Porsche Boxster buying tips?

RMS.

They leak. Get it on a lift and take a lookie.

 

Like Trashy said, RMS. I don't know if they all leak, but i can say that every boxster I've owned has had an RMS leak. Also, the coolant tank has been known to crack and leak.

03 is a good year, values are down and you get a glove box and a rear window. Might want to have him drive an 05 as well...a different car entirely and not a major price difference. Along with the RMS issue there is the more rare(but it still happens) intermediate shaft failure(very expensive). Like any used car, provenance is key.

There are a TON of boxsters for sale and values certainly aren't going up, so it's a buyer's market.

Lots of good info and a good community here: www.ppbb.com

 

1) Price is too high IMO, especially for a TIP.
2) It's doesn't have PSM
3) It's missing the mesh inserts that fit in the seat hoops.
4) It has Turbo Twist wheels which may/may not add value depending on whether you like them.
5) No pictures of the top up, so I can't see if it has excessive wear in the usual problem areas.

 

I was thinking about getting an 01-03 S but have decided to keep my MR2 for now. Here's what's been helpful to me:

Mike Foche - Buying a 986 model Boxster: http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/buyingorsellinga1997-2004boxster

Porsche Boxster Faq: http://www.986faq.com/

Rear Main Seal Leak/Secondary shaft Leaks/Catastrophic engine failures:
http://www.autofarm.co.uk/pdf/Total911_July06.pdf

http://www.autofarm.co.uk/pdf/911PW_Apr06.pdf

More chat Boards:

WWW.Rennlist.com
www.986forum.com (Boxster specific)

 

PSM- Porsche Stability Management (traction control)

Stick is always better in a sports car than an auto..

 

1. Porsche Stability Management system

2. Blonde or brunette? What's desirable to YOU is what should matter, but yes, overall I'd say the market values the tipronics as less desirable.

3. Not sure, but I would guess they could be a factory option given the sheer volume of available options Porsche provides.

4. 2005 was the body style change. Yes and yes, interior/exterior and internal changes were all made.

 

Porsche Stability Management. It does what the name implies and the car is also about a 1/2 lower (maybe a bit more) than a car without it. It's a very desirable feature as are the Xenon lights.

For me it certainly is. The tip can be just as fast as the manual and many tip owners would never want a manual. But, I'd say the majority of buyers would prefer a manual. The six speed gearbox is quite nice.

Probably factory. You can check the paperwork. I said you should as I'm assuming there's plenty of paperwork to go with the car. Namely repair reciepts and anything else that's been done to the car. If it doesn't have extensive history (paperwork) I'd say walk.

Yes they did. The 987 model (current Boxster) is different in body, interior and also engine refinements to the 986 (early boxster).

I'll agree that the price is way to high for that car. For that price he could get a nice S model with some more miles. Low mileage is not always a good thing with Boxsters. When I was looking I'd decided that 40k was as little mileage that I'd want. Why? With more miles comes the opportunity for more defects to rear their ugly little head and allow the previous owner to deal with.

These can be very reliable cars but if they're not they can be VERY expensive.

 

the 987 came out in 2005. you should be able to get a base 987 from 2005 for 35k or less.

the 987 interior is way better and feels more solid. that being said, i still like the 986/996 platform and thats a great car. (i have two 996's currently, and have had a 986 and a 987 in our household).



here's an example of a 987 for not much more dough:

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp;?tracktype=usedcc&searchType=22&pageNumber=0&numResultsPerPage=50&largeNumResultsPerPage=0&sortorder=descending&sortfield=PRICE+descending&certifiedOnly=false&criteria=K-%7cE-ANY%7cM-_41_%7cH-%7cD-_391_%7cN-N%7cR-250%7cI-1%7cP-PRICE+descending%7cQ-descending%7cY-_2005-2006-2007_%7cX-popular%7cZ-70454&aff=national&paId=274446916&recnum=7&leadExists=true

 

Looks like Porsche is going to change the engine to solve the RMS leak problem... for 2009

What causes the leak-

The rear main seal problem does seem more common with manual transmission cars, which makes sense when you take a closer look at the design of the engine. On all 986 and 987 engines, the tail of the crankshaft suffers from a lack of support - instead of resting on a bearing at the tail, the crankshaft is fitted with a chain drive for the intermediate shaft. On manual transmission cars, the crankshaft tail also bears the weight of the flywheel and clutch assembly. Over time, the motion of the unsupported cranskshaft tail can distort and fatigue the RMS. In certain cases, the entire crankshaft cradle can shift down-ward, putting more stress on the seal. If the flywheel and clutch are out of balance, the strain on the RMS can increase even more.


The new fix for 2009 due in March...(might be called a 2010 because of timing of reslease date)


No worries. The chain drive on the tail end of the crankshaft will be gone on the new engine with DFI

Weight down, stability up – the engine block
Despite their more sophisticated and complex technology, the new power units are approximately six kilos lighter than before. A two-piece crankcase with integrated crankshaft bearings is perhaps the most significant change in technology, replacing the former four-piece block with its separate crankshaft bearing housing. The advantage is not only a reduction of weight, but also a smaller number of individual components. At the same time Porsche’s engineers have enhanced the thermal and mechanical stability of the engine, making it even more robust by converting the design and configuration of the cylinders from open- to a closed-deck layout.
This means that the cylinder liners so far freely exposed around the cylinder gaskets are now connected with the housing by a top plate comprising the coolant sleeves. In particular, this helps to give the cylinders even greater stability in their shape and design, always remaining perfectly round. Two further advantages are the reduction of oil consumption and, thanks to less friction, even greater fuel economy.

Fewer moving parts – new timing chain drive
The new engines no longer require the former intermediate shaft serving to drive the timing chains. Originally this shaft had the task to reduce the loads acting on the camshaft drive.
Now, through the use of new, highly resistant timing chains, there is no longer a need for such an intermediate shaft, moving masses and the weight of the engine being reduced accordingly.

The Cayman/Boxster/911 have been using the same engine design since 1997. The exception being the Turbo, GT3, GT3 RS and GT2.

Porsche has re-designed the engine for MY09 on the 911. The new engine is not supposed to suffer from RMS, as they specifically handled this problem. I don't think Porsche will keep producing two different engine types for the 911/Cayman/Boxster, most likely these new engines will find their way into the Cayman/Boxster.

 

I actually wrote a nice description of the RMS repair and posted it on another forum. Unfortunately, you have to register to see the pictures WHICH ARE AWESOME AND WELL WORTH THE EFFORT TO REGISTER. Trust me on this.

http://986forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8668&page=1&pp=20&highlight=urotrash%27s

 

Sometimes even a sports car commands a premium for auto.

Also I wouldn't pay more than $24,000 for this car.