For the record, I got a "junk motor" and, as pissed as I am, I'm still here. Not only that, but I'd still recommend these cars to anyone. ...just with a fair warning of the possibilities.

When I first came to Porsche before 996/986 etc I did a lot of research about my future investment.
What I heard time and time again was "Bullet Proof" funny I do not see that same common denominator these days on what were the worlds best all round sports cars.
That was then, this is now.
If you are happy dumping big money in to a not very old car then fine, hey it's your money.
I just hope I don't catch you ranting about residuals a couple of years down the road, cause I'll roast ya :)

maybe i'm just venting about spending $15k on a 996 engine. in all honesty, i've had more fun in my boxster for the 9 months i've owned it, then i have in any car i've ever had.

all i'm saying is [based on reserch regarding several of the same engine failures from the same year porsche], i just wish it was as reliable as it is fun.

i do appreciate all of your input.

OK I've noticed one critical difference in attitude - I don't consider any modern car an investment.
Cars are a liability - even if my boxster has the best resale of value on the German market today, I still expect to pay for my pleasure. They are making loads more boxsters so the values will drop.

Yes the 996 is dropping fast too, but even the 1998 cars are getting back 50% of what they cost in 1998. Buy a large engined BMW and you'd be lucky to get 50% after 2 years.

I won't cry if I the resale value is lower than I want - I'll have had the fun.

However to quote J. Clarkson: "life without any risk isn't worth living"

Investment in relation to buying a car is guarding against how much you will lose, not if. :)

I am astounded that some are defending porsche on this issue. AlpharettaRK had taken the stance that cars are 'driven like a porsche' not a corolla, and therefore engine failure it to be expected. What a load of baloney. Go out today and buy a nissan 350Z. 'Drive it like a porsche' for the next 150K, and you know what will go wrong? Nothing. My father had purchase a Ford SHO Taurus(with a Yamaha engine in it) many years ago. He drove it HARD for 185K miles. When he sold it off, it ran better than the day he got it.

This is not really about reliability, it about a company standing behind their product and their customers. Even the vernerable Porsche company needs to understand that people have a LOT of other options. More to the point, I am one of those people. I have looked at a lot of options for a convertable, and even though I love my Pcars, I would not consider a boxster in million years. BMW, Audi, Nissian all offer solid options......why buy a disaster?

This REALLY gets me going, but cause its the same story that you see with Mercedes. A respected manufacturer sacrifices its principles in the name of appealing to a broader audience. I could have bought a MB 350 SUV, but ended up with a Lexus because HYUNDAI cars had a better JD powers rating than the mercedes.

I'll stick with my air cooled thank you.....

Thats a stretch...Why do I reply to these threads? :rolleyes:

Forgot to add...

None of these brands convertibles come even close to the mid-engine experience of the Boxster, go drive one.

Was Porsche really going bankrupt before the boxster came out? this makes me wonder if the company having no money has something to do with the first boxster engines being faulty, and well, sort of cheap.. hmmm :icon501:


"Bankruptcy beckoned before Porsche was saved by the Boxster"


http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,...2a2021,00.html

Perspectives are great things - nearly as good as statistics - from my perspective I bought a boxster because it was a good deal after I sold the 964. I have found that the boxster is a much better car to drive - streets ahead of the 964 in terms of mechanical grip and responsiveness. (flame away....but its true).

The boxster tops the lists of fault free cars in the TUV tests, the boxster has the strongest residual values on the german market, but these were more post purchase observations rather than deciding factors.

I bought it because it seemed like a good deal at the time. So far, I've no regrets.

I agree fully that Porsche should stand over their products but even the best manufacturers have limits - what is acceptable? 6 years and 100k miles? -

I blew the motor in my 356 two years back and it had only done 60k km since 1962 should I have brought it back?

There is an RMS problem, this cannot be denied. Many motors have been fixed/replaced under guarantee. I agree Porsche should stand over these motors but I don't think it is every motor as I only know of one of the 40+ cars that regularly do the slaloms that has had an RMS problem. In the same time I know of two 964's that needed a rebuild (one at 40k km) so what should I believe?

85 percent - the Germans still remember NSU went bust replacing rotary engines in the RO 80 so I don't think Porsche would have deliberately released a dud. They also have a policy of transferring costs of fixes to the component suppliers if the components can be proved faulty so the parts suppliers are careful too.

82Targa - I'm not defending Porsche I'm defending my choices !! I sold my 89Tagra as I got fed up of wet carpets, leaky roofs, heavy steering, heavy clutch, lousy heating, etc., but I respect your choice...... :thumbsup:

"I got fed up of wet carpets, leaky roofs, heavy steering, heavy clutch, lousy heating"

LOL. Well....we were talking about reliability, not comfort :)

Perspective is a great thing. Please read the post on the new info concerning the failures. It's not due to engineering a cheap engine, trying to create a cheap car to get out of bankruptcy, etc. It was a bad decision when casting problem occured with a certain model.

After reading the article and the posts from those who have experienced the problem, I agree Porsche has handled it very poorly without considering how much more people talk when they have a bad experience.

It is, however, unfair to trash an entire model and company and pass around unfounded rumors.

I hope the article helps those of you who've had this problem with getting Porsche to acknowledge it and take care of it for you.