Living with a Boxster 3.2s? Mpg, maintenance etc?
Discussion
derin100 said:
Big Rumbly said:
Bought a 2000 3.2 S last october with 88000 miles. only using it once a week at mo. Lots of history, and plenty of money spent before I bought it. Yes, you can read of the horror stories of IMS, but the vast majority don't have these issues. OK I spent what you're considering of spending, but my take on it is, put the horror stories out of your mind, it probably wont happen. If it does then its not the end of the world, sometimes you have to take a chance, this is always a gamble if you buy an originally expensive older car.
I love it, and cant wait for the good weather. Uses no oil and water, get about 26 mpg mixed.
That statement can be read and then interpreted in one of two ways. One of those ways may not be entirely reassuring to the OP....?I love it, and cant wait for the good weather. Uses no oil and water, get about 26 mpg mixed.
s m said:
Joe5y said:
I had one. Great little car but for me it wasn't focused enough.
It sounded fabulous and looked great in the only colour I think it should be, Silver. Itg got a fair amount of attention even being 12 years old. (Turned into a focal point at a wedding last year - weird)
That's a great photo or effect - looks very 50's It sounded fabulous and looked great in the only colour I think it should be, Silver. Itg got a fair amount of attention even being 12 years old. (Turned into a focal point at a wedding last year - weird)
A good friend of mine bought one last year on 76k, hes put about 8,000 trouble free miles on the clock. The only expenditure he's had is a set of rear tyres, he's 21 and insurance is £900 too. It averages around 26mpg.
He also has the turbo wheels, they look brilliant on this car. I would also recommend changing the OEM exhaust, he has a cheap backbox delete which is a bit farty when parking etc but on full chat it sounds amazing.
Looking at receipts its had £8,000 spent on it in the 5years since warranty. Niggley parts like a worn steering rack accumulated these bills so expect quite high running costs.
My friend has been lucky, he's barely spent a penny maintaining his and he will hopefully be selling it for what he paid. I do feel as though the car is a ticking time bomb though, at some point a future owner will have to shell out for something expensive!
He also has the turbo wheels, they look brilliant on this car. I would also recommend changing the OEM exhaust, he has a cheap backbox delete which is a bit farty when parking etc but on full chat it sounds amazing.
Looking at receipts its had £8,000 spent on it in the 5years since warranty. Niggley parts like a worn steering rack accumulated these bills so expect quite high running costs.
My friend has been lucky, he's barely spent a penny maintaining his and he will hopefully be selling it for what he paid. I do feel as though the car is a ticking time bomb though, at some point a future owner will have to shell out for something expensive!
aka_kerrly said:
Indeed, there are times when the previous owner has lobbed a load of money on a car only to sell it to a very happy new owner who has many miles of trouble free motoring. Other times it's a can be a case of pass the lemon.
I'd tend to think of it as the former.I wonder if people forget a lot of the components are shared with the 996 and you wouldn't expect that to be cheap to run.
Edited by Patrick Bateman on Tuesday 3rd March 17:51
Don said:
It was a fifty grand car, when new, and has maintenance costs to suit. Going to a good independent will save on that - a bit.
You do see this posted sometimes - it was expensive new so will be expensive to look after, my C124 was £50k in 1990 and all it's needed in 3 years was a backbox (£200) and dizzy cap(£60).
Really appreciate all the replies!
Interesting to hear the comparisons and the 350z versus talk too.
The one I was looking at had a clutch and rms seal changed about 10-15k miles ago. It also has a supersprint cat back exhaust.
The 350z has little noise made about reliability and they do look great, but the price is falling out of them and surEly the boxster must be grinding out in its fall from 50k when New?
Interesting to hear the comparisons and the 350z versus talk too.
The one I was looking at had a clutch and rms seal changed about 10-15k miles ago. It also has a supersprint cat back exhaust.
The 350z has little noise made about reliability and they do look great, but the price is falling out of them and surEly the boxster must be grinding out in its fall from 50k when New?
MarshPhantom said:
Don said:
It was a fifty grand car, when new, and has maintenance costs to suit. Going to a good independent will save on that - a bit.
You do see this posted sometimes - it was expensive new so will be expensive to look after, my C124 was £50k in 1990 and all it's needed in 3 years was a backbox (£200) and dizzy cap(£60).Also, a Boxster is a lot better to drive than a 350z.
MarshPhantom said:
s m said:
Joe5y said:
I had one. Great little car but for me it wasn't focused enough.
It sounded fabulous and looked great in the only colour I think it should be, Silver. Itg got a fair amount of attention even being 12 years old. (Turned into a focal point at a wedding last year - weird)
That's a great photo or effect - looks very 50's It sounded fabulous and looked great in the only colour I think it should be, Silver. Itg got a fair amount of attention even being 12 years old. (Turned into a focal point at a wedding last year - weird)
MarshPhantom said:
Don said:
It was a fifty grand car, when new, and has maintenance costs to suit. Going to a good independent will save on that - a bit.
You do see this posted sometimes - it was expensive new so will be expensive to look after, my C124 was £50k in 1990 and all it's needed in 3 years was a backbox (£200) and dizzy cap(£60).That and not many people specialise in maintaining "marque" cars. They might cost more per hour - but you may save that it in their expertise...pays yer money and takes yer choice.
My Boxster is in pristine condition. My first service cost £150 quid. The ones between didn't cost anything like that....
I don't want to put people off a brilliant car. But you should know what you are getting into. It ain't a Micra...
full_chat said:
Patrick Bateman said:
Can't imagine many 986's going into dealers now.
Their fixed price servicing is very competitive, but they then get you on the £100/hour for any remedial work!Mine does 23ish overall (Tip), I can get 26ish on a long run but that is <70MPH.
IMS at a main dealers is a complete engine strip they are not allowed to replace with cases together. A lot of people just replace the bearing in situ with another standard bearing. Early 3.2s will be the bigger bearing anyway. RMS rarely fail & destroy the clutch, they typically weep, easy to do when doing a clutch swap which will be 60-80k or so. DMF can fail though & it is £600ish.
aka_kerrly said:
derin100 said:
Big Rumbly said:
Bought a 2000 3.2 S last october with 88000 miles. only using it once a week at mo. Lots of history, and plenty of money spent before I bought it. Yes, you can read of the horror stories of IMS, but the vast majority don't have these issues. OK I spent what you're considering of spending, but my take on it is, put the horror stories out of your mind, it probably wont happen. If it does then its not the end of the world, sometimes you have to take a chance, this is always a gamble if you buy an originally expensive older car.
I love it, and cant wait for the good weather. Uses no oil and water, get about 26 mpg mixed.
That statement can be read and then interpreted in one of two ways. One of those ways may not be entirely reassuring to the OP....?I love it, and cant wait for the good weather. Uses no oil and water, get about 26 mpg mixed.
I owned a 2002 3.2S. It had 67k miles on it when I bought it. It already had the RMS, clutch, water pump and some smaller things replaced. I had the LN IMS done (2200 US) and when they were in there, discovered the dual mass flywheel was shot (750 US) the flywheel should be replaced with the clutch. I also had the alarm control module fail on me leaving me stranded (when you tried to start the car, the alarm would just sound) That was a 1200 US repair. The plastic rear windows are also known to crack and fail.
Drove good, but the amount I had to spend on maintenance/repairs turned me off from the car, so I swapped it for a Mercedes CLK500 (now THAT was a great car)
Drove good, but the amount I had to spend on maintenance/repairs turned me off from the car, so I swapped it for a Mercedes CLK500 (now THAT was a great car)
I sold my 911 and bought a Boxster 3.2s. It is a 986 face lifted car that was doctor owned and pampered from new with lots of reciepts. The 911 was too muted and you had to be driving it at daft speeds to get the best from it to get anywhere near exciting. I borrowed a Boxster for a weekend and the rest is history. They are brilliant very rewarding cars and the sound on full chat is superb!
Get friendly with a local indy specialist and the servicing and maintenance costs are not that bad. If your handy with a spanner they are very easy cars to work on. When i bought mine i had a full major service completed, new clutch, IMS Bearing, RMS seal and a few other bits done and the bill was £1100 inc VAT.
I have completed a few track days now and the car has had a very tough time on track and i am happy to report it has been totally reliable.
Mine is great on fuel too. On a run i am seeing 30+ and round town 24ish.
The engine issues are massively blown out of proportion on internet forums. If you spend your life worrying about it don't buy a Boxster. Mine isn't used daily but as a weekend fun/track car they are now incredible value.
Get friendly with a local indy specialist and the servicing and maintenance costs are not that bad. If your handy with a spanner they are very easy cars to work on. When i bought mine i had a full major service completed, new clutch, IMS Bearing, RMS seal and a few other bits done and the bill was £1100 inc VAT.
I have completed a few track days now and the car has had a very tough time on track and i am happy to report it has been totally reliable.
Mine is great on fuel too. On a run i am seeing 30+ and round town 24ish.
The engine issues are massively blown out of proportion on internet forums. If you spend your life worrying about it don't buy a Boxster. Mine isn't used daily but as a weekend fun/track car they are now incredible value.
Plan for the worst, hope for the best.
The earlier cars are getting on a bit now, and there's plenty to go wrong. As long as you buy carefully and keep on top of the little "old car" jobs, it should be fine.
The IMS bearing issue is well documented, but there seems to be fewer failures reported now the cars are getting older. I started looking at leggy S's but ended up with a good 2.5.
I bought mine having had a ton of money thrown at it over the previous 18 months (it's a 1997 car, main dealer serviced until 2012 and had about £6k spent on it at a known indy between then and March 2014 when I bought it) but I saw this as a positive as it was mostly the jobs that are known to need doing on these as they're older (new radiators, aircon condenser, Clutch/RMS, Suspension bits etc.) and lots of bills for things that I would probably fix myself at a weekend or would frankly just live with (things like several hundred quid to investigate and fix a squeaky window- I thought it was a bit of a "feature" most of them squeek!)
The S seems to make similar MPG to the older base cars, probably because of the different gearbox. I was told repeatedly not to discount the Tiptronic 'box but glad I got a manual, it's very rewarding to drive and definitely gives you more back the harder/better you drive- whilst also being fairly forgiving if you're a little ham fisted.
My only regret is not getting an S, as maintenance wise there's not a great deal of difference, few more foibles to look out for (like jumping out of 2nd gear which seems more common on the 6 speed in the S) but generally most of the rest of the car seems the same.
I'm very happy with the largely trouble free year of motoring I've had so far and will definitely be looking for another in the future (may save up a bit and get a 987 S next, though.) Did the last minor service myself as I enjoy it but don't discount OPC servicing as they offer reasonable value fixed price servicing for the 986.
I was surprised by how much attention a leggy looking old silver Boxster gets, partly for the badge, but also because people seem to genuinely like seeing them. I bought the 986 partly expecting it to be sneered at a little as even a good one can be purchased so cheaply now but if anything I've had the opposite problem, people thinking it's flash or somehow more expensive than it is. Was initially told by colleagues when I turned up to it at work that they didn't think I should be able to afford it- despite almost all of them owning mundane hatchbacks that cost them at least twice as much...
The only reason I'd sell mine without buying another is if I could no longer afford to keep it in the manner in which it deserves, or if we start a family, in which case "she who wears the trousers" has already made it clear we'd be spending a fortune on a "family" car, so I'd probably have to hide the Porsche around a mates house and pretend it's gone, or something...
The earlier cars are getting on a bit now, and there's plenty to go wrong. As long as you buy carefully and keep on top of the little "old car" jobs, it should be fine.
The IMS bearing issue is well documented, but there seems to be fewer failures reported now the cars are getting older. I started looking at leggy S's but ended up with a good 2.5.
I bought mine having had a ton of money thrown at it over the previous 18 months (it's a 1997 car, main dealer serviced until 2012 and had about £6k spent on it at a known indy between then and March 2014 when I bought it) but I saw this as a positive as it was mostly the jobs that are known to need doing on these as they're older (new radiators, aircon condenser, Clutch/RMS, Suspension bits etc.) and lots of bills for things that I would probably fix myself at a weekend or would frankly just live with (things like several hundred quid to investigate and fix a squeaky window- I thought it was a bit of a "feature" most of them squeek!)
The S seems to make similar MPG to the older base cars, probably because of the different gearbox. I was told repeatedly not to discount the Tiptronic 'box but glad I got a manual, it's very rewarding to drive and definitely gives you more back the harder/better you drive- whilst also being fairly forgiving if you're a little ham fisted.
My only regret is not getting an S, as maintenance wise there's not a great deal of difference, few more foibles to look out for (like jumping out of 2nd gear which seems more common on the 6 speed in the S) but generally most of the rest of the car seems the same.
I'm very happy with the largely trouble free year of motoring I've had so far and will definitely be looking for another in the future (may save up a bit and get a 987 S next, though.) Did the last minor service myself as I enjoy it but don't discount OPC servicing as they offer reasonable value fixed price servicing for the 986.
I was surprised by how much attention a leggy looking old silver Boxster gets, partly for the badge, but also because people seem to genuinely like seeing them. I bought the 986 partly expecting it to be sneered at a little as even a good one can be purchased so cheaply now but if anything I've had the opposite problem, people thinking it's flash or somehow more expensive than it is. Was initially told by colleagues when I turned up to it at work that they didn't think I should be able to afford it- despite almost all of them owning mundane hatchbacks that cost them at least twice as much...
The only reason I'd sell mine without buying another is if I could no longer afford to keep it in the manner in which it deserves, or if we start a family, in which case "she who wears the trousers" has already made it clear we'd be spending a fortune on a "family" car, so I'd probably have to hide the Porsche around a mates house and pretend it's gone, or something...
Owning a Porsche is never going to be cheap. They are high maintence cars in terms of parts prices and garage costs, it's not a Ford or Peugeot after All?
There is also no such thing as a cheap Boxster or 911? If it's cheap, you can assume it needs a fair bit of attention.
My 3.2 does 25 mpg if you don't drive like you stole it. Mine was remapped a while back too but still gives a little economy with a lot more punch.
Engines are revy and beg to be driven hard and will get you into trouble with the law, as they just get up and go!
They all have different characters,
There is also no such thing as a cheap Boxster or 911? If it's cheap, you can assume it needs a fair bit of attention.
My 3.2 does 25 mpg if you don't drive like you stole it. Mine was remapped a while back too but still gives a little economy with a lot more punch.
Engines are revy and beg to be driven hard and will get you into trouble with the law, as they just get up and go!
They all have different characters,
Not a 3.2S, a plain old 2.7 facelift that I have had for just over 10 years.
The biggest expense has been DMF and clutch at £1056, 2months ago. Other than that I like to change brake discs every 2 years.
Not expensive, parts are very available and from Porsche OE suppliers,
They get rusty on the inner face.
Usual servicing, oil, filters, drive belt, brake fluid change, plugs, I do myself. Biggest cost is 9 litres of Mobil 1.
I always have good tyres. Michelin, Goodyear, Pirelli or Continental. Don't buy without.
Right now I have a roof problem. A cable broke on one side and stuffed the roof mechanism. So check the roof! Not an uncommon issue.
In 10 years this car has cost less to run than a Mondeo, Real life mpg for me is 27 but if you drive at Micra speed and acceleration 35 is on the cards. Not recommended, but I have tried.
Great cars. Strangely most of the part numbers start 996 but the Boxster came first.
The biggest expense has been DMF and clutch at £1056, 2months ago. Other than that I like to change brake discs every 2 years.
Not expensive, parts are very available and from Porsche OE suppliers,
They get rusty on the inner face.
Usual servicing, oil, filters, drive belt, brake fluid change, plugs, I do myself. Biggest cost is 9 litres of Mobil 1.
I always have good tyres. Michelin, Goodyear, Pirelli or Continental. Don't buy without.
Right now I have a roof problem. A cable broke on one side and stuffed the roof mechanism. So check the roof! Not an uncommon issue.
In 10 years this car has cost less to run than a Mondeo, Real life mpg for me is 27 but if you drive at Micra speed and acceleration 35 is on the cards. Not recommended, but I have tried.
Great cars. Strangely most of the part numbers start 996 but the Boxster came first.
Heaveho said:
Holy thread revival...........
LOL. That's what forum threads are for!My 3.2S was fine for a month now indicated mpg is 14, was 25... I think bad upstream O2 sensors as the idle has a slight fluctuation which it did when I viewed tbf. Not bad at £50ea for Bosch, and relatively easy DIY with the rear wheels off and a 22mm open spanner.
I very much like driving it as my daily and on the weekends, insurance comes in at £700ish, with elephant, London street parked,
Did I mention I very much like driving my 986..
Beers!
HH
Bullet-Proof_Biscuit said:
LOL. That's what forum threads are for!
My 3.2S was fine for a month now indicated mpg is 14, was 25... I think bad upstream O2 sensors as the idle has a slight fluctuation which it did when I viewed tbf. Not bad at £50ea for Bosch, and relatively easy DIY with the rear wheels off and a 22mm open spanner.
I very much like driving it as my daily and on the weekends, insurance comes in at £700ish, with elephant, London street parked,
Did I mention I very much like driving my 986..
Beers!
HH
My 3.2S was fine for a month now indicated mpg is 14, was 25... I think bad upstream O2 sensors as the idle has a slight fluctuation which it did when I viewed tbf. Not bad at £50ea for Bosch, and relatively easy DIY with the rear wheels off and a 22mm open spanner.
I very much like driving it as my daily and on the weekends, insurance comes in at £700ish, with elephant, London street parked,
Did I mention I very much like driving my 986..
Beers!
HH
I've had 3 987s now, the latest one ( '05 plate 3.2S ) is the highest mileage ( 77k now ) but is a much better drive than the first ( 55k ), even though they are identical in theory. It feels much quicker than the 55k miler for some reason. I've had this one for 2 years or so now, it's been literally faultless ( admittedly only managed 5k miles in it ), but I've come to really like it, and have perhaps naively stopped waiting for it to bankrupt me! Insurance is £310. It's nearly as good on fuel as my Ford Connect! Had a big service at a local Indy last year which cost under £500.The thought that always comes back to me every time I look at it is how much car I got for the money.
Gratuitous pic!
Edited by Heaveho on Thursday 12th July 22:28
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