Porsche Boxster - Tell me what I need to know before buying
Discussion
Please share with me you great knowledge of all things Boxster. Specifically the 3.2 Sport second hand for £8-9K. I quick glance in the classifieds showed 4 for about 9K so I seem to have some choices. Probably not buying for a couple of months so don't try and sell me yours, I just want to get some knowledge before dipping my toe into Porsche ownership.
What do I look for when buying?
What goes wrong?
What work should have been done on them?
What options are good/bad/pointless?
Cheers
What do I look for when buying?
What goes wrong?
What work should have been done on them?
What options are good/bad/pointless?
Cheers
They do have something of a reputation for the engine failing completely I believe. Happened to a chap I know with a 986 Boxster S, driving along at 40mph, suddenly all the warning lights came on and it stopped like it had just been shot in the head.
Complete engine failure, cost him thousands...
Complete engine failure, cost him thousands...
Ari said:
They do have something of a reputation for the engine failing completely I believe. Happened to a chap I know with a 986 Boxster S, driving along at 40mph, suddenly all the warning lights came on and it stopped like it had just been shot in the head.
Complete engine failure, cost him thousands...
The owners of all the ones that haven't had RMS or IMS failure are also very well known for not writing about it every day on the internet.Complete engine failure, cost him thousands...
There is a risk, yes, but the general consensus is that if the engine has got to 40k without suffering IMS failure then they will generally be ok (Not 100% guaranteed though). RMS failure is not such a big issue & is generally noticeable by the rear main seal weeping oil - normal course of action is to keep an eye on the oil level & get a new RMS fitted when the car is having a clutch change or service.
Generally people write on forums when they've had a problem, they don't write on forums every single time they've completed a journey without any issues.
Fluffsri said:
RMS and IMS failure? Just out of interest, what is it?
RMS = Rear Main Seal, can crack & weep oil, expensive to replace because of the labour involved.IMS = Intermediate Shaft, see here: http://www.lnengineering.com/ims.html
Don't let the horror stories put you off though.
Take a look in the Porsche section here, specifically the 'sticky' thread at the top (which has run to 44 pages) about failure of the 996/986/997/987 engine.
Speaking as someone who is seriously considering getting an earlyish 996 in the next few months, I'd say you need to make yourself aware of the fact that these engines can, and do, go bang. BUT, you have to offset that against the chance of it actually happening.
Speaking as someone who is seriously considering getting an earlyish 996 in the next few months, I'd say you need to make yourself aware of the fact that these engines can, and do, go bang. BUT, you have to offset that against the chance of it actually happening.
Hitch - Just Googled a Boxster Buying guide and got some great advice like :
What to look for
Test-drive the car on a main road. Test that the car doesn't misfire (cough and splutter) or run out of power when accelerating or as it reaches any given speed, including high speeds such as 70 m.p.h.
What it means (if you find this fault)
If the car runs out of power at 70 m.p.h. or has poor acceleration, then the air mass meter usually needs replacing. This is more common on diesels than petrol engines. The fault can be intermittent.
Well if this is true and accurate then I am definitely NOT going to buy the diesel Boxster!
What to look for
Test-drive the car on a main road. Test that the car doesn't misfire (cough and splutter) or run out of power when accelerating or as it reaches any given speed, including high speeds such as 70 m.p.h.
What it means (if you find this fault)
If the car runs out of power at 70 m.p.h. or has poor acceleration, then the air mass meter usually needs replacing. This is more common on diesels than petrol engines. The fault can be intermittent.
Well if this is true and accurate then I am definitely NOT going to buy the diesel Boxster!
To be honest the one thing you need to learn with a plastic window 986 is the Boxster chop.
Oh and for a £9k 3.2 I would be very suspicious of accident damage, that and they are not the cheapest motor in the world to buy parts for so I would think carefully if you don't have a budget set aside for a bit of fettling.
Oh and for a £9k 3.2 I would be very suspicious of accident damage, that and they are not the cheapest motor in the world to buy parts for so I would think carefully if you don't have a budget set aside for a bit of fettling.
Okay - So basically a good car but with potential worries about the engine.
When I go to buy one I look at Rear Main Seal to see if it is weeping. If it is I walk away or get £1500 off the price. If it looks good do I need to check that it has been replaced already or will the original be fine (cars will be about year 2000)?
How can I tell if the Intermediate Shaft is good/bad or indifferent?
What other checks should I do and how do I do the check?
When I go to buy one I look at Rear Main Seal to see if it is weeping. If it is I walk away or get £1500 off the price. If it looks good do I need to check that it has been replaced already or will the original be fine (cars will be about year 2000)?
How can I tell if the Intermediate Shaft is good/bad or indifferent?
What other checks should I do and how do I do the check?
PHmember said:
The owners of all the ones that haven't had RMS or IMS failure are also very well known for not writing about it every day on the internet.
There is a risk, yes, but the general consensus is that if the engine has got to 40k without suffering IMS failure then they will generally be ok (Not 100% guaranteed though). RMS failure is not such a big issue & is generally noticeable by the rear main seal weeping oil - normal course of action is to keep an eye on the oil level & get a new RMS fitted when the car is having a clutch change or service.
That was the impression I got when I was looking at them, too - they tend to be early life failures if they're going to go. There is a risk, yes, but the general consensus is that if the engine has got to 40k without suffering IMS failure then they will generally be ok (Not 100% guaranteed though). RMS failure is not such a big issue & is generally noticeable by the rear main seal weeping oil - normal course of action is to keep an eye on the oil level & get a new RMS fitted when the car is having a clutch change or service.
Every engine has its horror stories and they're usually blown out of all proportion.
Ignore the idiots who say it's a poor man's Porsche. In my experience the Boxster platform produces better drivers' cars than the 911 one, comparing like-for-like.
Edited by kambites on Tuesday 18th January 10:26
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