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Thinking of changing to a Boxster

david924s

david924s

New member
Like the title says, thinking of getting rid of my 944S2 for a Boxster, just fancy a change and maybe something a little newer.

I am not too interested in the latest model or whether it's a 2.5, 2.7, 3.2 or whatever more interested in history, mileage and condition. I am currently looking at a 986 for sale near me which is a 1999 2.5 two owner FSH with 26K miles for around £6300, I know this is a little over priced but the mileage and condition make up for this.

Anyone have any thoughts other than IMS bearing stuff as to why the early 2.5l cars are good/bad?
 
I think the performance of the 2.5s against the S2 does not feel that that different in the real world since the Boxster is meant to have a more supple chassis when it comes to day to day driving. Maybe edh's thread will help you out here. But I cannot help you regarding what is good/bad with the early 2.5s. IMS does worry me with those cars though, but one school of thought does say that if the bearing has lasted this long, it should continue to stay OK (as with the Jaguar/BMW Nikasil issues). The other issue for me is the lack of practical space. At least with the Stag and the 944 I can still chuck a bike into the back of them (well the seats of the Stag with the top down!, Heck I once got two bikes into the back of the S2!). http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=746427&mpage=1&key=&#746427
 
Chas R is spot on, Ed h is now the proudowner of both a boxster and an S2 - he's your man to ask !
 
Thanks for the quick feedback will check the thread out, I am of the same opinion as you about the IMS and there are solutions out there prior to it failing so no the end of the world. Also not worried about space although I agree the 944 is a practical car when it comes to carrying stuff.
 
I am eventually hoping to go down the same route, however directing cash to the house fund just now so might be a little while. Anyway just a few things I have picked up................. My friend owns a very clean early 2.5 with 110k miles his opinion and that of many people on the forum seems to be (as mentioned by someone above) if the IMS has made it this far it will be ok! Bearing in mind the high volumes built the mechanical issues relate to a very small percentage. The highest failure rate is between 2001 and 2004 MY. The Porsche specialist next to us at work seems to get a lot of Boxsters with this IMS prob specifically 5+ in the last year, 3 have gone to the breakers / auction as non economical repairs - he says the cheapest engine he can get (not even refurbd) is 3k plus labour to fit. I asked him to call me if he gets another. He says rebuilding an engine with a failed or even failing IMS is dubious as you can't ever fully get the swarf out the system. Having said all that I am still keen to get one as I've now had 3 944s and want a change, I feel the boxster is a lot of car for the money, however there are a lot on the roads, so not as nice as seeing a 944 passing. Ironically my first 944 is still going about would quite like it back!
 
If they were Nikasil then Porsche probably wouldnt be having a problem with oval cylinders... IMS seems to be far more of a risk on lower mileage cars than world tourers. My other concern would be the transaxle. They have a known issue and a rebuild cost over £2,000.
 
Ah - here's my thread...[:D] There's not much more to say over my initial thoughts on that other thread. To be honest I haven't driven the car as much as I'd have liked. I have some front end suspension issues to track down when I have time - I suspect worn dampers but haven't really looked. I'm getting a bit of front end shake on rough surfaces, particularly when braking. No problems on smooth roads, just rough back roads. so Get one with extended leather - seats, doorcards, dash etc.. - much nicer place to sit Look for one with plenty of recent expenditure - suspension arms, aircon, roof, clutch. They don't do the miles as well as a 944, but if these sorts of jobs have been done then I wouldn't look for v low mileage cars. There always seem to be some nice ones on boxa.net Drive a 2.5, 2.7 and 3.2 before you buy - the 2.5 is a bit gutless and just not that fast. This may not matter to you. They all make a great noise. They are very different cars to the 944.
 
Also read parts 2,4 and 5 of the Hartech porsche buyer's guide. http://www.hartech.org/porsche_996_997_Boxster_free_car_buyers_guide.html
 
Again many thanks for the feedback, I am currently thinking of two cars near me, one a 2.5 1999 with 26K miles and the other a 2001 3.2S with 88.5K both nice looking cars but I do feel the 2.5 may be disappointing from a performance perspective although this is not a real worry. I remember from talking to the guy who services my car about the IMS issues and he was saying he has had more problems with low mileage easily driven cars than higher mile properly used cars. I also like the S for the extras you get and I also agree it has to be leather throughout.
 
I had a 987 05 reg 2.7 for 2 years ,loved the car to bits but it never loved me back ,constant issues ,the worst being the strange objects in the bottom of the oil can after draining and the oil air seperator blowing one morning because of the frost then there was other peoples reaction to it ,unlike our classic 944's people tend to think your a snob ,and travelling through a village near manchester with the roof down some rather overweight young females(F.S.) decided to throw there discarded take away into my car and shouted a collection of colour metaphor's then attempted to run off back to there council estate also if your over 5ft11 you may not fit into a 986 ,i'm a skinny 6ft and i just couldnt drive the 986 because of leg room issues ,the 987 has more leg room and it makes all the difference Ive gone the other way ,boxster to 944s2 lol well with a e92 bmw inbetween lol
 
Here is a guide I found off another forum I frequent. He seems to suggest the same as Chris in the above post:
I looked at both the 986 and 987 in detail when deciding which one to go for, in the end I preferred the updated interior and refinement of the 987 and found a mint 2005 example. Both suffer from RMS and IMS issues (987 > 2006 don't). RMS isn't a major issue as they all sweat oil from the rear seal and for less than £50 it's fixable although it's advisable to do it once the clutch is being replaced due to access. IMS on the other hand is the killer. I nearly talked myself out of a Boxster for this very reason and spoke to a number of specialist garages about replacing the IMS with a aftermarket upgrade, circa 1k. The majority talked me out of it and advised me to find a well documented example, check for oil leaks, tapping sounds and metal particles in the oil filter. The failure rate is very dependent on what bearing is in your car. If you have the double row bearing fitted from 1997-2001 then it's less than 1% failure rate. However the single row bearing (fitted 2001 onwards) is up to 8% failure rate. You can find out what bearing you have from your VIN Warrantywise will cover for IMS faults for around £550 per year if you're overly worried. I've decided to take a chance I've put nearly 5k enjoyable miles on mine without any problems. The S is the model to go for as the 2.7 feels very underpowered. I've got the S which has the bigger brakes identified by the red calipers and can get discs at £80 and pads for £68 via ECP - I think there's a 25% code on their site this month too. Tyres are expensive but mine's sat on 19", go for 18" alloys. I drove both a 986 S and 987 S and noticed a few points.... - 987 felt a lot nicer place to sit with comfier seats and more leg room - 987 was a lot more refined both with the hood up and down (Seats are 2" lower I think so less turbulence) - 987 has the triple lined hood with a glass heated rear screen if it matters, just be careful not to put a 986 hood down when cold and it'll be fine or grab a >02 - 987 had a lot more mid range grunt and felt a lot faster where it mattered - 986 arguably felt a little better to drive, maybe as it was sat on 18" but felt keener to turn in and lighter. I opted for the refinement of the 987 as mine's a daily drive but it I was looking for a weekend car then a sub 7k 986 S is where my money would go. Just budget £500 for a sporty exhaust! [/quoted]
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I had a good chat with the garage selling the 2001 S and got a good price for my car in part exchange should I want to, but my worry is not if the car is good enough, that can be sorted by selection, but whether I want to join the "normal" Porsche route. I quite like the way the 944 makes you feel and generally the respect it generates. I had the same worries when considering a 996, they are all great cars but just seem to be lacking soul, maybe I should take a completely different route and go for something none Porsche?
 
I think a bigger issue is just "do I want a convertible?" if the aircon doesn't work they get very misted up in the winter - I test drove a 2.7 and it was awful for that.
 
he's spent years driving "not a proper porsche" so I don't think hairdresser jokes will worry him? btw - would you suggest that to a CGT owner? [:D]
 
They are going up fast at the moment, so no. The classic car bubble has swept them along. btw - I was thinking of the open top one with the screaming V10 that messes your hair up (ok not mine) when you go fast [;)]
 
ORIGINAL: carreraboy Have you enlisted with The Toni & Guy Academy ..... [;)]
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Funnily enough the first memory I have of a 944 was one owned by a hair stylist and that was a coupe not a convertible, after over 10 years of being told my 924S or 944S2 was not a proper Porsche by people driving Euro Boxes or even 944 Turbo drivers, I do think I am immune to what others think or say.
 
I'm 6ft5 and just about fit into my 2001 Boxster S - even with the roof up - as long as the seat is way back and lowered to the max. Enjoy!

 
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