This time on Road and Race the Boxster 986 buyers guide
Having owned a 986 Boxster for 2 years here’s my guide to getting a good one.
I’ll go through how much you should expect to pay, clarify what maintenance items it
should have had done, detail common problems and highlight the changes and revisions over
the years.
But first let’s get one problem out in the open….
IMS bearing
Let’s start with the big one.
You may have heard that 986 Boxsters engines are prone to failure.
A small bearing, here in Red, fails, causes the intermediate Shaft (IMS) shown here in
blue to become loose which throws off the engine timing basically causes the engine
to eat itself.
More worryingly if this happens it does so without any real warning.
So you should stop right here and walk away right?
Well, let’s look into this a bit further.
Two different bearings were used in the 986.
Cars built between 1997 to 2000 use a double row bearing.
To reduce engine noise cars built between 2000 to 2006 use a single row bearing and
these are ones more prone to failure.
As disclosed in the Porsche v Eisen IMS Class Action Lawsuit, the single row IMS is reported
to have an 8% failure rate, versus less than 1% with the dual row IMS bearing
One theory on why the single row bearing fails is that the grease that lubricates the ball
bearing slowly gets flushed out.
So if this single row bearing is a problem why don’t more than 8% of affected engines
fail?
Well, after the grease gets flushed out normal engine oil can continue to lubricate the bearing.
So even though Porsche recommend a 12,000 mile engine oil change interval the general
advice is to change the oil and filter every 5000 miles.
This keeps good quality oil in the bearing and changing the filter more often reduce
the dirt and debris that can enter the bearing.
Generally cars that are driven and driven harder tend to have IMS bearings that last
longer.
It’s been said that when the engine gets over 4000 rpm the splash lubrication of the
bearing is at its greatest.
The only early warning for IMS bearing failure is that you may find gold deposits in the
oil filter when you change it.
The actual bearing is nothing special and a local bearing specialist could sell an identical
automotive one for as little as £20.
There are 3rd party replacement options from companies such as EPS and LN Engineering but
prices start at around £400.
For peace of mind you can have a Porsche specialist replace the bearing for about £1200.
The reason it is so expensive is the 4 hours of labour to remove the gearbox to get access.
In reality most people simply replacing the bearing whenever the gearbox is already off
when getting the clutch changed as reduces the cost considerably.
The 986 Boxster went through 4 engine revisions during it 7 year life.
Initially a 2.5 l was offered which was replaced by the 2.7 three years later.
The 3.2 litre “S” version was also introduced that year.
Both engines got roughly a 10 bhp increase 3 years later.
The 550 Spyder Anniversary limited edition released in 2004 got a further 8 bhp bump.
If you are considering the automatic Tiptronic gearbox be aware that due to it being less
efficient than the manual you will get less power at the wheels.
There are many small changes through the 986 Boxster’s life so I won’t go into all
of them here but here are some highlights:
• S versions have a slightly stiffer suspension, the larger brake calipers and drilled discs
from the 996 Carerra and a 3rd radiator to help with cooling.
It also has a slightly nicer interior with leather replacing the laminated and artificial
leather surfaces and aluminium look handles, door sils and centre console logo.
• 2003 and later models get a glass rear window instead of a plastic one.
• The brighter Xenon (or Litronic as Porsche call it) headlights, stability control and
cruise control were all expensive optional extras when first sold so choose carefully
if you want these.
• You won’t be able to change the brake fluid yourself if you choose the stability
option without a computer with special software such as from Durametric.
• Additionally a 6 speaker option was available which replaces the rear storage binnacle with
2 further speakers.
Personally my Boxster doesn’t have any of these options and the only one I miss is the
cruise control.
A Porsche specialist can retrofit it for about £500.
Common problems
1.
The plastic rear window will turn cloudy and potentially split if not nourished regularly
with a suitable product.
A new roof with a glass window is about £500 fitted.
2.
As the radiators are at the front of the car they can get clogged with wet leaves and cause
rust.
Check for any leaks.
3 . The coolant tank can develop cracks over time so check the boot carpet for dampness.
4.
Listen out for a loud popping noise at the end of the cycle as you close the roof.
That's means the roof is out of alignment and need urgent attention.
5.
Check under the coolant and oil caps in the boot for 'mayonnaise' – the characteristic
indicator of oil and water mixing . A little mayo scum under the oil cap is fine a lot
is not.
6 Listen for creaking and clonking from the suspension.
This will be worn bushes or shocks.
7.
To avoid damage to the roof the door window should drop a few millimetres when you open
the door.
If not the micro-switches have failed.
8.
It’s normal for the Boxster’s flat size engine to puff grey smoke on start up.
Prolonged smoke indicates the oil air separator needs replacing.
9.
Here’s a simplified view of the rear of the engine with the gearbox removed.
After time the Rear Main Seal (here in Green) may leak but this is fine you just have to
top up the engine oil periodically.
It’s a £10 part so get it swapped out when you are replacing the clutch.
Servicing schedule
When buying a second hand Boxster it’s important to check it’s been serviced correctly.
Porsche operate a Major / Minor schedule for maintenance every 12,000 miles.
It’s an engine oil and cabin filter change for the Minor and also an engine oil filter
and air filter change with the Major.
Spark plugs should be changed every 4 years and brake fluid changed every 2.
Here I’ve summarised Porsche’s maintenance schedule.
At 48,000 miles the fuel filter and serpentine (or poly rib) belt should be changed.
At 96,000 miles the transmission fluid should be changed.
Here’s my “real world” maintenance schedule.
At 48,000 miles the brake discs, clutch and ignition coils will probably need doing.
It’s cost effective to replace IMS bearing and RMS with the clutch.
The Coolant needs replacing every 5 years so may be due now too.
At 96,000 miles these will probably need doing again and it’s also likely the suspension
will be reaching end of life so look to see if suspension arms, bushes and shocks have
been replaced.
The oil air separator will probably need replacing and the differential fluid will need changing
on the automatic Tiptronic cars.
Also four new tyres will set you back about £500 fitted so check how much is thread is
left on the ones you are buying.
The good new being that most of this work is straight forward to do yourself and I have
How To guides on most of these items.
I’d probably only pay for someone to change the clutch, IMS bearing and RMS simply due
to the time and effort it takes to remove the transmission.
Costs
I’ve put together a table of a rough pricing guide for all 5 engine variants showing their
price at both 50,000 and 100,000 miles.
At 50,000 the sweat spot appears to be a choice between the 2000 year 3.2 litre or the 2003
year 2.7.
The former being faster and more track focussed whilst the latter having the glass rear window
and glove box.
At 100,000 miles there’s not much price difference between buying a 2.5 or 2.7 litre
car.
The difference here being you are guaranteed the more reliable IMS bearing with the 2.5.
Remember that buying 3.2 litre is more expensive to run due to worse fuel consumption and higher
insurance costs.
Here’s an estimated price guide to how much it will cost you in garage fees to get any
maintenance work not yet done to the car completed.
Worst case you’d be looking at just under £4000 on a 50,000 mile car and £8000 on
a 100,000 miles car to fix every missed item.
Bear this in mind as that 100,000 mile “bargain” may end up costing you more than a car with
half the mileage if it needs work.
So make sure you inspect the car’s paperwork and find receipts for when repairs and maintenance
was completed.
Final words
In summary I just want to say that the even though I’ve listed many potential problems
in general the Boxster is a very well built car and for me has never let me down.
Car’s with the single row IMS bearing do have the potential for engine failure but
you can mitigate a large part of the risk by spending £70 in parts and changing the
oil and filter yourself every 5000 miles and by getting the bearing replaced with every
clutch change.
Also make sure to drive the car like it was designed to.
For a mid-engined car it’s very easy to work on and most spare parts are now cheaply
available from the usual discount superstores.
For the money these cars are going for currently you’ll struggle to find a better example
of a modern sports car in the price range.
My top tip is if possible buy a Boxster from a member of a popular Porsche forum.
Here you’ll be buying from someone who loves and cares for the car.
Also you’ll probably be able to search forum posts and see what works has been done to
the car.
My favourite in the UK is Boxa.net and in the US it’s 986forum.com
Finally, keep checking in on road-and-race.co.uk for how to guides and other Boxster videos.
Next time on Road and Race Potentially reclaim lost horsepower by cleaning
your throttle body and Mass Air Flow sensor
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