Mark Hubley

I spent about $250 on the Durametric OBD II reader, and that was a very good investment. Fortunately, I've only had to use it on my car to clear the air bag light after swapping the seats. However, I have a friend with a '99 Boxster who puts lots of miles on his car. I do his routine maintenance for him, and the last time I replaced his spark plugs, his car ran rough. In about two minutes we diagnosed a misfire in cylinder #5, and I found that the new spark plug had a bent electrode. Moral of the story: the Durametric code reader is a great investment for Boxster DIY.

I'm not a trained mechanic, but I have enough skill (with help from the Internet) that I successfully changed the clutch in an '86 944. I'm sure there are things that could go wrong with my Boxster that I would not try to tackle on my own. On the other hand, the Boxster doesn't require much in the way of regular maintenance, and the regular maintenance is pretty darned easy. The last time I worked on my friends car I changed the oil, oil/air/pollen filters, and spark plugs. I looked over the hoses, belts, CV joints, etc. I installed new brake pads at all four wheels. We did this one day after work. He pulled into my garage at 6:00 PM and pulled before 9:00 PM, and that includes putting the car up on jack stands. (He was back to replace that faulty plug, but that was an anomaly.) The oil, filters, plugs, pads cost about $270 if I recall correctly. It would probably cost me about the same in time and $$$ to do all of the same work on my wife's '03 Tacoma or my '08 Mitsubishi Lancer.

My conclusion: As far as modern cars go, the Boxster is probably as good a DIY car as anything else out there. Any modern car is going to have a certain level of complexity; we're not talking 60's vintage VW Beetles any more.

smlporsche

If you want to do your own maintenance get the Bentley manual

http://www.amazon.com/Porsche-Boxste...2269053&sr=8-3

Although it's for 1997 - 2004 may of the parts are the same. Best $ you'll pay for Boxster Service

Mark Hubley

Yes, another thumbs up to the Bentley Manual.

arenared

Most of the stuff is as easy or easier than other cars. There are a few items, that due to the access, are a PITA. Overall, I think they are pretty reliable with mostly consumables needing maintenance. The OBDII spits out decent diagnostic information, if needed. I'm sure there are more difficult problems that do occur, but not enough for me to worry about. Sure, old cars are simpler, but I've done a lot more fixing of old cars because they are old. These are pretty modern and relatively maintenance-free except for basics and consumables (brake fluid, tires, windshield wipers, batteries, oil, etc.). DIY maintenance concerns should not be an issue. Rare/difficult faults do occur, so just don't break the piggy bank to get one.

Lorenfb

"Durametric code reader is a great investment for Boxster DIY."

A better diagnostic tool is from:

www.autoenginuity.com

and is about half the cost of the Durametric device.

"I'm sure there are things that could go wrong with my Boxster that I would not try to tackle on my own."

Right, which is why it's MUCH more complex than the typical DIY car
(a Porsche prior to the late '90s).

"On the other hand, the Boxster doesn't require much in the way of regular maintenance,
and the regular maintenance is pretty darned easy."

Those are very simple maintenance issues. When major mechanical/electrical issues occur,
most DIYs will have to rely on the Porsche dealer/shops. This is NOT like the early Porsches
where a DIY could fix any mechanical problem, e.g. rebuild the engine, or use simple voltmeter.
Even with diagnostic tools (Porsche PST2 - an order of magnitude more capable than the
Durametric) most Porsche shops have difficultiies resolving Boxster/996 problems.

Bottom line: As these vehicles age, the DIY aspect will diminish greatly as the
resale values now indicate.

Mark Hubley

If Oshin11 wants to own a modern car, and his mechanical skill is a 5 out of 10 (as he reported), then he's simply not going to be able to DIY every problem that could possibly arise. This would be true for a Boxster, a 911, a Corvette, a Mazda 3, or a Ford pick-up truck. Is the Boxster worse than most? Maybe some jobs are, maybe some aren't. It's easier for me to change the oil and maintain the brakes on my Boxster than it is on my wife's '03 Toyota Tacoma. It's easier for me to replace the spark plugs on the Tacoma.

The reason there are things I wouldn't tackle on my Boxster isn't because it's a Boxster, it is because there are certain jobs I just don't care to try on any car. I never did the timing belts on my 944 by myself. If I needed a complete engine rebuild, I would not try to fix that myself. That's just me, and I get the impression that if Oshin11 broke a connecting rod in his '87 911, he would not attempt a DIY fix.

My opinion, take it or leave it, is that DIY concerns should not prevent someone from buying a Boxster. Buy a Boxster if you want a reasonably inexpensive, fun-to-drive, modern sports car. Be prepared that something catastrophic could go wrong with ANY car, and that could cost lots of $$$ whether you can fix it yourself or not. Granted, replacing the motor on a 5-year-old Boxster will cost more than replacing the motor on a 20-year-old 911 or on a new Toyota Corolla. Certainly get a good pre-purchase inspection before buying any used car. Is a Boxster more complicated than your typical 20-, 30-, or 40-year-old car? Sure: ABS, air bags, more complex computers, etc.

So maybe this guy simply shouldn't buy a car built after 1989?

Lorenfb

"Be prepared that something catastrophic could go wrong with ANY car, and that could cost lots of $$$ whether you can fix it yourself or not."

OK! So what's been mentioned about DIY projects, e.g. brakes, oil changes, spark plugs, & etc.,
here on this Rennlist thread, basically indicates that ALL cars can be considered DIY cars,
and maybe even the Carrera GT.

George Shehata

I was looking around and saw this really good deal on this 2005 Porsche Boxster Base model. I was pulled in by the price ($5k) and hopefully I am able to negotiate it lower because it does have a check engine light and 167k miles. I am not sure if I should buy it, I've heard porsche's are reliable and am aware of the ims bearing issues, but at 167k this car has probably overcome and replaced everything needed. The owner has no service records shes had the car since 118k miles and does not know the cause of the check engine light. Please and thank you for helping- George, potential porsche owner lol. Here is the link to the car for sale : https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/...071694578.html

Byprodriver

Well it ain't like you can just raise the hood up & access everything.

Byprodriver

Although $5,000 is a good deal for what you are getting. A minimum $7,000 bill is coming before it has 180 K miles on it,,unless you can do the work yourself.
Your money will go much further on a 986 & I prefer them due to the more analog driving experience!

Shawn Stanford

I'd take a serious look at it at that price. I bought my first Boxster with about that mileage and sold it a couple weeks ago with nearly 190k. Mine had a CEL, but ran fine so I didn't worry about it. I put about $1,000 straightening out a few things when I got it (brakes, tires, horn frame), and then drove it completely trouble free for several years. I honestly can't think of a single repair I did on that car. I even had it on the track a couple of times.

Oh, sorry: One front wheel bearing. A buddy and I did that in his garage. $35 for the bearing.