Really tempted by a 986, thoughts? - Page 3 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

Wrote on the forum about a month back. I really want a Porsche as my "2nd daily". I drive a 2017 340i Estate that's staying for the long term. Does the job and I really enjoy it. I cover about 20k miles a year so wanted something on the side to share some of those commutes to work especially when weathers better. Thought about a 981 but after much thought £20k is outside my budget on a car that will mostly be weekend/occasional daily. I could stretch my budget to circa £13/14k but I'd much rather stay in the sub £10k region and spend the difference on "bulletproofing" the car I buy. 987.2 was next in my search but they're a smidge outside my budget or very high mileage closer to £10k. So essentially my options are 987.1 3.2 S, 987.1 2.7 or a 986 (2.5, 2.7 or 3.2). Currently the 986s are very tempting at their price points with some clean examples going for around £6k but I realise they are a bit dated now. Whichever car I buy I'm budgeting in for clutch/IMS upgrades and I suspect bore scoring is fairly low-ish risk in those models? I don't really stress my cars and I'm a fairly boring driver 99% of the time so essentially what I want is: Gets me from A to B with a smile. Usual yearly maintenance + wear and tear stuff (£2k/year) Don't want it to be a headache with diagnosing/problems/engine seizing/stranded. Can trust it to take me to Europe once a year. I feel like for my needs a 986 would fit the bill and make me happy? Keen to hear thoughts from owners of either 987.1 or 986. Cheers.

I've got a 987.1 3.2 S that I've had for over 10 years. It's a great car, though lacks the modern electronics of newer cars, but that doesn't bother me as I fitted PCCM+ a couple of years ago. PCCM+ is still a bit dated, but does the job. I also drive modestly most of the time, but it's nice to give it a thrash every now and again. Not sure what I could replace it with to be honest. Of course if you're tight for budget, a MX5 could do a similar job for less money and less worry. You'd get something more modern, with cheaper parts and plenty of tuning options should you like the car but want more performance at a later date.

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/18139831 Almost new car for the money!!

Thank you. I did consider Mazda but now that the Porsche idea is in my head I just want a 986/987 Boxster. I don’t mind the added running costs in general so long as the car will get me from A to B 99.9% of the time and doesn’t live getting fixed lol

A 986 S is a spectacular car, I’ve owned 2 over 10 years and cannot recommend them enough. I am just putting mine for sale in what I believe to be the perfect spec;

Join boxa.net. Loads of 986 drivers and advice. I've had mine since 2007...

They are wonderful cars, but you have to go in with your eyes very much open. I have a 2001 986 Boxster S which suffered cracks in both cylinder heads. I suspect it had been significantly overheated at some point prior to my ownership. I had it rebuilt with good used heads, and it's been great since, but that did cost over 50% of the original purchase price of the car. Cylinder head cracks and IMS failures are probably the most catastrophic issues that can catch these cars, but bear in mind that lots of them are not maintained properly, so you can run into all sorts of issues from that. All 986's are 20+ years old now, and because prices have been relatively low for some years, many owners are not prepared to spend the money to keep them in good condition. Of course some examples will be perfect, and will run year to year without a single issue - these tend to be, but are not always, the more expensive examples with much better service history! On a nice sunny day, and a good country lane, a decent example, or even a slightly ropey one is absolutely sublime. I love it!

I have a slightly ropey 986 and I absolutely love it - never got round to making a thread for some reason. Could probably bring it back up to scratch quite easily but frankly I enjoy driving it too much to be messing around with it. It's done 120k, never worried about IMS. 2.7 has plenty of power and does over 35mpg on the motorway. Window mechanisms are pure garbage. Get one with a glass rear window too.

I've done 6 European drives in the last two years, (pictures from Alps / on the way to Seville / Monaco). Off to Gibraltar in it in May... But I'd run it for a year or so first so that you can iron out any issues..and whilst no means a daily, I try to get it out for a drive every week or so and get some miles on it. MY2000 986S, brought for £2700 in 2016 on 111K miles, now on nearly 140K miles.

allatsea said: I've done 6 European drives in the last two years, (pictures from Alps / on the way to Seville / Monaco). Off to Gibraltar in it in May... But I'd run it for a year or so first so that you can iron out any issues..and whilst no means a daily, I try to get it out for a drive every week or so and get some miles on it. MY2000 986S, brought for £2700 in 2016 on 111K miles, now on nearly 140K miles. Bro THIS is what I want. Lovely car. Did the car have decent service when you bought it? Have you paid a lot since getting it to get it up to scratch? If so what sorta' jobs?

Don’t dismiss a 2.5 986. The original Boxster is short geared, light and engine howls above 3k. It’s also cheaper to tax and ULEZ exempt currently. Here’s mine Edited by pattyg on Thursday 13th March 21:24

Op, I had one for the last 18 years, went this summer. Wonderful things, mine was bulletproof until it wasn’t. I had no issues with ims, still original clutch at 105k miles. Watch out for brake line corrosion, the front to back and across the rear are expensive. Listen for clunks etc - at this age it’s not the part you have to replace that’s the problem, it’s that it’s been together since 2004. I snapped a spring. The bits that they broke getting it apart enough to replace the springs cost a _lot_ more than the springs. So for 15 years it cost me less than any other car I have owned, ever, then from 15-18 it got expensive (still pennies compared to owning an RS4). Over the average of 18 years, still less than the mini, the Alfa, the Saab, the vw etc etc. Would recommend one to anyone in a heartbeat, but look for history, buy on condition etc etc. imo the post 2003 facelift is a huge huge upgrade (glass roof), mine was a 2.7 but now I’d go 3.2 - on the assumption that the lower values means your 2.7 buyers might possibly be shoestringing it. Don’t worry about the upgraded audio, it’s still crap. (Mine had it, i think 100 quid on aftermarket would outperform it). Cruise is retrofittable. I’d look for extended leather, the litronics if possible (standard boxster lights sat low means you can’t see jack when a newish land rover comes the other way), but I think this is needle in haysatack territory. Oh, and the roof - mine was blue and right in the last 6 months starting to show signs of decline. It’s never been garaged so probably one of the worse ones, but where it had started to thin / Frey looked like a 1 way street to eventual replacement if it started to leak - I just don’t see how you could even possibly patch the little rub areas near the back without it looking like sadsack from the misfits.

recently bought a lovely low-mile 986s - admittedly for strong money - but still a bargain of a car. drives superbly and is a joy with the roof down on a country road. in my experience with older sports / classics, buy the best example you can - it's usually cost effective over the longer terms and a nicer ownership proposition throughout.

Better interior shot, but with 3 spoke, before I changed it.

shadowedition said: Bro THIS is what I want. Lovely car. Did the car have decent service when you bought it? Have you paid a lot since getting it to get it up to scratch? If so what sorta' jobs? Service history was 'OK', but when I brought it it was down on its luck...needed everything doing, new clutch, new rads, brakes, suspension, first bill after two months was £4,500, but I knew that when I brought it. I wanted to make it 'mine' and know that the work had been done. Since then I've had new suspension and had it changed to MO30, so slightly lowered. Interior was a mess, carbon fibre sticky back plastic all over it and the door cards were botched for aftermarket speakers. In those days, 2016-2018, you could pick up door cards for about £100 a pair, think I brought 3 sets until I got ones that were good enough and sourced some original Nokia speakers. Since then replaced the seats with Recaro Pole Positions and very recently installed a Momo Mod 07 steering wheel. I did the centre console delete and painted the tunnel, when you could get the bits for £180. Last year had the front end re painted. It has been well looked after by most of the owners and then suddenly 'wasn't'. Chap I brought it off had loved it but the 'next bill' was, I think going to be too much for him, so I took it off his hands. Edited by allatsea on Friday 14th March 10:36 Edited by allatsea on Friday 14th March 10:48

Really nice build man. I'm sold. There's a few 986s posted online that have caught my eye all with pretty good service history to be fair. Dealer near me called Moorside Prestige, anyone have experience with them? I've seen some 986s going for like £15k while the ones I'm keeping an eye on are in the £6-9k territory with 60-90k miles. As an owner any particular things i should look for or ask about when going to see the car as my questions have mostly been generic service history questions and whether clutch has been done?

Joe5y said: A 986 S is a spectacular car, I’ve owned 2 over 10 years and cannot recommend them enough. I am just putting mine for sale in what I believe to be the perfect spec; I'll dm you now about it.

shadowedition said: Really nice build man. I'm sold. There's a few 986s posted online that have caught my eye all with pretty good service history to be fair. Dealer near me called Moorside Prestige, anyone have experience with them? I've seen some 986s going for like £15k while the ones I'm keeping an eye on are in the £6-9k territory with 60-90k miles. As an owner any particular things i should look for or ask about when going to see the car as my questions have mostly been generic service history questions and whether clutch has been done? Get over to boxa.net. Lots of info, lots of technical support and often cars for sale by people who've really cared for them.

Did you buy this one? I don't need a car, but I only didn't buy it as I fear the wrath of MrsOC High miles 2.7, good MOT history..... they are out there

Get an early 986 and don't worry. Bore scoring / dechunking is almost never seen on small bore 2.5 and IMS issues didn't come in until the IMS bearing size was reduced about 2000. So 1999 or older 2.5. I got one for daughter #1 and we went through it thoroughly. Easy to work on IF you can get easy access to underneath. Most of the stuff is done from underneath, or from above with the top in service position, or you can remove a panel on the bulkhead and get to the auxiliary belt and front. So it's a bit of a faff compared to an early MX5 or Mk3 Escort, but entirely doable for the home mechanic. Lots of parts availability via FCPEuro or Pelican Parts and lots of forum help and advice on how to fix things. Lovely balance, nice brakes and a good sound track. Just not super fast and it drinks a bit more than a Miata. Also, rebuild the shifter with new bushes and adjust the gear change cables as this makes a world of difference. If you insist on a later car because you want a `nicer interior' or bigger motor, then at least also read through Poppopbangbang's thread 'Knackered old Porsche with loads of natural light - Boxster!' For when the motor does become too expensive for economic repair... https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Mine is an '03 "S" No IMS/bore scoring/ or any engine/gearbox issues with 2.5/2.7/3.2's Owned for 18 years now. The most important things check for are regular oil & filter changes with correct viscosity oil. Check the invoices of the service history. Mechanical issues in the Gen.2's are minor and mostly due to neglect.

pattyg said: Don’t dismiss a 2.5 986. The original Boxster is short geared, light and engine howls above 3k. It’s also cheaper to tax and ULEZ exempt currently. Here’s mine Edited by pattyg on Thursday 13th March 21:24 I’d echo that, early 986 2.5 is hugely underrated and supposedly less prone to engine issues. I picked one up from fb marketplace for £4k, had been with vendor for 17 years, patchy / partial history, but had been garaged. It developed a misfire and needed coil packs, plugs, biggest issue to smooth running was the fuel filter that had seemingly never been changed. Was reliable for a few months use, but I stupidly sold to buy a 3L 1 series cab to enable dogs to come out with us.

isleofthorns said: recently bought a lovely low-mile 986s - admittedly for strong money - but still a bargain of a car. drives superbly and is a joy with the roof down on a country road. in my experience with older sports / classics, buy the best example you can - it's usually cost effective over the longer terms and a nicer ownership proposition throughout. The white / red one?

jimmy p said: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/18139831 Almost new car for the money!! 1.8 though. Fine if all you want is top down burbling along. Rustproof it and it'll be great with virtually none of the issues you'll worry about with a Porsche. But the 2.0 is a better car if you actually want to drive it hard. 100% subjective opinion so feel free to ignore it.

bennno said: isleofthorns said: recently bought a lovely low-mile 986s - admittedly for strong money - but still a bargain of a car. drives superbly and is a joy with the roof down on a country road. in my experience with older sports / classics, buy the best example you can - it's usually cost effective over the longer terms and a nicer ownership proposition throughout. The white / red one? no.., silver with blue... done 23k

If you can dig deep or haggle for one of these, it’ll be an investment for the future: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202503140... Don’t focus too much energy on IMS bearings and stuff like that - look instead for a strong maintenance history; coolant pipes, brake lines, exhaust etc.

I’ve got a 986S, it’s on about 70k miles, 2000 my, cost around £7000 and I’ve just spent £1200 on a battery, service, four new tyres (which transformed the drive). The plastic roof has started to crack but other than that it’s in great condition, albeit it failed its MoT for brake lines (it went from nothing to dangerous) after taking it to my local garage they said there was nothing wrong so another 12 months MoT with no advisories. My wife seems to enjoy it too so it’s a win-win, drive a few, you’ll know a good from a bad one from the handling alone. Great little car, next job is to get a glass roof and that’ll be it.

I'm hopefully picking up a 986 Boxster S next month from a specialist. I'm in a similar position to you, OP, and as others have said the 2.5 and 2.7 seem to be the most reliable however the 3.2 is not far off and doesn't suffer the bore score, or not as prone to, as the 3.4 which from reading has forged piston rather the cast items found in the 2.5, 2.7, 3.2 and early 996 3.4s. Whether that is the reason, who knows. IMS, generally ok on the early cars but if the car needs a clutch change I'd probably change it at the same time. The one I am hopefully buying has had the IMS done along with a list over other common jobs. Hopefully it will be ok for a few years. I too looked at stretching the budget and going 987.2 but for my needs I didn't really want to spend that much. Plus I like the looks of the early cars including Gen 1 996s over Gen 2s. They were the Porsche's that were common when I started driving.

I bought a 2001 986 2.7 in 2019 as a stop-gap car while our house was extended and renovated. (I'd had a 2016 Cayman GTS) It was low mileage and I thought I'd do a few cosmetic bits to it and either break even or maybe even make a tiny profit. I still have it and don't think I could bring myself to sell it - it's obviously way off the CGTS in terms of performance, but it's such a useable, driveable, fun car and I just love it.

bennno said: pattyg said: Don’t dismiss a 2.5 986. The original Boxster is short geared, light and engine howls above 3k. It’s also cheaper to tax and ULEZ exempt currently. Here’s mine Edited by pattyg on Thursday 13th March 21:24 I’d echo that, early 986 2.5 is hugely underrated and supposedly less prone to engine issues. I picked one up from fb marketplace for £4k, had been with vendor for 17 years, patchy / partial history, but had been garaged. It developed a misfire and needed coil packs, plugs, biggest issue to smooth running was the fuel filter that had seemingly never been changed. Was reliable for a few months use, but I stupidly sold to buy a 3L 1 series cab to enable dogs to come out with us. 100%. I've had 2 986 Boxster S' and if I was buying again, I'd get the 2.5 without a shadow of a doubt. People say they're slow, but they're not that bad, still dipping under 7 seconds to 60 and 150 mph, and frankly, the 3.2 wasn't really a fast car anyway, most warm hatches would keep it honest these days, and the 2.5 has the shorter gearing, is cheaper to buy and considerably less risky, as well as being cheaper to run, but still gets you that Porsche experience. As for the MX5 comparison, between my S' I had an NC BBR S200 and for a B road blast it was much more fun to drive, but the engine wasn't as nice and ultimately the bodywork repairs and oil burning issue I had was probably going to be as costly as rebuilding a Porsche engine. Edited by TameRacingDriver on Wednesday 26th March 12:55

986s are great cars. I had a 987.1 as a daily for 3 years and literally swapped my TVR for a lovely aero 996. That made me realise I preferred the drive of the earlier car and I swapped the 996 for a 986 and love it. Check the recent maintenance would be my advice.

It was known as the James Dean Edition? https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19738805

Wouldn't bother with that personally, seems overpriced for a limited edition that offers little over a normal car, but, I am canny pissed, so I could be wrong, I'm sure someone will chime in otherwise.

It's a 550 Anniversary. The James Dean is just marketing over drive. Had a 2000 S and now my 550 for over 13 years now. Some small enhancements over a regular S but all Boxsters now are aged in the suspension unless a recent update. It's low miles but a Tip.

I currently own a 987 2.7 but have had 2x 986 3.2S in the last 5 years. The first one was bought for 3.5K and had been sitting for a while (8 years iirc!) uncovered on a driveway. Fresh fuel and battery and it drove onto the transport truck no problem. I fitted new springs and brake lines for its MoT and then drove it for a year before selling it. A couple of years later I missed it so bought another, garaged and well looked after with new tyres and a good few new parts, for £4200. It had Litronic lights, Sport Classic wheels and a few optional extras and was a lovely car. I really shouldn't have sold that one either! I bought a 987 as it was a bit more modern but would have another 986 in a flash. Lovely steering feel and feedback, flat 6 noise, brilliant handling and enough power to be quick but not licence losing. They are also well thought out when it comes to working on them and can be used all year round, I drove my 2nd one over to Skye in the winter when it was -9 degrees C and snowing and it was faultless other than the plastic rear screen not wanting to fold due to the cold! Get one!

I've just spent the winter fettling my 1999 £3k 2.7 which needed a lot of stuff doing, but at 126k miles it still drives incredibly well. Great cars on the right road, they just drive so well. Just don't underestimate the costs involved, i've spannered everything myself and it's still cost about half the value of the car to get it how I want it, and it's still not perfect.

Friend bought one a year ago and it was well looked after for £3k. Needed a wing but came with a new OEM one to paint and fit. He drove it round for 2 weeks then we headed to Germany. I'd never looked at them till that trip and I was smitten from then on. Great cars. Lapped the ring, did about 2k in it then he did a track day at spa a few months later. He is nearly 15k miles into it now as been using it as a daily as his actual daily broke down. He's since bought a 996 911 and is thinking of selling the 986 but struggling to let go of it.

Rebuilt by Porsche in Liquid Metal Metallic paint - which is like a £30K+ paint job I believe. https://philipraby.co.uk/product/porsche-986-boxst...

Jones the cat said: Rebuilt by Porsche in Liquid Metal Metallic paint - which is like a £30K+ paint job I believe. https://philipraby.co.uk/product/porsche-986-boxst... I much prefer my original well preserved car than this for a lot less money.

You're paying a big premium because it was done by Porsche. If it was a car with a rebuilt engine, fresh suspension, new exhaust and a respray you might pay say 12k on what otherwise might be a 7/8k car.

Needs silver wheels.

I've had my 2001 986S for 10 years, SORNed it for a while but now have it back on the road, after a quick service it still runs like a dream, just like having a new car. Had a fair bit of work done when I first bought it, new uprated springs/shocks/discs/pads plus a few other things, had the IMS done and they fitted a new clutch while the engine was out. Only major job was just recently, a new CPU (or whatever it's called) as the old one was buggered. That was my fault though as the car had been parked for a while and it got rained on. (£1000 for a new one. Ouch.) Edited by Stealthracer on Wednesday 19th August 21:03

Love my 2.7 (2000 X) which I ve had for just over 12months. It s my 3rd over the years but I wish I d gone for a tiptronic this time as it would suit my current driving conditions much better. Might have to swap it (shrug) Edited by H6CJF on Thursday 20th August 21:22

Just back from a late summer road trip in mine, London to Istanbul, and back, just shy of 4,500 miles.

allatsea said: Just back from a late summer road trip in mine, London to Istanbul, and back, just shy of 4,500 miles. Hats off to you. Brilliant !!

Slippydiff said: Hats off to you. Brilliant !! Thank you, a lot of fun. Solo all the way, wife flew out a few times, Salzburg, Dubrovnik and Istanbul.

allatsea said: Just back from a late summer road trip in mine, London to Istanbul, and back, just shy of 4,500 miles. well done! the sort of trip I've always wanted to do, but never seem to find the time! any preventative work before undertaking that kind of trip?

I've had the car 10 years. Brought it cheaply (£2,700) and it needed a lot of work, it was on 111K miles, a month later the first invoice was £4,500. Clutch, rads, bit of everything. I decided I wanted to know the work had been done in my ownership, so I specifically didn't 'buy the best you can afford'. I did the opposite. Over the last 10 years I've broadly had everything done, complete suspension refresh, alternator, water pump, expansion bottle, brakes. Always get my Indy, Eporsch, to have a good look around it, anything suspect, get it changed, belts particularly, don't 'hope' that's not a plan. Over the last 4-5 years I've been to Europe a lot in it, South of Spain twice, bottom of Italy (where it broke down! had a new fuel pump and RPM sensor fitted) and numerous trips to southern France, Route Napoleon etc. Driving it long distances gives the confidence, although having broken down last year in the toe of Italy, meant that I was constantly concerned this year.....Southern Albania has some fantastic sweeping mountain roads....without any mobile phone coverage....'what happens now if it breaks down?' But I also do it solo, so there's only me to sort the problem and indeed look after it, if it goes wrong. Although again there is some pressure when you're meeting your wife for a weeks holiday in Istanbul....if you don't make it and the holiday goes up in smoke....You need a plan. ditch the car (hire another one), get it fixed, do the holiday and then go back and sort the car, etc. Pole Positions, original sports seats were too uncomfortable for anything over 100 miles. Gibraltar....

These really are great cars and I think very underrated. Bought ours on a whim 5 years ago and was going to strip it and use as a track hack. It was too good though so now is used by my wife as her everyday car and by us for weekend trips and odd track day. The paint work is a bit naf as it has faded but looks ok from a distance. I have new suspension ready to go on (Koni special active dampers, H&R m030 springs and H&R anti roll bars). Had IMs bearing and rms seal replaced when it had clutch done. IMs had been replaced previously but thought daft not whilst gearbox was off. It’s a 3.2s on 128k miles, doesn’t use any oil and goes really well. A real fun drive.

That is lovely - I always wanted a yellow car for the simple reason my mother hated them! If watching Top Gear the car they were testing was yellow, she'd always say "I don't like that," whatever it was. So to turn up in something yellow would have given me some sort of perverse pleasure. Unfortunately, my 986S is Seal Grey. I shouldn't say unfortunately really as it's quite a nice colour - better than boring old silver certainly.

Slippydiff said: allatsea said: Just back from a late summer road trip in mine, London to Istanbul, and back, just shy of 4,500 miles. Hats off to you. Brilliant !! Agreed, bloody well done.

heebeegeetee said: Agreed, bloody well done. Thanks. Just looked at your profile, I went to Vesey.....