Starters...
 

At 185000 miles, my car now needs a starter. What's the conventional wisdom around the available products? eBay has them as low as $62. Others are triple to quadruple that. What's the one to get??

Bought mine off eBay 2 years ago and not a single issue.

Got it from this company. california_alternator_starter on eBay

Starter for manual trans. http://www.ebay.com/itm/100-NEW-STARTER-FOR-PORSCHE-BOXSTER-97-98-99-00-01-02-03-04-05-ONE-YR-WARRANTY-/300386625900?fits=Model%3ABoxster&hash=item45f0702 96c:g:vdYAAOSw~gRVlHsl

Starters are very simple and easy to rebuild. One of the items you should have no issue buying rebuilt or used.

or find a local rebuilder and have them do it and TEST it under load.
Yes, it is easy to rebuild one.It is an interesting project for which there are many diy instructions-it is a generic Bosch starter motor. It is the load test that is tedious - usually on your car ! And if it is an unsuccessful rebuild ,you have to r&r and buy one !
Bosch Starter Rebuild Kits? - Pelican Parts Technical BBS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJM2veUNBc0
Bosch alternator rebuild kits Alternator Parts - Starter Parts - Repair kits
for less than $70, is it worth it?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/100-New-Premium-Quality-Starter-Porsche-Boxster-2000-2005-3-2L-3-2-V6-17758-/361103844275?hash=item54137763b3:g:77QAAOSw54xUWUi x&vxp=mtr

My started didn't stop working, it just started doing that horrible squeal on start up, but it wasn't every time I started it. Just the times when there were people around it would decide to squeal. So damn embarrassing when all eyes are on you and it does that I couldn't take it any longer and got their 1.2kW starter and she starts nice and pretty every time.

I fixed the screech on my BMW motorcycle starter by greasing the shaft the gear slides on.

Perhaps this is typical for early 2000s Bosch.

My service manual even lists a specific grease ... Bosch PZ 2 V 3 silicone grease or equivalent

Good luck finding that. Think I used DuPont Krytox

I had several people mention doing that, but you have to remove so much stuff to get to the starter, I figured just replace so I didn't have to go through the re-greasing process down the road.

What works extremely well for lubricating the Bendix drive is DuPont spray dry Teflon:

https://www.amazon.com/DuPont-Teflon-Non-Stick-Dry-Film-Lubricant/dp/B018FTA5WA

I'm fortunate to have a very reputable starter/alternator shop in town. Rebuilding take the guess work out of getting one that doesn't quite fit or work the way its suppose to. Price is reasonable as well.

How long does this normally last? Does the starter have to be removed to do this?

I tried giving away my old starter in the Boxster Parts section, just asked to pay for shipping cost and nobody took me up on the offer.

Yes, the starter has to come out, we have several customers going years without further issue.

My starter lasted 11 years before it started the annoying squeal. With a Tiptronic tans, so much stuff has to be removed to get the starter out, I just wasn't willing to do a temp fix. Hopefully I get another 11 years with the new starter.

just remember to disconnect the battery before removing the starter... :rolleyes: