A quick web search on the issue offers;

My first boxster was a 1999 and the engine blew while under factory warranty. Had I not had factory coverage, the repair would have cost me $12,000.
I swore at that time that I would never own a boxster without an extended warranty. While owning the 1999 Boxster, I purchased a Warranty Direct
policy which more than paid for itself.

Presently I have a 2006 Boxster S with an in-service date of 3/31/07 and 20k miles whose factory warranty expires at the end of the month.

A few months ago I called my local indy and dealership to find whose warranty has the best coverage. The answer was consistent: Mercury Insurance.
At the time I had a quote of $2,900 but was told by the out-of-state agent that I should wait until closer to the expiration of the policy to buy it.
Now, with less than a month to go, I can't buy it from this person since he isn't licensed in Florida (neglected to tell me that). So today I called several
Mercury reps in Florida and was told their computer system will not write my policy. Why? Because even though the car is still under factory warranty,
their computer recognized it as a 2006 and therefore believes that it is no longer under factory warranty since it should have expired in 2010. They even
called Mercury to confirm this computer problem and Mercury said there is nothing they can do.

So, I am terrified of owning a 2006 Boxster S without an extended warranty in the event of a major claim.

I realize that $3700 in premium is a lot of $$$. However the piece of mind it would have provided for what would have been a 6 year, zero deductible policy would have been priceless.

Now I have $3700 in cash but no coverage.

What have others done for peace of mind? Any thoughts/suggestions on other great policies.

Thanks in advance.

Anthony



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/2011 01:59PM by atwnsw. (view changes)

I don't think there is a right answer to your question. I have had 4 Boxsters (99, 02S, 05, 09). I have had almost no problems with any of them, which is not to say that the one I'm driving now will not explode today or tomorrow. Your dealer should be able to furnish an extended warranty, maybe not as good as you had hoped, but you get the peace of mind. Each time I have had a Boxster approach the end of warranty I used that as an excuse to trade for a new one. If you can afford it, that is the best way to go.
In reality, the number of blown engines is very small compared to the number of cars produced. In the long run you will just have to go with what you can live with, both financially and mentally. Best of luck to you.

Although you may not like my response, here goes...

I understand your nervousness in owning your car without an extended warranty. Try to break this down into simple options while taking emotion out of the equation (as best you can).

1. Sell the car. After all, it is just a car and is not worth losing sleep over. If you are terrified with the though of a large out of warranty expense, you are not going to enjoy owning the car.
Perhaps you could replace your car with another used CPO Boxster or at least one with a warranty. I'm not trying to say replacement is necessarily the most cost effective solution but given that you have $3700 to play with for a warranty, the cash might be used toward another car.

2. Find another insurer that, although may not be as 'good' as Mercury, is still way better than nothing.

3. Go naked (and pray) like most of us! I doesn't sound like you want to persue the uninsured option and i can't say I blame you given your past experience.

Best of luck.

dghii
2000 Boxster S 6speed 112k miles

Like art, each person has their own perspective. When I purchased SilverBox, a 2008, I purchased an extended warranty from my dealer at the same time (the contract is with Easy Care). In fact it was the first time in 30 or so car purchases that I did get an extended warranty and it was not because I had concern over Porsche's quality, but rather for piece of (my older ) mind at time of purchase. Shortly thereafter I added an extended warranty to my 2006 STS since I intended on holding on to it. Again, I did it not out of concern for Caddy's quality ( I had had 5 or 6 STSs prior to that one without any issues). As it turns out the STS recently had its starter motor go, out of the original warranty but under the extended warranty which then fully paid for itself. It is a gamble like most insurance purchases. But with respect to SilverBox, I thoroughly enjoy the car and while I don't anticipate any problems, do certainly have piece of mind in the event that should one occur, it will be covered.

The commonly mentioned one is Warranty Direct. Not without problems, none of the companies are.

Or pay the same amount in repair costs to address the common problems up front. Improves the car, provides increased peace of mind, but no insurance because stuff does happen.

Or put the same amount into a special savings account to pay for the bills you may have. Not the same as insurance but a cushion against big expenses.

I have had extremely good luck and coverage with Intercontinental. I have purchased warranties from them for two cars, a jeep grand cherokee and my 2002 boxster and i came out ahead ( admittedly using more expensive dealer service, but probably would have still been ahead using an indy shop). They sell (only, i think) through credit unions. If you belong to one, or can join one, it might be an option for you.

Good luck

Al

Like you I've owned a 99 model and currently own an 06. The '99' ran like a clock and was traded on the 06.
The 06 has 30K on it, 10K of which were probably at the track. No issues to this point save a noisy lifter last year.

I'm impressed that you opted to get another Boxster after the failed motor; that would put off a lot of buyers. Was it the slipped sleeve issue?

Anyway, like you, I've spent a good bit of time wondering about this issue--the car has been out of warranty for a little over a year-- and decided to just drive it.

We like the car too much to sell it and would have to replace it with..? The only warranty I've found in this state was offered by the dealer and they were just acting like any other agent--not all together inspiring. I've had extended warranties from a manufacturer--Ford--and they saved me a ton of money on 2 Explorers.The number of horror stories I've heard about the extended warranty industry--non manufacturer-- has killed any interest I had in going down that road, so i've opted to go bare--coverage wise.

By, changing the oil more frequently than suggested by the manual and driving it "vigorously" during our season here, I'm hoping I'll keep the IMS gods happy--and properly lubed.

There's always that chance that it might go bang, but I'm betting proper maintenance and use will save the day. My thought is that if the problem were as pronounced as some might have it, you'd never see a report of a car turning 100K like Pedro's or one turning 200K like Marc's--they would fail before that. I'm not saying that there haven't been zero problems with this design/assembly, just that you are more likely to have an engine with long life if you hold up your end on the maintenance side.

here are a few reviews:

[www.carreview.com]

I have an '05S with 14K miles that's been out of warranty for almost two years. I've given myself some peace of mind by simply coming to grips with the fact that, even though these cars are great drivers, I made a big financial mistake in buying one -- especially a new one -- given the taint of engine failures. I've decided to consider it water under the bridge and enjoy the car as long as it continues to run. However, if you're that worked up over it, sell the car and get something more reliable. There are plenty of choices on the market. These Boxsters drop in value so fast that IMHO an extended warranty is a waste of money. (Plus, it's not clear to me from your post whether you're getting a warranty extension to six years total or whether you're getting an additional six years on top of the original four. If it's the former, you need to read more on engine failures to see that it's not unusual for low-mileage cars to fail beyond the six-year mark.) I'd rather stick the $3700 into a mutual fund and use it as a reserve if anything goes wrong. If my engine craps out, I will: 1) contact a trusted indy Porsche racing mechanic I know and see what he suggests in terms of used engine replacement, or 2) sell the car for salvage and move on to a more reliable brand. I certainly won't allow thousands of dollars to be paid to the thieves at the Porsche dealership -- either directly or through an insurer -- for what is an inherent design defect. Also, while the dollars are important, you should be more concerned that you don't get killed in the car if it goes dead on a crowded superhighway. An extended warranty won't cover that.

I'll try and add something to this topic that hasn't been beaten to death around here. I've pretty much come to the conclusion that it makes financial sense to hold on to my BMW Z3 and use it as a winter car while a Boxster would serve from around April 1 to November 1. I'm holding off doing anything right now, because I don't see the current situation as sustainable in the long term. I don't know if anyone else here is old enough to remember the GM experience with the infamous Oldsmobile diesel engine. One of my friends back then owned one, and GM made good on the damages to people that had purchased cars with that engine. It's true that that engine was a small percentage of the total GM output at the time, which is a major difference between that case and the current issue with Porsche.

Things have about reached the point where the reputation of the Porsche company is at stake. Here is a thread from a popular Z3 forum which illustrates what I mean:

[bimmerfest.com]

I don't know what the future will bring, but I can't see the problem going away.

Thanks for your comments about GM vs. Porsche. It's kind of pathetic when the "old" GM can be held up as a paragon of customer service vs. Porsche, which has done its best to sweep the problem under the rug. It's also sad that some people still don't believe the IMS issue affects Boxster resale values at a time when the topic can be found all over the internet . . . even on BMW forums.

To be blunt: if you can't afford to fix it, even an expensive fix, you can't afford to buy it. You have to be realistic with any car you buy and know that there is a probability of a big mechanical/electronics failure after the car exits the warranty period. It is a totally rational discussion to explore "how expensive is this car to fix and can I afford it should bad things happen?".

No, I am not a "millionaire" but I can afford to put in a new engine. It will hurt, but I actually have slowly been accumulating money in a little "engine fund" I've had for the last 8 years which is large enough to more than cover a new engine if not a chunk of a new car. I have a 2000S that blew its engine at 47K miles (covered under original warranty) and now have around 175K total miles on the car. I do think about this engine blowing and I do believe Porsche really had a lemon of an engine series (you should hear what various Porsche mechanics had said to me during this event - would curl your toes). So I was faced with the same issue.... sell the car and get out of this lemon engine series..... get an extended warranty..... keep the car and pray..... or start a new engine/new car fund. I chose the latter. My objective and desire is to have this car last long enough to outlive this engine series so that I can then consider buying another Porsche. Yep, sounds crazy that with this set of attitudes towards Porsche I would consider another one, but I always considered this car partially as entertainment even as my only driver. And when I look at where my entertainment dollars go..... cars live a lot longer than a expensive meals et al.

It's just that I can't imagine ever owning any one of my other cars over 40 years and even thinking about having an "engine fund." It kind of shows how surreal the whole situation is. Jeez, I just heard from the owner of my '93 BMW and its going on 271,000 miles with the original engine (never rebuilt) and exhaust. Maybe I've just been lucky in owning durable cars that are relatively trouble free. I hope the run continues with my Boxster.

I am just very conservative with my bucks. I paid cash for this Porsche new and paid off my wife's Lexus in about 12 months. I hate debt and interest slavery and usually save up before I make major purchases - no impulse buying here.

Yeah, it is surreal but I think about this engine going way more than a car owner should. But I do enjoy the car and plan on keeping it a lot longer. Now I have some buck in the fund, I am thinking what would I do should this one blow or other catastrophic issue occurs? I would like to buy another Porsche but not with an IMS of course ... or..... maybe put in a bigger engine and have even more fun.

I have such a fund.

And of course the IMS-less engine is not without its problems. I could show you a UK site with some horror pictures...

I was just looking at a 280Z today that had a 406 Chevy small block in it. Lighter than the original engine with 400 HP. Friend was building it. 6 months work on the body (cut off the hardtop, roll-bar, vette looking rear end, Ferrari red...wow), 6 months work on the engine. One of his 10 vehicles, not counting the heated golf car, the 2 pontoon boats, the lake house, etc.

I never owned a car before that I had any fear of major engine failure, nor have I ever known anyone who had an engine failure. That engine failure is even a remote possibility is a significant concern, but I could deal with it if I had to. What really annoys me is that every person who has reported an engine failure has had a different response from Porsche. Some people seem to get new engines and labor, some get new engines but not labor, others get part of an engine but no labor, etc. etc. The chances of getting a favorable response depend entirely on who you are, who the dealer is, and who the factory rep is. Porsche should treat everyone alike, whether it's their fault or not. Whatever their policy, I want to know that I am going to receive the same treatment as the next guy with the same problem. I would add that I have had absolutely miserable experiences with the service department of the only dealer in town. For one example, my car was delivered with cosmoline still on the wheels. I inquired about this because I thought it was rust stains, and the service manager himself (!) told me to schedule an appointment to have the wheels sanded down and repainted. No thanks -- I learned from PPBB how to clean the cosmoline and did it myself in about 15 minutes. Now I ask you, what kind of a dealership is it that delivers a car with the cosmoline still on the wheels and doesn't know how to clean it off? Oh, and I also e-mailed the service manager with my discovery in a very friendly way so future customers could have clean wheels upon delivery, but got no response at all. I get the message, though, they don't care. I have too much money tied up in my Cayman to even think about selling or trading it for a long, long time, especially with all the depreciation that is not caused by all the engine failures. Fortunately my car has been so reliable that I haven't had to go back to the dealer for warranty work ... but I dread the day it does. When the time comes to change, I'm not getting another Porsche no matter how great it is. They simply do not deserve my business.

when you buy an uncommon car and live in a place that doesn't have a lot of service resources.

So I'm finally gonna get a major service done (been 5 years) and while I'm at it I want the water pump replaced and the AOS replaced. The car is 10 years old. ..nothing wrong...just want it done...plastic parts. So I call my local P-car dealer for a quote. Ought to be pretty simple, right. In the conversation I'm told they really are a MB dealer, they only have one tech who works on P-cars and they do 20 MBs for every P-car. OK, I get the hint. So I email the well endorsed indie who is 50 miles away. Takes a week to respond. Says he has no figures but will get back to me (I'm not asking to the penny for gosh sakes...ballpark would do. And I understand stuff happens.). Says he is a one man shop. That was a week ago. Gee in this economy I'm offering $1k plus in labor alone and you can't even tell me the cost of the 3 most common service items on my car.

There is a big dealer 40 miles away in the rich part of the big town. Somehow I don't want to go there. Was different where I used to live with 4 dealers within 40 miles and many well regarded multi-mechanic indies within 20.

Anyone got a Cary/Apex/Raleigh recommendation?

When you say the premium is $3700 what does that mean? Does that mean you pay $3700 yearly?!?

as it sounds too good to be true. So I looked up my last quote from Warranty Direct (I have my last 5k emails.).

This was in 2008 and was on a '01 S so it was 6-7 years old at the time. Their quote was slightly above $3,800 for 13 months coverage and the two plans they offered were only $50 different in price. So when I look at you quote and the length of the coverage and figure the two companies have to have the same profit motive and the same approximate expenses, I ask myself how Mercury can do a 6 year for less than Warranty Direct (which I think is a sister company and has some corporate connection up the food chain.) can do a 13 month.

Then I think back to when I bought my car. The prior owner had a transferable extended warranty that I could have for $3500 for 3 years or I could let her get a refund and pay less for the car. I'm a risk taker and chose to take the lower buying price.

The only reason I'm telling these stories is that the price/length is so much more in my experience than what you are citing.

If someone offered me a $3700 warranty that really covered my P-car for 6 years, I'd take it. I'm just suspicious something about it isn't real. Because I don't think a company could make money on such a policy and they are in business to make lots of money.

I agree with Mike.

I'd check the fine print carefully. I don't think that the $3700 covers an additional 6 years, I believe it would cover additional coverage up to six years. (i.e. 4 years of original warranty + 2 years of additional warranty = 6 years.) So coverage would end at 3/31, 2013 in this case.

If I could get the same as original warranty for six additional years (until my cars is 10 years old!), I'd be buying it. I don't see that the insurance company would stay in business very long.

Guenter
2014 Boxster S
GT Silver, 6 Speed Manual, Bi-Xenons, Sports Suspension (lowers car 20mm), Porsche Sports Exhaust, Porsche Torque Vectoring, Auto Climate control, heated and vented seats, 20" Carrera S Wheels, Pedro's TechNoWind, Sport Design steering wheel, Roll bars in GT Silver
[www.cyberdesignconcepts.com]

Six years for $3,700 definitely sounds too good to be true. Plus, I didn't see the OP mention a mileage limit.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/07/2011 12:07PM by longislander1. (view changes)

I didn't have anything to add to this thread until I opened my mail today. I bought an Outback last fall and today I received an offer from Subaru of North America (so, it is probably pretty good) for an extended warranty. It seems to offer pretty complete coverage. The deal is:

6 years of coverage (I assume that means 3 years of extended warranty after the new car 3 year warranty)
that costs

$564 for 60K miles
$840 for 80K miles
$1,282 for 100,000 miles

With my Boxster about twice the price of the outback, it might make sense for an extened warranty for a Boxster to be 2 x $1,282 = $2,564. So, $3,700 for a Box for 3 years might be about right. But, I would certainly prefer a policy from Porsche and make them responsible.

One downside of this deal is that I would give them my money ($1,282) for 3 years before it is doing any work.

I bought my boxster at a Lexus dealer in 2008 with a Gold coverage for 3 years at 2,700. It expires in June this year and the same dealer sold me a Platinum coverge last week which is exclusionary (states what is not covered) 4yrs 50,000 miles for 2,550.

Tom Brand
2003 Boxster S, 28,000 miles.

I own two Subarus and have gotten similar offers. You have to take a real close look at them because Subaru offers different levels of warranties. Some don't cover the things that are more likely to happen with that car, such as labor-intensive electrical glitches. Also, some dealers offer better prices than the corporate mailings on these same warranties. I am "going naked" on the Subarus because they've been incredibly reliable up to now and I have much more confidence in those engines than the one in my Boxster. Also, Subaru is one manufacturer that appears to stop the assembly line and recall all potentially affected models when an engine glitch arises. Too bad we can't say the same for Porsche at more than twice the price per car.

[www.autoblog.com]

"Subaru had a good record overall, with a top rating going to the four-cylinder Legacy sedan and the non-turbo version of the Forester SUV. The WRX was the only model that rated below average.

..........

All Porsche and Volvo models are rated average or better.

...................


The Porsche Boxster has the best predicted reliability score in Consumer Reports survey"


[www.edmunds.com]

(Covers MY 2005-2011, Porsche enjoys a lower complaint rate than Subaru both for the specific month and annually adjusted for numbers sold)

[action.publicbroadcasting.net]

Subaru 2.5 L engine - the worst engine ever?
The Subaru 4 cylinder 2.5 L "Boxer engine" has had numerous problems with head gasket (HG) coolant leaks.


[www.facebook.com]

Well, first, thanks for confirming that the engines in my Legacy and Outback (both same as non-turbo in Forester SUV) are top-rated. As far as Consumer Reports goes, did you look at the ratings and see the big, black "much worse than average" circles for major and minor engine issues on my '05 Boxster? That ought to help resale value. I looked at the Edmunds data and don't see any adjustments for mileage. Subarus are generally used as daily drivers (I beat the heck out of mine), so complaints tend to mount up with the miles (as opposed to Boxsters, where so many low-mileage IMS failures are reported beyond the four-year warranty). Your Public Broadcasting link seems to focus on problems that ended with the 2002 model year. Had Porsche dealt with its problems earlier than 2009, thousands of owners would not now have the stigma of these M96 engines. And all I can say about your Facebook page is that it's nice to see aggrieved Subaru owners not sticking their heads in the sand or drinking the Kool-Aid as so many Porschephiles do. Finally, I don't think I said that all Subaru or its engines were perfect, although that's what you are attempting to imply. However, if you do sufficient research, you will find examples of a Subaru factory "recall" here and there, a word that isn't even in Porsche's vocabulary.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/09/2011 09:50AM by longislander1. (view changes)

I'm not sure what point, if any, you're attempting to make. I simply used a very quick web search to find a handful of websites, some that rate vehicles and others that report problems, and compared the ratings given Subaru versus Porsche. And while Subaru scored well as has a fine reputation, each and every one of them gave Porsches, Boxsters in particular, higher ratings. This pattern extended from owner's reports at the 1 year and 3 year points, to complaints registered with the NHTSA on model years 2005 to 2011 adjusted for the differences in sales. If you end all that with a warm and fuzzy about the reliability of vehicles that habitually score lower, it's fine by me. My only goal was to supply some reason to the emotions being displayed.

Jeez, chill out. It's pretty simple. In my earlier post above about the extended warranty, I was expressing my opinion about my cars and my view of their prospects for mechanical failure. I didn't ask for anyone's agreement or for your "research," but you did report that the Subarus I own have top-rated engines. I agree, so that's why I don't buy extended warranties for them. Consumer Reports says the '05 Boxster is much worse than average for major and minor engine issues. That's a concern for me and my car. Others may be fine with it.

From the guy that's always talking about "ticking time bombs" and the fatal accidents that result from them? And are we really talking about your car? Because I could have sworn you've mentioned before that you haven't had an engine failure.

Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but please don't be offended if after every 4th or 5th "ticking time bomb" type posting someone injects some facts. In this case the fact injected is that despite how you feel vis a vis Porsche/Subaru reliability, every single object source disagrees with you. Much in the same way that every objective source disagreed with your claim that M96 equipped cars are suffering from depreciation outside the norm.


I have no interest in ruining the atmosphere in our playhouse, but there’s only so much that people can be expected to take before they feel the need to at least slightly counter what seems to be gross exaggeration.

I’ll make you a deal for the common good, you cease, I’ll cease.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/09/2011 07:13PM by steve on hhi. (view changes)

Since you're looking for owners who have had failures, maybe you can use your "research" to convince this guy that the $20,000+ loss he just took is all in his head:

(Message Edited by Administrator)
Direct quotes are not allowed because of Copyright infringement.
Paraphrasing is accepted as well as links to the material, but not cut-and-paste.
More information on "Our Rules"
This is done because of new developments.
Pedro



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/2011 08:44PM by Boxsterra. (view changes)

I don't recall telling anyone that engine failures were fictional. My point was that there's no objective source that supports your claims of how common they are or that they're having some effect on resale values.

Perhaps you can tell the Subaru owners that have suffered engine failures that they're dreaming?

Actually, longislander's original statement was, "Also, Subaru is one manufacturer that appears to stop the assembly line and recall all potentially affected models when an engine glitch arises. Too bad we can't say the same for Porsche at more than twice the price per car." Factually, that is hard to argue with. A number of Boxsters have suffered IMS failure. We don't know how many, but we know have anecdotal evidence of at least 100, and we also know that Porsche redesigned the IMS over and over and sometimes give new engines or partial credit to affected owners. Why do this if there is no problem? Yet they never stopped the assembly line, fixed the cars already sold, or even offered an extended warranty. Other manufacturers take care of their problems. For example, Ford came to me and offered me a brand new set of tires for my old Explorer back when there were claims of excessive rollovers during blowouts. I suppose they were concerned about damage to their reputation and potential liability, but regardless, it was a nice gesture, and legally voluntary because NHTSA never issued a recall. If they had been Porsche, they would have just hoped I never had a blowout and if I did, they would prorate one new tire for me ... assuming they liked me and I was a good enough customer.

OTOH, Steve is also correct that objective surveys indeed mostly show a low level of problems, although longislander never used the term "ticking time bombs" (maybe he did elsewhere but Steve brought it into this thread). Heck, my 08 Cayman has had zero problems in almost 2 years. Since maybe 99% of us will never have an IMS problem, it's hardly surprising that the IMS problem rarely shows up in the objective survey ratings. However, "rarely" is not the same as "never." CR's ratings vary a lot from year to year. I have personally seen more than one year in which CR showed big black marks for the "Engine Major" category for Boxsters. You would need to check their annual auto issue each year, because the summaries they print have different results. It all depends on who responds to their survey and how many people respond. Whether the cars are reliable or not, however, Porsche should treat everyone with the IMS problem the same way when it does arise. And I think that is what longislander was trying to say.

"Actually, longislander's original statement was, "Also, Subaru is one manufacturer that appears to stop the assembly line and recall all potentially affected models when an engine glitch arises. Too bad we can't say the same for Porsche at more than twice the price per car." Factually, that is hard to argue with."

There are Subaru owners who'd differ with you on that one. I provided some examples of systemic head gasket failures, piston failures, etc, going unaddressed, according to Subaru owners themselves. How common is it? I have no idea. I simply provided objective sources that attempt to provide that answer. My guess, and it’s just a guess, is the rate is very low, but the nature of internet communication tends to highlight the exceptional cases. I believe that applies to the M96 as well.

"... although longislander never used the term "ticking time bombs" ..."

Not in this thread, in others on the subject. It’s not like this is the first time the topic’s been addressed.

" I have personally seen more than one year in which CR showed big black marks for the "Engine Major" category for Boxsters."

So we're to assume that IMS failure rates vary greatly from year to year (between changes in the equipment itself) and only effects Boxsters in a given year and not 911s equipped with M96 engines made the same year? How's that possible? At the end of the day, CR gives Boxsters high marks, higher than those they give Subaru. That's the same judgment made by JD Power and Edmunds and owners themselves based on their complaints to the NHSTA.. The same applies to the often repeated “resale values on Boxsters are in the pits due to M96 issues” meme. That’s all I was pointing out.

Quote
steve on hhi
" I have personally seen more than one year in which CR showed big black marks for the "Engine Major" category for Boxsters."

So we're to assume that IMS failure rates vary greatly from year to year (between changes in the equipment itself) and only effects Boxsters in a given year and not 911s equipped with M96 engines made the same year? How's that possible? At the end of the day, CR gives Boxsters high marks, higher than those they give Subaru. That's the same judgment made by JD Power and Edmunds and owners themselves based on their complaints to the NHSTA.. The same applies to the often repeated “resale values on Boxsters are in the pits due to M96 issues” meme. That’s all I was pointing out.

Does CR actually give Boxsters higher marks than Subarus? Maybe, but I'd bet not for for "Engine Major." Unless we both read every year's annual auto issue, I don't know how either one of us could reach that conclusion.

I never said that IMS failure rates vary by year and I don't even see how that would be possible. When I mentioned the CR black marks, I was merely pointing out that I believe this is survey error. I don't think the CR ratings for Boxsters mean much of anything due to the small sampling size. I actually had contacted CR back when I had my 99 Boxster and asked how they could get results that are apparently contradictory when all years have essentially the same internal engine parts. Their response was that they only require 50 cars to report the results. Well, in a sample that small, if "1" person reports one IMS failure, that's enough for a "2%" failure rate for that year and that is enough for them to issue a black mark. Drawing any kind of conclusion from 1 person out of 50 is kind of ludicrous.

And yes, they certainly could reach different results with the M96-equipped 911s, it all depends on how many respond to their survey and whether any of them had an IMS problem. If they had a minimum sample size of say, 1000 vehicles, then the results wouldn't be nearly so contradictory. About J.D. Powers, I don't know where they get their samples, but I always thought they only surveyed for 3 years. Certainly neither J.D. Power nor Edmunds ever contacted me for my opinion. Note, I'm not disagreeing with you that the car is reliable, I'm just saying you can't always rely on the surveying.

Thanks for your support, Paul, and for your rational comments. You'll note that in my original post on my cars' reliability and my decision not to buy extended warranties, I made no reference to general consumer ratings on the two brands, so it was not me who turned the thread to this topic. (I also wasn't the one to bring the term "ticking time bomb" into this discussion.) BTW, the deleted quote was from an '05 Boxster owner who recently saw his engine blow up at 29K miles. He got nothing from Porsche and sold the carcass for $3,000. Meanwhile, there's yet another poster on Planet 9 from Greece who had his '06 Cayman motor give out a couple months ago at 41,700 miles and Porsche paid the full freight -- 13,000 Euros -- for a new engine. Despite the wildly different outcomes, I'm sure both owners will read the "research" above and be comforted by news of Porsche's high reliability ratings.