I was looking at a clean 03' plain jane boxster has 40 K miles on it,..as I start to read up on that era car,..I was surprised it had so many possible issue's I knew of the IMS,and oil separator, but what's with the D chunking of cylinders, possible cracks in the heads ,..Etc Etc I realize not every car would have these issues but Damn I am surprised that Porsche's quality control could be that bad,Or they hired some rookie engineer's,..But , is it worth the 14 K the dealer is asking !! Thanks Frank

14k is top dollar for a car like that, compared to the ones here in Oregon. They seem to trade for 10k around here.

Its a gamble plain and simple

Why would you buy a car that you know has a higher potential
For catastrophic failure


And will be expensive to repair and maintain



Why dont you your just jump completely off the clif
And get a 03 ,911

And see how it holds up

I had a non-S 5 speed for awhile. It was fun, but needed more power.

just like everything on the internet, those issues have been widely debated and unnecessarily exaggerated.

You could probably get the car for $12k an have a really nice car for 1/4 of the new MSRP

I agree. I drove a non S one once and was not impressed.

I just purchased a 2001 Boxster S for $11,000 with newly replaced IMS bearing. I would recommend only an "S" with updated IMS. EBay has many for sale.

While building my 914 I wanted something to drive and enjoy so I hunted for a Cayman S watching Craiglist like a hawke. A 2007 Cayman S with 93K miles popped up for $18.5K and I grabbed it. I could not be more impressed. It is a little under powered meaning as I shift through the gears I can have it floored and be waiting for the rev's to climb for the next shift. But I simply love the car over all and assume the Boxster S to give the same smile. Wait for the right deal and be ready to jump on it.

I read an article a few weeks ago that said to find a nice clean S that needed a clutch or was nearing a clutch replacement and factor that with an IMS replacement to swing a deal. Providing you can do the work yourself, you might get into one without too much pain

some may say that's too much but remember its not 140k miles its 40 k miles and that makes a huge difference! if you put 5k miles a year on it that's worth an extra 15 years of driving vs buying a high miles car- yes you would do the IMS and with a dealer yo might negotiate a lower price as that is top dollar- I had a 2000S I had for 3 years- bought for $12,500 drove for 3 years put 28k miles on it and sold it outright for same price as I paid for it!!!!! because I didn't want to do the IMS and clutch and tune etc that was due at 90k miles- but great car!
6 months ago after looking again for a few years for another one, I picked up a 97 base 2.5 L car with only 35 k miles- I paid a very low price for the car- mint on the inside, top like brand new because the owner used the hard top or no top at all - its really clean with a few dings but mechanically previous original owner had the vac lines belts etc all done before listing it for sale - I just put new tires on it - fun car but its a bit under powered - I will upgrade the brakes and shocks- oh, and the IMS in early cars is a dual row, less than 1% failure rate- much better than the 04-05 cars larger bearing. but if it goes you can always do a LS conversion! for half the price of a new Porsche motor-
lots of cars out there so you don't have to rush- the O/A thing is no big deal , did mine on the S myself-
also look at the option list - my S had a base price of $49k, and $12K worth of options!! yet on resale and second hand you can get all that ess for free-
Good luck with your search- if the car is pristine clean car fax good maintenece history I would offer them $10k, see what the say- but for that mileage $12k will be a good deal. Clutch wont need it until 80 k miles so drive and enjoy!

Tell that to the guy who's '04 C4S engine I pulled out two days ago

Any '00-06 single row bearing I say get the IMS done now.

Well that statement is a little misleading.
Apples to apples
A full on 996 pro rebuild using nickies with install is going to run you around $30K, but to get Renagade to do you a full LS3 conversion is also going to cost you $30K.

Even DIY using Renagade kit (full kit almost $7K) will run you at least $12-15K depending on the engine.
If you are super talented, can fab everything, use a LS1 5.3 (used) you might be able to come out sub $10K...just maybe.

Building a 996 engine right now and also researching the conversions, so I know I'm not too far off on this.

Did you attend Raby's M96 class? I did and it was excellent....pretty much a prerequisite if you want to rebuild a 996.

you just proved my point. the failures are all over the internet, but how many people with non-failures are out there enjoying their M96 engine with no problems?

sucks for the 1/1000 that have a catastrophic failure, but let's be real....how many catastrophic M96 failures are out there?

More than 1/1000, sure tons of owners got lucky and during the ownership period had no issues, but how comfortable are you dropping 15-25k on a sports car knowing that is has a flaw that could maybe possibly cost you 20k if not addressed.

Enough...
I also have a '99 C2 in here 130K km (80K miles) thrust bearing shot, damaged crank, cylinders #5 and 6 scratched and over .006" out of round.
I can also see from a previous repair that it has an almost new replacement head on one side.
But hey...the IMS bearing looked good.

I ran a 2000 base model 5spd with some fancy sport package (18" wheels, interior upgrades etc. plastic rear window) . The car was a hoot. I was looking for a "modern" 914 with AC and heat and this was it. It understeered a bit much and didn't want to rotate as much as the older cars but was a good "weekend" car for me. However, I could never shake the feeling that the engine was just waiting to fail on me. Had it about 1 year.

From what I've read on the interweb, not all IMS fixes are a be all end all cure. Then again, not every car's engine blows up catastrophically.

If you can live with the risk, you might like the reward!

After reading this thread and not knowing what IMS is, I read up on the IMS used in Porsche engines. What a dumb piece of engineering to put sealed ball bearings inside the engine. I don't think I'd want to come anywhere close to owning one of the MY cars affected.

At least the interior on the 03 and earlier look good. Personally, I don't really care for any of the interiors of the Porsches after that year.

As my screen name implies, I had a 2002 2.7L Boxster 5-speed. It was a fun car. Certainly, not a straight-line racer but could hold it's own from 3rd gear up with a 2003 Bullit Mustang that my friend drove. It was a great car to cruise long distances in for me (Phoenix to LA at the time). My back was younger then too.

However, today I would get the 6-speed S with 252 HP and one that has had all the big issues remedied. In some ways, a car with more mileage may be in better shape.

I'm not an expert, but it seems to me that the IMS issue is more common on low mileage cars, cars that sit a lot. Cars that are driven regularly don't seem to be as prone to this, from what I've seen.

That is what we have found. I bought a 99 with 115K on it with a weak clutch from its original owner. Great car, fast enough for me with heat and a/c. It came with a file folder as thick as a large town phone book of all of the service records and they did most everything but the clutch and IMS. I parked it in the barn after the clutch gave up completely two weeks after purchase. Life and cancer caused it to sit until spring 2016 when I pulled the trans and fixed it. Frankly, it was fairly easy to work on, the exhaust was the biggest pain to remove. The clutch disk was worn to the rivets but it failed and ruined the slave because the release arm broke. The IMS bearing was straightforward to change once you were in there and the original looked so good I could have sold it on eBay! I had to have the alternator rebuilt as it wouldn't come alive after sitting.

That is about it. Great car for the money and the engine noise is glorious when you are on it! It's a hoot to drive. I have about 122k on it now. I do store it for the winter but the original owned did not and it is still here and rust free.

Charlie

I thank everyone for the info,..I went to go and drive it,..it was out on a test drive and then sold,..didnt even get a chance to sit in it...what a pisser,..Iam looking for a hiway star for long weekend trips with my honey..but,..I will now look for the S but low miles equals well kepted cars to me...

Im telling you dont do it

Or go lease one so if the worst happens
Its not on you

Been down this boxster road , its a miscalculation


Way better off

Look for a miata , toyota mr2 latest gen
Or a z3 ,z4 bavarian

Even a mazda rx8 .

Save a ton of money and pain in ass

Still fun cars too

I know this sounds weird but the cars that seem to have the most issues with IMS are the low mile "driven by granny" type. Often it seems the IMS fails between 40-60K miles.
Cars that have been spiritedly driven with over 80K are often fine.

I wouldn't even consider a 996 without a full PPI by a Porsche shop.
This should include an oil analysis, sump and filter inspection, code check to look for over-rev, borescope on at least cylinder#5 and 6, plus general inspection.

If the seller tries to talk you out of a PPI walk away.
Any tickety-tic noise that doesn't go away, again walk away.

Daily driver I strongly suggest an IMS (2000 up), water pump, thermostat and coolant (every 4-5 years), and of course change the oil on time every time with porsche approved (A-40) oil.

There appears to been issues with these cars,there are documented problems with the engines however they did build a very large amount of these by Porsche standards,appears some have problems and an even greater number didn't.
A good friend bought one that had had the common issues addressed @ an official Porsche dealership in my country only to find later that the PO wasn't totally honest and the clutch went after 6 months ,that really cost him $$$.
The earlier cars aren't worth much now so this makes it easier for a buyer to really shop around for a good price,sounds like the OP's choice is rather expensive for that year/model.
Remember when these cars came out and motoring writers said they were good ''but do we need another 2 seater convertible on the market " ?,appears they have been a real top seller for Porsche along with the Cayenne.

Daily driver I strongly suggest an IMS (2000 up), water pump, thermostat and coolant (every 4-5 years), and of course change the oil on time every time with porsche approved (A-40) oil.

'








If that doesn't convince you not to buy the car
What would

I would think a Boxster with a RL / Odyssey / Pilot 3.5 motor would be very interesting.

Don't sweat it too much. It sold because you weren't meant to have it.

There are HUNDREDS of them out there for sale. They are still decreasing in value so you can wait for the right one.

I am just happy to see that people are still bashing these cars and the 996's. It is continuing to hold the prices down so we can afford them. They are terrific cars if driven/maintained properly like any Porsche.

When you think back, most Porsches have had some common flaw that has the potential to cause an expensive failure. Many of these cars are now sold to the Everyman who can afford them and they expect, because they are expensive, a trouble free and low maintenance car. And they are for the most part. There is a flaw though which has been well publicized. They are now old enough that the offending part has been changed on many or if not, the price should reflect it. My best advise is to buy one that includes all of its service records


Charlie

I'd take one with a 4.2L Audi v8. Pretty sure it'll fit without much problem.

The Excellence Buyer's Guide that came in yesterday's mail has a great article on the IMS bearing issues. I hope that Porsche has finally figured out how to make these live!

lol.. yes.. they stopped selling them and their cruddy design for the 2009 model year

I'm not bashing them, in fact I'm seriously thinking of a C4S, maybe next year.
Anyone who hasn't driven one has absolutely no clue as to WTF they are talking about.
Also consider this, it's a high end sports car, a pro built 911 AC engine can easily cost the same as a 996 engine.
A Ferrari costs $18K just for the 20K tune up.

They are still a $30K plus car, $35-37K for a C4S.
For one with a done right new engine I can see over $40K.

If I can find a good condition but blown C4S for sub $10K, stick a new engine in it, I'd consider it a good deal.

Yes,..and that's the beauty of my 914,.2 months away from driving,,( if no major problems show up).I know its reliable for the most part unless it blows a trans or my 3.3 suby gives up ..but both of those fixes should be under a grand !!!

I didn't think the boxster was such a gamble even after the IMS.

Yeah I would love to have a 996 Carrera 4. Prices seem to be steady on those unfortunately (for a buyer).

I'm no basher either. As with any car there are issues that can be expected. Most car models end up dying off but with Porsches that won't happen. There is a process by which crappy ones are parted out or junked and many change hands from unappreciative owners to enthusiasts, then supply dips below demand and the price levels off, gradually climbing. Any issues like hell hole rust, IMS bearings, chain tensioner issues, etc are corrected as well. It sure took a HELL of a long time for 914's to appreciate significantly!