How bad are 986 Boxsters?

I've been looking at a couple Boxsters (5M, 2.7l base, not "s") in my town.  A 2004 with 112k for $12k and a 2003 with 66k for $16k.  Both at the same dealer and both appear to be in very nice condition.  I have an NB Miata, and love it, but really want more power without loosing the fun convertible vibe.  For what it costs to turbo it, I can upgrade to either of these in my budget.  My purpose for them would be fun weekend drives, some autocross and a few track days.

However, the more I research them the more I am concerned that they can be crazy expensive to maintain and repair.  I am reasonably handy and can do a lot of stuff myself (I've done brakes, suspension/coilovers, alternators, etc), but some of the things sound pretty major.

People that know them, what are your thoughts?

We have an 02 986S that my wife has been DDing since 2016. 40k miles in purchase, coming up on 95k now. They're very nice cars albeit with some down sides. I would actually take thr higher mileage one if both are in similar shape as they don't sit well. The infamous IMS bearing is pretty solvable and doesn't add much to the cost of a clutch job. Interior bits haven't aged too well on these and require attention. Top replacement is feasible DIY if needed but like any other Porsche bits the parts are expensive. The header cats can fail (ours are rattling) and are also $$$ parts. Oil, filters, pads, tires, brakes and suspension bits aren't too bad.

You'll need a good indy Porsche shop as well as decent DIY to make ownership costs reasonable. It's just a car and you can DIY almost anything, but there is great value in experience for big jobs. 

Take one for a drive and see if you like the feel - they're not sprightly like my NA miata was, but satisfying in a different way.

As long as it's not a basket case to begin with, they're not really any more expensive or difficult to maintain than anything else. But three years ago those both would have been well under $10k, I just can't get behind paying real money versus ponying up the extra few grand for a 987 or at least a 986S.

I have one and it's not really that much worse than other euro cars of the same era, but working on it is difficult just because of how everything is packaged, it's a puzzle to reach some things, and you need really strong (but not too large) hands and long arms to be able to get to stuff.  I wouldn't pay $16k for one though.  The base model is not that fast either, it's acceptable considering how well it will stop and change direction, but acceleration is just average now. I think a new Ford Ranger is faster.

Yes, it's faster than a stock miata, but like...that's a low bar. Honestly if you like the way the miata feels and drives you'd probably enjoy a turbo miata more than a 986...especially a $15k base model.

At that price I'd buy an S. It's a significant step up in performance. 3.2 instead of 2.7, 6 speed instead of 5 speed, fixed 4 piston calipers and larger rotors on all 4 corners, etc.

I liked my '02 base model Boxster. I got it for really cheap, though - $4500. It had high miles - 150K, but was in really good shape other than the completely shot suspension. 

These cars are kind of ho-hum to drive at normal speeds on the street. For sure a Miata is more fun to drive until you can get to speeds where the Boxster starts to come alive. Boxsters are just inherently good cars for fast driving, because of the mid-engine design. They are nicer to live with than a Miata, slightly more room, and a lot more luggage space. They are a lot more refined than the Miata, too.

Working on them is more of a pain, because of the mid-engine placement and difficult access from above (the top is in the wrong place!). But Porsche actually has made things that need service pretty accessible once you get the car up in the air. I bought a set of QuickJacks, and it made things a lot easier. 

My experience with the Boxster was good enough that I bought a newer, low-mileage Cayman.

I like them. I just wrote down a list to count them and I'm pretty sure I've owned eighteen 986 Boxsters at this point. A few of them were only used as parts cars, but the majority were cars that I bought in need of some work that I enjoyed fixing and driving. 

Here's a pic from 2017 and the only one of those that I still have is the white one. Currently I have five, but one of them is designated as a parts car with no title.

As stated earlier, they are different to work on than most cars. I have no special skills other than stubborn persistence and have done just about everything except for an engine and transmission rebuild (I'd rather just replace them). There are plenty of YouTube experts out there to show you how to do (or not do) just about any maintenance or repair. As they have aged, trouble areas are the coolant tank, Air Oil Separator, Top mechanism, door latch microswitch & window regulator, and the fact that the Central Locking module with the immobilizer electronics is under the driver's seat which will get wet and corrode if the roof drains get clogged.

I have way too much that I could say about them, so rather than type a wall, I'll watch and answer any specifics.

Javelin said:

At that price I'd buy an S. It's a significant step up in performance. 3.2 instead of 2.7, 6 speed instead of 5 speed, fixed 4 piston calipers and larger rotors on all 4 corners, etc.

As an S owner, I'm not so sure about that. One thing that people don't talk about is how tall the gearing is with the 6-speed. That takes away some of the feel of the bigger engine. The brakes are a nice upgrade, especially if you are tracking the car, but for street driving where you're rarely at more than 5/10ths, I don't think the S is necessarily that much more fun than the base car. 

I've always liked the 986S special edition with the silver exterior and cocoa interiors...

Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:

Javelin said:

At that price I'd buy an S. It's a significant step up in performance. 3.2 instead of 2.7, 6 speed instead of 5 speed, fixed 4 piston calipers and larger rotors on all 4 corners, etc.

As an S owner, I'm not so sure about that. One thing that people don't talk about is how tall the gearing is with the 6-speed. That takes away some of the feel of the bigger engine. The brakes are a nice upgrade, especially if you are tracking the car, but for street driving where you're rarely at more than 5/10ths, I don't think the S is necessarily that much more fun than the base car. 

I've never driven an S but you are right about the gearing being much longer. Also IIRC the 2.5 has the flattest torque curve, the 2.7 a little less so (and a slightly longer final drive maybe?) and the S suffered the most on low end torque. For what I wanted to do with the car, I wanted maximum low end torque and to stay around 60mph in second gear, so the 2.5 base model was the best choice. Also the base model still has four piston fixed calipers all around, the pads and rotors are just a bit smaller.

To one of Jon's points, when talking about working on these cars (really porsches in general) I like to make the differentiation between complexity and difficulty. There's definitely a few jobs that are just painful, but for most jobs none of the steps are difficult, there's just a lot of steps. Lots of jobs are complex and time consuming, few are actually difficult.

dps214 said:

To one of Jon's points, when talking about working on these cars (really porsches in general) I like to make the differentiation between complexity and difficulty. There's definitely a few jobs that are just painful, but for most jobs none of the steps are difficult, there's just a lot of steps. Lots of jobs are complex and time consuming, few are actually difficult.

I agree with that. And I'll add that most of the parts prices aren't THAT bad, especially if you shop around. More than a Chevy or Toyota, but not as bad as you've heard.

Oh for sure the non-S is a fantastic drive, especially on the street. I just wouldn't pay an S price for one, no matter how nice. They are really common (for Porsches) and it's easy to find a good one at a reasonable price.

Id skip the 97-01 cars. The later seem like better cars.

In reply to Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) :

There is some more refinement in the later 986s and the '04 S Special Edition is my favorite, but I was also very happy on the street with a high optioned '99 and a stripped down '97. I'd say try a few to see what you like. I wouldn't choose one based on year or mileage as much as how well cared for it has been for the last ~20 years. A PPI with a shop that knows Porsches is highly recommended.

Best steering feel and feedback of any car you will ever drive.  Flat six sounds are amazing. The one thing I really disliked is the shifter.  I still have my factory alignment tool and Porsches shifters feel very cable.  The best cable shifters are in Hondas.  The directness and feel of a Miata shifter is unmatched.  A Miata is cheaper to own and work on too.  I'm back to a Miata although my Boxster S was a better performing car in nearly ever measure.  

Shifting can be helped with aftermarket cables and the 997 GT3 shifter. But it'll never be a miata.

AAZCD-Jon (Forum Supporter) said:

As they have aged, trouble areas are the coolant tank, Air Oil Separator, Top mechanism, door latch microswitch & window regulator, and the fact that the Central Locking module with the immobilizer electronics is under the driver's seat which will get wet and corrode if the roof drains get clogged.

FWIW many of these issues occur with the 987 cars as well, so buying newer isn't necessarily better.

$16k gets you some lower mile early 987's if you're good with a fly and drive.