New Porsche owner

[boxster2001]

Hi Guys,

I'm thinking of dipping my toe in to boxster ownership.

Ive got a BMW e46 at the mo so the boxster is a second car.

I've been looking at 1997-2001 reg models with 2.5-2.7 L engines. whats the m.p.g like of these?

for £6000-£8000 do you think Id get a good one?
what sort of difference in spec are they?

any idea of what i should be looking for when viewing?

And finally!, what sort of running costs am i looking at?

 

[colinbythesea]

I have my Boxster up for sale, a year 2000 2.7 at £4,999 see it on Pistonheads http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3855287.htm. Message me through the forum or call if you are interested, I have just found all the mails from the Pistonheads link in the advert went to my spam folder so avoid using it.

 

[gazrawly]

Hi there chap. I have recently purchased a 2002 S on 78,000 miles after having a drive in one and falling in love with it. As with most cars, there are certainly things to watch out for and a few horror story's too. I had a little read up before taking the plunge.

Since buying the car, I've had the mass air flow sensor fail and have found a small array of faults that will be rectified shortly. These include rear anti-roll bar rubbers worn, Litronic head lamp cutting out after a long drive (sometimes), possible rear wheel bearing noise every now and again, some moisture in the boot around the coolant cap, starter motor over run squeal (seems to be quite common), the convertible roof closes on the outside of the plastic cover on the nearside (cable tension I believe - seats correctly if you guide it at half fold), rattling catalyst heat shield and the nearside rear load angle sensor for the Litronic headlights has snapped at the mounting point. Sounds extensive although I am rather finicky and in reality, these are mostly niggles, some of which I spotted on viewing and driving the car, but I really am keen to get the little jobs sorted.

Something which plays on my mind is the IMS (intermediate shaft) bearing. I will be having this replaced shortly for piece of mind.

I drove a boxster with the basic standard stereo (dash speakers only) and to me was a dilution to the driving experience. The sound pack is a must in my opinion and the Bose upgrade which I have in mine really is a delight!

The MPG readout is showing around 30-35mpg on a normal 70mph motorway run, 25-28mpg with mixed environments and 20-25mpg when on the loud pedal with reasonable frequency [] I don't think I could ever get bored of that horizontally opposed engine!

With your budget, I'd say you would be able to get a good example with some cash to freshen up some areas of the car that may require some TLC.

If the above puts you off, don't test drive one otherwise you will buy one []

 

[colinbythesea]

Some thoughts gazcrawley.

The moisture around the coolant cap could be a couple of things. There is a later coolant tank cap which is worth updating to, not sure of the numbers but an OPC could probably tell you if you have the older one. The other thing to check is the coolant tank splitting underneath. Lift your boot carpet and have a look for coolant. You can't see the split but they go along the bottom of the tank. Often they hold quite well until the engine gets really warm when the crack opens up and drops coolant. When it does this you will find small pools of coolant around the rear drivers side wheel. Can be time consuming to fix as all the pipes go into the engine in an awkward place. Don't be tempted use a second hand part for this as it's probably going the same way.

If you have Bridgestone SO2 tyres then forget bearing noise until you have replaced the tyres. These are incredibly noisy and sound like your wheel bearings have gone, do an internet search and you will find it widely commented on.

The roof not seating, you probably have a drive cable about to shear. You can check these at the motor at the back of the car as they unclip to get them out, look for fraying. The other end of the cable can be a pain because the gear assembly on the hood frame has to come out, some bright spark designed it so the cable goes in behind it. If you have a wonky roof replace them they aren't expensive if you fancy a DIY job and they could give up on a rainy day with the roof half way up.

Rattling catalyst heat shield is just some inexpensive clips need replacing.

Starter motor squeal might be the vee belt and tensioner.

Roll bar rubbers and all the suspension bushes are going to be getting near the end of their life on a car this age. Roll bar ones are easy to replace and inexpensive.

The RMS seal and IMS bearing are probably best left alone if all is good. When you get drips of oil on your drive, or if your clutch is worn, then its probably time to have the engine out and look at them. If you have old receipts and the RMS was replaced at some point then it's probably good as the seal was updated. It does seem that the cars that didn't let go at around 50,000 miles, or had the RMS replaced, are solid engines. If it was a big problem I am sure you would see eBay littered with cars with blown engines which are uneconomical to repair.

 

[gazrawly]

Thanks for your thoughts Colin.

Unfortunately, I am running Pirelli Rosso P Zero tyre's. It's more of a pulsing sound (wobwobwobwob) although has only done this a few times (when cornering left it seems)

I will check the coolant tank and replace the cap anyway as the part can't be expensive? Would you advise sourcing this from main dealer or recommend an aftermarket distributor?

In reply to your post regarding the IMS bearing, I guess your right. The RMS was replaced along with the clutch and flywheel 5 years ago. The car is now on 78,000 miles.

I will check the convertible cables for fraying now, thanks for the advise.

I did check the drive belt which appears to be in good condition. I would say theres a 30% chance the noise will appear on start up, lasts no more than 2 seconds. It sounds as though the starter motor gear is staying out (just like the VW golfs etc). I will remove the belt anyway and spin the tensioner bearing just to be sure.

 

[colinbythesea]

I would always check your local Porsche centre. I have found them very helpful, even when I ran a much older 944 and before that 924. Parts are reasonable, I think the roof drive cables only cost about £15 when I bought them 3 years ago. They always have a stock of plastic clips and odd bits that tend to fall off or go missing. If you aren't near they will post parts as well.

The sound when cornering might be brakes. The disks are notorious for corroding on the inside faces and if they are a bit rough make a noise when put under a bit of sideways force.