Syntec 10W40 or even syntec 20w50 (or similar). M1 0W40 is really too thin - it just barely meets the ACEA A3 certification which is required, and in hot weather will not hold up.

[mikefocke]

10W30 is not right for the lifters in any weather...warm or cold...or type of driving. And yes quality of oil and frequency of change does matter. Look at one of the approved oils lists.

Every year or 5k change the oil, filter and crush ring. Every 2 years change/flush the brake fluid.

Read the owners manual. Drive the car frequently for longish trips. Get the revs up only when the temp gauge is in the 180 range but try to do it every trip out.

Look at the age of the tires. Age matter as much as wear in safety.

Drive safely.

And enjoy the heck out of it...I drive mine everywhere...just got back from the dump getting rid of a load of trash...an excuse to drive it

You also might want to poke around here

[Highlow]

I'll tell you all the things I wish I knew when I got my Boxster/before I got my Boxster.

1) http://www.pelicanparts.com/boxster/boxster_tech.htm This is an AWESOME resource for pretty much everything. Read through all the titles and read the ones you want to know more about. You will learn a lot.

2) Like you said, drive it for a few months before doing anything to it at all. I'm talking 4 months minimum so you have time to really learn about your car.

3) Repairs are expensive, make sure you have a good mechanic to go to. Make sure you can trust them.

4) Boxster people are cool.

5) I change my oil every 6-10k and I use synth.

6) It will be more fun that you think.

7) At first I didn't like the back end of the Boxster, but when I bought one, everything about it started to grow on me. The car is really really pretty.

Enjoy