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New member looking for 986 advice before purchase

McGoo

Member
Joined
12 Jul 2018
Messages
13
Good evening all!

Thought id join a forum as im considering entering the mad world of porsche ownership!

Had a few fast cars in the past such as wrx and m3 etc all which ive modified in one way or another and time has come for me to buy a new daily and ive toyed with the idea of a 986 boxster in the past and was only ever put of by the poor mans porsche title but now I feel sod it i want a drivers car!

Im going to do a search but if any of the seasoned members could point me in the right direction on what to look for on a test drive and first viewing that would be awesome.

Any oil leak or rust locations to physically check?

thanks in advance for the help

matty
 
:welcome: Matty

Good place to start, someone here may be selling :dont know:

Check out the FAQ's in the Boxster section as there may be a pinned thread there.

Good luck with the search, it's one of the best parts :thumb:
 
Welcome..!
And congratulations or realising where the driving future starts...I doubt whether you will look back once on this route...good luck finding the car you choose , you will get plenty of advice from the chaps on here ....

Also well done for an exemplary first post as a ' joining post'
There are many who have come on here in a manner that is not as friendly as yours ... they could learn a lot from your post....

I hope you find a good car ... they are all great ......!
 
:welcome: to 911uk Matty

You did right to enter your first post in the newbie zone but as you're after specific advice I've moved it to the Boxster sub-forum where it'll be seen by current/previous owners. we have lots on here. :thumb:
 
These cars are getting a little long in the tooth these days so there are several areas to watch out for .

But you can get these pretty cheap so i and a lot of people consider them a bargin.

If your a diy man then i and others here can pretty much explain how to change just about any part on them so your in the right place .

I would say that what ever you buy then have a bit of a war kitty set aside .. there WILL be things that need changeing .

Personnely i would go for one with good bodywork and just fix the bits thats needed ..

So what to look out for ..

Smokeing on startup or smokeing in general .

Oil leaks and mainly on the gearbox / engine area .. ims / rear main leaks.

rear silencer seems split to the point of exhaust leaks.

Exhaust rattles , normally a cheap ish fix.

Does the roof work properly , open it half way and make sure both rods are still attatched , bushes on the drive motor for the roof are still there .. cheap fix but it all adds up.

A/C if fitted is working .. probably not and not a cheap fix .

rattles .. well it depends on how much you want it to be silent .. heavy bonk bonk on bumps .. diagonal arms .. dont have to be changed as no play / mot failure but rather annoying .. not cheap .

Suspension arms .. called coffin arms if not done in the last 6 years then theres a good chance they will need doing .. cant see without a ramp .

Rust .. well Porsche in general , Boxster onwards dont suffer very badly from rust .. wheel arch areas , sills are the only areas to look at.

Move the passenger seat forwards and check the carpets , you can pull the very back section up a bit .. your looking to see if its damp.

Water ingress on these is common due to blocked rear drains .. if it reaches the alarm control unit inder the passenger seat then its a £500 job to fix .

Door membrains leak .. cheap diy fix .

i think ive scared you enough as it is so ill stop there ..

BUT over all they are still a bargin .. they are bloody good fun and i still see many good examples that come in for serviceing .. just be aware Porsche parts can be expensive .

FYI .. the Porsche Boxster is and always has been my favourite Porsche .. and ive driven / worked on most of them ..

981 though .. :D my car of choice .. maybe one day , just need to win the lottery first lol .
 
Thanks everyone for the warm welcome, been on afew forums in my driving career and must say I was abit weary about joing a porsche forum especially asking about the 986 🤭

Demort, thanks for your compreensive guide on what to look at in the boxster, am I mad that none of it puts me off 🤣 im completly ready for the challenge but its good to see that the issues are minior in the grand scheme of things, nothing to porsche specific which will be the only thing I struggle with.

Im lucky enough to have a ramp at my house so im hoping maintainence and repairs over there years will be just as straight forward as anything else.

Hoping to be viewing my car tomorrow so will keep everyone updated 👍🏻

Thanks again matty
 
Firstly, welcome, you are definitely in a good place :thumb:

My advice would be of a more general sort. History, history, history! By all means look and drive a good variety of cars during your search, even if the colour/spec/price is not exactly what you are looking for. Just to test the market against your expectations.

Then compare how good/bad each one feels to you while checking its specific documentation, particularly against what the seller claims they have had done to it.

Most cars and bikes that have been systematically and fastidiously cared for will have genuine and complete history files with matching receipts/invoices. if there are gaps or odd looking documentation rule that one out. While this is never a guarantee it certainly will rule out total lemons. Good vehicles are rarely that much more expensive than those with missing or gaps in their history records.

Don't be afraid to walk away, there will always be another, possibly better one around the corner. Be fussy, patient and buy the very best you can.
 
Have a look over on Boxa.net, great forum and a lot of serious Boxster enthusiasts.

That's where I started looking 14 years ago for my first 986.

Brilliant cars, I'd have another tomorrow, good luck with your search. :thumbs:
 
Welcome to the forum! In my completely unbiased opinion you are very wise to seek out a 986, they are great little cars, lots of fun and fantastic for the money. Obviously if you buy a bad one, it will cost you, but there are many good cars out there that have been looked after well by enthusiasts.

I haven't had mine for long having bought it because I was smitten (as was another good friend who also bought one) by a good friend's 986 that he brought along on the road trip we did around the Dinslaken event in April, but so far so good. I bought it from a person who advertised it on here, paid a fair price and have since spent over £1500 on a major service, tyres, air con, coil packs, coffin arms etc., this is normal. I'm not driving it as much as my wife who is not a Porsche enthusiast, but she loves the 986 😄

All of what deMort says above is true, there is also a good guide here http://www.revolution-porsche.co.uk/buyers-guides/buying-a-porsche-boxster-986 that might help you when viewing a car. Good luck in your search, feel free to ask questions, there are plenty of more knowledgable owners on here who no doubt will be along shortly.
 

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