2001 Porsche Boxster 986 2.7 Manual
Discussion
There don't seem to be many Boxster threads on here so I thought I'd do a write up on my ownership on my Boxster.
Back in September 2016 I sold my 645ci as it was expensive to run and not an involving drivers car. I was planning to buy a good E46 325i or 330i as a daily, but having left the house on a Saturday morning to buy a BMW, things took a twist and I managed to convince myself that a Boxster would be an ideal daily car as I only did about 5,000 miles a year and most of that was commutes to the station. So, I arrived home that afternoon with this:
Back in September 2016 I sold my 645ci as it was expensive to run and not an involving drivers car. I was planning to buy a good E46 325i or 330i as a daily, but having left the house on a Saturday morning to buy a BMW, things took a twist and I managed to convince myself that a Boxster would be an ideal daily car as I only did about 5,000 miles a year and most of that was commutes to the station. So, I arrived home that afternoon with this:
So what exactly had I bought?
Well, it was at a prestige car dealer near Heathrow and they had taken it in part-ex. It drove well but had a few small age related marks - small stone chips and the odd scratch but nothing unusual for a car of that age. I did some basic checks and there was some service history. Mileage was around 93,000. A deal was done at £3,800.
It's a 2001 986 2.7 manual. Lapis blue with Metropole blue interior. Seems to have some extended leather. Speakers in the doors. No traction control, no ABS, 3 spoke steering wheel.
It drove beautifully on the way home on a mix of motorway, A-road and country roads. I will never forget that first drive home and I fell in love with it.
I did have a problem getting the roof back up on the first day I bought it but after a few attempts it went back up. Worried it could be an expensive roof fix coming up I did an online search which suggested it was the handbrake switch. I noticed the handbrake light didn't come on when I put the handbrake on sometimes. It has to be lit and the car stationary for the roof to operate. I bought a new switch for about £15 and after about an hour or two it was fitted and has worked perfectly ever since.
Another issue I noticed was that the interior lights sometimes stayed on after the passenger door was closed and I drove off. Soon the passenger side door window didn't drop as it should when the door was opened. Another online search suggested the door latch mechanism as it has sensors in it for hen the door is opened and closed. A used latch was bought for about £20 and after another couple of hours it fixed the issue.
So, I now had a fully functioning Boxster with an MOT until June 2017 for less than £3,900.
Well, it was at a prestige car dealer near Heathrow and they had taken it in part-ex. It drove well but had a few small age related marks - small stone chips and the odd scratch but nothing unusual for a car of that age. I did some basic checks and there was some service history. Mileage was around 93,000. A deal was done at £3,800.
It's a 2001 986 2.7 manual. Lapis blue with Metropole blue interior. Seems to have some extended leather. Speakers in the doors. No traction control, no ABS, 3 spoke steering wheel.
It drove beautifully on the way home on a mix of motorway, A-road and country roads. I will never forget that first drive home and I fell in love with it.
I did have a problem getting the roof back up on the first day I bought it but after a few attempts it went back up. Worried it could be an expensive roof fix coming up I did an online search which suggested it was the handbrake switch. I noticed the handbrake light didn't come on when I put the handbrake on sometimes. It has to be lit and the car stationary for the roof to operate. I bought a new switch for about £15 and after about an hour or two it was fitted and has worked perfectly ever since.
Another issue I noticed was that the interior lights sometimes stayed on after the passenger door was closed and I drove off. Soon the passenger side door window didn't drop as it should when the door was opened. Another online search suggested the door latch mechanism as it has sensors in it for hen the door is opened and closed. A used latch was bought for about £20 and after another couple of hours it fixed the issue.
So, I now had a fully functioning Boxster with an MOT until June 2017 for less than £3,900.
The Boxster proved to be a surprisingly good winter car - good heater, heated mirrors, windscreen cleared quickly and it felt very cosy. Despite no traction control it was easy enough to drive.
The balance between power and traction is great with the rear of the car pretty playful in the wet if you want it to be including some wheelspin in 3rd gear if you are very rough with it, but very grippy in the dry unless you use full gas in 1st gear coming out of junctions. The feedback through the wheel and the seat of your pants is huge and you feel completely connected to the road without feeling too hard.
I did develop a slight misfire which I quickly diagnosed as a coil pack (more online searches) and upon inspection found some were split so ordered and fitted a new set. Pretty easy job if you are half competent at spannering.
I saw left stranded at the roadside one evening after some heavy rain. On the way home from work the car windows dropped on their own and I recall there was a flash of the indicators or other lights. I pulled over and had a look around and found a load of water under the passenger seat on a control box. I got recovered home and after more online searches found the drain holes under the roof cover can become blocked and water then runs down and gathers under the passenger seat where the alarm module sits. Luckily I dried it out and it all worked again. I checked the drain holes and found the passenger one had a round plastic cap of some kind that had covered it. Also found this under there which was a little surprising!:
I'll update further later...
The balance between power and traction is great with the rear of the car pretty playful in the wet if you want it to be including some wheelspin in 3rd gear if you are very rough with it, but very grippy in the dry unless you use full gas in 1st gear coming out of junctions. The feedback through the wheel and the seat of your pants is huge and you feel completely connected to the road without feeling too hard.
I did develop a slight misfire which I quickly diagnosed as a coil pack (more online searches) and upon inspection found some were split so ordered and fitted a new set. Pretty easy job if you are half competent at spannering.
I saw left stranded at the roadside one evening after some heavy rain. On the way home from work the car windows dropped on their own and I recall there was a flash of the indicators or other lights. I pulled over and had a look around and found a load of water under the passenger seat on a control box. I got recovered home and after more online searches found the drain holes under the roof cover can become blocked and water then runs down and gathers under the passenger seat where the alarm module sits. Luckily I dried it out and it all worked again. I checked the drain holes and found the passenger one had a round plastic cap of some kind that had covered it. Also found this under there which was a little surprising!:
I'll update further later...
👍 The non aircon HVAC panel is much nicer too, without the nasty early digital display.
Also, with no a/c and a single din radio you can remove the lower centre console, GT3 style, which looks better and gives a lot more leg and knee room. The trim pieces are not too expensive online.
Also, with no a/c and a single din radio you can remove the lower centre console, GT3 style, which looks better and gives a lot more leg and knee room. The trim pieces are not too expensive online.
My first Boxster was a 986 2.7 and it was a great car. Mine was about as basic as they came - the only time I regretted that was in the south of France with no aircon. Leaving the roof up but windows down was the best solution I found. For the U.K. it was never an issue.
The 2.7 suits the car so well. Coil packs are a common issues but good you’ve already sorted yours.
The 2.7 suits the car so well. Coil packs are a common issues but good you’ve already sorted yours.
A change of job in early 2017 meant the Boxsters annual mileage increased from about 5,000 a year to about 14,000 a year. The MOT in June 2017 resulted in a fail. A couple of easy points - headlight beam adjustment and a rear tyre (bought a pair as is sensible). The other failures were suspension bushes in 3 of the 4 coffin arms and a leak of exhaust gasses from the back box silencer.
Neither job looked that bad to do and I had thought about a new backbox to release some more noise. I ordered 4 coffin arms and sent for the Meyle ones as they have a good reputation. Removing the old ones was a real pain. If you have ever worked on an older Boxster you will know that the suspension bolts are all steel and the suspension arms are I believe aluminium alloy? Anyway you get a severe reaction that results in the bolts seizing solid so most needing grinding off (I don't have a blowtorch but application of heat can help) I ended up having to grind one of the coffin arms to pieces until I could then grind through the bolt due to lack of access.
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It sounds like a real PITA, but now I've done it once I don't think it would be too bad to do again and applying copper grease to the body (not threads) of the bolts should help.
Neither job looked that bad to do and I had thought about a new backbox to release some more noise. I ordered 4 coffin arms and sent for the Meyle ones as they have a good reputation. Removing the old ones was a real pain. If you have ever worked on an older Boxster you will know that the suspension bolts are all steel and the suspension arms are I believe aluminium alloy? Anyway you get a severe reaction that results in the bolts seizing solid so most needing grinding off (I don't have a blowtorch but application of heat can help) I ended up having to grind one of the coffin arms to pieces until I could then grind through the bolt due to lack of access.
.
It sounds like a real PITA, but now I've done it once I don't think it would be too bad to do again and applying copper grease to the body (not threads) of the bolts should help.
For the exhaust back box I would have liked a Dansk or similar but no way ny budget would stretch that far. An original Porsche box is also very expensive and wouldn't give the better sound I was after.
I decided on a Toyosport one. Lots of info about these online and they seem to be a love/hate item. Widely available on a popular auction site. I read they give a good noise and are well made but can be very droney on motorways and a bit too loud for some. I decided to take the plunge as it was about £200 delivered and I don't do a lot of motorway driving.
I decided on a Toyosport one. Lots of info about these online and they seem to be a love/hate item. Widely available on a popular auction site. I read they give a good noise and are well made but can be very droney on motorways and a bit too loud for some. I decided to take the plunge as it was about £200 delivered and I don't do a lot of motorway driving.
I fitted the backbox without removing the rear bumper and it was a pretty easy job with the back of the car up on axle stands. I ordered some genuine Porsche clamps as read that these are the best and the old ones were well past their best.
The car passed the MOT and I had learnt more about how to work on the car. One of the most rewarding parts of the ownership has been working on the car myself. The most difficult thing is the age of the fixings meaning they tend to be seized and take a lot of effort to undo. The actual design and engineering is very good and once you have the car up on axle stands it's pretty easy to work on.
The Toyosport back box releases a lot of sound. It sounds fantastic idling and under light loads with a real burble and deep bass flat 6 noise. If you accelerate hard and let it rev the noise builds and sounds great. Closest thing I can compare it to is a 997 GT3 that I drive behind. As per the reviews it is make of good stainless steel and the welding all looks decent.
The downside is that it does drone at around 2,500 to 3,000 revs so if you are at a steady 70mph-ish in 5th gear you will get a lot of drone. I don't do a lot of that driving though and for me it is a very worthwhile exhaust that I would recommend (now been on for over 20k miles and 3 years and still all OK).
The car passed the MOT and I had learnt more about how to work on the car. One of the most rewarding parts of the ownership has been working on the car myself. The most difficult thing is the age of the fixings meaning they tend to be seized and take a lot of effort to undo. The actual design and engineering is very good and once you have the car up on axle stands it's pretty easy to work on.
The Toyosport back box releases a lot of sound. It sounds fantastic idling and under light loads with a real burble and deep bass flat 6 noise. If you accelerate hard and let it rev the noise builds and sounds great. Closest thing I can compare it to is a 997 GT3 that I drive behind. As per the reviews it is make of good stainless steel and the welding all looks decent.
The downside is that it does drone at around 2,500 to 3,000 revs so if you are at a steady 70mph-ish in 5th gear you will get a lot of drone. I don't do a lot of that driving though and for me it is a very worthwhile exhaust that I would recommend (now been on for over 20k miles and 3 years and still all OK).
Not sure if I prefer the silver or black now I look back!
The summer of 2018 in particular was a real golden period for the car and me. I am just over an hour from Snetterton so me and my teenage son spend about 6 weekends there watching everything from the rally stages, Ferrari club races, British GT and BTSS as well as the club races where the amateurs and old boys race everything from tuned 205GTi's to Sierra Cosworths and even an ex-Australian touring car championship Holden.
For the BTSS weekend we camped and managed to fit everything including the tent and food supplies in the Boxster:
The summer of 2018 in particular was a real golden period for the car and me. I am just over an hour from Snetterton so me and my teenage son spend about 6 weekends there watching everything from the rally stages, Ferrari club races, British GT and BTSS as well as the club races where the amateurs and old boys race everything from tuned 205GTi's to Sierra Cosworths and even an ex-Australian touring car championship Holden.
For the BTSS weekend we camped and managed to fit everything including the tent and food supplies in the Boxster:
DanG355 said:
<clip> found a load of water under the passenger seat on a control box. I got recovered home and after more online searches found the drain holes under the roof cover can become blocked and water then runs down and gathers under the passenger seat <clip>
I've had this happen on both my 987 and now my 981. On the 987 the water wrecked the control box and Porsche GB paid £2k towards the repair. Happened to my 981 last winter and it trashed the amplifier. Cost me a grand to repair. Finding the drain holes is a real bugger on the 981 ! RichB said:
I've had this happen on both my 987 and now my 981. On the 987 the water wrecked the control box and Porsche GB paid £2k towards the repair. Happened to my 981 last winter and it trashed the amplifier. Cost me a grand to repair. Finding the drain holes is a real bugger on the 981 !
I checked the drain holes again a couple of weeks ago and found a small piece of rubber over one of the holes - definitely worth checking them regularly!jonobigblind said:
Awesome write up so far, thank you for sharing.
How are you finding the MPG and general running costs?
The MPG is still around the 29MPG overall although on a good blast to Snetterton I reckon that drops to about 24. I only run it on high octae now but must admit I did use regular unleaded most of the time when doing higher mileage with the odd higher octane tank.How are you finding the MPG and general running costs?
If I couldn't do most of the work myself I doubt I would be able to afford to run it but if you are half competent with tools and can use the internet they really aren't bad cars to work on. Not including upgrades (I will come onto that...) I would estimate just on parts to keep it running I probably do about £300-£400 a year. The odd job comes up like coil packs and the suspension parts.
Insurance when I was doing about 15,000 miles a year and including 1,000 miles of business use was about £400 a year (I was 40 with 9+years NCB and car kept on a driveway in a mid-crime area).
Tyres are about £130 each on the rear and around £110 each on the front for a decent branded tyre. I used Pirelli P-Zero Nero GT's last time I changes them and have used Kuhmo in the past. I believe the best are Michelin PS2/PS4?? Bit pricey for my budget and a decent branded premium tyre is OK for the power this has.
Quick note on tyres.
I have always used 255/40/17 on the rear as is recommended for the 8.5x17 wheels. When I bought the car it had 205/50/17 on the front which I believe is the standard fitment.
When I needed to replace the fronts I read advice online and there was a lot of information about changing them to 225/45/17. They make the car a little less understeery and give the car a better balance. I decided to give them a go and when pushing hard do feel the front has more bite and a better front/rear balance. I'm no driving god but if you have a 986 and want to shift the balance a little then may be worth trying this set up.
I have always used 255/40/17 on the rear as is recommended for the 8.5x17 wheels. When I bought the car it had 205/50/17 on the front which I believe is the standard fitment.
When I needed to replace the fronts I read advice online and there was a lot of information about changing them to 225/45/17. They make the car a little less understeery and give the car a better balance. I decided to give them a go and when pushing hard do feel the front has more bite and a better front/rear balance. I'm no driving god but if you have a 986 and want to shift the balance a little then may be worth trying this set up.
Edited by DanG355 on Monday 25th May 11:03
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