Bore score

[Brutal800]

I know there's lots of info but what concerns me is how I can be sure it's been checked properly and how long a check is valid. Ferxample if I go to a place that sells a lot of cars and they appear to be Porsche biased or indeed specialists and I ask if a particular car has been borescoped and they say yes we done it when it was serviced here last year does that constitute a satisfactory answer?

I started out thinking I would buy a cheapy ol boxster for bimming about in last summer. Then I did due dilligence and read about IMS and such so I kept saving my pennies for a 987 car which hopefully wouldn't cause me pain. Bore score is still an issue though right up to the top of my theoretical budget.

Are there any clues to this problem that might be noticed without sticking a camera in it - smoke or something? Or do I just get it scoped whatever? It seems a bit odd to ask a private seller to submit his car to internal inspection which might involve taking it some distance. Also if it's Ok today on a car with - say - 50k miles and I'm a sensible owner with reasonable mechanical sympathy will it stay OK?

Thanks for any input.

[Brutal800]

Awesome - thanks for that. My aim before reading this was to get a 2006-on 2.7 Cayman or Boxster - still wavering between the two - so either I'm psychic or I'd read enough to make the correct decision. That or I just don't have very much money....

[Brutal800]

edc said:

If you started at a good but cheap 986 but your theoretical budget is now top of 987 Boxster and early Caymans then haven't you already spent the difference and then some in doing some mods to minimise IMS failure ...

Fair point well made but (hopefully) if I do go 987 I'll get something that's intrinsically better, free of issues and that will last longer. That said I've not driven a 987 so I don't know for sure that I'll enjoy it more. Also there's a degree of price overlap between really nice looking 986s and perfectly acceptable 987s. I think I'd take a nice 987 over a fantastic 986.

[Brutal800]

Interesting. I'm sure I read somewhere that the VIN would tell you if it was single or double row IMS if the car was from the transitional period. If that's not the case that's useful info.

2007 then. Thought I'd be safe with a 2006. There goes the budget again. Sigh....

I know I could go earlier 987 but it hurts to buy a car and spend extra to solve a problem that may not even exist. But not as much as suddenly finding that it does.....

[Brutal800]

But not neccesarily all 987.1 boxsters?

[Brutal800]

OK thanks for the clearup. Actually looking at available cars there seems to be quite a lot of price overlap between 06 and 07 and even 08s depending on spec/mileage. Also pricing seems a little counterintuitive which I suppose is based on the optimism/desperation of the seller.

I'm sort of veering towards a sport edition boxster. Interestingly some people are advertising them without even mentioning that they are sports. =Shrug=