986 Boxster 2.5 - Daily Driver

[rtyrrell]

Dear Club Members and fellow enthusiasts

Apologies for a well warn theme in my first post, but I would appreciate your collective wisdom and feedback. Even for reassurance.


Either my 2.5 Boxster 1999 (75k) has to become a daily driver (12 miles each way, mostly A/ M roads) or it has to be sold as family circumstances are changing.

Can the car take it and be reasonable on the wallet? The car is a nice clean example when purchased in August 2021.
If yes: What preliminary checks and issues should I watch out for?

Looking forward to your thoughts and ideas

Thanks again

RT

 

[Motorhead]

Richard,

Your Boxster is now more than 20-years old, so using it as a daily drive is always going to be a risk … as it is for any car that age!

It’s a well-built car, so if it’s been well maintained and is in good condition there’s no reason to believe that you’ll have any problems, and in many ways it’s much better to use a car than to leave it standing unused for lengthy periods. Of course by using it you’ll incur additional costs for brakes and tyres, etc., but that will be the case for any replacement daily you purchase. If it’s not going to be used in heavy traffic, clutch and transmission wear should be minimised too.

It’s probably worth giving it a try for a few months to see how it’s working out before you make a final decision. Just make sure you have a decent level of breakdown cover in place!

Good luck!

Jeff

 

[rtyrrell]

Jeff

Thanks for the sound advice, appreciated. Trail period sounds smart. Will get it checked out prior to starting.

Thanks again

RT

 

[Motorhead]

Richard,

If you have a trusted local Porsche Independent I think that getting them to give the car a look over is an excellent idea, and it will give you extra confidence to start using the car on a daily basis.

Only one other downside which has occurred to me is that with the atrocious state of our potholed roads these days you need to make sure that the springs and suspension bushes are up to the job. However, your Porsche specialist will be able to advise you on this point.

Jeff

 

[CLIFFWILKINS]

My wifes very first 2.5 Boxster was an everyday car work and pleasure although a good few years ago it was perfectly usable.

But as been said it's now getting on a bit so I suspect maintaining it as an everyday car will be pretty high.

But good luck.[]

 

[malarcy]

As others have said - any 20 + year old car will need attention for something, at sometime.

But 25 miles a day isn't starship mileage - and 12 miles chunks are probably marginal on getting the car fully warm and keeping the battery charged - so an occasional weekend run will probably be a good idea.

If it hasn't had a recent oil change then I would get that done, and as per other advice - get an indy to check it over, I would ask them to make sure that the cooling system, radiators and fans are all good, especially if your commute can be prone to traffic build up.

On the plus side - there are worst places to sit on a journey to / from work - and hopefully you can get some roof down and some smiles into the bargain.

 

[Dougler]

Before the Pandemic hit, I was using my 1998 986 everyday to work, which is 27miles each day. It was absolutely fine, and tbh, the biggest cost was the fuel. I've had my car in storage for 2 years and just recently took it out, gave it some TLC (Change Brake Fluid, Flush & Replace Coolant, Oil and Filter Change and Cabin filter replacement) and it's running like it rolled out from the factory. These cars are (IMO) extremely well built. If you have time and a driveway/garage then you're potentially able to do some of the basic maintenance yourself. A set of ramps and some basic tools will let you change the engine oil & filter. Spark plugs aren't that hard to get to/replace, and you could even take on changing the brake discs/pads.

You could check out maintenance prices for your car in your area here >> www.fixter.co.uk

Sample video of somebody doing an oil/filter change without paying £££ to a garage >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0m-hDzvfns&t=466s