dgreenb1

Just traded a 2007 MX-5 on a 2005 Boxster S triple black with 52000 miles on it. It needs tires and abou $1000 worth of touchup for various stone chips and parking lot dings. The car fax was clean and the car drove exceptionally well- no smoking or other apparent issues. The local Porsche dealer wanted $450 for a PPI -which I thought more than excessive-and the Cadillac dealership selling the car wouldn't let me take it to my mechanic- over 100 miles each way. So I squeezed another $1000 out of the deal and drove it home yesterday. Today I'm reading these horror stories about AOS and IMS and I'm thinking I may have been too shrewd for my own good. What should I be looking for and are there any preventive measures I can take?
TIS
DG
Fort Myers, Florida

Macster

Copied from my post to this query in another thread:

At 52K miles the car's getting past the point that an early IMS failure can happen. However, these cars are never free of some risk of this failure.

But I think you and the car will be ok.

Not really much you can do to avoid an IMS problem but use the correct oil and change it more often. I like 5K mile oil/filter services but it is up to you. 5K, 6K, 7.5K though I think any more miles is pushing it. To some extent though it depends upon where you live and how you drive the car. Lots of freeway miles you can go longer. Short trips... not so long.

As for the AOS it can go bad at any time, but you get a warning via various symptoms I won't post here. However, you don't want to ignore the warning(s) and you don't want to put off having a possible failing AOS diagnosed/replaced.

Oh and drive the car. Frankly the best thing you can do is drive the car as regularly as you can.

The natural state of these engines is running. No car worth being called car is worth a damn just sitting looking pretty. These cars serve their purpose on this earth by providing transportation and this requires the engine run. Porsche engineers have spent countless hours designing engines that run and run and run.

Take advantage of that engineering time and drive the car. Lots.

Sincerely,

Macster.

racer

Congrats on your purchase! Show some pics when you have time from NOT always walking around with a stupid grin from driving all the time.

x2 to Macsters' advice.. Drive the car, change the oil a bit more frequently than the manual indicates (oh, and DO read the entire owners manual) Another tip when changing the oil is to CUT OPEN the Oil Filter and look for metal shards.. the more you see, the more of an issue you might be developing.

dgreenb1

Thank you both for your replies. I am now feeling a bit relieved. I have every intention of driving the car daily and although I have retired from Spec Miata racing I suspect I will return to the track for some DE's. My mechanic agrees with you that more frequent oil changes than the ones recommeded are needed- even when using synthetics.
Cheers,
DG
PS I am definitely grinning.

Boxster in my Future?

I am interested in knowing your reactions to the Porsche after driving the Miata. I have owned several Miatae since 1992, but last year decided to buy a 2009 Boxster. I've enjoyed every Miata I've owned and feel many folks who have never really driven them don't get it with those terrific machines. The Porsche is more substantial in just about every way, but I still have a soft spot in my heart for the Miata. Your thoughts?

Doug

dgreenb1

Doug,

I have owned 9 Miatas including two race cars- Spec Miata- a 2005 turbo and one of the recent generation miatas- MX-5. There is nothing that drives or shifts as well as a Miata- nothing. I have owned 14 Porsches including a 914-6, 4 911s, 3 S2s, a 944 TurboS (truly the best Porsche I have ever owned and possibly the best car I have ever owned- from a driving point of view) and three boxsters. I am now 68yo, 6'2", 215lbs and getting tired of levering myself in and out of a small car. The boxster makes way more power and is more comfortable to sit in. Maintaining a Porsche is way more difficult and expensive than a miata. Mazdas are incredibly reliable- they rarely break and when they do are inexpensive to fix. It's a tradeoff. Let me know if I can answer any other questions you have. I quite enjoy talking about it.

Cheers,
DG

docwong

I have a '91 Miata pretty well sorted out for the track, had a '97 Boxster until it got totaled while parked and now also have a 996 Turbo. They are all very nice for different reasons.

On my current '91 Miata, I find that it's lovely compact, nimble and immense bang for the buck. I even updated the engine from it's 1.4 to a newer 1.6 for about $2,000! For an inexpensive track car, going on small twisty roads and a daily driver, it's hard to beat. But my wife get's tired of the track suspension on our bumpy streets, so it may go.

The Boxster was way fun as I loved the balanced feel of it's mid engine and worked really well when I had it at Sears Point Raceway (now Infineon.) Overall, quite a nice package for daily driving and weekend jaunts up in the hills with some track days sprinkled in.

Now, the 996 Turbo is quite a change. I don't think it handles quite as well on medium to tight corners as the Boxster, but man, it's got some great acceleration! Super fun weekend car, but overkill as a daily drive in my opinion.

Now, I'm looking for a Boxster for a daily driver and probably sell my Miata.