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RAW5 in San Diego.
RAW5 in San Diego
I have been a life-long Z fan and am leaning that way. I also think that the Z will be more reliable and less to maintain. However, I can't ignore the fact that a well-equipt Z comes close to new Porsche territory and costs more than a low mileage Boxster with a great warranty.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
But, roadsters? Might as well get the car that was built to be a droptop in the first place....
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I have had NO problems with this car other than a electrical failure that cost me $500.00. I have driven the car from Houston to Seattle and through out the west coast and have loved the experience of owning one. Go for the Porsche you will love it.
They made a *lot* of Boxsters, so you don't have to leap at one.
If I may ask one other question. What is your opinion on this retrofit for the IMS I have read about. Its supposed to be a beefier version of the origional
Air oil separator
Variable cam solenoid
Mass Air Flow sensor
Radiator and radiator fan
The Boxster engine was totally redesigned in 2004, and I suspect that some of the above issues would not appear in those engines.
I have many friends with these cars and no problems--but I do agree that I wouldn't touch a 97-99 Boxster with a ten foot pole unless it had a replacement engine in it already.
So I'm willing to put my money on the line for a 2003--and in fact, I intend to buy an S sometime in the next year or so. But I'll be very selective in my purchase, as I am with any car I buy.
My opinion is that a lot of these engine problems came, quite frankly, from people who are first time Porsche buyers and who are used to the maintenance schedules and maintenance costs of a Toyota Camry, which are substantially less. Add that to the weaknesses of the 97-99 engines, and you have a problem.
If you want one of the world's best handling cars, with outstanding performance, you have to step up a bit and be a pro-active owners, and not be stingy in your care for a car like this.
As for the IMS, intermediate shaft bearing, issue, one still has to be careful. They felt that the earlier cars, say 2000-2008, are safer in that if a bearing fault is detected early enough, it can at least be repaired. But 2009 on up, no such luck--the engine is totaled.
The way they test a used Boxster for the IMS is interesting. They remove the oil filter and cut it open and examine it for metallic bearing debris. If they see it, then they can intervene and replace the bearing (not cheap, since the transmission has to come out) by pressing in a new one.
so no debris, no worries. Some debris, some worries. By all means have this test done if you're buying a used Boxster. I certainly would.
I went through this with my MINI purchase as well---another "risky" car with all kinds of potential factory defects. I avoided all of them with an inspection except for one---the noisy flywheel when cold--but in that case it's only a noise and doesn't affect the clutch.
All used cars are a risk---the best one can do is either play the odds and try to eliminate all risks, or don't play at all.
If I didn't play at all, I would never have owned many of the cars I did end up buying and enjoying.
If a person is totally risk-averse, they should buy a good ol' Camry or some such. Exciting cars are always risky to some extent.
A used Corvette has its risks, too. The only upside is that it's not a $12,000 engine. (but it's getting there).
Yes, the Boxster does handle great. There's still nothing quite like it out there for the price, especially if you buy used. But if I had to do it over again, I never would have bought mine. The financial exposure is too great and the fact that Consumer Reports rates my engine "much worse than average" does nothing to help resale value. The safety risk is too great, especially if the engine suddenly goes while you're on a crowded highway doing 80 mph with a Hummer tailgating you. And, while I always understood, from personal experience and from others, that Porsche was not the best for customer service, it is clear that by the time the '05s were launched, Porsche had plenty of knowledge about the IMS problem and yet it continued to sell cars with defective bearings to unsuspecting customers like me. Any company with such a contempt for paying customers doesn't deserve my business. Since -- based on owner reports -- the '97-'04 cars were defective and the next generation '05-'08 cars also harbored defects, who's to say that the cars built in '09 or after won't be trouble as well?
So most Boxster engines will run fine for many years...BUT...there is that risk, yes indeedy. This is why I recommend sawing apart your oil filter at every change.
At least, if you see any indications of bearing debris, you can do a retro-fit at considerably less cost than an engine rebuild.
Actually nobody really rebuilds Boxster engines. as that's just MORE risk--most shops install a new short block.
Appreciate the feedback in advance.
Also, my Boxster is low mileage -- 40 K now. I have heard mixed things about timing belt/tensioner maintenance. Any input? Thanks!
Second, its 72.8-mph slalom speed happens to be better than the last all-new 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S we tested. Clearly, this car is far from entry-level."
Read the rest of the road test notes.
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Unfortunately, all the cars we drove: 4 Panameras, 4 Carrera S's, 2 Boxster S's were all PDK's so I didn't get a chance to drive the manual transmission Boxster S that I would likely order for myself.
But the experience was, nonetheless, impressive. I don't think I'd put the Boxster S as close to the new (991) 911S as the Edmund's reviewer did, at least with regard to acceleration. But, compared to my former 997 911S Cab, and in my hands, the Boxster S may have been quicker around the track with less white in my knuckles showing. It's a very easy car to drive well, as even my wife came out of the drivers seat with a big grin. (Compared to the dizzy look she had after sitting in the passenger seat with me at the wheel of a 911S).
This is one tight little car. In 2005, I found the Boxster S back then to be very good, but insufficiently better than my former S2000 to warrant a 2x price. Today, I find the Boxster S to be improved in all performance categories - not to mention much better looking inside and out - to warrant a price that's 20% higher than I was looking at in 2005. I think if you are smart with the options - sport chrono, PASM, Premium w/adaptive sport seats, infotainment - you should be able to keep the MSRP to around $75,000 and negotiate a 5-6% discount for a net price of $71,000 +/-. That's not cheap by any means, but there really isn't anything short of a more expensive 911 or Ferrari that will give you the same driving experience. The SLK, Z4, and other cars at a similar or lower price point are not remotely close in handling precision or driving experience. Lotus, maybe, but they are uncomfortable tin cans that spend too much time in the shop. Perhaps Honda needs to come out with an S3000. But until they do, the Boxster S is in a league of its own IMO.
I also understand that the later 9A1 (aka MA1) engine design is much simpler, having no intermediate shaft or IMS bearing to fail. My question is: When I'm looking over a used Porsche as a potential buyer, how can I tell, unambiguously, whether the engine in the car is a M96, a M97 or a 9A1 design?
P.S. I've got conflicting information regarding which model year cars were built with the different engines.
However, there are retrofit kits available for the earlier engines.
you can test for IMS bearing failure by cutting the oil filter in half and looking for tell-tale debris. If you catch it in time, you can install the upgrade kit (something like $3,000 installed).
Most IMS bearing failures recorded come from 1997-2004 cars. So it's unlikely, but not impossible, that a 2004-2008 engine will do this. In fact there are many 1997-2004 engines that have been driven hard for 200,000 miles and have never had a failure. This is why sawing the oil filter in half is a good way to check.
Also, on a Boxster you can pretty much count on clutch failure around 80,000 miles. In fact, you should budget for it.
By all means get an "S" if you can afford it. The regular 2.7 is not that fast.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Still wishing for that S3000 I see.
I also appreciate your review of the Boxster S. A beautiful car in so many ways - amd arguably the best car in Porches current lineup.
I do think, like all current Porsches, it has gotten too big. It makes my 993 look like a toy (in a good way).