Is getting this 99 Boxster a bad idea?

[Joefrompa]

Hi all,

Little explanation here. Looking for some general advice.

My father has owned a 99 boxster since ~2003 (30k miles bought, now around 55-58k). Interior is near perfect. Exterior is beautiful except for front clip scrapes and some minor damage to one point behind the passenger side wheel (it's completely under the car, but might be a jacking point) from going over a curb. There's some structural damage there, but appears only superficial (i.e. no major points were hurt severely, unless that was a jacking point that is now fubar'd).

He's gotten to a point where it's taking up garage space instead of just being a fun weekend toy. He's someone who just pays for things to get fixed, so naturally he's sick of the expense of taking it to a stealership and never leaving for less than $250 or much higher.

Issues:

Right now it's got the horn malfunction (easy fix) and needs the 60k mile tune-up. It's never had a RMS or other major engine issue. On the original clutch and DM flywheel. The shifter feels like the bushings are worn out or the linkage is crap, but it feels like a simple fix and it needs a new boot anyway. The clutch pedal is very heavy, but I imagine that's halfway just really old brake fluid in the hydraulic system.

The one issue it had, and yes you might goggle at this, is that it's coolant expansion tank cracked when it was being driven. All coolant dissapeared. Driver continued driving it for over 30 minutes with the needle in the red.

Porsche diagnosed and fixed it and said they performed a compression or leakdown test (Not positive which) with no problems being shown from what had happened. Charged him $1200-1400 to basically replace the expansion tank, perform the test, and fill up with new coolant (they might have done an oil change too).

...

Anyway. My father has talked about giving the Porsche to me. No cost out of pocket for me. That being said, I am working full-time and taking an aggressive graduate program. I have a bit of cash lying around, but I am paying out the nose for the next two years of life. I also don't have alot of time to spend fixing it, though I definitely could if I don't mind taking two weeks to do the 60k job :)

I'd love to drive this thing ~5k miles a year (I drive 25k a year as of right now on one car) and have some fun with it for a few years. Do you think this would be a wise move, or would I be getting in over my head with expenses and time commitments to keeping it running?

Should I be worried about a catastrophic engine failure due to the overheating and/or the known engine issues still? Has anyone found a way to drop a cost-effective engine solution in here (i.e. Subaru 2.5 liter turbo engine, a $3-5k Porsche 3+ liter engine, etc.) with a bit more power?

Any and all advice is appreciated. I've been around long enough to know how these threads go, so I'm just looking for your general impressions, tips, and advice.

Joe

P.s. I do have a garage space which I could leave it in for a month at a time. The car also has a very nice hard-top and set of winter wheels/tires. I've considered having some fun with stripping it down a bit by taking out the convertible top and mechanism, spare tire, etc. to try to get the weight down a bit. Probably wouldn't do that till much later, or if the top failed for some reason :)

[Joefrompa]

By the way, I drove it extensively and hard since it had the overheating episode. It feels perfect with no concerning sounds, hesitations, etc. throughout the powerband.

Heck, it drives amazingly well for a 10+ year old car on the original state of tune :)

Joe

[MSHax]

From the sounds of it, you know the answer is yes. One thing to remember is that not all boxsters suffer from the RMS issue. Before I did my engine swap my little 2.5 liter had 109k on it and I'm the first owner, I can say it NEVER had the RMS issue. Of course I had the other basics; ie..parking brake switch, passenger seatbelt fault, ignition switch....etc but never anything large like the rear seal or shaft bearing. With that being said don't base your decision on what COULD happen, hell, you COULD burst into flames while reading this but you're not gonna run around with a fire extinguisher back pack right? You're actually in a lucky position, you know the previous owner AND you've already been behind the wheel enough to know the car. So, YES, get it.

Also as far as a cost effective engine swap goes; PLEASE, PLEASE don't put a subaru engine in your car. Although it is possible to put almost anything into almost anything like I've seen Chevy powered Porsches, Ford powered Ferraris, I even saw a Porsche powered Airplane. Just cause you CAN do it doesn't mean you SHOULD. There are certain unwritten rules, never date your best friends sister, never steal from a church and NEVER EVER put a "cheap" engine into a Porsche ( I don't think anyone would complain if you somehow dropped a 5.7 12 cylinder Lambo engine in there) :P

[number9ine]

Hi all,

Little explanation here. Looking for some general advice.

My father has owned a 99 boxster since ~2003 (30k miles bought, now around 55-58k). Interior is near perfect. Exterior is beautiful except for front clip scrapes and some minor damage to one point behind the passenger side wheel (it's completely under the car, but might be a jacking point) from going over a curb. There's some structural damage there, but appears only superficial (i.e. no major points were hurt severely, unless that was a jacking point that is now fubar'd).

He's gotten to a point where it's taking up garage space instead of just being a fun weekend toy. He's someone who just pays for things to get fixed, so naturally he's sick of the expense of taking it to a stealership and never leaving for less than $250 or much higher.

Issues:

Right now it's got the horn malfunction (easy fix) and needs the 60k mile tune-up. It's never had a RMS or other major engine issue. On the original clutch and DM flywheel. The shifter feels like the bushings are worn out or the linkage is crap, but it feels like a simple fix and it needs a new boot anyway. The clutch pedal is very heavy, but I imagine that's halfway just really old brake fluid in the hydraulic system.

The one issue it had, and yes you might goggle at this, is that it's coolant expansion tank cracked when it was being driven. All coolant dissapeared. Driver continued driving it for over 30 minutes with the needle in the red.

Porsche diagnosed and fixed it and said they performed a compression or leakdown test (Not positive which) with no problems being shown from what had happened. Charged him $1200-1400 to basically replace the expansion tank, perform the test, and fill up with new coolant (they might have done an oil change too).

...

Anyway. My father has talked about giving the Porsche to me. No cost out of pocket for me. That being said, I am working full-time and taking an aggressive graduate program. I have a bit of cash lying around, but I am paying out the nose for the next two years of life. I also don't have alot of time to spend fixing it, though I definitely could if I don't mind taking two weeks to do the 60k job :)

I'd love to drive this thing ~5k miles a year (I drive 25k a year as of right now on one car) and have some fun with it for a few years. Do you think this would be a wise move, or would I be getting in over my head with expenses and time commitments to keeping it running?

Should I be worried about a catastrophic engine failure due to the overheating and/or the known engine issues still? Has anyone found a way to drop a cost-effective engine solution in here (i.e. Subaru 2.5 liter turbo engine, a $3-5k Porsche 3+ liter engine, etc.) with a bit more power?

Any and all advice is appreciated. I've been around long enough to know how these threads go, so I'm just looking for your general impressions, tips, and advice.

Joe

P.s. I do have a garage space which I could leave it in for a month at a time. The car also has a very nice hard-top and set of winter wheels/tires. I've considered having some fun with stripping it down a bit by taking out the convertible top and mechanism, spare tire, etc. to try to get the weight down a bit. Probably wouldn't do that till much later, or if the top failed for some reason :)

Dude, free Porsche! With an investment of spare time and preventative maintenance it should cost you less than the econobox most grad students are rockin', and if you have a daily driver then you can't pass this up. It sounds like the engine was tested as sound despite the overheating episode so I'd say that's not an immediate worry. There are NO cheap upgrades to the engine in this car. The least expensive solution I know of is a DIY engine transplant from a 911, and that will set you back five figures. Despite the layout, a Subie engine doesn't speak German. Solution: Find a twisty route to work and school and you won't miss the power.

A heavy clutch may mean the car's throwout bearing might be worn, meaning it's time to get in there and replace it. That's about $1500 from an indy to do everything in the bellhousing. Get a PPI so you know what you're up against, a few hundred bucks to see into the future a bit. Less than $2000 out the door for a P-Car with a clean bill of health!

My opinion: Don't start "adding lightness" and performance unless you're building a track rat. Porsche's men and women in white coats spent a lot of time making the car a great balance between fun, performance and comfort, and anything you do to the car will throw that off. Want more performance? Finish grad school, get a good-paying job, and buy more car. In the meantime, improve YOUR performance by investing in a few DE events with the Porsche Club or an Autocross or two. You'll find that the car gets significantly faster after that, no Subaru parts needed. :)

Your dad is a hell of a guy for extending you an offer like this. Take it and run with it, and post some pictures. :)

Mark

[Shredder]

Has anyone found a way to drop a cost-effective engine solution in here (i.e. Subaru 2.5 liter turbo engine

:eek: WTH?

No offence, but I'm not sure you really appreciate this car? Put a Subaru engine in a Porsche and start stripping out parts like the hood? It sounds more like you want to get hold of a Rice Burner?

Although I can't see any downside to getting a free car, it sounds like it would enjoy a better life staying with your dad (for the moment at least).

[JP Rodkey]

We can solve your dilmemna right now: I'll give you $1000 cash and you won't have to mess with it or ever have to worry about repairs.

[seafeye]

WOW you are getting a free Porsche and wondering if you should take it?

Save your college beer money and use it to do your own oil changes. Unless you have a 2 year old and newborn twins i am sure you can find some time to do the service. Besides, spending some time under your car will refresh your brain and give you a break from school. Don't forget to read the book "The art of motorcycle maint". 20 minutes under your car you can learn more that a week at school.

[Joefrompa]

Hehehe, I see I gave some wrong impressions to you gentleman.

First off - I work ~50 hours a week and I've entered into a full-time 2 year MBA program. My free time is limited :)

Second - I specifically mentioned low-cost engine drop-in solutions because I wanted to ask about just that: low cost. If the engine grenades, are my choices A. $2000 or B. $5000.

There was an article in excellence about a 914 with a Subaru 2.0 liter in it, being a water-cooled flat four with a touch more power than the original engine. I mentioned Subaru simply because they maintain a boxer configuration and have some serious power upgrade options (i.e. it's easy to take the 2.5 turbos to a reliable 300whp).

I'm not trying to deface Porsche, I was simply asking about options besides doing 911 engine swaps from 996s. I'm not terribly impressed with the engine track record of Porsche from 1997-2005, so you can see why I'd want to go somewhere else :)

Shredder - As pointed out, I asked about ANY low cost solution and I mentioned a identical displacement boxer engine as a possibility :)

Seafeye - Yeah, my savings is going to be depleted over the next two years. So I'm genuinely wondering if taking on a "free" Porsche is a good idea. As far as I can see, it needs a 60k service and some electrical work, most of which I can do myself. Plus insurance. It has almost brand new Michelin Pilot Sports on it, so that's fine. Brakes are good. All new bilsteins all around. Nonetheless, I don't want to go into this blindly saying,

"OMG, free Porsche! That sounds like a brilliant idea!" :)

Nonetheless, I agree with you guys. All I really need to do is get through about 18 months with it. Then my cash flow situation will improve drastically. During that time i'd probably drive it 10k miles or less, which really doesn't put alot of wear and tear on it.

Regarding the clutch: Is it possible to swap in a single-mass flywheel or re-use the original dual-mass flywheel with a new OEM style or similar clutch and a new TO bearing? I'm not certain the heavy pedal is the TO bearing (there is no whine), but good to be prepared.

Just to confirm: clutch's on the boxster are not for the modest DIYer? What should I expect from a decent indy as far as price, if I procur my own parts?

Thanks all,

Joe

[Joefrompa]

One more thing: if an engine were to go, I'm guessing the car would be worth around 6k give or take. Lets assume $7k for a 911 swap.

Would it not be worth it at that point to try to move up to a late 996 carerra? Their prices seem to be so depressed that it would make sense...of course, that's assuming the engine would blow AFTER I stop writing large checks to private universities for dubious services :)

Joe

[JP Rodkey]

One more thing: if an engine were to go, I'm guessing the car would be worth around 6k give or take. Lets assume $7k for a 911 swap.

Would it not be worth it at that point to try to move up to a late 996 carerra? Their prices seem to be so depressed that it would make sense...of course, that's assuming the engine would blow AFTER I stop writing large checks to private universities for dubious services :)

Joe

That was where I was at last summer at this time. I bought a '98 with a fried engine due to failed water pump. Replaced the engine with a low mileage 2.5 out of a '97. Car has now at 70k miles. Once I got things sorted, it has run almost like a new car. It's wife's daily driver and she's happy. Your estimate for an engine repair is a bit higher than needed. Assuming you have the skills and tools to do your own swap, you can budget $5k for a stock engine. Obviously, you can go nuts on "upgrade" engine choices.

[mikefocke]

Can any engine grenade...certainly.

Liable to, no.

If someone were to offer me that car with a non running engine, I see about $3k in wheels, hardtop etc items that could be sold off to help pay for a engine from a wrecking yard. And there are good engines out there, I totaled one of my Boxsters and its engine was perfect and only 26k miles on it IIRC.

[infocusf8]

I bought my first Porsche in July of '09 it is a 1999 Boxster that had 74K miles on it and I knew nothing about Porsches (I know a lot more now). The dealer I bought it from is too far away so I found a highly recommended local Porsche mechanic and the first time I took it to him he scared the s**t out of me telling me all the things that could go wrong with the 986 model. I spent $2,200 for the 60K service and four new rotors then another $400 for a complete alignment and tire balance. I decided that I didn't buy the car to worry about IMS, RMS or PMS but I bought it to drive and have fun When I'm having a bad day all it takes is to put the top down and go for a drive and when I get back home my jaw is sore from the eternal grin on my face. I drive my Box to the store for groceries in the AX events on weekends and just finished a day at Infineon tracking it at speeds of over 100 MPH. After 5K miles it has not lost or burned a drop of oil and still runs like a champ. I've spent a few hundred here and there pimping it out and sometimes just love to stand next to it and look at it. Should you take your dads '99 HELL YES!!! Don't freak out over the cost of the coolant container replacement that is what it costs to do it at a dealer, you can shave off a couple of hundred at an independent shop and if your a DIY guy you can save even more.

[Falcon900EX]

WARNING!!! Only buy cars that you know the complete history!!! This rings true when buying a Porsche. I will only buy cars that have a complete history and have not been Lease cars!! Anything that has passed thur an auction house! I don't care what Porsche model it is. Be very picky!! VERY PICKY! It's better to pay a little more up front then later. Half the fun is looking. The more cars you look at will help build your understanding of the model you plan on buying. You may find the model isn't right and pick say a 911. I'd bet you can find a 996 for the price of a boxster. Go look. It's worked very well for me and made my selling easy. Have fun :clapping: E

[JeTexas]

There's two real questions you've got to answer - can you afford the monthly insurance, and do you have a place to keep it parked if something goes catastrophically wrong until you finish grad school?

If the answers to those two questions are yes, then why wouldn't you?

[gandrade1]

We can solve your dilmemna right now: I'll give you $1000 cash and you won't have to mess with it or ever have to worry about repairs.

B) I will give you $1,500...Now. Firm offer!

Get the car already, come on! About your situation getting substantially better right after the MBA - not really sure about that one...Might take a few years.

Plus, with a used Boxster you might learn how to drive/nurture a P-Car, so that when you do actually have a much better situation you can get into a new one confidently.

FYI...I finished my MBA a few years ago and decided to keep my 01 986. It just made sense for me from a cost-benefit perspective - the car is fun to drive, insurance is cheap and the car is paid for. However, if you simply want cheap transportation, sell the Boxster and buy a used Camry/Accord.

Just my 2 cents.

Gus

Edited October 22, 2009 by gandrade1