Difficult cars

[truegearhead]

all things being all things I think the boxster is the easiest car to work on that I've owned. Sure its got some special tools and if your familiar with most cars the bow will be very unfamiliar but i think it actually is very accessible as long as you like being on the bottom...

[shadrach74]

I don't think the Box is hateful to work on, and I think it requires little in the way of specialty tools for normal maintenance. A lift makes it a far better experience. I'm currently using jack stands and have about 17" of clearance which is sub optimal.

I do think that Porsche skimped on the fasteners. The roll bar covers are a case in point... those threaded shaft friction fittings are a lousy design that requires a pry bar to remove them. Very crude, and one of mine broke in the process of removing.

Easiest cars to work on in my opinion are the pre-1992 Mercedes Benz products. Beautifully put together machines that are easily disassembled. I once installed an alternator in a 89 300E in a parking lot at midnight when a buddy was stranded. 1hr from start to finish. I've also worked SELs and SLs as well as a 190E 2.6. They were all great cars that were great to work on. None of the Euro or Asian cars of today are built with the same philosophy. These days you're drilling out pop rivets to replace a window regulator or pulling a timing belt to get to a thermostat. I think the 70s and 80s were the last of the golden years for German autos...

[01SBox]

Originally Posted by shadrach74

Easiest cars to work on in my opinion are the pre-1992 Mercedes Benz products....

I would disagree - the VW Bug (the original) you could remove, rebuild and replace the engine in a day.

The 1990's era toyota camry's were very much the same - in addition to being reliable, they were designed for ease of service.

The E30's were very easy to work on...I think I did a waterpump and timing belt on mine in an hour one day.

I've removed and replaced a few dozen transmissions over the years...the Boxster's tiptronic is one of the most difficult transmissions to remove I've ever worked on. It required that I build a special engine support, and a good majority of the removal was done topside, on my knees, over the engine compartment. Very poorly designed from a repair point of view.

Even simple things, like the cam position sensor, is insanely hard to get to with the engine in the car.:ah:

[woodsman]

how's this for simplicity-- a 10 and 12mm wrench and a Philips screw driver can remove 99% of the fasteners on 1980's Toyota pick-ups and for the 4 wheel drives you never need to jack it up unless doing brakes or bearings