i really am lusting after a boxster-i know engines have failures,but their cheaper these days,and they are german.im afraid i would neglect my 80 sd,its my daily driver,easy to fix and reliable.what to do?

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95 e320,87 sdl,79 300sd

Slam a car door on your fingers. The pain is the same and it's less expensive.

very good,that brings some sense to my crazy mind

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95 e320,87 sdl,79 300sd

If you're a confidant mechanic who owns a lift its totally possible to work on your own Boxster. The owner of Pelican Parts (Mr. Wayne) authored a brilliant book on the topic. 101 Projects For Your Porsche Boxster. Its a good read even if you don't own the car.

I want one too, newer than 2005 model. I have already slammed my finger in the door jamb but I have not learned anything.
The engines were a problem the first few years. The CEL was referred to as change engine light.

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2010 ML350 Bluetec
2012 Mustang Convertible

If you can afford it, go for it. The mid-engine layout makes them harder to work on than a 911, but they aren't that tough to wrench on. And they drive great.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

well,now i want one again,its the ims bearing thats the issue,after 04 it cannot be changed out easily.i like the 03,but still pricey.s is even better.i would remain faithful to my sd.

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95 e320,87 sdl,79 300sd

My old roommate used to have one before he bought a 911 turbo and I thought the Boxer was a blazed to drive. Once took it out of an onramp going 120mph; would not have dared to take that curve with any other car going faster than 80mph. Very solid driving experience.

What I remember is that he had a lot of transmission problems, his was an early model. Those can be found pretty cheap these days.

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1979 Black on Black, 300CD (sold), 1990 Black 300SE, Silver 1989 Volvo 780, 1988 300CE (vanished by the hands of a girlfriend), 1992 300CE (Rescue).

They can be had for very cheap. I mean very cheap here. Talking $9,000 and well under. Upkeep doesn’t change thou. Pay to play as they say. I am not sure how DIY friendly they are but if you’re a DIY person and you’re not afraid you can cut cost down a lot. Keep it at a local shop and keep clear of the dealer. I have heard from many the Boxster is pretty good and doesn’t break too much. We use to have a 06 Cayman and that was fine. Nothing too major went with it. The Boxster came out in 96 and ran to 04 being called a 986 body I believe. They changed the body style for 05. So if you can find a 04 Boxster and maybe an S model you could have yourself a pretty nice ride for cheap.

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2015 ML350 4Matic. Wifes DD
2015 GLK350 4Matic. My winter DD
2012 E350 4Matic. Road Trip car
2009 CLK350 Coupe Designo.Kleemann Tune For nice days/DD
2006 CL600. V12.Eurocharged Tune. Enough said
2005 CLK55 AMG Coupe.Kleemann Tune. For the sound and style
2004 CLK320 Cabriolet. 2005+ Interior swap. For the sunny Florida days & beach days

My father in law used to have one. He regarded it as one of the worst pieces of unreliable junk he'd even had the misfortune to own.

- Peter.

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2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

Don't you have to remove body panels to get to certain engine components? (I think I heard this somewhere but i'm not sure)

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1982 300GD Carmine Red (DB3535) Cabriolet Parting Out
1990 300SEL Smoke Silver (Parting out)
1991 350SDL Blackberry Metallic (481)

"The thing is Bob, its not that I'm lazy...its that I just don't care."

Well, what comparable roadsters are more reliable, easier to work on. yet deliver the driving experience of the Boxter? BMW Z4, Audi TT, Mercedes SLK, Lotus Elise? Hmm.

It might have already been covered above, but:

If you buy an early example, this is one car that you do NOT want a "numbers matching" engine and chassis. MANY of the early engines had serious problems and were replaced with a factory engine early on. If you buy one of the first model year or two, make sure the engine has been changed.

I've given thought to buying one myself, but my spending money has been going into my airplane and avgas lately.

Larry

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2001 SLK 320 six speed manual
2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

A Boxster was on my short list of cars to buy which included Audii TT, 96-00 SL500, and S2000. I ended up getting a 1st-gen Honda Insight and never looked back. I'm totally addicted to high mpg. People can brag about their 0-60, horsepower, brand name, and what not, but I love my high mpg! If I were in the market for another car, I won't consider anything that gets under 50-55mpg. Reliability and quality is important, but not so much speed, horsepower, and name.

Anyway, I heard that you have to drop the engine for certain engine maintenance on the Boxster. True?

There's a cover you take off for top side access. It gets you in there better than the "hood" on a 914. There might be some tasks where you have to take off other things to get better access from the bottom.

@Frosty: My 250cc motorcycle only got 55 mpg.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.