2008 gen 1 or 2009 gen 2? some advise please

[HVAC MATT]

Morning all.

Firstly I have tried google any information I can find is either pre gen 2 or unsubstantial

The back gound -
I have been looking at cars for the other half to drive Monday to Friday for a short 25mile round trip that will also double up as a weekend car. We have looked at z4s etc etc and thankfully I have talked her into a boxter S. We have tested driven a 2008 RS 60 and we are happy with the car as a hole. With a asking price of 22.5k and 40k on the clock, it isn't a cheap gen 1 but we both like the red trim, however the dash is a bit much lol.

Looking into all the normal things there is a lot of comments about rear seals and a center shaft issueon the gen 1. should I be worried about these issues?
I have been informed by "the guy down the pub" that the 2009 gen 2 cars have had mechanical upgrades and these issues have been addressed then. When looking into this there is a lot of talk about the Cayman enginer being the better engine with said fixes. However, the Cayman engine came around in 2007 as a 3.4 and would seem to be used in boxter S at the same time.
So what I am asking is when were these issues address in the boxter and given around a 5k increase in cost for a 2009 gen 2 undefined mechanical and interier upgrades worth the cost.

Thanks a confused Matt.

Thank

[itsybitsy]

Go gen 2 had totally new engine and so far proving to be bullet proof! Although like anything else can have random faults although rare whereas the gen 1 has a chocolate engine!just google ims , borescore, d-chunk plenty of info out there!
Good luck in your search

[TB303]

Definitely go gen 2 if you can. The only benefit I can think of with the gen 1 is that the non DFI engine sounds a bit better. As the post above says, many of the issues with the IMS etc were fixed with the gen 2.

[BIRMA]

I've been running an RS60 for a couple of years now and like everything about it. The only negative point I have about it is the silly road tax at £475 a year or whatever it is. It may be the case that the later ones have a lower tax figure.
Once warmed up properly I drive it like I've stolen it nothing falls off or rattles and all of the bits that come as standard are very difficult to find on an S.
If it still has any OPC warranty you can extend it for peace of mind.

[AndrewsCayman]

I think Gen 1 versus Gen 2 depends on your attitude to risk. I ran a Gen 1 996 with over 120 000 miles on the clock in the knowledge that the IMS bearing has caused problems in 5% of 996s, most of them before they reached 40 000 miles, so I regarded mine as low risk in that respect, having bought it when it was well past 40 k miles. It had a bit of bore scoring but the only symptom was a puff of smoke on start-up which didn't bother me. It had never had its IMS touched since new.

So when I was looking for a Cayman I chose a Gen 1 with more than 40 k on the clock and avoided the big premium for Gen 2 cars which risk averse people pay. I bought it from an OPC for probably as much as I could have paid a private seller for a Gen 2, but my risk is limited with the 2 year warranty and it had been fully serviced and beautifully prepared by them. As far as I can gather so far there don't seem to be as many IMS problems on 987s as there are on 996s, maybe it's due to the lower power output?

By the way I'm loving the Cayman, it feels much more agile than the 996.

[AndrewsCayman]

I think Gen 1 versus Gen 2 depends on your attitude to risk. I ran a Gen 1 996 with over 120 000 miles on the clock in the knowledge that the IMS bearing has caused problems in 5% of 996s, most of them before they reached 40 000 miles, so I regarded mine as low risk in that respect, having bought it when it was well past 40 k miles. It had a bit of bore scoring but the only symptom was a puff of smoke on start-up which didn't bother me. It had never had its IMS touched since new.

So when I was looking for a Cayman I chose a Gen 1 with more than 40 k on the clock and avoided the big premium for Gen 2 cars which risk averse people pay. I bought it from an OPC for probably as much as I could have paid a private seller for a Gen 2, but my risk is limited with the 2 year warranty and it had been fully serviced and beautifully prepared by them. As far as I can gather so far there don't seem to be as many IMS problems on 987s as there are on 996s, maybe it's due to the lower power output?

By the way I'm loving the Cayman, it feels much more agile than the 996.

[HVAC MATT]

Thank you guys for the speedy responce. So I am correct in assuming the 2007 3.4 that was found in the Boxter and Cayman is different to the 2009 gen 2 cars ?

[Trev450]

Yes the 3.4 engine found in the Gen 2 cars is a dfi.

[HVAC MATT]

Thanks, popped in to a dealer and had a look at a white 2009 one today. LOVELY!!

thank you all for your advise.

Edited by HVAC MATT on Friday 24th October 10:36