Just wanted to introduce myself.

Long time Porsche owner ('79 930), first time Boxster owner in Northern Illinois.

Just got home from our 2000 mile trip from South Florida to Northern IL after picking up my '02 Boxster S.

Car had extremely low miles (16,900) and obviously was rarely driven. I know that can be a "red flag", however, after purchasing the car I immediately had it transported to Pedro Bonilla (who also did a first class PPI) at TechnoLab to have some much need maintenance done. IMS, RMS, DOF, Oil Change, Water Pump, B & M Short Throw Shifter along with lots of other small things that needed to be addressed.

What a great experience. Pedro is such a nice guy and incredibly knowledgeable about the Boxster platform.

Car performed flawlessly over the 2K mile trip. Weather was perfect and can't wait for spring - Thanks Pedro!



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… to PedrosBoard!
It was my pleasure and I'm happy to see that you're back home safe and sound.
Your car is a beauty.
That particular color combination (Seal Gray Metallic with Boxster Red) is not only beautiful but very rare.
Enjoy your upcoming driving season.
Hope to see you at Road America in Elkhart Lake in September.
Happy Boxstering,
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

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Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

Welcome to the board. It's a beautiful colour combination and it looks like it's in great condition. And, knowing Pedro, everything in that car will be in tip top shape. Sounds like it will be a terrific driver's car with the Short Shifter that Pedro installed. You got it just in time to be able to enjoy it for a complete driving season.

Feel free to post more pictures and let us know how you enjoy your driving experience in the Boxster.

Pedro we will definitely see you @ Road America.

Thanks again!

Guenter, below are a few more pics. Have some new 3.6 Wheels coming and new rubber going on in the next couple weeks so I will post when the upgrades are done. And yes your are right....I asked Pedro to make it into a "Very Good" to "Excellent" condition car and he did everything and more.











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Save the Ambers Foundation, but I gotta say the car would look much better with clear side and tail lights. I used to have a seal gray 02 S and I thought it made a very positive difference to the looks of the car.

With my triple brown '16 GTS I am debating about de-ambering the side markers, but so far I am leaning toward saving the ambers!

It really is a beautiful colour combination. Looks like the interior is in beautiful condition. It's one of the advantages of buying a low mileage car. I see you've still got a bit of that white stuff on the ground. Hope you're rid of it soon.

As soon as the salt is off the roads, mine will be out on the road again too.

Have only had it home for a few days....I am sure that there will be many updates, upgrades and changes in the coming months....stay tuned!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/07/2016 03:14PM by Frontpage. (view changes)

Took those pics this weekend...snow is gone as of this afternoon. We need a good rain storm (or two) to wash away the salt and then I am ready to go!

Great looking car. Timeless.

Welcome aboard!

I always admired it and looked forward to seeing it at BRBS every year..

Congrats on a great, low-mileage find. Sounds like Pedro has gotten your car well sorted. He's a great guy. Hope you enjoy many happy miles.

Regards, -rick.

Thanks Rick....looking forward to spring.

Beautiful car, but just in case other newbies or Boxster wannabes are reading this thread, I wanted to parse the following comment:

>> Car had extremely low miles (16,900) and obviously was rarely driven. I know that can be a "red flag", however, after purchasing the car I immediately had it transported to Pedro Bonilla (who also did a first class PPI) at TechnoLab to have some much need maintenance done. IMS, RMS, DOF, Oil Change, Water Pump, B & M Short Throw Shifter along with lots of other small things that needed to be addressed.

As the owner of a 2001 S with 'only' 40k summer miles, in my experience most of the 'much needed' maintenance was not needed in any way. IMS - meh. RMS - why, was it leaking? DOF - insurance policy (really - IMS *and* DOF?), Water pump - why? Sure - it you needed to do this because Boxster fear and loathing has gotten the best of you then please feel free to spend your money with Pedro - he's awesome. But please don't perpetuate the myth that this level of maintenance (~$5k service, with shipping) is required of these cars, especially for a car that *might* be worth $12K, I and many others with way more miles have done zero of these 'much needed' updates to no ill effect..

Happy Boxstering!



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/19/2016 12:21AM by jlegelis. (view changes)

When I bought my '08 Cayman 2.7 five months ago, it had 88K miles and a complete service record by one owner. I changed the oil/fiter.air filter,spark plugs and serpentine belt. Then, since there were no other repairs on the record I thought about doing a proactive water pump and AOS change and considered buying shifter cables too because of some posts here and on rennlist and planet-9.

Then I heard the words, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.......besides what's to say some other malady would not occur. Soooo I instead put 6K miles of all weather daily driving and some rather long trips on it. The car now has 94k miles and when it breaks I'll get it repaired.

I left the mid-engine world seven year ago because of two IMS failures in 2 different Boxters, both bought new, but I had to admit I missed these cars. They drive like no others. So I went the well used route and hope it all works out

I sometimes tell people that my Boxsters experiences were wonderful but that they are worth little in predicting what theirs will be like. Too small a sample.

The choice of how much preventative maintenance to do is often a matter of personality and risk tolerance. Well bank account too. No reason your choice should be mine.

Quote

>>in my experience most of the 'much needed' maintenance was not needed in any way. IMS - meh. RMS - why, was it leaking? DOF - insurance policy (really - IMS *and* DOF?), Water pump - why? Sure - it you needed to do this because Boxster fear and loathing has gotten the best of you then please feel free to spend your money with Pedro - he's awesome. But please don't perpetuate the myth that this level of maintenance (~$5k service, with shipping) is required of these cars, especially for a car that *might* be worth $12K, I and many others with way more miles have done zero of these 'much needed' updates to no ill effect..

Happy Boxstering!

jlegelis:
Obviously you did not read the PrePurchase Report that the op had me perform.
If you would, you would have read that there was an oil leak at the bellhousing, which can only be from a RMS or an IMS bearing.
You would have also read that the car had low coolant level and that it had leaked coolant from the cap and the water pump.
I think you were out of line by criticizing and editorializing when you don't have all the facts.
I truly hope you have some Happy Boxstering and never have a catastrophic failure.
Pedro.

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

Apologies. 'Just sayin' that not every Boxster warrants this level of paranoia. Surely if something is wrong than fix it... but the impression given from the post was that this was preemptive maintenance for no particular reason other than an undue level of anxiety from a newbie owner brought on by reading too many 'n of 1' internet posts. Perhaps just another reason to 'drive it like you stole it' rather than cherish a Boxster like some fickle garage queen. Besides, what good is a 'low mileage car' if all that means is higher repair bills from rot and rest?

had a PPI done by a trusted and well reputed mechanic and then did what was recommended.

Exactly what I did for my second Boxster and it had wonderful reliability for the next 5 years of ownership. I budgeted in the costs the PPI told me would be needed and considered if I'd pay that much total for the car in that condition. The car went back to the shop on its first day of my ownership for everything that was recommended. (Of course that was before the collective consciousness re the IMS but even then I spent more than $3k on a complete brake update, new tires, alignment, radiator cleanout and a 90k service (it being the most comprehensive) even though the car had only 42k miles on it at the time).

Congrats, Frontpage. What a beauty! And I'm sure every penny you spent with Pedro was needed and well worth it. Who cares that these cars are cheap to buy and can be expensive to maintain. How do you measure the pleasure you get every time you drive it, or even look at it?

I sleep soundly at night knowing that my old 986 was Pedro-ized! I plan on keeping it for a long time - well, unless I given in to a bad case of Boxster envy at BRBS!

And +1 jg at - clear front, sides and rears look so much better IMO - but not PPB's