It is universally true of all Porsches that you will spend less in the long run paying more for a well-taken care of car with an excellent service history rather than picking up a bargain with the intention of fixing things up.

I had not seen this before, but this is an EXCELLENT resource of practical, balanced information:

Mike Focke's Boxster Information Site

FWIW - Jake R. says - "2004 special Edition cars have exceptionally high occurrence of failure" but don't believe me, call him and ask for yourself if it matters at all.

I'm thinking there is no real connection of the high failure rate of the SE cars other than more of those cars are probably garage queens and are not exercised and maintained in a way that is conducive to good IMSB health.

BTW - how many miles are on the '04 you're buying?

I have an '04 Boxster and just love it. I recently had my engine and trans out for maintenance and upgrades to keep it happy and healthy, and also because I'm getting it ready for some track play. Here's a list of upgrades I just did.

1. - LN eng IMSB upgrade.
2. - LN eng deep sump kit, the REALLY deep one!
3. - RMS replaced. yes, it was leaking.
4. - new AOS
5. - clutch disc + pressure plate (didn't need it. car has 65k mi.)
6. - new front engine mount
7. - water pump + thermostat
8. - new oil filler hose
9. - spark plugs
10.- serpentine belt

A couple notes from my project. I only pulled the motor out to change the "cam chain ramps". Turns out that it is the five chain motor that needs the guides changed on the # 4+5 chains that go from cam to cam. My car has a 3 chain motor with no serviceable guides short of opening up the motor. My IMSB with 65k miles on it come out of the motor in like new condition. Seals still in perfect condition and the bearing itself was smooth as butter. Water pump was also in great condition but I'm happy to have a new one in it's place. The clutch showed very little wear. The new disc only had 20 thousandths more material than the 65k mi disc. I mostly changed it out because of potential pressure plate problems. Cost of parts was over $3000. The deep sump was the most expensive item.

I also have a 996 GT3 bucket seat waiting to go in! Can't wait to see how this car feels on track!

I said this once before, but it's buried in another post so I'll say it again: I can do the exact same thing, and I've put 15k miles on the car in a year. I don't baby it, either, it's driven like a Porsche is supposed to be driven. I know I'm a very small sample size, but it's been even more reliable than my Civic thus far.

Yes. But the fixed roof adds chassis rigidity that improves the drive. It also reduces the car's overall complexity (and I think weight as well) by removing the convertible top. One less thing to go wrong and take care of. I love convertibles, but I don't think it's worth the tradeoff.

ep3...thank you for the clarification! I am no longer confused! I love the Cayman! The scary thing about driving a 911 on the street is the risk of the rear end sliding out! I love the feeling of the rear end braking loose, but not on the street! Not much room for error! It sounds like the Boxster and Cayman will go into a nice little controlled drift which, I have been told, is very predictable and much easier to control! I guess it's because the balance is so good!? I love the rawness of my 964, however, sometimes I just want to put my shades on, drop the top, crank up the tunes, and drive forever!
RollingArt...great pics and info....thanks very much! Aloha!

If you can find a S as it adds more to the experiance. I went from a 1986 951 to the Beepster and I DO NOT REGRET IT!!! I bought the car for a steal as the motor was blown (overfilled crank) and had the motor rebuilt. Since then it runs strong with very little problems with it. Major one was the PO had put in the wrong battery for a Tip. I replaced it and love to take it out.

People call it a "chick car" which I don't mind. I have gotten more compliments on the car from "chicks" in a month than I ever did with the 951 which I have for 7 years. I always get a thumbs up when I park it at a few coffee shops, malls etc. I would like to upgrade to a 996 C4S in the near future through my friends Indy P-Car shop. He got me this one for a very good price. It's now worth more with the rebuild.

Interesting point. But then you could also say that the scary thing about driving a 911 on the TRACK is the risk of the rear end sliding out, eh?

I don't really know how you drive on the street, but assuming you're driving intelligently rather than recklessly, it's hard to imagine the rear end sliding out. When do you think this would happen? When making a turn at an intersection? On an exit/entrance ramp? These maneuvers are usually made at speeds that don't threaten the stability of the car.

I had previously seen a recent quote from Mr. Raby on this forum along the lines of "seeing some trends" with SE cars, but I'm not sure if "exceptionally high occurence of failure" is the same thing. However, I am going to take your advice and call him to satisfy my curiosity... If I find anything out, I will report it back here.

I agree that there is no real intrinsic reason why SE cars should be worse in this regard than regular 2004 S models.

That said, I plan to do the IMSB in the spring. Should I be very unlucky and fall victim to the issue this fall, well, that is where the CPO comes in.

The car has approximately 40K miles.

It sounds like you have done some really intelligent upgrades, especially in light of planning to go to the track!

Jaak...yes! When I had the use of a '04 base for three days, the "chicks" were all but jumping in the car at stop signs in town! It was unreal. Thank goodness my 6 year old son was riding shotgun! Seriously! It was ridiculous! Now, if I had this car back when I was single...well, you get the point. What an ego booster! I kinda liked it!
VGM911...well...I live at 2500 ft. Elev....so, I have immediate access to miles of some of the best twisties in the country! I do also ride with my local PCA club...and, in my well set up 964, it is a lot of work to keep up with them! They all drive newer Boxsters and 911's. I don't define reckless as carrying speed on a great line...I define reckless as driving in a manner that jeopardizes not only your life, but others as well. I do not feel that I drive in such a manor. I have been driving for many many years and am very proficient at it. I use a method called the SIP method...small increments of progression. Over time, yes, the speed builds up. The problem I was referring to is that when you are carrying speed, if you happen to make a mistake, the ass end of a 911 will happily rear it's ugly head! If this happens on the street, there isn't always enough room to correct intelligently or quickly. When the same thing happens on the track, you have options, as well as runoff. In a Boxster, I feel like the margin of error is much less. In a Boxster, if you do happen to loose grip, it seems easier to regain grip with a bit more predictable control. The Boxster is a better balanced car. IMHO...if you are loosing it on entrance ramps or exit ramps or in the middle of an intersection...you are severely blowing it! All I was really talking about was spirited driving! Have you ever driven a 911? If not, try it...you might like it! Cheers and thanks for your input!

Where are these women that like this car??? So far I've only gotten a couple of compliments on the car...NASCAR tech school students asking me if it was a stick (yes) and a 40 year old married guy out with his wife. I keep it clean and it's in good shape, just have not noticed much attention from it. Which is fine, not at all why I bought it, but sometimes I wouldn't mind!

I came so very very close to buying an 04 Anniversary car this week. It had been meticulously maintained and garage kept for it's entire life and looked brand new. It only had 27k miles on it and the motor had been replaced a couple of years back (IMS failure, go figure) and only had 8k miles on it.

It was a beautiful car and stupid amounts of fun but the timing for the purchase just wasn't right in terms of family budget. It's ok though. In 6 months or so we'll have the wife's car payed off and I can go shopping again with no guilt or anxiety about the purchase.

I get that "chick car" thing all the time from my techs. they also call it a miata, or whatever stupid **** they can come up with. :rolleyes:

But never in my life, have I ever recieved so many compliments on my car. I dig it

Looks like there was a exhaust manifold upgrade at some point also!

ep3...I live in a smallish town that doesn't see many Porsches! Also, the best way to attract women is by having a puppy or baby...my son is 6 and cute as a button sitting in the passengers seat with his Porsche hat and sunglasses on! I am happily married to a beautiful woman...just stating the obvious! I think when you are cruising downtown at 10-15 miles per hour, people have greater access to a cab...especially if you have a big grin on your face! My black 964 coupe is another story...people tend to leave me alone, unless I'm getting in or out of her. Some people actually seem to be a little intimidated when they ask a question about the 911! I think the Boxster is a very happy car...like a Beetle!
porschephile...I used to call all Boxsters chick cars...until I drove one! Conversation over! I think, when I get my Boxster, when someone says "nice chick car"... my response will be..."get in!".

matmanx1...I wanted to ask you...is that '04 Anniversary car still available? If you or your buddies are not interested, would you care to disclose the where a bouts of that beautiful car? I'm in the market...thanks much! BTW, if you are not comfortable with that, no worries at all! Cheers!

I tell you, it's an absolutely stunning example and looks like it's hardly ever been driven. It's at Hennessy Porsche http://www.hennessyporsche.com/preow...58299/info.php north of Atlanta, GA and as of today they should have it ready to sell. They had ordered new front tires to go on it and had yet to detail it when I went and drove it.

PM me your email address if you want and I'll send you a set of pictures and the original build sheet as sent to me by Hennessy.