1996 to 2001 986 advice - Page 1 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

Hi everyone, now I know this has probably been done to death but i'm reading so many conflicting reports i'm hoping for some definitive advice... Cutting a long story short, I've a budget that would get me into a 986 of the above age , for various reasons i'm thinking 2.5 engine... Now real world, what are the actual problems I need to look out for? Are they really prone to lunching engines? Parts prices seem massively over quoted on various forums but trawling e-bay they seem in line with most other cars of the same genre?? So if a few of you can give some honest answers i'd really appreciate it...(incidentally driving history is varied from 205gti's to Cosworth and Elises)

Cmoose on here is yer man, l'd say.

Mine's a 986 and I bought parts for reasonable prices. Some owners insist on OEM or after market 'superior' parts but I bought a set of drilled rear discs and pads for £65 from eBay (Delphi). They cost £45 for the front of my old Fiat Panda! Similarly, I don't do track days and it's a second / third vehicle so bought cheaper brand tyres. They're Kaiser, and I've seen them on the front of a Boxster for sale at at a trader. Frowned on by many I'm sure but on an 11 year old Boxster S, I don't think it lowers the value that much. The old ones were bald so anything was an improvement. Suspension components I haven't needed yet but these DON'T come cheap as far as I can see, and nor should they really. The only real drawback is that being mid-engined makes home work difficult but the hood can be 'parked' in a service position to give you access to most of the engine. Mine's done 84k and doesn't use water or oil and hasn't made any IMS death rattles. Famous last words.

Read the poverty pork thread or look at some of the owner blogs/threads on boxa.net. Suspension prices don't seem that much to me. You're looking at £35, 45 and 70 for the various suspension arms. That's the proper TRW ones too. Brakes circa £210 for a full set of front discs/pads/shim/sensors. Menu srvice at OPC £295/395 for minor/major. There are quality aftermarket parts, many made by the OEM, for most parts. I've had 2 now and I would say that if you want it to be optimal then there are a few parts at reasonable mileage and that age of car that will need replacing eg wishbones arms and front/rear forked track arms; repair to PAS pipe on n/s, probably front top mounts.

BEP, you don't state your budget. A 2.7 would be a good bet in that age range, less chance of IMS bearing failure than the 3.2 and a bit more power than the 2.5 Also are you looking for manual or Tip ? The gearing on the Tip in drive can make it feel a big sluggish but use the Tip as a manual and it'll feel much better. I am picking up a 2002 2.7 Tip today for my stepdad, and for £6k it's plenty of car for the money. Don't rush into buying one, wait for the one that you want, then enjoy :0) Also worth joining a club like Tipec, £50 for two years and 10% discount on parts from various places inc some OPC's, some specialists also give discount to members. Most classic insurances also give discount to club members Where are you located ? Perhaps people on here may know of one for sale

Apologies budget is £5 to £5.5k...most likely a manual....my landrover is an auto and one is enough lol....there's quite a selection for sale in my area at present (just outside Chester)cheers for the advice so far

jasongibson said: A 2.7 would be a good bet in that age range, less chance of IMS bearing failure than the 3.2 and a bit more power than the 2.5 What makes you say that when they use the same bearing?

edc said: What makes you say that when they use the same bearing? They may well use the same bearing but from two specialists i know who have replaced far more than their fair share, it's just their opinion and is based on pure percentages of their (and other specialists they talk too) customers cars with 2.7 compared to those with other engines. It just seems to be far more reliable in the 2.7 We read and listen to various advice and then make up our own mind. As for me, it's not gonna stop me buying a 996 later this year :00

Of relevance from Pelican: Note : However, as mentioned previously, practical experience has determined that these numbers are not 100% correct. Porsche replaced and/or repaired a lot of engines over the years and as a result there are a lot of engines out there where parts are mixed and matched." Edited by CampingGaz on Friday 18th April 13:05

CampingGaz said: Of relevance from Pelican: Note : However, as mentioned previously, practical experience has determined that these numbers are not 100% correct. Porsche replaced and/or repaired a lot of engines over the years and as a result there are a lot of engines out there where parts are mixed and matched." This is going off topic slightly but please indulge me. My 996 is shown in the service book build sticker to have engine M9601-66W and on the V5C (Swansea logbook) is shown as 66W10993. Neither of those marry up with that list - is that just for PCNA engines? Mine's a June 1998 3.4 so highly likely to have had the dual row bearing....but it still started to fail, and was hence replaced about 3 years ago.

In retrospect, yes I suspect these maybe NA specific codes. Assume somewhere there must/should be a corresponding EU/GB list ? This was contained in a Pelican Email that coincdently went out this week (16.4.2104) entitled : "IMS Bearing Issues what you need to know" : http://www.multibriefs.com/briefs/cb-pelican/cb-pe...

CampingGaz said: In retrospect, yes I suspect these maybe NA specific codes. Assume somewhere there must/should be a corresponding EU/GB list ? This was contained in a Pelican Email that coincdently went out this week (16.4.2104) entitled : "IMS Bearing Issues what you need to know" : http://www.multibriefs.com/briefs/cb-pelican/cb-pe... My Oct 2001 build date '02 Boxster's engine number is not in that list. Based on what I recall seeing years ago (2002?) when I had the car in for an RMS leak, the IMS end plate/flange is a shallow one which strongly suggests the presence of a dual row bearing. (However one USA based Porsche engine expert says he has found shallow end plates with a single row bearing fitted from the factory…) All I know is the 2.7l engine is original inside the cases (save for a passenger side VarioCam solenoid/actuator) and has over 278K miles.