What to look out for on a 986s
Discussion
Hi all,
I'm in the market for a early 2000 Boxster S, I could probably stretch and get a decent 987 but actually prefer the classic look of the 986s, with the fried egg lights!
Although I would consider myself a car enthusiast it's usually from the side-lines as I have lacked the funds until recently.. I have however saved up some money and looking to pick one up in the next week, though obviously want to make sure it's not a dud. Is it worth taking the car for an MOT or similar for an inspection from a mechanic? Seems like it would be money well spent pre-purchase?
The car I am looking is about 2 hours away and only has part-history, I will assume then the IMS not to be done, though I also would rather the car doesn't die before I can get the repair sorted. As far as I am aware it's something that doesn't give any warning?
I'd obviously give the car a look over before I purchase it regardless, but honestly I doubt I would know the difference between wear and tear and an actual problem.
Any advice would be appreciated.
I'm in the market for a early 2000 Boxster S, I could probably stretch and get a decent 987 but actually prefer the classic look of the 986s, with the fried egg lights!
Although I would consider myself a car enthusiast it's usually from the side-lines as I have lacked the funds until recently.. I have however saved up some money and looking to pick one up in the next week, though obviously want to make sure it's not a dud. Is it worth taking the car for an MOT or similar for an inspection from a mechanic? Seems like it would be money well spent pre-purchase?
The car I am looking is about 2 hours away and only has part-history, I will assume then the IMS not to be done, though I also would rather the car doesn't die before I can get the repair sorted. As far as I am aware it's something that doesn't give any warning?
I'd obviously give the car a look over before I purchase it regardless, but honestly I doubt I would know the difference between wear and tear and an actual problem.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Spend a couple of hours googling. It will cost you very little.
A 20 year old 986 however may cost you on average between £1k-£2k per year to keep in good running order*
If you buy a poorly maintained example you could easily be into £3-£4k to get it sorted initially. That's without getting the IMS done.
An MOT won't reveal everything. An independent inspection would be better but it's an expensive route if you look at several cars....
A 20 year old 986 however may cost you on average between £1k-£2k per year to keep in good running order*
If you buy a poorly maintained example you could easily be into £3-£4k to get it sorted initially. That's without getting the IMS done.
An MOT won't reveal everything. An independent inspection would be better but it's an expensive route if you look at several cars....
- I ran one for 6 years, only did about 15k in total.
I should have said that I have done many hours of research but what I was trying to get at is that looking online vs in real life can be quite difficult. For example any strange engine noises without a reference point can be quite difficult to detect without an experienced ear.
Thank you for the advice on the cost though, I wouldn't expect it to be cheap to run but hoping not to have the initial 3-4k !
Thank you for the advice on the cost though, I wouldn't expect it to be cheap to run but hoping not to have the initial 3-4k !
I'm no marque expert but ultimately it's just a car. If you've done the research you'll know the common problems and the things that break/wear out.
Rather than an inspection, I'd be making a checklist from the above and relying on my own eyes and ears and a test drive (even as a passenger) to pick out any potential problems or bits that will need money spending. Unless it's a rare fastidiously maintained car with servicing and preventative maintenance done as required, there's invariably something that will need doing on a 20 year old boxster.
Good luck!
Rather than an inspection, I'd be making a checklist from the above and relying on my own eyes and ears and a test drive (even as a passenger) to pick out any potential problems or bits that will need money spending. Unless it's a rare fastidiously maintained car with servicing and preventative maintenance done as required, there's invariably something that will need doing on a 20 year old boxster.
Good luck!
I would probably buy one from a forum user or one that shows work has been done.
Buy one that has had the suspension done already if you can, and by that I mean dampers, springs, bump stops, top mounts, bearing, coffin arms, tuning forks, the lot.
That will need doing if not done in the last 5 years or 50k miles or so and will cost you around £3-4k depending whether you are doing the work yourself.
I would not worry about IMS, there are 20 years old now, if it hasn't gone you would be incredibly unlucky for it to go. It will cost you around £1500 or more to get it done and and why bother? You can buy tatty 986s for £3k, if the worst happens buy one and swap the engine
I would only buy one blind if it was cheap enough to get right.
I sold my 986s for £6000 recently. 90k miles, great spec. Bose, xenons, Pioneer dab car play, suspension refresh, FSH, MK2 roof with glass window, and felt proper tight, also seal grey and black so a good colour.
Yeah I could have got £7500 easily, but a 996 came up at a price that meant I wanted to move it quickly, so did. But I think many of these cars at £6-7k are overpriced as still need another £3k throwing at them.
Buy one that has had the suspension done already if you can, and by that I mean dampers, springs, bump stops, top mounts, bearing, coffin arms, tuning forks, the lot.
That will need doing if not done in the last 5 years or 50k miles or so and will cost you around £3-4k depending whether you are doing the work yourself.
I would not worry about IMS, there are 20 years old now, if it hasn't gone you would be incredibly unlucky for it to go. It will cost you around £1500 or more to get it done and and why bother? You can buy tatty 986s for £3k, if the worst happens buy one and swap the engine
I would only buy one blind if it was cheap enough to get right.
I sold my 986s for £6000 recently. 90k miles, great spec. Bose, xenons, Pioneer dab car play, suspension refresh, FSH, MK2 roof with glass window, and felt proper tight, also seal grey and black so a good colour.
Yeah I could have got £7500 easily, but a 996 came up at a price that meant I wanted to move it quickly, so did. But I think many of these cars at £6-7k are overpriced as still need another £3k throwing at them.
I would not buy a car like a Porsche with part history, I would expect at least first 6/7 years OPC history followed by at least a good Indy maintenance. I had a 986s from new in 2003 for 5 years great car BUT .... The ims let go at 13k which can go anytime and was a new engine which was about £12k even a rebuild can cost £6k+
If you buy a cheap car it could end up costing ££££££s worth paying extra for a well maintained car or save up and get a 2.9 gen2.
If you buy a cheap car it could end up costing ££££££s worth paying extra for a well maintained car or save up and get a 2.9 gen2.
alexs2b said:
Hi all,
Any advice would be appreciated.
OP, some good info in ATM's post here https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... My 986 experience was not disimilar:Any advice would be appreciated.
ATM said yesterday:
"There is so much good news with all of these 911 cars that any will feel good if they are right. Which brings us onto the bad news and that's all about the stuff which will break or tire and need replacing if you want to enjoy the car at it's best because these cars feel so much better at their best. This is the same for all 996 and 997 cars and also the boxsters and caymans too.
First up suspension needs to be tip top. If you change everything that's all arms and dampers and bushes and everything everything everything then you basically have a new car suspension wise. Next in no particular order is the clutch including the bits and pieces connecting the pedal to the clutch itself. Then the gears, so the lever, gear cables and the Box itself. Through all my research I didn't realise the box was a known weak point and mine went pop. Used gearboxes sell for 2500 and Porsche charge 10000 for a new one. More and more cars are having gearbox rebuilds now as the bearings inside are all rubbish and the 2nd gear synchro tends to go. Mine fell apart inside in a much more dramatic fashion and had to be replaced. Then you have all the rads, condensers and all the pipes and tubes connecting these with coolant and also those for brake fluid and power steering. Anyone who knows these cars well will tell you they can eat money at a rapid rate once you start.
I threw lots of money at my car in the first 2 years but in the last 2 it's cost me basically nothing."
GT4P said:
I would not buy a car like a Porsche with part history, I would expect at least first 6/7 years OPC history followed by at least a good Indy maintenance. I had a 986s from new in 2003 for 5 years great car BUT .... The ims let go at 13k which can go anytime and was a new engine which was about £12k even a rebuild can cost £6k+
If you buy a cheap car it could end up costing ££££££s worth paying extra for a well maintained car or save up and get a 2.9 gen2.
But that is the point with the IMS, they tend to go within the first 60k, even 40k miles, and after that how many have you ever heard of going?If you buy a cheap car it could end up costing ££££££s worth paying extra for a well maintained car or save up and get a 2.9 gen2.
I would not be worried about OPC history or even specialist, seeing that people have replaced the suspension, fluids regularly, coolant lines, brake lines, air oil separator, plugs, coil packs, exhaust, gearbox rebuild, etc. etc. is far better than any dealer stamp to say oil and brake fluid has been changed once a year.
My 996 was ignored a bit as the guy put in the advert "Not Porsche history but well maintained."
However, after speaking to him, because it was local, it had been to Porsche for the first 4 years, then to Northway Porsche and then in the last 5 years and 20k miles it had £11,000 spent on getting all the niggly bits right. His "Not Porsche history but well maintained." ended up being a massive folder full of paperwork dating when everything ever done to that car and when it was done, it is exactly what I what I like history wise. It also makes it far easier to diagnose potential future issues.
Thank you all for the input - It just so happens there is a Porsche dealer not too far away and they do an 111 point check for 200£ which I feel like would be money well spent, as I am really not that confident. It could be 200 quid to save 000's, though I think someone pointed it out before that it would become an expensive hobby by doing that a few times. Though I have found the exact spec I want so I think it would be worth it, on this occasion.
It's fairly low miles <70,000 - I understand the point about the IMS, so perhaps it isn't as urgent as I thought. I have asked to see what service history there is and I have some money for some repair work as I would like to enjoy it to its max potential. I also wonder if I can ask the local Porsche dealer if they have any info as I guess it could have been serviced there previously if un-recorded.
Looking forward to giving it a shot anyway and I will keep you all posted.
Thanks again,
It's fairly low miles <70,000 - I understand the point about the IMS, so perhaps it isn't as urgent as I thought. I have asked to see what service history there is and I have some money for some repair work as I would like to enjoy it to its max potential. I also wonder if I can ask the local Porsche dealer if they have any info as I guess it could have been serviced there previously if un-recorded.
Looking forward to giving it a shot anyway and I will keep you all posted.
Thanks again,
111 point check at a Porsche Centre not suitable in this context. It’s a checkbox exercise that’s probably as much about drumming up work for the service department as anything else.
Plus, decent chance whoever does the inspection isn’t seeing 986s regularly. Far better to use a good independent.
Plus, decent chance whoever does the inspection isn’t seeing 986s regularly. Far better to use a good independent.
alexs2b said:
Thank you all for the input - It just so happens there is a Porsche dealer not too far away and they do an 111 point check for 200£ which I feel like would be money well spent, as I am really not that confident. It could be 200 quid to save 000's, though I think someone pointed it out before that it would become an expensive hobby by doing that a few times. Though I have found the exact spec I want so I think it would be worth it, on this occasion.
It's fairly low miles <70,000 - I understand the point about the IMS, so perhaps it isn't as urgent as I thought. I have asked to see what service history there is and I have some money for some repair work as I would like to enjoy it to its max potential. I also wonder if I can ask the local Porsche dealer if they have any info as I guess it could have been serviced there previously if un-recorded.
Looking forward to giving it a shot anyway and I will keep you all posted.
Thanks again,
Where are you based? I'm sure that there will be a loical enthusaist (on boxa.net) who could offer to help you look for the price of a 4 pack of beer. Most of the common issues are easy to spot and they'll likely have a feel for how much they will cost to rectify.It's fairly low miles <70,000 - I understand the point about the IMS, so perhaps it isn't as urgent as I thought. I have asked to see what service history there is and I have some money for some repair work as I would like to enjoy it to its max potential. I also wonder if I can ask the local Porsche dealer if they have any info as I guess it could have been serviced there previously if un-recorded.
Looking forward to giving it a shot anyway and I will keep you all posted.
Thanks again,
Obviously, they won't be able to accept any liabiity if they miss something but for the cost of a 986, I'd be prepared to take that gamble (and did in the past). In fariness, even the specialists miss stuff (like the guy recently who had his car inspected and signed off, only to later discover that it had been in a crash and poorly repaired).
I have a 986 S that i'm going to be selling shortly. It had the IMS done as a precaution by the prev owner 10k miles ago. It has just had a new clutch and RMS.
In the 3 yrs i've had it it's had brakes all round, coil packs, spark plug tubes, an air con pipe, brake pipes, and probably other stuff i've forgotten.
Total cost over that time of about £3k, so i'd echo the comment here that you need about £1k per year to keep them sweet.
Mine's cobalt blue with grey extended leather and sports seats. 80k miles
Great cars. Only selling mine because it's not getting used enough.
PM me if interested
In the 3 yrs i've had it it's had brakes all round, coil packs, spark plug tubes, an air con pipe, brake pipes, and probably other stuff i've forgotten.
Total cost over that time of about £3k, so i'd echo the comment here that you need about £1k per year to keep them sweet.
Mine's cobalt blue with grey extended leather and sports seats. 80k miles
Great cars. Only selling mine because it's not getting used enough.
PM me if interested
Edited by PTF on Friday 14th May 06:02
986 prices have 'narrowed' in the last couple of years, in that they have appreciated a bit and the £3k snotters have all but disappeared.
Some sellers, especially in the trade, are capitalising on this and asking strong money for cars which have a mechanical condition not justified by the screen price. 12 months MOT or a paper-thin aftermarket warranty aren't an indication of anything either.
IMHO obtaining good one is going to cost you £7-8k.
Whether you buy one for £5k and spend £3k on it, or whether you get one for £7k and spend very little on it, is your choice.
It is possible to buy one for, say £5k-£6k,, and live with its foibles. I've done this three times but those experiences led me to a 'minimum viable product' approach to buying my 4th.
That minimum includes:
- evidence of a replacement clutch
- money spent on suspension within 20k miles, esp top mounts and coffin arms
- a sound exhaust (replacements are hard to source unless you go for an Ebay sports one, which drone badly)
- non-leaking roof. Check the carpets behind the wind deflector and the rear screen seams
Bonus items:
- IMS and RMS done
- Rads and condensors
- more extensive suspension overhaul
- rear glass screen upgrade
My latest was £8k for a 70k / 2001 car, and has the full list above bar the final one, including a recent bills for £3.5k. I may have paid strong money, but it drives like a new one, which makes it feel like something worth much more than I paid.
I'm really happy with it, and am glad I spent a lot more this time around. Even so, my rear screen has split over the last few months, so i'm facing a fair hefty bill to replace.
Some sellers, especially in the trade, are capitalising on this and asking strong money for cars which have a mechanical condition not justified by the screen price. 12 months MOT or a paper-thin aftermarket warranty aren't an indication of anything either.
IMHO obtaining good one is going to cost you £7-8k.
Whether you buy one for £5k and spend £3k on it, or whether you get one for £7k and spend very little on it, is your choice.
It is possible to buy one for, say £5k-£6k,, and live with its foibles. I've done this three times but those experiences led me to a 'minimum viable product' approach to buying my 4th.
That minimum includes:
- evidence of a replacement clutch
- money spent on suspension within 20k miles, esp top mounts and coffin arms
- a sound exhaust (replacements are hard to source unless you go for an Ebay sports one, which drone badly)
- non-leaking roof. Check the carpets behind the wind deflector and the rear screen seams
Bonus items:
- IMS and RMS done
- Rads and condensors
- more extensive suspension overhaul
- rear glass screen upgrade
My latest was £8k for a 70k / 2001 car, and has the full list above bar the final one, including a recent bills for £3.5k. I may have paid strong money, but it drives like a new one, which makes it feel like something worth much more than I paid.
I'm really happy with it, and am glad I spent a lot more this time around. Even so, my rear screen has split over the last few months, so i'm facing a fair hefty bill to replace.
edc said:
A split rear screen needn't a hefty repair bill. Indeed its probably one of the cheaper repairs from £250 for a new panel to be stitched in.
Not to doubt you, but could you share details where I can get that done please? I've only seen circa £595.TIA
I can get a whole hood including plastic screen second hand for £200-ish, but that feels like a false economy as it's likely to go again (and it's a faff of a job)
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