What Boxster?

[imaircooled]

Hi guys. Long time 911 forum user and first time Boxster and Cayman poster. I’m trying to help my cousin buy an inexpensive Boxster. What older Boxster seems to run forever? What should they look out for? Stay away from? I told them about getting a PPI and the IMS issue….Anything else I’m missing?

Thank you,
Chris

Picture for attention.

[husker boxster]

Oil change history is THE most important item related to long term health, regardless of which variation of Boxster you buy.

During the 2000s, Porsche's / Mobil 1's recommended oil change interval was 15K miles! WAY too long and probably not a coincidence that it coincided with a lot of IMS failures. The duration ratcheted down as the 2000s ended, from 10K mi to 8. You want to find a documented history of 5-8K mi oil changes.

The elephant in the room...
Just because an original IMS bearing has made it to 100K mi doesn't mean it will make it to 200. Anyone who tells you that is blowing smoke where the sun don't shine. They can fail at any time. But the worst case scenario is you have a 10% chc of failure. Do you feel lucky punk? If you run across a Box that's still on the orig IMS, you don't necessarily have to run from it, just be sure the price is discounted $3K to cover an IMS / clutch job. And early IMS replacements were limited in the miles they were good for, so some of them may need replacing too if they were done 10 yrs ago. The bearing in the 987 has less than a 1% chc of failure, so it's really not an issue. Just be sure to get a documented oil chg interval for a 987.

The cheapest Boxsters will be the 986s. They were not necessarily Porsche's best quality cars, as they had a lot of little things that failed on them. Hopefully the owner / seller has addressed them and your friend would reap the benefits. The 987 was a leap in quality but they still have their foibles (what car doesn't?). Once again, documented history is important.

The ideal car would be one in the 60-80K mi range with a stack of maint receipts. Ultra low mileage cars should be avoided as much as high mileage ones - you'll spend a fortune replacing suspension bushings, fluids, and hoses that the prev owner never did in order for you to make it a driver again.

Remind your friend that he's probably going to be buying a 20 yr old car and it could have 20 yr old problems. Being it's a Porsche, those problems could be expensive if he's not mechanically inclined and has to have the dealer do the work.

And in today's COVID / inflation pumped mkt, what's cheap? $8K cars are now $12, $15K cars are $20, etc. At some pt the bubble will burst, but until then it's hard to find a "cheap" car that's well maintained. Not impossible to find, but takes some effort. A lot of people are jumping in / cashing in on the mkt and selling their neglected cars. Be sure to weed thru all the needy cars to find the right one.

The journey can be as much fun as the destination.

[imaircooled]

That sounds like great advice. I will let them know. They have already bid on a Boxster on Bring a Trailer so we shall see. Thanks for taking the time to educate us all.

Chris

[recycled sixtie]

The most important thing in selecting a Boxster is to get a prepurchase inspection done by a qualified Porsche technician. Hopefully this suggestion is not too late. I had a 2001 Boxster base that got engine trouble and I sold it. I still miss it to this day. I bought a Miata NC after and that never was quite the same or as satisfying as the Boxster.

Yes if I was to do it again I would get a 2008 Boxster or later because probably more reliable.

[Tony V]

Since price is a consideration, I’d go for a 2003 and up S. The 2003 has the glass rear window and a glovebox. The glovebox doesn’t sound like a big deal until you don’t have one.
Good luck in the hunt.
Tony

[Halm]

IMHO, there is no longer a "cheap" Boxster. These too have exploded in price over the last couple of years. But the 986 is still less expensive than a 987.

I really liked my '01 S. My wife and I wanted to add one to our garage for years before we bought. But we quickly learned that we were not "convertible" people. The best part of the 986 for me was the really good aftermarket for parts and upgrades. And I might still have mine if I had pulled the trigger while Suncoast was still selling the Euro M030 suspension setup at about $1,500.

But the 987 is simply a better car. Much better interior quality. And with a mid-year 2005-2008, the IMS is the final design and is pretty much a safe bet. If you change the clutch, just pull the grease seal on the bearing, as per Jake and LN Engineering, and stop worrying. Plenty of spare parts, just not the depth and breath of upgrades for my taste.

In the end, get a PPI and as Tony said, an '03 S or '04 S will make your cousin happy for a long time.

[tcora]

Originally Posted by imaircooled

That sounds like great advice. I will let them know. They have already bid on a Boxster on Bring a Trailer so we shall see. Thanks for taking the time to educate us all.

Chris

I’d suggest that BaT is the wrong place around to buy a Boxster. You want a PPI and you don’t want to get into a bidding war for a car that is, in all honesty, nothing special. My $0.02 and worth what you paid for it.

[jluetjen]

986 Boxsters are still pretty common and easy find all over the place (Craigslist, Car Gurus, etc.) but depending on your location the season for buying might be over. A lot of people pay to store their fun cars over the winter -- so the time to buy is in the fall when they want to unload them and avoid paying for another year's storage. Now that their in storage, most aren't being listed.

In the springtime they come out, but everyone wants to keep it for another season, or buy a Boxster in the spring-time, and so prices will be higher.

[mikefocke]

I've owned 2 Boxsters. A '99 and an '01S. Neither was a 20 year old car during my ownership. Both were great cars. Lots of fun.

If I had to pick just on price, a well maintained '98-'99. Record of things like a suspension refresh, oil changes, recent AOS, recent IMS, motor mounts, transmission mounts, etc. From someone who obviously loved the car. Or factor in all those things when figuring the price you are willing to pay.

If I had to pick on value, a '05-'06 because of the improvements made between the 986 and the 987. Many of the same desirables apply with the exception of the IMS.

A list of the changes year to year for the first dozen years of the Boxster is here. https://sites.google.com/site/mikefocke2/modelyeardifferences

[beren]

I agree with other posters that the maintenance history is key. I have a 2016, super fun car, and I've put nearly 60K miles on it. Maintenance records show that this is a daily driver, not a track car. Key for a good buy to see this kind of data.

[ASD]

i bought a 2000 S model with 67000 miles, terrific car that I thoroughly enjoy.decent service records, showing services.It needed a water pump soon after purchase but no big deal, and it has been flawless for 6 months now.Cant imagine a better car in this price range, It replaced a 911 sc, and an audi tt quattro vert.
update car now has 74000 mles only prior issue.
has no ims problem.5000 mile oil changes

[Litesonic]

Here's an alternate perspective...

In a world with everything computer controlled, and digital... I still get the thrill of a cable actuated throttle in the 97 986. Additionally the front trunk and rear trunk are also cable actuated. Yes, the lack of glove box (and cupholders) make this a simple, purpose driven car... not another camry or civic. As mine has the boxster red leather, things that need to be higher material are. Simplicity is bliss. If you want something faster, more expensive, less important... that is always available. Enjoy the original, when you can.

[Marine Blue]

It really comes down to budget, if you can give us an idea of what they’re willing to spend initially then it would help to narrow down to a range. Personally I think the 987.2 S is the sweet spot but finding one won’t be easy and again I’m not sure if its in the budget.

[racer]

Depending on budget, your may come up to the old mileage/price matrix.. the cars that fit the budget are 100K mile examples in need of lots of deferred maintenance.

The usual good advice is "buy the newest/nicest you can afford"

There will be many more 986's available than 987s.. Simply Porsche built more of the early cars.

There are also a myriad of options.. Seats, lighting, wheels, steering wheels, interior trim packages etc. Figure out what a "need" or a "want" and look accordingly.

Sit in a few. My 2000 base had cubby holes at the bottom of the console. Easy to remove to gain a little more kneeroom/ legroom. Later cars had HVAC controls relocated there.

Tip or Manual. Base vs S. Glass rear window or plastic? (or aftermarket swap), Hardtop option?

Then, leave about 20% of your budget to address all the things you didn't notice and need to, or want to, fix/change.