I was somewhat suprised to find that older, good condition Porsche Boxsters can be found in the neighborhood of 8-12,000. Im not a fan of convertables, but the available removable hardtop seems like a good compromise. I love mid engine cars, so I like to hear about reliability and cost of ownership. I am capable of changing oil, basic tune ups, ect. I owned a bmw in the past that was actually quite affordable, and am wondering if a Porsche could be (relatively) the same.
How reliable are used Boxsters?
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They featured one of these on Wheeler Dealers... which is cool because Edd puts it up on the rack and starts taking parts off. My impression from that was that the car was fairly reliable but it can be a bear to change parts on the engine or things around it. The exhaust was like a jigsaw puzzle.
The boxsters require Mobil 1 so they should have little wear and in good condition
Its kind of amusing to me that old toyota mr2s from the early 1990s are worth more that Porsche boxsters from the late 90s with fewer miles.
Google IMS bearing.
Having said that, my brother bought it and did preemptively replaced the IMS bearing along with the clutch plus couple of O2 sensors, MAF sensor; I would guess close to $5K of maintenance on the top of the purchase price. But is a blast to drive. Search under my name; I started a topic on it a while ago.
Having said that, my brother bought it and did preemptively replaced the IMS bearing along with the clutch plus couple of O2 sensors, MAF sensor; I would guess close to $5K of maintenance on the top of the purchase price. But is a blast to drive. Search under my name; I started a topic on it a while ago.
wemay
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Originally Posted By: crw
They featured one of these on Wheeler Dealers... which is cool because Edd puts it up on the rack and starts taking parts off. My impression from that was that the car was fairly reliable but it can be a bear to change parts on the engine or things around it. The exhaust was like a jigsaw puzzle.
I love that show!
They featured one of these on Wheeler Dealers... which is cool because Edd puts it up on the rack and starts taking parts off. My impression from that was that the car was fairly reliable but it can be a bear to change parts on the engine or things around it. The exhaust was like a jigsaw puzzle.
I love that show!
Originally Posted By: Clubber_Lang
I was somewhat suprised to find that older, good condition Porsche Boxsters can be found in the neighborhood of 8-12,000. Im not a fan of convertables, but the available removable hardtop seems like a good compromise. I love mid engine cars, so I like to hear about reliability and cost of ownership. I am capable of changing oil, basic tune ups, ect. I owned a bmw in the past that was actually quite affordable, and am wondering if a Porsche could be (relatively) the same.
Porsche, reliability, owner (shadetree) maintenance/repairs, and low cost of ownership should not be mentioned in the same paragraph. If you are asking these questions you should be looking at something else. Nothing wrong with Porsches per say, but you ABSOLUTELY need to know what you are doing when you work on them, and they cost a small fortune to keep on the road in tip-top condition, especially when they get older. Older Porsches brake, they brake regularly (for seemingly no reason), and they break EXPENSIVELY! If you want a roadster with a very low cost of ownership and something that you can work on yourself, buy a Miata. The fun factor is almost as high and the aggravation factor is infinitely lower.
I was somewhat suprised to find that older, good condition Porsche Boxsters can be found in the neighborhood of 8-12,000. Im not a fan of convertables, but the available removable hardtop seems like a good compromise. I love mid engine cars, so I like to hear about reliability and cost of ownership. I am capable of changing oil, basic tune ups, ect. I owned a bmw in the past that was actually quite affordable, and am wondering if a Porsche could be (relatively) the same.
Porsche, reliability, owner (shadetree) maintenance/repairs, and low cost of ownership should not be mentioned in the same paragraph. If you are asking these questions you should be looking at something else. Nothing wrong with Porsches per say, but you ABSOLUTELY need to know what you are doing when you work on them, and they cost a small fortune to keep on the road in tip-top condition, especially when they get older. Older Porsches brake, they brake regularly (for seemingly no reason), and they break EXPENSIVELY! If you want a roadster with a very low cost of ownership and something that you can work on yourself, buy a Miata. The fun factor is almost as high and the aggravation factor is infinitely lower.
Parts are rare and slow to import when not in stock. They are also very high priced parts and repairs are expensive. They have above average maintenance costs and usually more problems than other brands. That said they are fun to drive and own you just pay for it.
Originally Posted By: wemay
Originally Posted By: crw
They featured one of these on Wheeler Dealers... which is cool because Edd puts it up on the rack and starts taking parts off. My impression from that was that the car was fairly reliable but it can be a bear to change parts on the engine or things around it. The exhaust was like a jigsaw puzzle.
I love that show!
I also enjoy watching Wheeler Dealers. The thing that I take issue with is how they 'claim' to make a profit on their vehicles. As best as I can tell, they have NEVER made a profit on ANY vehicle, because they never factor labor into the repair/reconditioning costs.
Originally Posted By: crw
They featured one of these on Wheeler Dealers... which is cool because Edd puts it up on the rack and starts taking parts off. My impression from that was that the car was fairly reliable but it can be a bear to change parts on the engine or things around it. The exhaust was like a jigsaw puzzle.
I love that show!
I also enjoy watching Wheeler Dealers. The thing that I take issue with is how they 'claim' to make a profit on their vehicles. As best as I can tell, they have NEVER made a profit on ANY vehicle, because they never factor labor into the repair/reconditioning costs.
Originally Posted By: crw
They featured one of these on Wheeler Dealers... which is cool because Edd puts it up on the rack and starts taking parts off. My impression from that was that the car was fairly reliable but it can be a bear to change parts on the engine or things around it. The exhaust was like a jigsaw puzzle.
For obsessive compulsive "flushers" getting to the transmission fill and drain was quite a chore.
They featured one of these on Wheeler Dealers... which is cool because Edd puts it up on the rack and starts taking parts off. My impression from that was that the car was fairly reliable but it can be a bear to change parts on the engine or things around it. The exhaust was like a jigsaw puzzle.
For obsessive compulsive "flushers" getting to the transmission fill and drain was quite a chore.
Originally Posted By: wag123
Originally Posted By: wemay
Originally Posted By: crw
They featured one of these on Wheeler Dealers... which is cool because Edd puts it up on the rack and starts taking parts off. My impression from that was that the car was fairly reliable but it can be a bear to change parts on the engine or things around it. The exhaust was like a jigsaw puzzle.
I love that show!
I also enjoy watching Wheeler Dealers. The thing that I take issue with is how they 'claim' to make a profit on their vehicles. As best as I can tell, they have NEVER made a profit on ANY vehicle, because they never factor labor into the repair/reconditioning costs.
They make their profit on syndication rights - not vehicles. I like watching the show as well. Ed seems to know all about cars. Mike - not so much.
Originally Posted By: wemay
Originally Posted By: crw
They featured one of these on Wheeler Dealers... which is cool because Edd puts it up on the rack and starts taking parts off. My impression from that was that the car was fairly reliable but it can be a bear to change parts on the engine or things around it. The exhaust was like a jigsaw puzzle.
I love that show!
I also enjoy watching Wheeler Dealers. The thing that I take issue with is how they 'claim' to make a profit on their vehicles. As best as I can tell, they have NEVER made a profit on ANY vehicle, because they never factor labor into the repair/reconditioning costs.
They make their profit on syndication rights - not vehicles. I like watching the show as well. Ed seems to know all about cars. Mike - not so much.
Originally Posted By: wag123
Originally Posted By: Clubber_Lang
I was somewhat suprised to find that older, good condition Porsche Boxsters can be found in the neighborhood of 8-12,000. Im not a fan of convertables, but the available removable hardtop seems like a good compromise. I love mid engine cars, so I like to hear about reliability and cost of ownership. I am capable of changing oil, basic tune ups, ect. I owned a bmw in the past that was actually quite affordable, and am wondering if a Porsche could be (relatively) the same.
Porsche, reliability, owner (shadetree) maintenance/repairs, and low cost of ownership should not be mentioned in the same paragraph. If you are asking these questions you should be looking at something else. Nothing wrong with Porsches per say, but you ABSOLUTELY need to know what you are doing when you work on them, and they cost a small fortune to keep on the road in tip-top condition, especially when they get older. Older Porsches brake, they brake regularly (for seemingly no reason), and they break EXPENSIVELY! If you want a roadster with a very low cost of ownership and something that you can work on yourself, buy a Miata. The fun factor is almost as high and the aggravation factor is infinitely lower.
Depends on the car. Some are nightmares...but some, while they have a short PM interval, are absolutely bulletproof. (I'm on another forum with a 944 owner who is over 250K with the only major repair being a clutch.)
Originally Posted By: Clubber_Lang
I was somewhat suprised to find that older, good condition Porsche Boxsters can be found in the neighborhood of 8-12,000. Im not a fan of convertables, but the available removable hardtop seems like a good compromise. I love mid engine cars, so I like to hear about reliability and cost of ownership. I am capable of changing oil, basic tune ups, ect. I owned a bmw in the past that was actually quite affordable, and am wondering if a Porsche could be (relatively) the same.
Porsche, reliability, owner (shadetree) maintenance/repairs, and low cost of ownership should not be mentioned in the same paragraph. If you are asking these questions you should be looking at something else. Nothing wrong with Porsches per say, but you ABSOLUTELY need to know what you are doing when you work on them, and they cost a small fortune to keep on the road in tip-top condition, especially when they get older. Older Porsches brake, they brake regularly (for seemingly no reason), and they break EXPENSIVELY! If you want a roadster with a very low cost of ownership and something that you can work on yourself, buy a Miata. The fun factor is almost as high and the aggravation factor is infinitely lower.
Depends on the car. Some are nightmares...but some, while they have a short PM interval, are absolutely bulletproof. (I'm on another forum with a 944 owner who is over 250K with the only major repair being a clutch.)
Ed is obviously a good mechanic, and a good body/chassis man as well, but, I'm sure that he gets PLENTY of behind-the-scenes technical assistance on his projects. Nobody can be THAT knowledgeable on the mechanical intricacies of so many widely different vehicles.
Miata is a good choice. Like Ed China, I have to look OVER the windscreen.
Originally Posted By: Nyati
Originally Posted By: wag123
Originally Posted By: wemay
Originally Posted By: wag123
Originally Posted By: wemay
crw said:They featured one of these on Wheeler Dealers... which is cool because Edd puts it up on the rack and starts taking parts off. My impression from that was that the car was fairly reliable but it can be a bear to change parts on the engine or things around it. The exhaust was like a jigsaw p
I love that show!
I also enjoy watching Wheeler Dealers. The thing that I take issue with is how they 'claim' to make a profit on their vehicles. As best as I can tell, they have NEVER made a profit on ANY vehicle, because they never factor labor into the repair/reconditioning costs.
They make their profit on syndication rights - not vehicles. I like watching the show as well. Ed seems to know all about cars. Mike - not so much.
They don't factor in shop overhead and China's labor.
I got a kick out of Mike telling a punter the 635CSI they were selling had been "upgraded " to a set of "period correct" Michelin designed TRX 390 mm diameter wheels, for which you can no longer buy anything but 500 dollar replica tires. Most owners of cars with those wheels changed them to standard 16s or 17s for which tires can be found anywhere.
Some of the early model year Boxters had airbag fault light issues. A co-worker had one that was built a year after the problem was supposedly fixed. The dealer took the car back under CA lemon law.
What was surprising to me was the dealership called my co-worker and suggested they initiate the replacement process.
What was surprising to me was the dealership called my co-worker and suggested they initiate the replacement process.
Originally Posted By: wag123
Originally Posted By: Clubber_Lang
I was somewhat suprised to find that older, good condition Porsche Boxsters can be found in the neighborhood of 8-12,000. Im not a fan of convertables, but the available removable hardtop seems like a good compromise. I love mid engine cars, so I like to hear about reliability and cost of ownership. I am capable of changing oil, basic tune ups, ect. I owned a bmw in the past that was actually quite affordable, and am wondering if a Porsche could be (relatively) the same.
Porsche, reliability, owner (shadetree) maintenance/repairs, and low cost of ownership should not be mentioned in the same paragraph. If you are asking these questions you should be looking at something else. Nothing wrong with Porsches per say, but you ABSOLUTELY need to know what you are doing when you work on them, and they cost a small fortune to keep on the road in tip-top condition, especially when they get older. Older Porsches brake, they brake regularly (for seemingly no reason), and they break EXPENSIVELY! If you want a roadster with a very low cost of ownership and something that you can work on yourself, buy a Miata. The fun factor is almost as high and the aggravation factor is infinitely lower.
Better yet if you want a better, more reliable, and faster roadster get a honda S2000
Originally Posted By: Clubber_Lang
I was somewhat suprised to find that older, good condition Porsche Boxsters can be found in the neighborhood of 8-12,000. Im not a fan of convertables, but the available removable hardtop seems like a good compromise. I love mid engine cars, so I like to hear about reliability and cost of ownership. I am capable of changing oil, basic tune ups, ect. I owned a bmw in the past that was actually quite affordable, and am wondering if a Porsche could be (relatively) the same.
Porsche, reliability, owner (shadetree) maintenance/repairs, and low cost of ownership should not be mentioned in the same paragraph. If you are asking these questions you should be looking at something else. Nothing wrong with Porsches per say, but you ABSOLUTELY need to know what you are doing when you work on them, and they cost a small fortune to keep on the road in tip-top condition, especially when they get older. Older Porsches brake, they brake regularly (for seemingly no reason), and they break EXPENSIVELY! If you want a roadster with a very low cost of ownership and something that you can work on yourself, buy a Miata. The fun factor is almost as high and the aggravation factor is infinitely lower.
Better yet if you want a better, more reliable, and faster roadster get a honda S2000
Originally Posted By: crw
They featured one of these on Wheeler Dealers... which is cool because Edd puts it up on the rack and starts taking parts off. My impression from that was that the car was fairly reliable but it can be a bear to change parts on the engine or things around it. The exhaust was like a jigsaw puzzle.
was that the one where what could have been several grand for a new/rebuilt tranny was fixed by Edd with a 50p bolt?
or am i thinking of the audi TT?
They featured one of these on Wheeler Dealers... which is cool because Edd puts it up on the rack and starts taking parts off. My impression from that was that the car was fairly reliable but it can be a bear to change parts on the engine or things around it. The exhaust was like a jigsaw puzzle.
was that the one where what could have been several grand for a new/rebuilt tranny was fixed by Edd with a 50p bolt?
or am i thinking of the audi TT?
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