My first Porsche? - Page 1 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

As per the thread title I'm thinking of getting my hands on something for high days and holidays. I've got a budget of up to £10k and fancy a late model 986 with no more than 50k miles. Preferably with FPSH and Tip or manual, not really fussed. Though if pushed Tiptronic would be nice. With that criteria it looks as if I might be able to get a 2.7 from trade or maybe a 3.2 private. So you know what's coming... the horror stories. You'll be well aware the internet is awash with them and I'm trying not to go cold on the whole Porsche thing. So reassure me. Are these the money pits I read about with engines that regularly go pop? What should I be looking for? And tell me how much (excluding fuel, tax and insurance obviously) it takes to keep one of these on the road. There is a slight complication though. I keep looking at 944s. Same as above but swap 986 for 944 Thanks in advance. Richard.

Yes the engines are risky. Either buy a car that has had a Hartech rebuild or leave plenty in the bank incase. Or just wing it and sell the car for spares or repairs at a huge loss, should the worst happen. I'd say £2000 per year to really keep one tip top but I know a couple of people who have run one for way less than that. Obviously depends on the car you buy and recent expenditure by former keepers. You're budget sounds way over for 986! How much are 987s now. You'd get a show quality 986 for £10k I'd have thought. ETA - My wife likes Boxsters and we had the chance of a great 986 3.2 off a friend but I steered her off it in the end. She's not a petrol head and an £8k engine bill wouldn't be acceptable to her, so I'd far rather see her in a Z4 or TT and have pretty normal running costs. I don't like big bills but can foot them because I love cars, but for a non-petrol head who wants no huge nightmares I'd say look elsewhere than an early Boxster. Just my opinion though. Edited by marky911 on Tuesday 1st April 15:18

I bought a 987 2.7 litre with 34,000 miles back in February for £10,000 from a small used car dealer but one which regularly sold high end cars and gave a decent 6 month warranty. The 987 has a very different interior and the 2.7 has a fair bit more go compared to the 986 2.7. There are quite alot of changes although many are minor. Just depends what you can find. I too was a bit worried about the reputation but decided in the end to just go for it. I have no idea of what percentage of cars have lost their engine but it really cant be that many ! I am also told by some the 2.7 is better than the 3.2 in this regard - but again others dispute this. If you read the forums too carefully you probably wouldnt buy any cars !! Good luck.

Thanks for the replies. marky911 said: I'd say £2000 per year to really keep one tip top Seriously? 2 grand? Assuming it doesn't go pop what on earth would a 10 year old car need that will cost £2k per year? marky911 said: You're budget sounds way over for 986! How much are 987s now. You'd get a show quality 986 for £10k I'd have thought. That was my logic. A minty 986 rather than a slightly tired 987. dtriggs said: If you read the forums too carefully you probably wouldnt buy any cars !! So true!

The 2.7 does have less risk with engines but saying that, you'd still be unlucky to ave issues with a 3.2 If getting a 3.2 it would be nice to have seen a new IMS bearing, buy from a specialist. As for yearly costs, a big service with nothing extra will be around £400 New set of tyres around £800, maybe discs and pads and you can see how it can mount up. Buy one with almost new tyres , a fresh service and good pads and discs and you could end up spending nothing. My stepdad is picking up a 2002 2.7 tomorrow £6k (his first Porsche and he's 71) He had a budget of £7, i told him to keep the extra £1k for unforeseen extras in next couple of years and also to budget £500 - £1k a year otherwise

"New set of tyres" £800.Just received set Falken-265/235-40/18 = £450-18, MyTyres.