Prices for the early Boxster are obtainable for me right now, even having 3 cars already(2 porsches). I'd like to get a Boxster for daily driving duty, but have never driven one, and don't know much about them period. I have heard great things about the S models. Can I get some advice on the best Boxsters(years). What kind of maintenance is usual for them. I have been in the 944 world my whole Porsche life so maintenance is like the biggest concern I have over any car I consider buying. What are some things to look out for when buying them? Any and all info would be great. TIA.


P.S.
This is my first venture outside of the 944 world. go easy on me

 

Also forgot to ask, do Boxsters make decent track cars?

 

I just bought a 2001 S, and here's what I learned.

Avoid the '99 models unless the engine has been replaced. A number of them had defective engines. I'm not saying '99's are bad, but if you have the luxury of buying any year you want, might as well avoid a potentially problematic year.

All Boxsters will leak oil due to failure of the rear main seal at some point in their lifetime (at least that's what it seems like). Some Boxsters have had multiple RMS repairs. The repair runs around $1K, so unless the car you're buying has had it done recently, you may want to factor that in as a future repair cost.

The Boxster seems fine as a daily driver. Clutch and gearshift are easy and smooth. It's a little louder than a coupe/sedan because it's a convertible, so it may not be the best car if you plan on doing conference calls from the car

I've taken mine to the track once, and it seems to be a pretty good track car. Good power, GREAT brakes, and balanced handling. I personally wouldn't track a convertible on a regular basis but the roll bar does seem really stout.

 

Thanks for some good info. BTW, I know loud. My 951 doesn't have a cat or muffler! Everything else is just too quiet

any other info?

 

I would recommend any S model which started in 2000. That is unless you plan on gutting the car and replacing the earlier 2.5L with something bigger. Not all Boxsters have RMS leaks. Mine doesn't, and of the people I've run across, I'd unofficially guess maybe 1 in 5. Also, RMS seems like either you have it or not. It seems to be a block flaw that may or may not show up initially. It seems that the more miles on the car, that if it doesn't have an RMS leak, then it won't get one. Work on the cars is fairly easy except that the engine compartment is necessarily not spacious. Maintenance is pretty basic like change the oil, replace the tires/brake pads/filters. I think at 60K, you change the spark plugs and serpentine belt. There are a few stupid designs like the coolant tank and air/oil separator which also seem to fail at unnecessarily high rates which are labor intensive to replace. For buying advice, try to get a feel for the mainteance/history. There should not be ANYTHING leaking from the car or "freshly" cleaned up. Get a dealer to do an inspection. Otherwise, Boxsters are a kick in the pants especially with a few suspension modifications. The handling can be unbelievable as you add mods and stickier tires. The brakes are awesome especially if you play with different compounds. Additional engine mods to increase HP are very expensive. Starting in '03, the convertible top switched to glass. That might be something to look out for if the plastic window is about shot. If you drive hard/track the car, you will want to switch to racing seats as the car can easily generate some pretty high G-forces.

 

I have a 2000 S and I experienced an engine failure which resulted in a blown engine. The intermediate shaft snapped. At this point in time, there are essentially no shops that will do an engine rebuild as parts are not availalble from Porsche. Viola`, instant $5-7k in replacement engine. Now, I have heard that after August 2000 Porsche made a change to the intermediate shaft design to prevent this type of failure. My luck, my car was built in August. Other than that, the car is a blast to drive and is capable turning serious times at the track. I personally like the pre-2004 models as the later model interiors tend to remind me of every other euro car out there and lack the futuristic exotic car look of the original Boxsters. Anything post-2000 should have most of the design flaws worked out, so if you can afford one I would get a 2001 or newer.

Bro

 

I was leaning toward and "S" to begin with. I know as soon as it came out most magazines were saying that is what the boxster should have have been from the beginning.

 

Hi Bro,

I found this near you that rebuilds the watercooled 996/986 engines and even does big bores: http://www.motormeister.com/suz/911_..._engines_5.htm