Buying a 98 Boxster...ADVICE???? PLEASE!

[Hessian Adler]

Howdy
Looking at a 98 Boxster. One owner, 91k. Appears well maintained. I have owned two Porsches but they were both 944s. Does this model have any peculiar 'quirks' that I should be aware of? Also what trouble areas should I pay special attention to (i.e. seals known to leak etc). Finally, is 91k too many miles (on avg?) for this model? With care, how many miles do Boxster engines usually last? I know that it is common to get 200k out of a 944 with the proper care but how about the Boxster?

Any advice is VERY appreciated!
Thanks
D. Massey

[neo the hacker]

Early boxter engines had a problem with the liners lifting, something that porsche will not admit to. but if you have no record off any such work being done at that milage then it looks like its one of the ones that got away.

[Hessian Adler]

Originally Posted by neo the hacker

Early boxter engines had a problem with the liners lifting, something that porsche will not admit to. but if you have no record off any such work being done at that milage then it looks like its one of the ones that got away.

Thanks Neo. Does that mean that at 91k it should be okay? What exactly are liners?

Again, thanks
D. massey

[neo the hacker]

If its still got the same motor in it then it looks like you're ok. Right, now then, Liners?, The Wearing surface of the cylinder must be made of a relatively hard material which is resistant to wear. Cast iron is most commonly used because it is reasonably hard and can be cast into complicated shapes. There are, however, many different varieties of cast iron, and those which have the best casting properties are not necessarily the best for wear resistance. Furthermore, wear-resistant cast iron may be not only more difficult to cast but also to machine. This difficulty is overcome by making the main cylinder block casting of a type of iron having good casting and machining properties, and making the wearing surfaces of the cylinder in the form of liners of a harder material. There is also two main types, Wet and Dry. When liners are used (boxster) the cylinder block and crankcase may be made of aluminium alloy, thus reducing weight. Exactly

[Hessian Adler]

Thanks for the explanation! I can't be sure if it is the original engine...but it was a one owner car and I think it probably is.
At what point (mileage) do liners typically fail? Was this 'fixed' by a certain year model?

Again, Thanks for the info.

[neo the hacker]

the ones that i've seen have been around 40ish but that nothing to go off, and it was upto 2001. but i wouldn't worry, like i said, looks like your ok. Boxster is a very good car and as won sports car of the year a few times over hear in the uk. I love em.

[Hessian Adler]

THanks again Neo.
WHat are the symptoms of liner problems?

[busa_4]

you can tell if the engine has been replaced. look under the vehicle at the engine if you see the engine has no corrosion spray on it then it has been replaced. the corrosion lining is like a light oroange color. if you only see the aluminum engine then the motor has been replaced. also another problem area is the cab top. the cab top is actuated by a motor running 2 seperate cables to the 2 seperate top transmissions. these cables are known to shrink from use. unfortunetly only 1 cable goes at a time so 1 side of your top will move and the other will not causing expensive damage. replaced both of these top cables every 20k. if you havent done it yet please do so. the worst case i had was a 5500.00 repair because the owner kept pushing the button and he destroyed the top frame, top fabric, both top transmissions, the vehicle frame bent and cracked so we had to weld, and the rear lid was bent so we had to replace it and repaint it.

[HB.]

What neo was referring to is the famous RMS failure (rear main seal) it doesn't matter what year '97 or '04 this issue has not been corrected. If you still haven't purchased the car yet I can give you a break down on what problems to look for, for most of the MY Boxsters.

[Porsche_Daddy]

Originally Posted by busa_4

replaced both of these top cables every 20k. if you havent done it yet please do so. the worst case i had was a 5500.00 repair because the owner kept pushing the button and he destroyed the top frame, top fabric, both top transmissions, the vehicle frame bent and cracked so we had to weld, and the rear lid was bent so we had to replace it and repaint it.

Are you sure about this? I've never heard of anyone doing this as a part of preventative maintence. If this was a widespread problem, why wouldn't porsche put this in the scheduled 30k or 60k maintence?

H.B., the RMS failure is different than the sleeve failure NEO was talking about. He was referring to the sleeves that make up the cylinder wall(these are known to fail in 97-99 boxsters, but it's not supercommon). The RMS is a seal around the crank bearing I believe and also more common than sleeve failure but most boxsters are ok. A 98 boxster with 91k miles on it was most likely someone's daily driver so it probably didn't live a pampered life. I would have a Porsche mechanic check the car out before you do anything if you haven't yet. It's definately worth the extra bucks.

[HB.]

Originally Posted by Porsche_Daddy

H.B., the RMS failure is different than the sleeve failure NEO was talking about. He was referring to the sleeves that make up the cylinder wall(these are known to fail in 97-99 boxsters, but it's not supercommon).

Ah, good call, I had heard about a sleeve problem on the '97 model, but didn't know that it still existed on the '98-99 models as well.

[Porsche_Daddy]

You may be right about "bad" sleeves in only the 97 model. I can't remember if 98/99 owners have had the problem. In any case, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.