Piston Slap: Bad Information, Badder Boxsters

TTAC commentator Detroit-Iron writes:

I am in the process of buying a new car (despite Steven Lang’s admonitions). I would like to get a 2009 after the 2010’s come out, maybe a Legacy or Ralliart. My problem is that there is zero information on the specific month that a given manufacturer is going to release the 10s. I can understand the manufacturers and dealers wanting to keep that info under wraps considering the inventory but I would think that a journalist or consumer advocate would have it, but I can’t find anything.

One more item: did TTAC ever get a figure for the percentage of Boxsters that had their engines die? Were any years better or worse than others? I came very close to buying one until I found out about that.

Sajeev answers:

I have friends in the car business (who aren’t car people, per se) and I am amazed at their isolation from the operational activities of their respective manufacturers. While The Best and Brightest might disagree, dealer communication channels seem inferior to the rich tapestry of corporate information that “we” get on the automotive blogosphere. Aside from the release date of 2010 models, of course.

Speaking of friends, I grabbed a Porsche Tech from a local dealer for your second question. That’s mostly because I didn’t find conclusive information on Boxster engine problems from Google and Forum searching. It seems like Porsche owners prefer to not air their dirty laundry, unlike damn near any other brand loyalist.

So here’s the scoop, in plain English: the first three years (1997-1999) had cylinder sleeve problems that lead to engine failure. The inventory of Epic Fail engine blocks ran out after 1999. Which is exactly what Wikipedia says on the matter. After that, the only problem (I found) was a leaky rear main seal: Porsche made a redesigned seal, and said Porsche Tech says it’s a good fix.

Of course, my answer is to buy an original Boxster with a blown motor for cheap. Then do a RUF-style big-bore Boxer upgrade from a wrecked 997.

No wait, that’s not ME talking: I suggest spending less (in parts) and get a complete LS4 from a (transverse engine’d) Impala SS, a custom bellhousing adapter from one of many fabricators on the Internet, and re-wire the hell outta that little Porker for unbelievable amounts of mid-corner torque. Now that’s a spicy meatball!

[Send your technical queries to mehta@ttac.com]