Information on Boxster engine failures/replacements

[jjflash]

Hi all,

I owned a 2002 Boxster S for awhile (wonderful car), and I'm currently thinking of picking up an older non-S model as a daily driver. The 2002 S had suffered from the RMS leak, but had been repaired under warranty; otherwise the engine was fine up to 45K miles, when I sold it.

I know that the earlier cars suffered from a fair amount of RMS failures, as well as more serious total engine blowups due to problems with the sleeving on some cylinders. It's also my understanding that the first fix for the RMS problem didn't always work and the "final solution" included a more extensive repair that included strengthening the support for the crankshaft so that it didn't flex and start the RMS leaking again. Again, this is *my* understanding of the history and may need some correction.

In shopping for an early Boxster, I've run across several cars that have had a complete engine replacement and one of those would be my purchase of choice...but I want to know WHEN the engines incorporated ALL the fixes and how to determine the birthdate of a particular engine?

Any info appreciated, as well as pointers to other internet sources that might help.

TIA.

Stephen Porter
Los Angeles, CA