Is the 986 Still Good Value?
Discussion
What can you get for 6-8K? Honda S2000 big miles, screaming engine. 944 big miles, old chassis needs to be turbo. Impreza! VW GTi .... maybe. Westfield, very basic. So, it has to be Boxster. There is a big health warning. You know what's coming. Find one that has had IMS bearing done. My IMS and RMS replaced 986 has solid build quality, confident road holding, perfectly acceptable acceleration, fits like a glove, a hardtop for the winter and Porsche presence. Still hard to think of anything of better value.
MX-5?
Well somebody had to say it, this is Pistonheads after all!
Seriously though, I sold my MX-5 a couple of months ago, and will shortly be looking for a 986. I think they represent fantastic value for money, even if you can't find one that's already had its IMS and RMS done, and your ownership has this expense to start with.
Well somebody had to say it, this is Pistonheads after all!
Seriously though, I sold my MX-5 a couple of months ago, and will shortly be looking for a 986. I think they represent fantastic value for money, even if you can't find one that's already had its IMS and RMS done, and your ownership has this expense to start with.
S2000s have increased in value quite considerably. Time was you could buy one for £4k and have a choice of really nice ones for £8k.
I agree the 986 is a great sub £10k buy. There are other things to look out for though. Hoods, condensers, brake pipes and suspension can all cost a lot to fix (or rather to have fixed) - but granted, don't have the catastrophic failure mode of the ims...
In the end I passed up a few 986s for a 996, but I don't suppose it's the last time I'll take a look.
I agree the 986 is a great sub £10k buy. There are other things to look out for though. Hoods, condensers, brake pipes and suspension can all cost a lot to fix (or rather to have fixed) - but granted, don't have the catastrophic failure mode of the ims...
In the end I passed up a few 986s for a 996, but I don't suppose it's the last time I'll take a look.
bgunn said:
£4250 got me a 66k 986 2.7 ('99) - you can get them for a grand less but with starship mileages.
Can't really go wrong in my opinion, my car needs discs, pads, and tyres, but feels solid in every other way. I love it.
Mileage per se isn't the issue. It's the associated wear that comes with mileage and age. A lot are right in that age/mileage window where brakes (not that expensive), clutch, hard brake line corrosion, waterpump potential failure, split header tank potential failure, wishbone and track arms heavily worn, start to take hold. In nearly all respects my 116k 2004 feels much better than my 75k 2000 but ultimately both have had nearly all the same items replaced.Can't really go wrong in my opinion, my car needs discs, pads, and tyres, but feels solid in every other way. I love it.
That illustrates my point nicely. You can buy a clean early model for 5K, spend a further 4K on remedial work/upgrades and end up spending 9-10K. Or you can buy a later car for 8-11K, albeit a facelift model, still spend the money on remedial work/upgrades and end up topping out at 14K. For that money there are other options. In my opinion, if you want a good Boxster without breaking the bank find an early model that has had the work done, pay a premium maybe but save alot!
P5BNij said:
Daft question maybe, but do all Boxters come with a hardtop..?
They all come as standard with an "S" in "Boxster" but a hardtop is an option :-) Personally, I think the hardtops are waste of time. The softtop is so good you don't need one, even in winter a suuny crisp frosty morning drive with the wind deflector in place and the excellent heat belting away is a joyous experience, and you have to store the hardtop for the time you don't use it.I agree, the 986 is an outrageous bargain. OK so I've never owned serious exotica, but I've had brand new BMW M Sport 3s and 7s and nothing, but nothing puts a smile on my face like my 986. Nearly 2 years in now, and the smiles, the second gear red line silliness, the car cleaning routine, the very long way home for a pint of milk, the look back as you walk away is still 100% there. It just grows on me, and mine gets better and better as I slowly, and comparatively cheaply, sort out some of the little niggles it had when I bought it. Just had a new wheel bearing and front coffin arm (other one was done before), discs and pads are a £200 DIY job, and tuning forks also dead easy and well under that.
I don't buy all this "you need to spend £4000 to sort one properly" stuff...look at many and buy wise, and they are a bargain. Ironically, after having looked at many (and there's lots of oh so shiny lemons out there) I actually bought the one covered in green moss with a flat battery and mould on the seats. It just happened to be the right (rare) spec, with a huge wodge of history and with the exception of full de-ambering (bonus) it was totally original. And cleaned up bloody well.
Smidge over £5k for this much fun? Don't mind if I do...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awr6yDrP59E (PH Sunday Service track day video)
Hard-Drive said:
They all come as standard with an "S" in "Boxster" but a hardtop is an option :-) Personally, I think the hardtops are waste of time. The softtop is so good you don't need one, even in winter a suuny crisp frosty morning drive with the wind deflector in place and the excellent heat belting away is a joyous experience, and you have to store the hardtop for the time you don't use it.
100% agree. I used to have an MGF many moons ago, and the hair would get blown about a fair bit on that, but with the windows up, wind deflector on, the Box is a sheer delight with the top down when you wouldn't normally expect. And then you get to enjoy that Flat six even more...I've just clicked over a year in my now 110k 2003 986. First service in my ownership was a biggie but I know where I am with it now. No hard top and I've had the top down every month. Driving with the top down in the cold and damp is a special pleasure. Re-proofed the soft top again last month and the rain beads off nicely.
You don't necessarily need 4k to sort out a 986. It obviously depends on your starting point. But unless you are paying a big premium at the top of the market then it is highly likely you are going to need a small fighting fund to fix some unattended wear and tear or things that previous owners just put up with. If you are buying one with the intention of running for 18 months + but have little left apart from 1k for tyres and a couple of services then there will be nothing left to sort out any niggles or the cycle starts again as some of the issues get passed on again.
edc said:
You don't necessarily need 4k to sort out a 986. It obviously depends on your starting point. But unless you are paying a big premium at the top of the market then it is highly likely you are going to need a small fighting fund to fix some unattended wear and tear or things that previous owners just put up with. If you are buying one with the intention of running for 18 months + but have little left apart from 1k for tyres and a couple of services then there will be nothing left to sort out any niggles or the cycle starts again as some of the issues get passed on again.
Totally agree. I have owned 3x 986 Boxsters now and they are incredibly talented machines that have a remarkable degree of practicality too. I have driven 987s, but just prefer the analogue nature of the 986. The sheer number produced makes them good value and means there is a vast breadth of quality out there. The value in these cars mean that some have fallen into the hands of people who can't afford to maintain them properly. Avoiding such machines is the trick. Anything that looks 'up standard' is a good laymans barometer of quality. For me service history & type of owner are much more important than colour & spec. When looking for a 986 I would subtract the cost of an IMS/RMS replacement & clutch from that figure. That is your real budget. When getting this work done at a Specialist also get the (usually free) 111 point check done and you can then prioritise work over as you go.
That mid-engined configuration gives the driver that Supercar feel at hatchback money. The layout combined with Porsche packaging means fantastic practicality and storage space. The 2 luggage areas meaning I can go camping in mine easily.! To me this car will always be streets ahead of S2000s & Z4s etc
Good 986s will be a good longer term bet value wise in my opinion. As the used and abused examples end up in breakers yards, contrast this depletion of the analogue 986 with the increasingly digitised/sanitised nature of later Boxsters & cars in general
Edited by billzeebub on Wednesday 11th November 13:33
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