at 11 years old, that list is no great surprise, and really doesnt sound that bad.

Get the actual broken bits (lights, spoiler switch) and the MOT advisory (brake pipe) fixed under warranty.

Put the consumables (brake discs) down to experience.

And expect the the worn out but still working items (air con/cat heat shield,coil packs) to fail in the next couple of years along with some other stuff that you dont yet know about, it is after all an 11 year old car, things are going to stop working.

I wouldnt expect the EH warranty to be worth the paper its written on, but that could just be me being a massive cynic.

in which world does a brake pipe cost 400 quid?

depends where it’s placed – as said above.
heat shields coming loose on these is common.
even and after market exhaust is >1k IIRC.
nice cars though. you have to remember the level of performance you’re getting.

the world where its a porsche item likely jamie.

some copper pipe , a flaring tool , the correct fittings and a pipe bender would be my solution BUT factory it would not be and things like that are important to porsche people.

in which world does a brake pipe cost 400 quid?

The Porsche world.

There’s one on the 911 (996 anyway) that will cost more that that if done by a dealer/specialist that runs up and over and around the back of the engine.

What’s been listed are common issues with this age of Porsche, did a lot of research earlier in the year when looking at “cheap” 996’s. For instance AC rads – one ether side at the front – are very vulnerable to incoming debris, coil packs are a consumable, clutches may not last and IMS bearings can be the death of the car.

Easy option is to to get them to take it back and buy one from a specialist or have an inspection done before buying it. You could try getting them to address some of the points, but unless it was dirt cheap it probably won’t be worth it. At a guess a 2003 Boxster with 60k on must have been around 9k?

There are enough decent Porsche specialists around that there will be one near you.

Boxsters are common enough that there are plenty to choose from too.

The Porsche world.

Tell me about it.

Just had the horns replaced on my Cayenne Turbo… £360! I’d have diy’d it, but you need to take the bumper off.

Need to do my prop shaft too, porsche part? £750. Non porsche part? £300! Same warranty on both!

If the car’s ruinning fine at the moment then you’re SOL if you think the warranty will replace things now that *might* fail in the future !

I’d get the coil packs sorted now before one fails and leaves you stranded though. Go on, ask me how I know 🙁 Do all six for peace of mind. They’re not too expensive, I’m sure it was £150-ish for a set when I did the ones on my 996. And an easy enough DIY job if you’ve got a socket set.

That is not a big list on a 2003 if a decent specialist has looked over it. The brake line cost is probably because it runs over the gearbox.

If the car is good in other areas, decent tyres, brakes, real service history (bills) then I’d keep it and get those bits fixed.

thanks for the feedback everyone. I’m inclined to get them to fix the broken stuff, do the coils myself (or get my dad to do them more likely) and just run with the other stuff being realistic that it may need replaced further down the line. Aircon works ok for now anyhow.

only thing i think i’ll struggle to argue is the brake pipe which they did tell me about prior to buying. I stupidly thought that this may be a couple of hunderd quid in a year prior to the next MOT, but it seems that its much worse than they let on and needs doing sooner.

Had a look for one from a specialist in the area, but couldn’t find anything remotely close to what I could afford for what is a second car. Lots second hand, but i’m not convinced that they wouldn’t have similar issues given the price range I’m looking at. Other than the afformentined issues the car is actually in great condition

Sundayjumper – did you buy genuine porsche coils or aftermarket?

OP when can I book in for a trim and wash?

worth phoning a Porsche dealer for parts as sometimes they are cheaper than elsewhere (not always though!)

OEM coil packs are Beru, be careful as there are some fake Chinese Bosch parts around.

Agree with the specialists comments and buying second hand usually involves lots of journeys/inspections.

Best place to buy these cars is from other enthusiasts on places like 911uk and boxa net forums.

Anyway, congrats, imo the Boxster is the best sportcar you can buy at any price!

Not entirely sure what I could have spotted prior to buying

You said yourself you are not mechanically minded but know blokes who are. Next time you buy a used car, take one of them with you or pay for a 3rd party inspection.

what tootall said.

just be glad you didnt buy my old frontera.

i sold it spares or repairs a month or so ago for buttons. just seen it forsale with the same issues i sold it with for 1200 quid. mot is up in december it WILL NOT pass. Some saps going to pay good money for that :S

OP I needed a new front sidelight last MOT, it was £7 (I was embarrassed they spent 1hr going to get it but they wouldn’t accept more money/tip for doing so). 60k miles is not much, how old is the car to have all that corrosion on brake pipes ? Discs do corrode but if they passed the MOT they will probably be fine. Just do more hard braking, this scrubs off the rust pretty quickly 😉 I cannot comment on the coils. If it runs fine and fuel economy is OK (mid-20’s and up) then what’s to change ?

Porsche’s are very well built cars with quality components. In 7 years I have averaged £250 pa in servicing costs.

Sounds like you’re stretching yourself financially to afford the car, both to buy and run.

I just bought a car. Was looking at 2 seater convertibles. Looked at Boxsters, S2000, Z4s, Elises etc. Had £10k to spend.

Spent £2k on a top spec 2002 MX5 Sport with 29k miles on it.
List of things wrong with it:
1 alloy wheel corroded – will be £50 to get fixed
1 speaker not working – £20 to replace, or maybe I just need to sort a loose connection. Not checked it out yet.

Great car – was powersliding around in it last night and not really fussed if I bumped it off the kerb….

Something to be said for not spending your max budget.

car is 11 years old ime 10 years is a good innings for a brake pipe on a car – especially one routed up and over the gear box where its getting heat to accelerate that lovely corrosion.

“If it runs fine and fuel economy is OK (mid-20’s and up) then what’s to change ?”

when the coil fails – the car stops , you will need recovered. fix it.

not really fussed if I bumped it off the kerb….

You will be when it pokes a driveshaft through the diff 😉

plenty mx5 spares availible at the scrap yard though. never have seen a boxster there.

nearly picked up a friends 91 MX5 soft top needing new outer sills last week for 200 quid, just couldnt give up the space/time to fit the sills. Shame as the rest of the motor was sound.

cars 11 years old so not exactly a surprise about the pipes. Neither lots of the other stuff really. I wouldn’t expect a 45k car for 8k to perfect, but I would expect it to be MOT worthy and all the switches to work!

I bought the car as a bit of a toy, it won’t get used much and the costs of repairing everything isn’t going to put me on the breadline. Its just a bit of a bummer that I’m having to pay for it all now.

Looks like I need to spend a grand on it to get it in tip top condition, which isn’t a disaster I guess given cars from specialists of similar age are around the 10 k mark.

I seem to remember that the mk2 mx5 was the one to avoid?
They have double skinned chassis rails that trap moisture and rot from the inside out. By the time its visible the chassis rails are orange dust right through!

Sundayjumper – did you buy genuine porsche coils or aftermarket?

Beru from ECP. I’ve just looked and they’re currently £28.74 from carparts4less and you get £15 off for spending over £100, making a set of six £157.44 delivered. My indy (Northway, who are excellent, btw) use Beru so I’m happy with that.

plenty mx5 spares availible at the scrap yard though. never have seen a boxster there.

They are all at my local scrappy, it’s loaded with Porsches, Ferraris and TVRs.

I keep meaning to take a pic.

Actually, if you place two orders, 4 + 2, you can get £15 + £5 off, making it £152.44 😀

I’ll defend the MX5- really only if you don’t check and clear the drain holes. Its fine otherwise. Just needs attention. You CAN replace the sills worsecase. The rot spreads to the rear wheel arch internally but only if you’ve parked it under trees and never done anything to it IMO

awesome, thanks sunday

plenty mx5 spares availible at the scrap yard though

Seen how many were sold over its lifetime?

who slagged the mx5 hora ?

The coil packs are easy enough to replace yourself but be very careful with the bolts which can get a bit corroded.

I had one round off on me but it was fine as It was easy enough to get it out with a torx an a hammer but access to the others wouldn’t be fun…(it wasn’t me being heavyhanded it just wasn’t in good shape to start wiv)

Hopefully you haven’t bought the coils yet as the delivered option with topcashback from ECP is worth having (10%).