Hello! And advice sought on reliable Boxter spec

[gasket999]

Hi everyone.

A combined intro and question thread.

I've been a car fanatic all my life and after many years of building and driving classics, I moved onto driving brand new cars for 10 years - the last being a BMW M140i. When the first lockdown hit in March 2020, in an uncharacteristically wise move, I didn't want to watch the unused BMW depreciate by £hundreds each month and so I sold it and bought an older (2010) but low mileage, rust-free Defender: its been a fun thing to have, but I'm missing the pace of a German motor and plan on changing it in summer. Importantly, the car has actually appreciated quite considerably in that time so I'm left with a healthy budget for my next car.

I've decided that either a Boxter or Cayman would be ideal to use as my new daily-driver and while the budget is there to buy a recent model, I'd prefer to repeat the trick of buying an older model so that depreciation is minimal (or maybe even one that would appreciate).

I'm in need of a bit of advice of what model to track down.

I'm open to 986 or 987. I would prefer an S variant and, while I'm aware they weren't factory-fitted, a mechanical LSD or ATB would be installed straight away. I'm no Sterling Moss, but I am an enthusiastic driver with very occasional track-day use and the lack of an LSD on the M140i was very noticeable when driving spiritedly and I'm happy to budget for this on the new car.

So, which model? The most important factor is long-term reliability. So I'd like to aim for the specific models and model-years in which the major faults had been engineered-out by Porsche. I'm also happy to budget for a scheme of preventative maintenance upon buying the vehicle (by way of example, when I bought the Defender while it was fault free there were known issues with the clutch, output shaft and half shafts on that Model Year, so I had them upgraded with re-engineered components from the aftermarket in the first week of ownership followed by a major service and rustproofing treatment - all for peace of mind).

Age doesn't bother me: I'd be just as happy with an early 986 as I would be with a late 987. The budget could easily cover either, the main focuses are a combination of reliability and minimal (or negative) depreciation.

I've read Peter Morgan's excellent buyers guides and if I've understood them correctly then the picks of the bunch are:

986
Target years: Aug 2002 (2003MY) - July 2004 (2004MY)
Model: 3.2 S MANUAL ONLY
Note: Look for glass rear window
Possible preventative upgrades: IMS Bearing upgrade and Rear Main Seal upgrade.
General watch-points: Clutch and aircon refurb history. No timing chain but look at aux drive belt.
Rust: no reported rust issues on any model?

987
Target years: Aug 2008 (2009MY) - July 2011 (2011 MY)
Model: 3.4 S Manual or PDK Gen II
Possible preventative upgrades: None
General watch-points: Clutch and aircon refurb history. No timing chain but look at aux drive belt.
Rust: no reported rust issues on any model?

Does this sound like a good starter for 10?

If I could ask one more specific question re: the IMS and RMS issues on 986s... was this engineered-out in later 2009MY 987 models by changing the engine component design or did they simply use better bearings and seals? I ask as if I upgraded an 986 with the upgraded components, would this completely wipe out the issue or is it more of a sticking plaster? I would love to own a "mk1" boxer S, that has to be an appreciating classic, but only if there was no reliability handicap when compared with the GenII 987.

Thank you and I look forward to joining the owners' ranks soon.

 

[CLIFFWILKINS]

I would say which ever model Boxster Or Cayman go for a Gen 2 with the dfi engine a much more reliable unit if you have done your research on the earlier models you are aware of some potential expensive issues that may happen.
Always look for a full service history and bills of any work done buy the best you can with funds available.

Heated seats are a must for a Boxster.

But before any potential purchase get the car checked out by your local PC or good indie
A couple of hundred pounds on an inspection can save you lots of heartache and expense.
Take a look at the buyers guide in the Boxster section.
Happy searching. []

 

[911hillclimber]

I have had my 987.2 /2.9 /2009 Boxster for several years and 25K miles now in my ownership.
I bought it from a very respected specialist.

I would concur with the above comments and add:

Heated seats a must if you love your wife and want to go on road trips. Wish mine had them.
Get the front coolant pipes and all front radiators checked (indie inspection an excellent advice above). Easy to see if there are problems.
Anything less than 250 bhp will disappoint you, it is a heavy car.
Choose the colour wisely and the interior colour if you want to resell easily later.
Bodywork condition is key. They graze badly in places, esp the front of the sills (grit blasted by tyres)

Not sure if you will benefit from the LSD, traction is not a weak point of a Boxster.

Finally, you will love the experience of ownership, it's practicality and thrill is hard to rival.

 

[legin]

I would concur that a 987.2 is where you should buy. The things that need attention eventually are water pipes, a/c condensers, gear change cables, suspension joints - none of these are really big ticket items. Although rare ,should a PDK fail it more or less leaves you with a write off.

 

[gasket999]

well thank you very much all!

that is really great to hear, it looks like I have a target model to look for. The last point on the PDK box is very valuable too, I’ll stick to a manual for safety.

I’ll try to line up a local specialist in advance (I’m based on the Cumbria/Lancashire border) and will begin the search in the next couple of months.

 

[Motorhead]

I would concur with what has been said but would add that if you’re looking for a daily drive a Cayman might be more practical year-round. Since the Cayman came along late in the 987 Gen1 cycle it does have the last and most robust version of the IMS bearing, but like all the Lockasil engine block cars bore scoring is more of a problem on the 3.4L engine, less so on the 2.7L.

If you have the money I would plump for a 987 Gen2 3.4S as you’ll benefit from the superior power and torque of the DFI engine in addition to the other significant Gen2 engine upgrades, the most important of which were the deletion of the intermediate shaft (and its pesky bearing!), all the cams being driven from the front of the engine, and the use of Alusil aluminium alloy for the cylinder blocks to address bore scoring issues.

Although the PDK transmission has proved to be very robust and reliable, the dealerships can’t strip and rebuild them (not even the clutch-packs) and are limited to carrying out only minor external repairs, maintenance and software operations, so you’d be looking at a bill of £12k+ for a replacement if you don’t have the Porsche Extended Warranty.

My 987.2 CS has the LSD option which is handy in some circumstances, on track for example, but I wouldn’t count it as essential and it’s very rare to find it fitted on the S-cars, although it was standard on the Cayman R. Aftermarket LSD fitment is available from various Porsche Independents.

Jeff

 

[CLIFFWILKINS]

Extremely rare for PDK boxes to give any problems.
Happy searching.

 

[ScottishSpyder]

Don't discard a 2.9 Gen 2 as it has 255 bhp as a Boxster and 10 bhp more as a Cayman. More than earlier S's. A lot of fun at license saving speeds. Hard to get a high specced one thou.

 

[CLIFFWILKINS]

Agree about the 2.9 gen 2 a friend of mine had one plenty quick enough for our roads of today. []

 

[911hillclimber]

I certainly find the 2.9 in my 987.2 Boxster really nice for many road situations, mild to 'wild' and a dream for touring, so very flexible.
Really keen to be able to do a few road trips in it this year.