Urgentish Q - Boxster - late 986 v new 987
Discussion
Don't buy the last of the 986's.
My recommendation would be MY03 (the year I own) with a high spec, definitly an 'S' - but with the critical glass rear window.
Already pre-depreciated you should get something for 30K (ish) that was £45K new.
Depreciation on reasonable miles should now be down to 3 - 4 K a year, I reckon.
The other good bet is a 987 standard car with no toys other than what is required for resale. £35K ish.
These are my thoughts anyway.
My recommendation would be MY03 (the year I own) with a high spec, definitly an 'S' - but with the critical glass rear window.
Already pre-depreciated you should get something for 30K (ish) that was £45K new.
Depreciation on reasonable miles should now be down to 3 - 4 K a year, I reckon.
The other good bet is a 987 standard car with no toys other than what is required for resale. £35K ish.
These are my thoughts anyway.
If you're insisting on on something under two years old you would be MAD not to buy the 987. The standard 987 has 240bhp (the 987S 280bhp) the 986 220bhp and 986S 260bhp. Porsche fiddled with ethe numbers a bit over the years.
So a standard 2.7 987 isn't far shy of a 986S in terms of grunt. Yours appears to have the main options for resale. It will also come with two years manufacturer's warranty, roadside assistance etc - which you'll want because unlike the reputation I can assure you that some new Porsche cars have teething troubles - I know mine did - but they dealt with them honourably and that's all you can ask.
It will still depreciate like a bastard in comparison to the older S. Someone buying my car now (19K miles, three years old) would be getting an absolute bargain in terms of the amount of car for the money and will suffer little depreciation in comparison.
So I'm keeping it!
If you get an older car - consider factoring in the price of a Porsche warranty. Its as comprehensive as the original two year one at £750 per year. You can extend it up to ten years old.
So a standard 2.7 987 isn't far shy of a 986S in terms of grunt. Yours appears to have the main options for resale. It will also come with two years manufacturer's warranty, roadside assistance etc - which you'll want because unlike the reputation I can assure you that some new Porsche cars have teething troubles - I know mine did - but they dealt with them honourably and that's all you can ask.
It will still depreciate like a bastard in comparison to the older S. Someone buying my car now (19K miles, three years old) would be getting an absolute bargain in terms of the amount of car for the money and will suffer little depreciation in comparison.
So I'm keeping it!
If you get an older car - consider factoring in the price of a Porsche warranty. Its as comprehensive as the original two year one at £750 per year. You can extend it up to ten years old.
Belts are 48K IIRC. An S for the low £20's has to be the bargain of a lifetime. I would say that couldn't depreciate any more than £6K tops over two years. I think you would lose quite a bit more on a newer one and TBH, would it be really be £10K better than a slightly older S?
RMS, whilst it does happen is a bit of an internet horror story. I wouldn't let that put me off.
If you go for an S, you also get the six speed box and bigger brakes. (they are red though
)
RMS, whilst it does happen is a bit of an internet horror story. I wouldn't let that put me off.
If you go for an S, you also get the six speed box and bigger brakes. (they are red though
)Having just paid £36K for a 987 2.7 (rom an OPC, I'll tip my hat to you if you can get a discount!
We purposely bought a lower spec model to level out the depreciation curve, however in terms of depreciation I'd think you'll lose less money on a 2-3 year old 986, but come resale time, may find it harder to shift on.
We purposely bought a lower spec model to level out the depreciation curve, however in terms of depreciation I'd think you'll lose less money on a 2-3 year old 986, but come resale time, may find it harder to shift on.
OK. If you get a 2001 model BoxS...
I had one. Beautiful Lapis Blue car...with a light grey interior. 252bhp in MY01. MY01 was also when "Traction Control" was replaced with PSM IIRC - it was new and it was buggy...but if its working now then its likely OK. Mine experienced failure at about 1 year old and needed to visit Porsche for a week (or two!) to fix it!
Do not get a light interior - on an older car it will have grime embedded in it that's difficult to get out. Get a black interior.
Standard S wheels were 17" at that time. 18" were an option - nice but the rubber will cost you more.
It was the plastic rear window at that time and you will need to do the "Boxster Chop". (Fold roof back 50%, chop plastic window so it folds correctly, fold roof remaining 50%). This is a pain in the butt as you have to get out of the damn car to do it. Not good on the hard shoulder of motorway when caught out in a Summer thunderstorm. Check the window doesn't have a split in it from the previous owner not bothering.
They were *great* cars even back then...but the plastic rear window is a pain...
Options you MUST have:
1) Wind Deflector
Options you SHOULD have:
1) Leather (several options here but "full" is enough)
2) Heated seats (extends the time you spend roof down)
3) Porsche Sound Pack (Standard stereo is shit)
4) On Board Computer
5) Upgraded gear knob - can always retro fit, of course. But nice.
Options you SHOULDN'T have
1) Bose Stereo - sounds great but you lose the storage box under the wind deflector.
Options you can consider:
1) Hardtop - more necessary on the older car (plastic rear window) as it does have a heated rear glass window for winter driving.
2) Sat Nav (PCM) - personally I wouldn't care as Tom Tom Go is now cheap and better and most mobiles offer hands free capability.
3) Litronic Headlights - I have these. The road is brightly lit. And it would be with the standard lights too. Errm. Why did I get them? Errrm?
4) Cruise
Hardtop and Satnav still add a lot to second hand value as they were both 2K options new. Leather was also a 1.5K option. The other options, despite adding up to a few K, will make little difference to the value of the vehicle - and so represent worthwhile things to have on a vehicle you are buying at four years old.
Any other questions - just ask.
I had one. Beautiful Lapis Blue car...with a light grey interior. 252bhp in MY01. MY01 was also when "Traction Control" was replaced with PSM IIRC - it was new and it was buggy...but if its working now then its likely OK. Mine experienced failure at about 1 year old and needed to visit Porsche for a week (or two!) to fix it!
Do not get a light interior - on an older car it will have grime embedded in it that's difficult to get out. Get a black interior.
Standard S wheels were 17" at that time. 18" were an option - nice but the rubber will cost you more.
It was the plastic rear window at that time and you will need to do the "Boxster Chop". (Fold roof back 50%, chop plastic window so it folds correctly, fold roof remaining 50%). This is a pain in the butt as you have to get out of the damn car to do it. Not good on the hard shoulder of motorway when caught out in a Summer thunderstorm. Check the window doesn't have a split in it from the previous owner not bothering.
They were *great* cars even back then...but the plastic rear window is a pain...
Options you MUST have:
1) Wind Deflector
Options you SHOULD have:
1) Leather (several options here but "full" is enough)
2) Heated seats (extends the time you spend roof down)
3) Porsche Sound Pack (Standard stereo is shit)
4) On Board Computer
5) Upgraded gear knob - can always retro fit, of course. But nice.
Options you SHOULDN'T have
1) Bose Stereo - sounds great but you lose the storage box under the wind deflector.
Options you can consider:
1) Hardtop - more necessary on the older car (plastic rear window) as it does have a heated rear glass window for winter driving.
2) Sat Nav (PCM) - personally I wouldn't care as Tom Tom Go is now cheap and better and most mobiles offer hands free capability.
3) Litronic Headlights - I have these. The road is brightly lit. And it would be with the standard lights too. Errm. Why did I get them? Errrm?
4) Cruise
Hardtop and Satnav still add a lot to second hand value as they were both 2K options new. Leather was also a 1.5K option. The other options, despite adding up to a few K, will make little difference to the value of the vehicle - and so represent worthwhile things to have on a vehicle you are buying at four years old.
Any other questions - just ask.
Tyres: Micheldever Tyres in Hampshire do all the tyres you could want and are competetively priced. They also do alloy refurbs - although I've not used them for that.
I used to run my 01 car on Pirellis but my 03 car came with Michelin Pilot Sports on it - and I've stuck with them ever since - long lasting, tough, great in the wet, durable at the track - but pricey.
I *am* considering some Toyos next...we'll see.
Sounds like you got a nice spec car!
I run mine on Optimax 98 RON but, to be honest, it will run just fine on any 95 octane petrol at a pinch. I have never bothered with octane boosters etc.
I used to run my 01 car on Pirellis but my 03 car came with Michelin Pilot Sports on it - and I've stuck with them ever since - long lasting, tough, great in the wet, durable at the track - but pricey.
I *am* considering some Toyos next...we'll see.
Sounds like you got a nice spec car!
I run mine on Optimax 98 RON but, to be honest, it will run just fine on any 95 octane petrol at a pinch. I have never bothered with octane boosters etc.
I would reinforce the Micheldever recommendation, I believe Bracknell Tyres is part of the same group now and this is probably a bit nearer to you. I would also agree with Don that the Michelins are worth paying a little bit more for, purely because they last a lot longer than any other options I`ve tried. I still think the Pirellis had a little more grip and if they are substantially cheaper they would be a genuine consideration.
There are wheel refurbishers all over the place these days. I atually found that my local OPC was the best bet - very nearly as cheap and they would let you do one wheel rather than a complete set!
Wouldn`t worry too much about Optimax - I use it when I can but the 3.2 is perfectly capable of running on most muck - it`s not particularly highly tuned and the effects of 98 RON are pretty marginal anyway.
Enjoy your new car, the S is worth the extra and you`ll soon learn why those that drive them often find them hard to replace!
There are wheel refurbishers all over the place these days. I atually found that my local OPC was the best bet - very nearly as cheap and they would let you do one wheel rather than a complete set!
Wouldn`t worry too much about Optimax - I use it when I can but the 3.2 is perfectly capable of running on most muck - it`s not particularly highly tuned and the effects of 98 RON are pretty marginal anyway.
Enjoy your new car, the S is worth the extra and you`ll soon learn why those that drive them often find them hard to replace!
I'd go for the 986. Test drove the 987 and did not feel it was far enough ahead for the 986 to justify buying new. By the time you spec the 987 you will be up around £45K. A 986 will save you £17K....that is a wad of cash in anyones book.....save it and part ex. against at 996 3.6 in two years. I have a 2.7 for a year now and was offered a part exchange against a 996 just £200 less than I paid for my car...........that is depreciation free!!
Wait two months (October/November) go for a glass screen S, buy private and bargain hard. Prices between the "S" and 2.7 have narrowed substantially. Last year there was 4/5K difference between a MY01 "S" and 2.7........I guesstimate this is down to 2K.
Wait two months (October/November) go for a glass screen S, buy private and bargain hard. Prices between the "S" and 2.7 have narrowed substantially. Last year there was 4/5K difference between a MY01 "S" and 2.7........I guesstimate this is down to 2K.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
don't you dare do that to her, Porsche recommend 98ron so that's what you should give her!
Seriously, 95ron is supposedly fine but I never found out during my ownership - as I never used anything bar Optimax I couldn't compare but others who have reckon the mpg gains = the extra cost of Optimax
BP Ultimate is next best thing at 97ron
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