Is a £10K 987 Boxster a pipe dream?
Discussion
I'm looking to take my first step into Porsche ownership and have set my sights on a 987 Boxster.
I started out wanting an S, but have come to the conclusion that i might be better off with a 2.7.
The problem is finding a decent one. So far i have been to see a couple of S's for around my £10K budget:
The first was at a dealer and had been sitting for a few months judging by the thick layer of dust and the flat battery. We went out for a brief drive and it seemed okay, but had a fairly loud ticking at idle, like a hydraulic tappet type noise. The internet suggests this could be signs of an IMS issue, but according to the internet many, many things can be signs of an IMS failure.
I saw a nice looking red S privately advertised on Sunday. It had a an MoT advisory for a power steering hose for the last couple of years, quite a few cosmetic issues and was overdue a major service, so could have cost a couple of £K to put right and still have the IMS threat looming.
I've inquired about a couple at around the £11-12K mark that have been on the market for several months, hoping to maybe get a deal, but owners don't seem willing to negotiate at all (fair play to them)
Based on this i'm thinking a decent S might well be outside of my budget. I'm thinking about a 2007 on 2.7 as they don't have as big of a problem with IMS bearings and there are far more available, but even here most cars on sale will probably need an immediate service and at least several £100s of work.
So, am i deluding myself? Should i just buy a Z4? (I don't really want a Z4 like i want a Boxster though...)
I started out wanting an S, but have come to the conclusion that i might be better off with a 2.7.
The problem is finding a decent one. So far i have been to see a couple of S's for around my £10K budget:
The first was at a dealer and had been sitting for a few months judging by the thick layer of dust and the flat battery. We went out for a brief drive and it seemed okay, but had a fairly loud ticking at idle, like a hydraulic tappet type noise. The internet suggests this could be signs of an IMS issue, but according to the internet many, many things can be signs of an IMS failure.
I saw a nice looking red S privately advertised on Sunday. It had a an MoT advisory for a power steering hose for the last couple of years, quite a few cosmetic issues and was overdue a major service, so could have cost a couple of £K to put right and still have the IMS threat looming.
I've inquired about a couple at around the £11-12K mark that have been on the market for several months, hoping to maybe get a deal, but owners don't seem willing to negotiate at all (fair play to them)
Based on this i'm thinking a decent S might well be outside of my budget. I'm thinking about a 2007 on 2.7 as they don't have as big of a problem with IMS bearings and there are far more available, but even here most cars on sale will probably need an immediate service and at least several £100s of work.
So, am i deluding myself? Should i just buy a Z4? (I don't really want a Z4 like i want a Boxster though...)
Thanks for the advice.
Looks as though a 2.7 could be the car for me.
I was worried I’d feel short changed compared to an S, but based on some of the comments here I think the base car might suit me better.
I believe the later cars have a revised (non serviceable) IMS and the failure rate is very low
Any opinions on this?
Also am I allowed to link to cars I’m looking at for an opinion? I don’t want to upset the mods.
Looks as though a 2.7 could be the car for me.
I was worried I’d feel short changed compared to an S, but based on some of the comments here I think the base car might suit me better.
I believe the later cars have a revised (non serviceable) IMS and the failure rate is very low
Any opinions on this?
Also am I allowed to link to cars I’m looking at for an opinion? I don’t want to upset the mods.
Thanks all for the useful insight.
I went to see and purchased a 2007 2.7 yesterday.
It needs a pretty good clean, but has been well maintained with works carried out when required and never missed a service.
There are a few minor cosmetic issues; the odd stone chip, some light scratches in the clear coat and the worst is a small (5p) sized dent in the bonnet. I’m going to contact a paintless dent repair company about that today.
When I can I will get some paint correction done.
The worst part was the car smelled of Indian food in the cockpit (not the end of the world) I bought an air con bomb on the way home and that seems to have resolved that issue.
So, here it is.
My daughters are already planning to steal it and go for it a road trip.
I went to see and purchased a 2007 2.7 yesterday.
It needs a pretty good clean, but has been well maintained with works carried out when required and never missed a service.
There are a few minor cosmetic issues; the odd stone chip, some light scratches in the clear coat and the worst is a small (5p) sized dent in the bonnet. I’m going to contact a paintless dent repair company about that today.
When I can I will get some paint correction done.
The worst part was the car smelled of Indian food in the cockpit (not the end of the world) I bought an air con bomb on the way home and that seems to have resolved that issue.
So, here it is.
My daughters are already planning to steal it and go for it a road trip.
This is the little dent I was talking about.
5p coin for scale. The dent is tiny but is really noticeable in certain light.
I’m taking it to a paintless dent repair place locally at lunch time for them to take a look.
Hopefully it’s an easy fix and they might even be able to do a machine polish too.
5p coin for scale. The dent is tiny but is really noticeable in certain light.
I’m taking it to a paintless dent repair place locally at lunch time for them to take a look.
Hopefully it’s an easy fix and they might even be able to do a machine polish too.
CanAm said:
robemcdonald said:
That looks very nice indeed. There are a lot on odd scratches on some of the panels. But I’m going to have a go at polishing it myself.
I’ve been watching YouTube tutorials and have bought myself a DA.
I was going to pay someone to do it, but the fact all the tutorials basically say the same thing I’m pretty confident.
I will post some progress shots when I do it.
coldel said:
DAs are pretty good, if you have a daily then practice on that first. Basically dont be tempted to over do it with the polish you put on you don't need much and do small sections at a time. And use a proper correction polish that isn't loaded with fillers.
I also bought myself a cordless spot polisher, is an orbital but its great for dark coloured cars that invariably show up very minor scratches etc.
My daily cost 4 times what I paid for the Porsche..I also bought myself a cordless spot polisher, is an orbital but its great for dark coloured cars that invariably show up very minor scratches etc.
I’m going to go very easy on it medium pad and compound only.
I need to figure out some sort of ceramic coat for afterwards though.
coldel said:
robemcdonald said:
My daily cost 4 times what I paid for the Porsche..
I’m going to go very easy on it medium pad and compound only.
I need to figure out some sort of ceramic coat for afterwards though.
Ha fair enough, practice on the Porsche!I’m going to go very easy on it medium pad and compound only.
I need to figure out some sort of ceramic coat for afterwards though.
Yep go with the least aggressive first to see if that does the job
There are tonnes of LSP out there now, it used to be a case of stick on some hard wax from a tub but it now ranges from expensive ceramic applications to something simple like a spray on jobbie. I would always consider the value of the car vs what I spend on LSPs
I forgot to update.
I took the car to AMS Porsche on Saturday.
Firstly what a place! Amazing workshop full of interesting bits and pieces and some pretty lovely cars too.
Angus is an absolutely top bloke. He put the car up of a two post and proceeded to talk me around the car with his observations.
The main issue is there is a bit of a coolant leak at the from the back and the cross over pipes at the front whilst not leaking are showing signs of corrosion.
Also a couple of the coil packs are starting to crack.
It’s booked in to have these bits sorted in the middle of April.
The only other thing is the RMS seal is a bit wet. I think the clutch will need replacing soon, so I’m going to wait and get the RMS done then (sometime later in the year) then the car has an absolutely clean bill of health.
I took the car to AMS Porsche on Saturday.
Firstly what a place! Amazing workshop full of interesting bits and pieces and some pretty lovely cars too.
Angus is an absolutely top bloke. He put the car up of a two post and proceeded to talk me around the car with his observations.
The main issue is there is a bit of a coolant leak at the from the back and the cross over pipes at the front whilst not leaking are showing signs of corrosion.
Also a couple of the coil packs are starting to crack.
It’s booked in to have these bits sorted in the middle of April.
The only other thing is the RMS seal is a bit wet. I think the clutch will need replacing soon, so I’m going to wait and get the RMS done then (sometime later in the year) then the car has an absolutely clean bill of health.
So the coolant and coil pack bits is going to be around £1500
The clutch and RMS about £900
Not cheap, but that really all the car needs.
It would be unusual to pick up a 17 year old boxster that didn’t need a couple of £k work.
That was factored in to my purchase and will just about take me over the £10k (by £500 ish)
Then other than normal servicing I should have at least a few years of cheapish motoring..
The clutch and RMS about £900
Not cheap, but that really all the car needs.
It would be unusual to pick up a 17 year old boxster that didn’t need a couple of £k work.
That was factored in to my purchase and will just about take me over the £10k (by £500 ish)
Then other than normal servicing I should have at least a few years of cheapish motoring..
I took my first tentative step into paint correction today.
Snow-foam then wash followed by clay bar and then DA polish.
still a few scratches left, I will probably try again with a more aggressive compound in a few weeks when I get another chance.
The good news is there were no disasters and I got a bit of confidence.
Snow-foam then wash followed by clay bar and then DA polish.
still a few scratches left, I will probably try again with a more aggressive compound in a few weeks when I get another chance.
The good news is there were no disasters and I got a bit of confidence.
Well. I picked up the car from AMS today. Cross over pipes, coil packs and 4 wheel alignment completed (not sure it really needed the alignment. Better safe than sorry and cheaper than new tyres I )
The £1600 bill is definitely the downside of Porsche ownership though.
Hopefully no bills until next year now…
The £1600 bill is definitely the downside of Porsche ownership though.
Hopefully no bills until next year now…
CanAm said:
robemcdonald said:
Well. I picked up the car from AMS today. Cross over pipes, coil packs and 4 wheel alignment completed (not sure it really needed the alignment. Better safe than sorry and cheaper than new tyres I )
The £1600 bill is definitely the downside of Porsche ownership though.
Hopefully no bills until next year now…
A friend has just been quoted £1600 to replace the DPF in his Vauxhall (I suggested an Italian tune-up). I think you got a lot more value for money.The £1600 bill is definitely the downside of Porsche ownership though.
Hopefully no bills until next year now…
A bit of an issue today though as it seems to have lost a lot of coolant, so need to investigate after work. Maybe its an airlock maybe something wasn't put back or tightened properly....
We shall see.
SimonTheSailor said:
Had a look around a 63 plate Boxster at a colleagues house - they're big aren't they ?!
Had an idea they were more of a smaller/sportier little number - this is not a derogatory remark - just an observation.
Explains why they are valued for their boot space/s - probably make a brilliant touring car ?
Are they heavy ? Do they feel nimble/sporty ? Or more of a solid/planted drive ?
I suppose they’re big compared to a mini.. it depends what you’re comparing it to.Had an idea they were more of a smaller/sportier little number - this is not a derogatory remark - just an observation.
Explains why they are valued for their boot space/s - probably make a brilliant touring car ?
Are they heavy ? Do they feel nimble/sporty ? Or more of a solid/planted drive ?
My 987 is 4.3m long and 1.8m wide and weighs 1300kg.
A BMW Z4 of a similar age is roughly the same width and around 20cm shorter and weighs a bit more.
An MX5 is about 4m long and 1.7m wide, but weighs a lot less (200kg)
They’re all in roughly the same ballpark though.
Dave200 said:
I may be looking to get into a 987S in the coming month or so. I've owned a Range Rover, so big bills don't scare me too much.
Is the prevailing wisdom still that at lower budgets (£13-14k) the 3.2 is probably the better bet on account of bore scoring risk, albeit a small risk?
Anyone here fancy selling me a beautiful 3.2S that they've sunk a small fortune into over the past few years?
You shouldn’t struggle with that budget.Is the prevailing wisdom still that at lower budgets (£13-14k) the 3.2 is probably the better bet on account of bore scoring risk, albeit a small risk?
Anyone here fancy selling me a beautiful 3.2S that they've sunk a small fortune into over the past few years?
If you go for an S get one that has had the IMS done and you should be good.
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