Porsche Boxster 986 2.5 - Is it just me???
Discussion
Agree with the OP the 2.5 Boxster makes a great used buy currently, as said many are scared by internet stories of engine failures, yet this must only really effect a very few owners.
Here is my old one had covered 100k miles still enjoyed lots of track days and a trip to ring. (Mine had a new roof with heated glass screen fitted which was a much better option than a hard top for me).
Here is my old one had covered 100k miles still enjoyed lots of track days and a trip to ring. (Mine had a new roof with heated glass screen fitted which was a much better option than a hard top for me).
mikey P 500 said:
Agree with the OP the 2.5 Boxster makes a great used buy currently, as said many are scared by internet stories of engine failures, yet this must only really effect a very few owners.
Here is my old one had covered 100k miles still enjoyed lots of track days and a trip to ring. (Mine had a new roof with heated glass screen fitted which was a much better option than a hard top for me).
Lovely looking car. Was it necessary to change the whole roof for the glass window? It's an upgrade I was thinking about but was hoping I could just swap out old plastic one for new glass one.Here is my old one had covered 100k miles still enjoyed lots of track days and a trip to ring. (Mine had a new roof with heated glass screen fitted which was a much better option than a hard top for me).
Rsdop said:
Nearly went for one of these recently and still might if the right car pops up. I think the early 2.5 is the best looking of all the Boxsters, something really clean about it and definitely less horror stories about the 2.5 engine, although still enough to be scary!
I agree, I had a VERY long look at these a couple of years but did not have enough brave pills to go ahead, went with a boring BMW instead 
coopedup said:
Rsdop said:
Nearly went for one of these recently and still might if the right car pops up. I think the early 2.5 is the best looking of all the Boxsters, something really clean about it and definitely less horror stories about the 2.5 engine, although still enough to be scary!
I agree, I had a VERY long look at these a couple of years but did not have enough brave pills to go ahead, went with a boring BMW instead nickfrog said:
OK a bit of an exaggeration - what I meant to say is : based on a decent (although probably not representative) stats on boxa.net, you probably have less than 1% chance of your 2.5 engine exploding, particularly if it's past 60k, which most have. So is such a risk of losing a £5k asset that "terrifying" ? Would it be life changing (albeit unpleasant) ? Surely not as life changing as discovering the delights of such a great car, as abundantly demonstrated in this thread. But I guess it is indeed a matter of opinion and we all have varying attitudes to risk. You don't know what you're missing though, but at least you help keep values low ;-).
It's not just attitude to risk, a 986 2.5 just isn't special or fast enough for me to risk incurring a healthy 4 figure bill if it borks itself. Before any of you jump on me, note I said "for me".
Rsdop said:
coopedup said:
Rsdop said:
Nearly went for one of these recently and still might if the right car pops up. I think the early 2.5 is the best looking of all the Boxsters, something really clean about it and definitely less horror stories about the 2.5 engine, although still enough to be scary!
I agree, I had a VERY long look at these a couple of years but did not have enough brave pills to go ahead, went with a boring BMW instead TheJimi said:
nickfrog said:
OK a bit of an exaggeration - what I meant to say is : based on a decent (although probably not representative) stats on boxa.net, you probably have less than 1% chance of your 2.5 engine exploding, particularly if it's past 60k, which most have. So is such a risk of losing a £5k asset that "terrifying" ? Would it be life changing (albeit unpleasant) ? Surely not as life changing as discovering the delights of such a great car, as abundantly demonstrated in this thread. But I guess it is indeed a matter of opinion and we all have varying attitudes to risk. You don't know what you're missing though, but at least you help keep values low ;-).
It's not just attitude to risk, a 986 2.5 just isn't special or fast enough for me to risk incurring a healthy 4 figure bill if it borks itself. Before any of you jump on me, note I said "for me".
We bought an '03 3.2S but i can honestly say it was the most dissapointing car I have ever owned ( check my profile garage ) , and I love a French hot hatch !!!
Saying that, I would love a dirt cheap healthy S a take every g of weight out of it I could. Apart from the shockingly niggly faults, the worst thing about our S was the weight. She was a chunky monkey. If it was way lighter it could be an amazing car.
Good luck with your 2.5, for the money you paid its a fun car if its a good one.
Saying that, I would love a dirt cheap healthy S a take every g of weight out of it I could. Apart from the shockingly niggly faults, the worst thing about our S was the weight. She was a chunky monkey. If it was way lighter it could be an amazing car.
Good luck with your 2.5, for the money you paid its a fun car if its a good one.
Furyblade_Lee said:
We bought an '03 3.2S but i can honestly say it was the most dissapointing car I have ever owned ( check my profile garage ) , and I love a French hot hatch !!!
Saying that, I would love a dirt cheap healthy S a take every g of weight out of it I could. Apart from the shockingly niggly faults, the worst thing about our S was the weight. She was a chunky monkey. If it was way lighter it could be an amazing car.
Good luck with your 2.5, for the money you paid its a fun car if its a good one.
Wow, I find mine feels light to drive - a little too light at times especially when changing direction progressively it feels a bit floaty. Thanks for the good luck comment, it is really fun for the outlay.Saying that, I would love a dirt cheap healthy S a take every g of weight out of it I could. Apart from the shockingly niggly faults, the worst thing about our S was the weight. She was a chunky monkey. If it was way lighter it could be an amazing car.
Good luck with your 2.5, for the money you paid its a fun car if its a good one.
TheJimi said:
nickfrog said:
OK a bit of an exaggeration - what I meant to say is : based on a decent (although probably not representative) stats on boxa.net, you probably have less than 1% chance of your 2.5 engine exploding, particularly if it's past 60k, which most have. So is such a risk of losing a £5k asset that "terrifying" ? Would it be life changing (albeit unpleasant) ? Surely not as life changing as discovering the delights of such a great car, as abundantly demonstrated in this thread. But I guess it is indeed a matter of opinion and we all have varying attitudes to risk. You don't know what you're missing though, but at least you help keep values low ;-).
It's not just attitude to risk, a 986 2.5 just isn't special or fast enough for me to risk incurring a healthy 4 figure bill if it borks itself. Before any of you jump on me, note I said "for me".
Edited by nickfrog on Wednesday 20th April 22:41
mrpenks said:
About 9 months ago I stumbled upon a mint, low mileage silver Boxster 2.5 being sold privately whilst looking for a car to use at weekends as a break from the diesel boredom of motorway mile munching. The owner had maintained it fastidiously and it looked showroom fresh. I read up as much as I could and was put off by claims it was slow, unreliable and had the wrong engine. Yet when I test drove it I found a rapid, fantastic handling car that would run rings around most other 'fast' cars. So I took the plunge and purchased it for under £4k. The owner even included a hard top in the sale. I was certain it must have had an engine swap to 2.7 or have been tuned yet on inspection I found the engine was original.
Fast forward to today. I popped out for a spring blast yesterday and couldn't help thinking is it just me or is the 2.5 Boxster the bargain of the century and a true drivers champ. 150mph, 60 in 6.7 seconds, 30mpg, wind in hair driving, amazing chassis balance and great build quality. Mine is 17 years old and has no faults, no rust and the engine is like a Swiss watch. Moreover the 2.5 doesn't suffer with ims failure issues contrary to myth.
So I've turned to PH for a reality check. Am I mad, sad or blinkered in my view that my weekend motor is a great car or a wannabe Porsche undeserving of the badge that I'm viewing through rose tinted spectacles?
Was it the 2.7 version that suffered with the engine issues or was this just exaggerated? These are a real bargain at the moment; very tempted
Fast forward to today. I popped out for a spring blast yesterday and couldn't help thinking is it just me or is the 2.5 Boxster the bargain of the century and a true drivers champ. 150mph, 60 in 6.7 seconds, 30mpg, wind in hair driving, amazing chassis balance and great build quality. Mine is 17 years old and has no faults, no rust and the engine is like a Swiss watch. Moreover the 2.5 doesn't suffer with ims failure issues contrary to myth.
So I've turned to PH for a reality check. Am I mad, sad or blinkered in my view that my weekend motor is a great car or a wannabe Porsche undeserving of the badge that I'm viewing through rose tinted spectacles?
Was it the 2.7 version that suffered with the engine issues or was this just exaggerated? These are a real bargain at the moment; very tempted
Edited by mrpenks on Saturday 16th April 11:19
egor110 said:
TheJimi said:
nickfrog said:
OK a bit of an exaggeration - what I meant to say is : based on a decent (although probably not representative) stats on boxa.net, you probably have less than 1% chance of your 2.5 engine exploding, particularly if it's past 60k, which most have. So is such a risk of losing a £5k asset that "terrifying" ? Would it be life changing (albeit unpleasant) ? Surely not as life changing as discovering the delights of such a great car, as abundantly demonstrated in this thread. But I guess it is indeed a matter of opinion and we all have varying attitudes to risk. You don't know what you're missing though, but at least you help keep values low ;-).
It's not just attitude to risk, a 986 2.5 just isn't special or fast enough for me to risk incurring a healthy 4 figure bill if it borks itself. Before any of you jump on me, note I said "for me".
I am afraid I agree with TheJemi here. I also think the <1% figure is massively inaccurate from the threads I have myself witnessed and experience of people I know personally.
Taking that risk on a car that isn't all that special (albeit quite pretty and with a nice badge on the front for the money) wouldn't interest me if money were an issue. If it wasn't, well £5k for a nice looking use daily all rounder isn't so bad to lose in its entirety and you'd probably see a few grand back even with a fooked engine on ebay. But then its the hassle factor....and if the money wasn't an object, I'd spend more and buy something else anyway.
Patrick Bateman said:
That figure is from Porsche is it not? The percentage was significantly higher than that for 2001-2005 cars, around 9% IIRC based on the lawsuit. It's as close as anyone can get to decent data on them that isn't just anecdotal.
That's what I also found when researching and is exactly the point I tried to make in the original post - the 2.5 is 'less prone' to failure and therefore, to my mind, a better buy counter to myth. It seems to be one of those let's not let the facts interfere with our opinion type cars for some, especially those who've never owned one!It's like the myriad of different engine configurations and applications involving the M96 and M97. It's all quite specific depending on years, capacity etc. but a lot of folk not too familiar with the intricacies tend to group them all together equally in the risk stakes.
Definitely something that requires homework though it would seem!
Definitely something that requires homework though it would seem!
edc said:
mrpenks said:
Lovely looking car. Was it necessary to change the whole roof for the glass window? It's an upgrade I was thinking about but was hoping I could just swap out old plastic one for new glass one.
You can't just swap out the back "window" so whole roof only. Yorkshire Lad said:
mrpenks said:
About 9 months ago I stumbled upon a mint, low mileage silver Boxster 2.5 being sold privately whilst looking for a car to use at weekends as a break from the diesel boredom of motorway mile munching. The owner had maintained it fastidiously and it looked showroom fresh. I read up as much as I could and was put off by claims it was slow, unreliable and had the wrong engine. Yet when I test drove it I found a rapid, fantastic handling car that would run rings around most other 'fast' cars. So I took the plunge and purchased it for under £4k. The owner even included a hard top in the sale. I was certain it must have had an engine swap to 2.7 or have been tuned yet on inspection I found the engine was original.
Fast forward to today. I popped out for a spring blast yesterday and couldn't help thinking is it just me or is the 2.5 Boxster the bargain of the century and a true drivers champ. 150mph, 60 in 6.7 seconds, 30mpg, wind in hair driving, amazing chassis balance and great build quality. Mine is 17 years old and has no faults, no rust and the engine is like a Swiss watch. Moreover the 2.5 doesn't suffer with ims failure issues contrary to myth.
So I've turned to PH for a reality check. Am I mad, sad or blinkered in my view that my weekend motor is a great car or a wannabe Porsche undeserving of the badge that I'm viewing through rose tinted spectacles?
Was it the 2.7 version that suffered with the engine issues or was this just exaggerated? These are a real bargain at the moment; very tempted
Fast forward to today. I popped out for a spring blast yesterday and couldn't help thinking is it just me or is the 2.5 Boxster the bargain of the century and a true drivers champ. 150mph, 60 in 6.7 seconds, 30mpg, wind in hair driving, amazing chassis balance and great build quality. Mine is 17 years old and has no faults, no rust and the engine is like a Swiss watch. Moreover the 2.5 doesn't suffer with ims failure issues contrary to myth.
So I've turned to PH for a reality check. Am I mad, sad or blinkered in my view that my weekend motor is a great car or a wannabe Porsche undeserving of the badge that I'm viewing through rose tinted spectacles?
Was it the 2.7 version that suffered with the engine issues or was this just exaggerated? These are a real bargain at the moment; very tempted
Edited by mrpenks on Saturday 16th April 11:19
Handling thx to an incredibly balanced chassis, low cog and the typical mid engine low polar moment of inertia. The steering feel and "pointiness" of the front end are something to behold too, if that counts. Not to mention how smooth the engine is and how sweet it sounds. 4 pot Brembo brakes will take a lot of track abuse where the other 3 will cook their pads in 2/3 hot laps. Damping and suspension kinematics on an other level too. Better practicality and boot space, etc etc I could go on. The Boxster as a driving tool will make those 3 feel like wheelbarrows. S2K has character though! Z4 and 350Z really are not in the same league.
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