Boxster S -- Things to look for
06-26-2013, 06:53 PM
#2
Burning Brakes
What era Boxster? (there being three, 986, 987 and 981) How much you willing to spend? What is your car background? How you gonna use it? Ever driven one? Driven all three versions? Gonna track it? Or just drive locally?
06-26-2013, 07:49 PM
#3
Mike asks good questions, but i will give you a few heads-up. Solid cars. One big bugaboo - the IMS bearing. Search, read. there are many good fixes out there, so its really just a matter of money at this point. Or risk tolerance.
Like any car bushings, ball joints, tie rods (which are ball joints) etc. Wear. A solid maintenance history is very valuable. very low mileage is, more than most, a big negative (for the motor).
S vs base is a real trade off: power and big brakes vs cost and fuel economy. for the street it pretty un-necessary. Ont he track, too much is not enough. Oh, and i have one of each - so raspberries to the "if you had one you'd understand" crowd.
Get a PPI by an expert if you can, or by a local shop you know and trust.
Buy the best example you can afford, unless, like me, uou plan to tear it part anyway.
Grant
Like any car bushings, ball joints, tie rods (which are ball joints) etc. Wear. A solid maintenance history is very valuable. very low mileage is, more than most, a big negative (for the motor).
S vs base is a real trade off: power and big brakes vs cost and fuel economy. for the street it pretty un-necessary. Ont he track, too much is not enough. Oh, and i have one of each - so raspberries to the "if you had one you'd understand" crowd.
Get a PPI by an expert if you can, or by a local shop you know and trust.
Buy the best example you can afford, unless, like me, uou plan to tear it part anyway.
Grant
06-26-2013, 08:08 PM
#4
1. buy from a warm weather. Winter is hard on these cars. They are reliable just not durable under extreme conditions for a long time.
2. Try to buy from an enthusiast (forum member) or someone who has a history of driving or even racing sports cars. They are most likely to look after the oil properly -- a big issue with these cars.
To make a long story short, there is disagreement on whether many Boxsters saw enough oil changes and with the right kind of oil. The factory recommendations for an engine that had many cost-cutting features baked in were in retrospect not the best.
3. if the car has moderate to high mileage, take points off for every major maintenance repair that has not been done yet: clutch/ims/flywheel, shocks, conrol arms, rotors/brakes, cats and known trouble spots for this car like the coolant tank/water pump, AOS. Check the condition of the rear tires, this might be a discontinued tire which may require you buy all four new, a ~1,000 expense. A Boxster that has not much done work done after 10 years is one you'll be fixing.
4. See if an oil analysis from blackstone labs is available from the seller. That will tell you what kind of owners its had.
p.s.
Boxster S is a good choice. 250 HP comes in handy for highway merging and overtaking. Today's sedans have a lot more power than they did 10-15 years ago when the Boxster first came out. Also, the Carrera brakes are excellent.
2. Try to buy from an enthusiast (forum member) or someone who has a history of driving or even racing sports cars. They are most likely to look after the oil properly -- a big issue with these cars.
To make a long story short, there is disagreement on whether many Boxsters saw enough oil changes and with the right kind of oil. The factory recommendations for an engine that had many cost-cutting features baked in were in retrospect not the best.
3. if the car has moderate to high mileage, take points off for every major maintenance repair that has not been done yet: clutch/ims/flywheel, shocks, conrol arms, rotors/brakes, cats and known trouble spots for this car like the coolant tank/water pump, AOS. Check the condition of the rear tires, this might be a discontinued tire which may require you buy all four new, a ~1,000 expense. A Boxster that has not much done work done after 10 years is one you'll be fixing.
4. See if an oil analysis from blackstone labs is available from the seller. That will tell you what kind of owners its had.
p.s.
Boxster S is a good choice. 250 HP comes in handy for highway merging and overtaking. Today's sedans have a lot more power than they did 10-15 years ago when the Boxster first came out. Also, the Carrera brakes are excellent.
07-06-2013, 09:50 AM
#5
Burning Brakes
I think that the prior poster pretty much nailed it. My son has an 02 "S", the AOS went out at 65k miles which was pretty freightening to watch with billowing smoke. Not an expensive part, but a lot of effort to get it replaced. We took the "as long as you are in there approach" when doing the AOS to fully degrease the engine, which was pretty dirty. And, we then went ahead and did the IMS replacement. The old IMS was still good, but the seals on it had been breeched, so the bearing might have gone out later.
There is a new product out by LN Engineering they are calling the "Final Solution" for IMS replacement. In my humble opinion, this latest iteration of bearing for the intermediate shaft should put a complete end to the IMS issue in the Boxster, but it will be pricey since it will not be offered for DIY.
Lastly, I want to reiterate the comment that you should look to buy a car from an enthusiast; but, not only because oil changes will have been more frequent, but because these cars really need to be "driven". Not abused, but driven at the higher engine speeds that have always been a Porsche virtue. You will read about failures related to lugging the motors on all Porsches; but, I have never read about motor failure due to keeping the motor in the power band (3500 - 5500 rpm). As has been said before, drive them like you stole them!
There is a new product out by LN Engineering they are calling the "Final Solution" for IMS replacement. In my humble opinion, this latest iteration of bearing for the intermediate shaft should put a complete end to the IMS issue in the Boxster, but it will be pricey since it will not be offered for DIY.
Lastly, I want to reiterate the comment that you should look to buy a car from an enthusiast; but, not only because oil changes will have been more frequent, but because these cars really need to be "driven". Not abused, but driven at the higher engine speeds that have always been a Porsche virtue. You will read about failures related to lugging the motors on all Porsches; but, I have never read about motor failure due to keeping the motor in the power band (3500 - 5500 rpm). As has been said before, drive them like you stole them!
07-06-2013, 02:42 PM
#7
Race Director
Best advise I can offer is arrange for a good test ride then test drive of the car. Visit the car cold, be sure the A/C is off, and when you turn on the key the warning lights -- especially the CEL -- comes on then go off as the engine starts and begins to run.
Listen carefully to the engine for any clicking, ticking, or other noises that can be a sign of trouble. The engine makes some noise as it is a IC reciprocating engine but you are listening for something above and beyond the usual Porsche engine symphony sounds.
After the engine has idled a while -- 10 minutes -- then have the seller take you on a 15 mile test ride that gives him a chance to demo the car in a variety of usage scenarios.
Back at the starting point you then take the car out as a test driver and follow the same route and drive the car the same way.
If back at the starting point a 2nd time and you still like the car then give it a thorough used car check out. Assume nothing works until you verify it does.
After all of the above if you still like the car, believe you can buy it, arrange to have a PPI done.
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07-21-2013, 10:00 AM
#8
