By Chris Tropea
Mar 24, 2020
Interested in an earlier Porsche Boxster but are worried about expensive repairs? Our sister publication, Classic Motorsports, has one in the fleet: a 2001 Porsche Boxster.
Check out this video to learn about preventative maintenance measures that can make ownership a lot less scary.
3/24/20 11:47 a.m.
Nice video, but I would add water pump to that list in a big way. It's easy to change in the car too, but while you have the engine out do the water pump. I'd also add spark plug tubes and rear main seal to the list.
3/24/20 2:50 p.m.
Given the thread title, I was half expecting to see a picture of an S2000 or a Miata with the caption "Buy this instead".
3/25/20 12:43 p.m.
Don't buy one of the aftermarket waterpumps with a metal impeller. The composite impeller is sacrificial-- if the bearing goes out it won't damage the bore in the block.
There are a bunch of things you can do to make these engines more reliable. I would suggest starting with a really nice example, then dropping the engine and doing a comprehensive refit of wear items, like the AOS, so you only have to do it once.
PS -- There's no way to bulletproof these engines. They're still subject to expensive failure, even if well maintained. The cars have gotten cheap enough that the risk is acceptable, IMHO.
3/25/20 1:42 p.m.
In reply to Tyler H :
Composite impellers also generally work better. They have much better flow characteristics and they cavitate less. That's why they are used in the first place.
3/25/20 3:15 p.m.
LOL that is exactly what I thought too.
3/25/20 3:40 p.m.
The composite impellers harden and get brittle at high mileage and due to age. That's why I recommended a water pump. I bought a genuine Porsche one. Sure it's a bit more, but it's the right part, and will not destroy my block either.
3/25/20 8:46 p.m.
There needs to be some comment about driving them too. They should be driven like Porsche intended
3/25/20 9:22 p.m.
I drove this Boxster pretty hard last year while on the Smoky Mountain Tour and I absolutely fell in love with the car. Are other cars more reliable? Sure. Of course. But being behind the wheel of a Boxster S while chasing a madman in a Ford E250 on the Tail of the Dragon? Life doesn't get much better. (Unless that van had about 300 more horsepower, of course.)
3/26/20 7:17 a.m.
Not sure why it didn't make the video, but we did replace the water pump with one with a metal impeller at our expert's recommendation.
More to come in print, on web and in video on this incredible car. Did a photo shoot on the finished car last night. Here's a taste. I have owned close to 100 cars, driven thousands more and this might be my absolute, all time favorite.
Every time I drive this car I just grin and wonder why nobody seems to get these cars.
3/26/20 8:37 a.m.
Agreed. My cousin bought one about 10 years ago, and I'll never forget the first time I drove it. That flat six wailing behind me, the perfect balance, the steering feel, the way it wants to rotate. If I didn't dislike convertibles, I surely would have owned one by now, and I still may.
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