Wayne Hutton

I am looking for a 98-00 Boxster. I was very surprised to read about the sleeved motor failures in what sounds like the 98 and 99 models. Reading further threads, I had seen an 01 S model with another motor failure. Did the problem get fixed for the 00 and newer models? I have a 86 944 with 80k in very nice condition but I have not been impressed with it's reliability. Reading these threads has kind of scared me. Any info beyond those threads woud be helpful. I have been looking forward to getting one but cannot afford a new motor on top of the price of the car. And, my wife would kill me. Thanks.

One more question. What kind of gas milage do these cars get? I will be using it as a daily driver. My 944 is getting 27mpg on the highway.

GaryN

Hi Wayne,

Don't know too much about the technical issues but I had the same dilemma as you before selling my 911 to buy a '00 Boxster S (Head gasket leaks, RMS) as one of the main reasons for selling my 911 was due to the high cost of ownership. I spoke with 2 different Porsche Technicians that I know very well at my local OPC and they both said they have never seen a Boxster come in for a "sleeved" engine. They did admit to the RMS issue which in most cases is not nearly as bad as many people make out (if you've had a 964 you would definitely know all about oil leaks!!!) a little bit of "moisture" around the RMS is no bigy...

On your second query I get 33MPG (mostly motorway driving using 95RON unleaded fuel. My normal driving speed is between 80 - 90 MPH.

Ray S

The sleeve problem hasn't occured on the newer car's '00 and newer and was a failrly issolated problem on mostly '97's and '99's (I'm not sure why but 98's did not seem to have this issue as often).

On the highway my 2.7 gets 28 to 31mpg. On the track it gets 10-14mpg

Todd in Sonoma

What? How do you guys get such high gas milage? I think I get 20mpg in my tip'99.

Turboflyer

My 01 S gets between 20 and 23 depending on me and traffic. 35K showing. Mobile one 0-40. When moving she rarely see less than 80mph. I use chevron premium exclusively. I think she would get 25 plus if kept under 75. But who could do that. Whats amazing is how good the gas mileage is over 100mph. These cars are slippery.

MoreIBNR

I have a 2002 base Boxster and I routinely get 26 mpg in all around driving. Highway driving at 70-75 mph, I get about 33 mpg. But if I drive at 80+ mph, mileage drops to about 27 mpg.

tamarafackler

My 99 boxter had sudden engine failure - most likely a sleeve problem. It cost me over $ 9000 to replace the engine. The car was out of warranty. Porsche of North America would not help me with the cost of the repairs, even though my car only had 14,800 miles!

Turboflyer

So instead of a scheduled oil change you got to replace the engine, nice. You would think with those low miles they would be shamed into doing something. And you put in a late model engine, right?

Wayne Hutton

I'm sorry to hear about your car. Part of me wants this car so bad but I'm not sure I am willing to roll the dice on 10 grand. My luck would have something go wrong on my way home from buying it. Am I being paranoid? Or am I better off looking eleseware. Maybe an Audi TT. Just so everyone understands, I am not trying to make anyone upset here. I love my 944 but I have had my share of throwing cubic dollars at it. It's just lucky I have so much fun driving it. Thanks for your input.