[Bill Wagner]

Can either of these new cars (Boxter or 996) be worked on by a home mechanic? I've heard everything on the Boxter needs to be accessed from underneath, and from what I've seen of 996s, the same appears to be true. I've also heard that Porsche isn't selling parts for some components (like the transmission) and that if a repair is needed, you do a swap out with a rebuilt unit.

The "swap out" policy REALLY bothers me, if it's true. I owned a Dodge Stealth RT/TT with a Getrag AWD transaxle before getting my '91 C4. Getrag and Mitsubishi (the Stealth is a re-badged 3000 GT VR-4) implemented a "swap out only" policy on the transaxle...even if it's something relatively minor such as an the input shaft oil seal failing. The transaxle isn't particularly reliable (for example, I had mine swapped out under its 70K warranty at about 60K miles because of a leaking input shaft seal, but the most common failure is for the 2nd gear synchro to fail). Had I not bought the extended warranty, this would have cost up to $8000. The effect of this "swap out only" policy is that Stealths and 3000 GTs are worth about half of what their other Japanese counter parts are worth (for example, a 93 RX-7 or 300ZX TT will run in the mid teens, typically about $14K, whereas you can pick a TT version of the Stealth or VR-4 up for as low as $9K RETAIL, often $7K in trade).

Are the newer Porche's being made unrepairable by DIY's and independent shops??? I've also heard this policy was implemented with the transaxle on the 993. Is this true?

Thanks,

Bill Wagner

[This message has been edited by Bill Wagner (edited 06-11-2001).]