I just bought a 99 Boxster (45,000 mi) and I am reading online about many people having problems with their engines causing them to have to completely change their engine at a high cost. Is this common?

Rear Main Seal...Blue smoke out of the exhaust... timing chain fail... Everyone keeps saying that they have to replace their engine because of this stuff.

Should I be worried?

Does this sort of thing happen to a high percentage of engines? Is it reliable? I do not want to keep a car that has a high probability of shelling out the engine.

I never saw these problmes on forums of previous cars that I have owned. :confused:

Blue smoke out the exhaust on startup after a few days of inactivity is normal and seen by the Caymans as well. Seems like it's a regular feature of the Porsche flat six engines.

Not too sure on the other issues of the 986 engines.

as someone who is about to buy similar age boxster I will be interested to see the response from the gurus who know these engines.For whats its worth the research I've done on these cars indicate that engine reliability is not a problem.

I`m also new to this board....i loved porsche all my life and the only one i can afford now it`s boxster....my dream is though a 911 :)

I joined this board because i plan on buying a Boxster 2005 (987 i think it is) and want to know more about them.....

Thanks guys

I've had my 97' now for four years. It always smokes a little at start up. Something to do with the 180 deg. piston line up & oil pan. (Boxster type engine.) No problem, don't worry.

Worry about this! NEVER and I mean NEVER allow your floor board to get wet.
A computer is located underneath the drivers seat down in a little recessed bowl. (The lowest part of the floor board.) It loves to fill up with water!
This computer controls everything! Drowning the computer will cause everything on the car to malfunction. EVERYTHING! The car can't even be stolen unless hauled off with a wrecker and then dismantled.
This little repair can cost upwards of $6000.00 Strange place to mount a computer on a convertible? I don't know of an old convertible yet that didn't have rusted out floor boards. What? German engineering? No wonder they lost WWII.

my friends, im thinking about getting a used boxster because i cant afford a new one. i want to spend about $20,000 or so and plan to get a 2003 or newer if im lucky. im going to turn 65 in april and this will be my last sportscar. what is the general feeling about owning a used boxster and are they reliable. also, is it a living nightmare to get one worked on. am i completley nuts or just a little.
thanks for your help
fred from nashville

You sound exactly like what I did four years ago. Can you put a price on fun?
It's a love/hate thing. When you get behind the wheel on the open highway with the top down it's a LOVE thing. Taking it into the shop is a HATE thing.
I have not been caught racing or speeding yet. That might be classified as a hate thing? What? Live to be 98 and die in a nursing home after going through all of you and your families money? Buy a Boxster S and go out like a Champ!

Not a whole lot of responses to a thread started Oct 2007. Hopefully that means all these guys are out driving because they are reliable. I still haven't decided to pull the trigger on a purchase for the same reason; still in the research mode.

Sad to say the engine on my 2004 Boxster just imploded with IMS syndrome. The Car was recently serviced too. The engine malfunctioned in my garage as the car was started (never had experienced engine failure before). Repair costs are huge and quite a setback unexpectedly. Whats worse than everything is the cold shoulder I got from Porsche North America's dispute resolution team . . . (original owners may be treated differently however). Exploring all my options. Caveat Emptor.

Looks like I may be going with an S2000 then ~ thanks for the input.

I really love both cars and despite the engine problem and the high costs associated with porsche ownership, I still stand by the Porsche brand . . .

good luck;)

Do not worry... If you take care of your engine by changing the oil appropriately and to not drive it like you stole it, I am sure you will be quite happy. I have done all of the work on mine so far and it has not been bad at all. I bought the book from Bentley and it explains everything. You will always have horror stories from any engine. Nothing is perfect. Every time you get in the car everything goes away... cost, worries, and all!!!

I ended up purchase a 98 Boxster after starting this post. Over the past two years, I have been quiet happy. The only issues that I have had were the O2 sensors, and I replaced them myself. They were definitely a pain, but I do not believe that it was a big deal as long as you buy the maintenance book written by Bentley. I also have to say that I am not redlining the car every day. I do change the oil every 7000 miles with Mobile 1. Besides that, the only other problem I have is getting a sunburn because I always have the top off.