Bargain Boxster 986 - What you can expect to need fixing

[@tommyduk1779]

I doubt I'll ever take the plunge; so many lovely cars out there; but you're right, I have wondered...This is really nicely done, thank you!

[@huwjones5879]

Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate you taking the time to watch and then comment. I have to admit that there was more to fix than I originally anticipated when I bought the Boxster. There are plenty of KZbin videos that show you how to fix things but the majority are US based from Dry States so don't suffer the corrosion issues we do here in UK with our temperate climate and salted winter roads. I spent the purchase price of the Boxster to put it right. I know I'll never get my money back if I sold it, sorted ones don't seem to be worth much more than non-sorted ones.Thanks again.

[@Chodcam]

Great video. I’ve just taken the plunge, and bought one of a similar age. It’s now in at a specialist being sorted! You should make some more.

[@kangzau1006]

​@@huwjones5879great video, highly informative to see the actual points of potential failure, and just so you guys across the pond think it's all copacetic in dry America, our failures are frequently boots and sleeves that crumble away - dry rot.

[@MrRoyck10]

As a Porsche owner there is no such thing as a cheap Porsche, you buy cheap you will certainly buy twice! It cost a kings ransom to keep my 987.2 going even though I bought it from an Indy Porsche dealer, I now own a 981 that is reliable with 2 years Porsche warranty. Anyone who is not mechanically inclined should keep a small Porsche slush fund of £2000 annually

[@huwjones5879]

Thanks for taking the time to comment. Absolutely. I bought mine as project fully aware of what would need doing and how much it would cost.

[@jerrymcgeorge4117]

The two best days of the luxury/sports car ownership, the day you buy it and the day you sell it!

[@huwjones5879]

And the driving days in between.

[@209lapko]

Thanks mate. Nicely done

[@huwjones5879]

Thanks for the positive feedback, always appreciated.

[@BlackBuck777]

Ok, the cheap boxster will need as a minimum front and rear suspension including brakes- mine did, as well as paint on rear bumper, replacement radio unit (ok. lost the original CDR faceplate my bad), fix some leaks, all was going well until "cam deviation" arrived - dodgy cam solenoids so need replacing along with chain guides. That's realistically an engine out job so think IMS, clutch, might as well service the plugs AOS belts and anything else - total will be around £8-10k without the cost of the car. I intend the car to be as good as new so the cost isn't really the issue. Plus it's my 3rd one so I know how good it will be when done.

[@huwjones5879]

Thanks for taking the time to comment, it's really appreciated. It's nice to hear that you basically agree with me! I'm OK with the "cam deviation" issue (at present!) and not had any leaks. I'm not that bothered about the cosmetics, mine has had paint, lots of paint, over its 24yrs and some of it is a bit crap, but I don't care. It's good from far but far from good. I didn't buy it for polishing, I bought it to fix all the stuff that I knew would need doing after years of differed maintenance and get it driving like it should. How much of the work do you do yourself?

[@BlackBuck777]

@@huwjones5879 Yeah, it's always a surprise how many owners neglect these cars, I suppose it's because the parts actually last a long time without grumbling too much. As for work, I have done a fair bit and work on my cars as much as possible. The engine work I will leave to others though, I just don't have enough time available. Best tip - research parts prices carefully!

[@johnheseltine4882]

Great video, thank you. I have been bitten by the bug and I regularly scour Autotrader and eBay for that bargain Boxster and have certainly realised that to maintain them, as you have described, is likely to cost thousands. Would it be worth it? Probably, if you are looking to keep it as they now have classic car status, but as a money earner probably not. One thing you didn't mention was the dreaded bore scoring. Well worth getting a pre purchase inspection before buying one to check this out, otherwise your engine could be toast and a rebuild or new engine is mega bucks.

[@huwjones5879]

Thanks for taking there time to comment, it really is appreciated. Good luck finding a decent one. Old Boxsters are cheap because: 1. People think they are the "poor mans Porsche" 2. They have usually had a succession of owners who only really drove around with the top down during the summer and didn't maintain them. 3. Because of point 2 they need all the stuff I mention in the video fixing before you can experience them like Porsche intended them to be experienced. I didn't mention Bore -Score, as far as I'm aware, it only affects the 3.4l and larger cars, I think you are pretty safe with the 2.5, 2.7 and 3.2l engines. Now I have replaced all the worn out bits, maintenance is quite inexpensive. Just the usual oil and filter changes, and inspection once a year. Easily done on the drive if you are that way inclined. VED is the biggest expense. I don't think my car will ever be worth much more than I paid for it, it might be a little easier to sell as I've done all the expensive and difficult jobs on it so any new owner won't have to contend with bolts that have seized in place after 24 yrs of differed maintenance.

[@davidforal3971]

Thanks for the video and overview. I purchased a 2003 "S" a couple of years ago after getting a clean Pre-Purchase Inspection (PPI) and so far, only the left rear CV boot needs replacement (entire axle will be replaced). It was not a bargain Boxster like yours; I paid about twice what you did. A fun drive for sure. I'm curious what the condition of the IMS bearing was - 2000 was the switch-over year from double row to single row bearings; which did you have and what was its condition? Thanks again.

[@huwjones5879]

Hi, thanks for taking the time to comment, it's really appreciated. My IMS was the double row and according to Sam Lander who did the actual replacement, it was OK but "maybe felt a little stiff" compared to others he has done. Sam also mentioned that with the early 2000's cars it really is impossible to know which IMS bearing they have until it's removed, Porsche don't really know themselves apparently. I went with the EPS IMS solution which is a roller bearing and it runs in engine oil, so I'm confident I'll not have any problems.

[@davidforal3971]

@@huwjones5879 I recently purchased the IMS Solution on sale and will install it myself when the weather turns better in a few months. Probably not needed, but I like projects 🙂. Good luck with your car and thanks again for taking the time to share your experience.

[@camdcam]

What is a typical cost for all those repairs?

[@huwjones5879]

Thanks for taking the time to comment. The suspension refresh was £1400. Clutch, IMS and RMS was carried out by Sam Lander as i was unable to lift the car high enough to remove the gearbox safely on my driveway. Cost was £2700. Service items came to approx £600. All this work made an enormous difference to the performance of the car, it now drives as Porsche intended.

[@arnietwo11]

So if i have all this to do thankfully the car im going to look at tommorrow is only £1500. I will do the work myself so should be cheap enough. Just checked autodoc and all parts are reasonably priced.

[@huwjones5879]

Thanks for taking the time to comment. You don’t have to do any of this of course, only if you want to get the best out of the car. £1500 sounds very cheap, even for a Boxster. If you can save another Boxster that will be great. Good luck with your project.

[@Ont785]

I’m not sure about the 986, but the 987 window trim that I needed to replace, is $2000 Canadian or $1400 US. I’m not quite sure how a piece of rubber attached to plastic could be so expensive and I’ve heard of explanation from anybody including Porsche.

[@huwjones5879]

Thanks for taking the time to comment, its really appreciated. The window trim of your 987 is that expensive because Porsche want it to be. 987 parts appear to be much more expensive here in the the UK as well, my brother has one and even though its only 6 yrs younger than my 986 patten part availability is less and they are often much more expensive even though the cars are virtually the same. Lots of quality patten parts here in UK for 986, one of the main reasons I bought it, and I wanted the "fried egg" headlights.

[@Ont785]

@@huwjones5879 I love my 987 . I fixed the Trim with some carpet tape ! The 986, is also a fantastic vehicle . People are just starting to catch on ! Shhh

[@cathrynm]

That is pretty crazy expensive for what you get there.

[@hartmanwagner5576]

This is a good basic starter video but there are a lot of items missing here. For the 986.1 cars with the 5 chain engines you need to at least review the following. Replace the AOS as the baffles in the system are most likely stiff and dry. Check the variocam chain pads as they wear out and can cause timing to fail destroying the engine. The heater/AC main mixing box in the dash has a door with foam that deteriorates over time leaving small bits the vents. For cars starting in 2001 that use the single row IMSB as noted you should change this. The main engine mount and the two transmission mounts should at least be checked.

[@huwjones5879]

Thanks for taking the time to reply, and with such useful information. This video was intended as a basic primer, there is always so much to do on older cars which have suffered from deferred maintenance. I chose to cover these areas based on what I have observed during the time I've owned my Boxster. From forums and meets I've been quite taken aback by the priorities other owners have for their cars. At meets I'll have a cheeky look under other 986 Boxters and I'm amazed at the corroded mess the suspension is, yet lots of attention has been lavished on the cosmetics and audio system. If I can I'll ask the owners what they have done and suspension, AOS, brakes are just not on their radar, "It passed the MOT and seems to drive ok". I understand why, the suspension, brakes, IMS, RMS, clutch, AOS cost the same as what I paid for the car, and that was doing most of the work myself, which I appreciate a lot of owners are unable to do. The difference after my suspension replacement was remarkable - in the truest sense of the word! I have checked the areas you mention and on my car they are OK, and I deliberately sought out a car without AC to avoid complication. Once again thanks for your reply, it serves to increase the amount of knowledge out there for others who might want to embark on a similar journey.

[@hartmanwagner5576]

@@huwjones5879 Anytime! Glad to help. These are the things I need to do to my 986 S to get it back into running shape. If you have a diag tool you should really check cam shaft deviation levels. anything over +6/-6 is "out of spec" but you can get get as high as 11% before the car will trigger a check engine light. I don't recall you saying now many miles on the car. The original factory "brown" color are soft and over time the chain eat them up. Couple of other areas you might want to address before they become issues are. Replace the water pump and thermostat, coolant flush, flush you brake fluid yearly and put in DOT4LV. Also change the oil every 5K miles, the suggested 10K is way to high. Even after 5K the MobileOne 0-40 has lost a lot of viscosity and it more like 0-30. The five chains "chop" the oil molecules.

[@hartmanwagner5576]

@@huwjones5879 I hav yet to do the suspension but that is next on the list. The Bilstein B16 PSS9 48-181440 coil overs are going to be totally awesome. Will also add some adjustable coffin arms to be able to better adjust camber.

[@frankoch600]

What can one expect upon purchasing a boxster, well having deep pockets will be a plus, what will have to be replaced------EVERTHING, it is pure junk.

[@huwjones5879]

Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment. I have t disagree with you that Boxsters are pure junk as you say. The Boxster is well engineered car made from quality parts. Having deep pockets, maybe, but Porsches are not intended for transport of the masses. Like all prestige marques, although the cars get older and more affordable they remain expensive to maintain. As such preventative maintenance gets missed and the cars are often moved on when a large service is due. What I have highlighted in this video is what you can expect on a typical 24yr old Boxster in the UK. I could have done what most of the previous owners have done which is to drive it as is, however I chose to put the car back to where it should be had it been maintained as intended by Porsche. As I did most of the work myself and sourced many parts from OEM suppliers it wasn't' as expensive as it could have been. In comparison I recently had the opportunity to look underneath a friend's 2014 Toyota Avensis, quite frankly I was shocked at the amount of rust on the suspension and chassis parts. And this from a car which is impeccably maintained according to manufacturer schedules. Definitely not designed or engineered anywhere near as well as the Boxster.