Hello guys,

I have the opportunity to buy a 2000 Boxster S for a pretty good price. It has about 90,000 miles on it, and seems in pretty good shape. Since 914 runs in my blood, I come here for advice. I did some reading on the early models, they seem to have engine problems. I am not sure if the S model has these or not. But any tips of advice would be appreciated with this model of car.

Thanks,

All Boxster and 996/997 engines pre 2009 have IMS and RMS issues.

Do some quick research on rennlist.com and other forums and you will get all the information you can stand.

In the case of these engines, high mileage is a good sign. The current issue of Excellence has an article on under $15000 cars and the Boxster S (and the issues) is discussed extensively. Check it out

This model also has the plastic rear window. A couple of years later they went to a glass rear window. I would pay a little extra for the glass rear window.

Yeah, I did look at what was on the Pelican site. A lot of information, somewhat overwhelming. It seems the biggest problem is engine failure due to the shaft bearing failing. I will check out the Excellence issue tonight, but I would like to hear if anyone here has had problems.

The only problem I had was the plastic rear window. $700 to sew in a new one and the cracked/crazed window will return in 3-5 years. The only way to avoid that is keep the top up and keep it out of the sun - but if you did that, why own it?

Very few people on here own a Boxster of any model. Phil W owns a 2000 S model that I helped him find last year. He has not had any IMS issues. Feel free to contact him...he would be happy top discuss his ownership experience.

Rennlist has MUCH more information than any other site on the M96 and M96 engine type failures.

I had a 997 that I sold last year because I did not want to take a chance on having the issue. I will probably buy a 2009 or newer 997 at the end of the year. I will be looking at 2009 and newer just to avoid the IMS issue. While the actual number of failures is (in reality) fairly low, the expense of being one of those with a failure is overwhelming!

The IMS issue is from people not driving theirs cars as intended - in a spirited manner! When driven correctly the IMS Bearing lubricated & is OK. When driven by a Secretary at low RPMs, the Bearing Fails. Fortunately this IMS issue is well know, the price to fix it is reasonable, but it really needs to be done or

The other thing the IMS has done is drive down the Purchase Price of a Boxster or 996 (even if the IMS has been replaced)

I loved my Boxster, it wasn't an S, but I still loved the car. The retained value of these cars is really, really bad. If you don't mind loosing value, and don't mind the gamble of the IMS problem, then get one.

Me, after taking a bath and hair cut on what could've been the newest Porsche I may ever own, I'll take a nice cherry mid 80's Carrera over any water cooled P car, any day.

I bought a 1998 base model 2 years ago. I spent 3 years finding the right car. The criteria that caused me to purchase were:

1. Wanted a car from an original owner who took care of the car
2. Wanted to see all receipts and be able to contact his main mechanic
3. Wanted low mileage, this car had 38K.
4. Lastly, I had a color preference, but was willing to consider any well preserved color

After 2 years, I really like the Boxster. It's very similar to driving a 914 and a lot safer

After spending 6 weeks at Series 9 with Joe O'Brien I had watched him do 2 of them. When he does one he changes out coupla of other items and makes the car need nothing in the feature. The total coast is about $3k and makes the car better than new.
Porsche changed the bearing in I belive 05 with a beraing that requires a total motor rebuiled to change it out. In 09 they changed the motor so much that it no longer has the shaft.
So if you find one that is cherry and cheap take it to Series 9 and make it new.

The one I have the opportunity to buy is a 2000 Boxster S with 95,000 miles and a new German top for $6,700. That seems like a pretty reasonable price, and the car drives real nice. Does this sound like a good deal?

Yes

Sheeesh! You getting it wholesale? That is a great deal!

Awesome deal....I would buy that in a minute!

YES. what are you waiting for? and as stated, for that price do some PM and you can have Series 9 do the upgrade, or just have the Guardian put in to monitor it, and every time you change your oil, take a close look for anything metalic. -
on the 986forum thishas been discussed extensively but there are guys on there that have been multiple boxster owners, no issues even with racing them. it seems if the car sits, lack of lubrication might be an issue, but it may just be that Q.C. was poor and there are a percentage of these bearings that are not made to perfect specs and are doomed to fail.




Mine is a 2000S with LOTS of extras and i pain $12k a year ago (65k miles) at the time it was one of the best i could find, really spotless, almost showroom clean.
This is now my DD, with maybe a day or two of the 914 thrown in .

- i have the plastic window, but i just purchased a hard top for it so during the cold and rain of the winter and the very southern hot of the middle summer i plan on leaving that on. its a nice option to have.

- the 2000 s has nice stock performance! and you can pick up a good bit by switching the stock exhaust to a sport cat SS system- for under $3000 you can get a whole new SS system with 200 cell sport cats, int. pipes and rear exhaust etc! -its my next purchase!, - also change a few things and a computer chip flash upgrade and you have about 50hp increase. its like what the 914 would have morphed into IMHO - , just a little heavier but 3x the power.

so go get that thing and post some pictures!!!!

I think I will buy it. You have all convinced me. Here is a photo. Cosmetically, a couple of dings, the leather is a little worn/discolored.

But if I have engine failure on the way home, I am blaming every one of you!!!! ;-)

They are really great cars! The Rennlist crap is so over rated and repeated by so many people that have no experience themselves. As long as they keep this up everyone else can enjoy great Boxsters and 996 cars at a n extreme discount.

Don’t get me wrong these two items can happen but it is so rare that the risk is very low and as others have commented they can be eliminated. Every Porsche model and most all cars in general have certain issues.

I have been to a large Porsche dealer in Cleveland that specializes in building these engines and sets them up for race cars. They have had thousands of customers over the years and they have only seen a handful of these problems. Most of the IMS problems are caused by poor oil change history or extremely low mileage stored cars.

Run them hard, as was intended, and enjoy an amazing car for the money!

Jeff B

Click to view attachment

looks like a pretty clean car! the rear window isn't foggy, looks to still be very clear, that is good. I like the brown interior! Seems like the driver's side left bolster gets more wear from the in and out of the driver, mine has some wear there too. any upgrades or extra options? There were a few on mine, such as leather upgrade package which includes 100% leather seats, dash is leather covered and the doors as well. this was not standard. also a sound package with rear speakers, etc. there is a sticker on the underside of the front trunk lid that has code numbers that will tell you which options the car came with if you don't have the original sticker/receipt.
way to go!. now get out there and
phil

Well, a few months back I almost bought a 99 Boxster with a detonated engine. It was like $5K with 65k miles. I was going to fix it and sell it. That one got snatched up.

The interior in this one is actually red, not brown. It is really my favorite combo, it reminds me of the Boxster prototype. Perhaps black seats would wear better, it seems the red gets discolored in certain areas. But once you are sitting in the car, your body hides the problem areas!

I haven't checked the "hell hole" yet.

A Trick I learned a long time ago for plastic windows - every once in a while, rub them with Baby Oil. Also when you put the top down, put a Clean bath towel between the window & the top as it is going down.

Also BMW makes a GREAT Convertable Top Conditioner / Water Repellant

I bought a 2000 non S in October with 196,000 on it. It runs great, has a new top with a GLASS rear window( $2500.00 option new) and other than being too small for me, I love it. Does great on the track and autoX and I am in it cheap (under 4K)so if it will last me a year, I will have my money's worth out of it and be able to sell enough parts off of it to recoup most of my investment. Just remember, when you change the oil, if you see any signs of shavings, change the IMS bearing immediately. If you don't want to buy it, give me the info, I know somebody who will.


Shoe

Well it sure was fun to drive, when I briefly drove it the other day. I have a birthady coming up and was just thinking about getting a little 1:35 scale model tank or something to fiddle with, but my wife gave me the go-ahead on this 1:1 scale toy.

Plenty of power, "wie ein Blitz". What is the best Boxster forum where they actually work on the cars like we do here? I like this forum so much that I have even come here for home maintenance problems!

here
986forum.com. however, truly ther is no other forum i have ever found like this one!!! So you cant compare. But there are a lot of guys wrenching on their cars and posting on that site i have found lots of help there and over on pelican too- lots of tech tips therethere.th

here
986forum.com. however, truly ther is no other forum i have ever found like this one!!! So you cant compare. But there are a lot of guys wrenching on their cars and posting on that site i have found lots of help there and over on pelican too- lots of tech tips there

I took deliver tonight. Why must it be dark when I get new toys?

Going to check it out Sat afternoon. Thomas is going to bring the new toy over.

Meguiars makes an excellent two-part plastic window cleaner and conditioner. I had a five year old '88 Carrera with a faded plastic window,used the product on it and not only did it look brand new, it prevented future hazing, and kept the plastic flexible and shiny.

BTW, nice purchase! Enjoy your new car.

I use this, it is what i use on my WAS top too recommended by Mark at 914 rubber for the acrylic takes the static charge off as well.

Some photos of when I and David Brown went over to Mark Heard's house. I'm holding the camera. All three of us were basically Boxster newbies, so we all spent some time trying to figure the car out.

We were unsuccessful in our attempt to access the engine compartment.
Actually, we were making progress, but I think we all just got tired. Nothing like the 914's pull-and-pop engine compartment.

Earlier that day, I drove it with my son in the morning. In the opposite direction, came a modern Porsche 911 turbo. The driver waved to me. Does this mean I am cool now, like accepted? I am the same person I was yesterday in my 914, and I have not yet received a 911 wave. It made me laugh.

Anyway, it is a very cool car. I was not looking for one of these, but perhaps that is why this deal worked out so well. It seems like when I am looking for a particular car, I get so picky that I pass over everything that come my way. This one was just right. Love the color combination, the S package, and most importantly, the price.

On a personal note, I have had a really crappy year last year, with a lot of different bad things happening - car accident, long time friends turning out to be jerks, bad economy and so on. Perhaps this is the Man Upstair's way of saying, hang in there, and enjoy life a little. I think maybe so.

Alles wird gut!

Awesome score!

Nice! You will enjoy it i am sure.

Go to pelican parts thete is a step by step guide with pictures on how to access the
engine compartment.

If you have any questions you can post on pelican, feel free to p.m. me
One thing, 9.5 quarts of oil but dont take it to the dealer they will charge you and arm and a leg.

Thomas, sorry to hear about your luck this past year, but I do hope you enjoy your new car and the wheels off it.

However after reading about the process of accessing the engine bay http://www.pedrosgarage.com/Site_3/Accessing_the_Engine.html , I can honestly say I will never own one. Holy crap, if the engines on 914s were that hard to access, I guarantee mine would still be on jackstands.

I think you are over reacting. The second time I did it it took 5 minutes , really this isn't any less access than a 914.

Thanks guys. 9.5 Quarts of oil? Wow, I better buy it when it is on sale.

Does anyone know the grade of oil I should use? There is a sticker under the rear trunk that says Mobil 1, I suppose synthetic is what I shoud use?

I think I will be ordering the magnetic drain plug from Pelican. It makes sense.
Why aren't they all magnetic? It seems like a good idea.

Definately Mobil1 Synthetic

I continued to use the Mobil 1 ; you will get better info from the 986Forum web site. Use the search function 1st, many of the new-owner questions have been asked. As I remember, there has been controversy over Mobil 1 due to changes in formulation.

I would recommend buying the Pelican book "101 Projects for the Boxster" It's well written and documents with photos. I've done 4 maintenance projects so far and probably save over $500

Congrats on the new ride! Thomas, sent you a PM.

You got a smokin' deal.


But: DO THE IMS BEARING. Failure has nothing to do with how the car is/was driven.

Funny. I just bought a 2000 S too with the exact same color combination here in Texas. Drove it home to Houston from Dallas Saturday.

2 years ago I was told to buy a Boxster instead of trying to build a 914-6. Now I'm doing both!

They are great cars. I've had a 02 S since 05. It's up to 54,000 miles now. Last winter was a round of heavy maintenance. Brakes, clutch, inner CV boots and a upgrade of the intake to a Cayman airbox and 76mm throttle body.

Since I was tearing it down that far, I did the IMS bearing as well. I used the LN Engineering kit but since I had time, I used some existing motorcycle engine pullers and made the extra tools in house. I did put in the ceramic bearing. I've a lot of success with these in MC race engines. The bearing and housing that came out were in perfect condition, but it was still worth it for peace of mind.

If you've done engine rebuild work, and either have access to a lift or have the engine out, it's a very doable project.

Cheers,

Paul

About how much time did the IMS procedure take?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/70933201@N07/.../in/photostream

Yes, that is an excellent video. No warning, just bang! Then => Scheisse! Mein tolles Auto ist kaputt!


Well, I looked around and posted on 986forums.

It seems like with the IMS issue, there are four general remedies for the DIYer.

1. Do nothing and bet on the odds. Could cost you $4K for a replacement motor + time.
2. Replace your bearing with Pelican's kit. $165 + $189 for the tool kit. One could change the bearing every 40,000 miles. Would take about 6 hours of time to do it.
3. LN Engineering's ceramic bearing. $619 + $189 for the toolkit. Same time estimate as the Pelican kit.
4. Jake's permanent solution, which replaces the ball bearing with an oil fed bearing. I am not sure as to the availability as a DIY kit, or the price thereof.

With all the options, one could also do regular oil changes at shorter intervals, say at 4,000 miles, inspecting the oil filter for metal or plastic shards. One could also change your filter in between oil changes, looking for shards. Lastly, one could also install the IMS guardian for $389. This detects metal in the oil giving you an alarm.

No DIY sales for the Solution. Been there, done that and learned our lessons. I told Charles at LN 5 years ago that the retrofit bearings should have never been sold to DIYr's and he admits now that I was correct.

With your car being a 2000 you have a chance that its a dual row equipped engine. In that case just retrofit it and be done. There are two kinds of M96 engines, those who are dying from IMS issues and those who have died from them.

This one will be entertaining for you. I have HUNDREDS more images like these to add to the video one day when I have the time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EOvhl77idA

The only bad choice you can make is to do nothing.

My 2000 is not an S, but it has 198,000 miles on it and going strong. I am not easy on my cars either, so good luck.

I really struggled with getting a Boxster or the 911 because of the RMS and IMS issues. The fact that you could have a catastrophic failure while doing everything right and with the cost of a new engine was just more risk that I was prepared to accept. So my solution was to buy a Boxster with a CPO warranty. If mine was going to break, I wanted Porsche to pay the bill!! That was the peace of mind, I needed to pull the trigger. I have not regretted it for a single day!! Also, it is my daily driver. A totally awesome car!

One thing to remember is that, the more you research IMS and RMS issues/failures, the more common and frequent you will come to believe they occur! It is kind of like, if all you do is go to AA meeting one would begin to think everyone who drinks is an alcoholic! It’s the same with IMS and RMS failures. Try a Google search for “IMS did NOT fail”… Not near the result count! You really never hear of people who have had NO issues with their IMS and RMS. I have only know one person who had an IMS failure on a well maintained car and it was covered under warranty.
So I did what any paranoid Boxster owner would do… I replaced the IMS!! Below is my post on why.

Hope this helps!!

James


Well I did it!!! I replaced my IMS Bearing on my perfectly running 2003 Boxster S with 70K miles. Well I feel better!! I actually wish it would have been worn with metal filings everywhere. However, the bearing I replaced was in no way worn. In hindsight I see no reason to have replaced it. In fact, I feel I shouldn’t have done it. That being said, I replaced it because of what I have read on the web and more importantly a lack of response to the problem from Porsche. I actually talked with my dealer and he stated that Porsche had NO position on the issue. I think this is the greatest fear factor… a lack of response from Porsche. Their lack of response has caused me and I am sure many others to unnecessarily worry about the “potential catastrophic failure of the IMS” (not to mention others). In fact this was the biggest factor I had to overcome to buy my car. I could only buy a new Porsche with a warranty. Whereas, I had no concerns about an older Porsche as their weaknesses where known. Wheeras the newer models have virtually no history and thus we must rely purely on Porsche’s reputation. I am bothered by the lack of empathy from Porsche. All I want is to have Porsche to give me the best product it can and at least be me honest with me with the problems/defects. In the USA we have learned it is not the act the gets you in trouble… it is the cover-up… Seems like Mercedes is about to learn that concept…

Without Porsche’s input, I made the correct decision. I had the work done at Flintworks. As always, Alden was awesome. I really like to see what happens and with Alden I get to see. If you feel as I do, without a comment from Porsche, the only answer is to replace the IMS. I would do it again, knowing what I know now “replacing a perfectly good IMS bearing”

That being said, I still and have always loved Porsche!! I am currently looking to get a new Boxster. I know it will not have the IMS issues. I just hope Porsche will be honest with me regarding the new 2013 as to what the true issues are. Or I guess, I should get over it and be more understanding and love my new Porsche with all its “new” imperfections.

Regards,

James

Babbler Link

Being hard on them keeps them alive.

The highest mileage we have EVER seen here is 147K.

That opinion seems to come up alot: being hard on them keeps them alive. But is there anything to substantiate that? If the bearing's lubrication is not a function of the engine speed, how does higher RPM help a sealed bearing?

Higher surface speeds unload the bearing. The way the factory IMSB is applied loads the races is unique to this bearing in an M96. The 6204 single row bearing is a GM Alternator bearing, it loads only 3 balls at once.

What I post on this topic is about 5% of what I actually know.