You really did your research! I did so much of my own research before purchasing my 01 Boxster S 3.2 a few years ago. Mine had a dual row bearing before I chose to do that costly upgrade. Anyway, everything you said about IMS and bore scoring was correct down to the details, and I usually have to correct people about that stuff. Haha! Keep up the great work!
I had a 1999 Boxster S tiptronic about 4 years ago. Brilliant car, and that flat 6 singing away behind your head is something every petrol head should experience at least once. But it just made no financial sense to keep it, at least not here in Australia where prices for repairs are higher than in the UK. After a while, mine needed new suspension bushings, a timing chain kit (the guides were worn and the tensioner on bank 1 didn't hold tension so I got chain slap on a cold start). My local Porsche specialist said it made sense to do the IMS while the timing chain work was being done, and gave me a quote for $10000 for all the work. I got the car during the early days of Covid so only paid $14500; it just didn't make sense to chuck nearly the same amount into it for repairs. Even though mine was an S, it wasn't that quick. My 2015 Golf GTi was at least as quick off the line, and my current 2019 Golf R would have annihilated it. The Boxster has personality, and as Samuel L Jackson opined in Pulp Fiction, personality goes a long way. But if I take away the to-down and flat 6 noise....my Golf R is a better choice in pretty much every way. Plus, there's a dimension to having a Boxster that I never considered when I bought it. When someone asks you what you drive, you open your mouth to say "Porsche", and even before you say it you know you sound like a twat.
Owned many Porsche's including these 986, 996 Boxsters and 911. At these age cycles if they haven't gone now, they never will. It was a new car fault. A bargain car
just keep driving it.. that bearing only gets oil when the motor is running.. I sold my 07 Cayman S to a buddy and he proceeded to drive it once a month for about 5 months.. then he took it to a track day and the bearing let go.. I had the car for 16 months and put 11k miles on it (whilst working from home, lol).. I also took it to a track day (granted he pushes harder than me), and it didnt have any issues (drove it for another year, no problems)
Looks like some GT3 upgrades on your 986? They do work really well.Being a Carerra 4 996 coupe owner I took an opportunity to purchase a 986 non facelift 3,2 S in Zanzibar red and thank the lord I did.....what a fun car to drive and own. I would agree with every word of your posting here. A very well thought out and intructive description of what is an incredibly under appreciated piece of the Porsche Linage. Probably peoples thoughts will change in due course me thinks. Bravo Sir and great work thank you.
Appreciate it Chris! As for the looks, it’s a factory aero kit and just looks fantastic to me. Fixes the issue people have with the back end looking too similar to the front
Nice review, I’ve had my 986 for many years mine is a 2003 2.7 model and have listened and enjoyed the points discussed in this video, I’m no expert but like most things mechanical get it serviced and use the proper lubricants after that it’s wear and tear like any car.
Servicing and preventative maintenance will keep nearly any car on the road for years to come. The early Boxsters left are prime examples of that being true
With the electric switches for the trunk and frunk releases, there’s a little pole in the footwell fuse block that you connect a jumper to that powers just the release so you can open up and get to the battery. The cable backup is for if the release module, or electric release other wise fails, not for a flat battery.
Couple of things to note you can almost always sand headlights and then apply auto clear coat to permanently restore the appearance and this will work on headlights that are extremely messed up the IMS will put gold flakes into oil but it usually happens immediately before complete failure. the 2.5 2.7 3.2 don’t get bore scoring but all of the bigger displacement engines can suffer from it; bore scoring makes a distinct sound and a car can survive for a bit with it although it will suffer from reduced power oil consumption and gas mileage. all single row bearings are scary and I would stay away from them doubles are ok 1/100 is pretty rare but personally would get one that has the LN engineering ims solution (oil feed journal bearing discussed in this video) any bearing is really temporary a normal bearing is the only one that’s going to last a very long time.
You don't need to add a oil line to lubricate the bearing. LN Engineering has an open bearing model that allows oil to flow through. Replaced mine myself with one and have 120K miles with zero issues.
Ive had 2 and they are great cars. I wouldn't worry abouy the IMS but I would worry about cam deviations, which you dont mention. These are orange plastic guides in the cams that wear out and the cams begin to devaite. More than 9 deg and its curtians. Its a £3k repair , if you catch it. If you dont its full engine rebuild. You can measure cam deviations with an electronic tool. Suspension refresh, £3k, new hood £2k, IMS £1k, AC £500, AOS £500, cosmetic tidy up and wheels £1k. And soon you are spending £8k on an £6k car thats still worth £6k and thats why they are cheap. Are they worth it, yes if keeping long term, dont but one for a cheap runabout for 6-12 months. Could be financial ruin.
Video about the car in consideration buying with money that I could definitely use for something better. By a guy called “financial regret”. I think this is a sign to maybe hold off. 😂
£15k is more in the region of the 987 values so you’ll be okay. I’d say that the 2.5 and 2.7 from what I’ve seen don’t feel all too different as it’s 15bhp more. The S definitely will be quicker but it’s more a question of are you wanting it for speed or a cruiser?
Yep all well doccumented but what isnt are the cracked heads and engine blocks. I know of 2 986 and 1 996 all fallen fowl to this and it effectively writes the car off. Big gamble if you ask me
My 1998 986 has over 120k miles and no silver in the oil filter, the original IMS bearing is fine (knock on wood). If you must, pay $2k and get it replaced along with the clutch and the rear main seal (RMS). At the price good ones go for on Bring a Trailer you can have a GREAT car with IMS replaced, glass window top, perfect interior and new tires for well well less than $15k. What kind of car can you buy ANYWHERE for $15k much less a Porsche with the quality it was grown from frigging seed that goes like stink and can go into turns way way more than your courage will EVER allow? Nowhere. If you are scared and can't live with just two seats and no glove box but two GIANT trunks, buy a 1980's technology Miata and be a drone and dream it's a Lotus Elite.
I’d say avoid low miles for sure. 50k onwards seems to be good as it ensures is has actually had some use rather than being tucked away and no car does well with that. High mileage can be good if it has history to back up maintenance, buying a car even with 150k miles that’s had bushings done, suspension, regular maintenance and has a clean bill of health on the engine, you’ll be golden
You really did your research! I did so much of my own research before purchasing my 01 Boxster S 3.2 a few years ago. Mine had a dual row bearing before I chose to do that costly upgrade. Anyway, everything you said about IMS and bore scoring was correct down to the details, and I usually have to correct people about that stuff. Haha! Keep up the great work!
I did indeed! I know I probably didn’t get everything as it would be like an hour long but obviously trying to give people the best knowledge I have
I had a 1999 Boxster S tiptronic about 4 years ago. Brilliant car, and that flat 6 singing away behind your head is something every petrol head should experience at least once. But it just made no financial sense to keep it, at least not here in Australia where prices for repairs are higher than in the UK. After a while, mine needed new suspension bushings, a timing chain kit (the guides were worn and the tensioner on bank 1 didn't hold tension so I got chain slap on a cold start). My local Porsche specialist said it made sense to do the IMS while the timing chain work was being done, and gave me a quote for $10000 for all the work. I got the car during the early days of Covid so only paid $14500; it just didn't make sense to chuck nearly the same amount into it for repairs.
Even though mine was an S, it wasn't that quick. My 2015 Golf GTi was at least as quick off the line, and my current 2019 Golf R would have annihilated it. The Boxster has personality, and as Samuel L Jackson opined in Pulp Fiction, personality goes a long way. But if I take away the to-down and flat 6 noise....my Golf R is a better choice in pretty much every way. Plus, there's a dimension to having a Boxster that I never considered when I bought it. When someone asks you what you drive, you open your mouth to say "Porsche", and even before you say it you know you sound like a twat.
Owned many Porsche's including these 986, 996 Boxsters and 911. At these age cycles if they haven't gone now, they never will. It was a new car fault. A bargain car
I bought my 986 S MY2003 in 2019. I have thoroughly enjoyed the car. No IMS replacement yet.
They’re very good fun, aren’t they? Good to hear man, like mine you’re driving it and it seems to have a good bearing!
just keep driving it.. that bearing only gets oil when the motor is running.. I sold my 07 Cayman S to a buddy and he proceeded to drive it once a month for about 5 months.. then he took it to a track day and the bearing let go.. I had the car for 16 months and put 11k miles on it (whilst working from home, lol).. I also took it to a track day (granted he pushes harder than me), and it didnt have any issues (drove it for another year, no problems)
Looks like some GT3 upgrades on your 986? They do work really well.Being a Carerra 4 996 coupe owner I took an opportunity to purchase a 986 non facelift 3,2 S in Zanzibar red and thank the lord I did.....what a fun car to drive and own. I would agree with every word of your posting here. A very well thought out and intructive description of what is an incredibly under appreciated piece of the Porsche Linage. Probably peoples thoughts will change in due course me thinks. Bravo Sir and great work thank you.
Appreciate it Chris! As for the looks, it’s a factory aero kit and just looks fantastic to me. Fixes the issue people have with the back end looking too similar to the front
Excellent video with lots of information for potential buyers. I wish I'd known this much in 2015 when I bought mine. 😅
Thank you, Fredrik. I think I ended up doing a more pre and post purchase guide with this one as well for hopefully still some useful things
Nice review, I’ve had my 986 for many years mine is a 2003 2.7 model and have listened and enjoyed the points discussed in this video, I’m no expert but like most things mechanical get it serviced and use the proper lubricants after that it’s wear and tear like any car.
Servicing and preventative maintenance will keep nearly any car on the road for years to come. The early Boxsters left are prime examples of that being true
With the electric switches for the trunk and frunk releases, there’s a little pole in the footwell fuse block that you connect a jumper to that powers just the release so you can open up and get to the battery. The cable backup is for if the release module, or electric release other wise fails, not for a flat battery.
Excellent review and advice 👍
Great content . Owner of a 2003 986 S on 80k FSH. No Issues & is an absolute hoot to drive.
Couldn’t be more right, they’re such good fun. Cheers Simon, appreciate it. More to come on it soon, I’ve not turned from Porsche to Clio 😂
Just bought one a few days ago, pleased so far
Nice one! They’re incredibly fun cars, hopefully all goes well for you
@@_financial_regret_ I’ll find out shortly when it goes for a service and see what the mechanic says
Remember check the oil filter for gold particles. Check that regardless of engine
@@_financial_regret_ mine is a 2.7 but an early one, may be a double bearing
Couple of things to note
you can almost always sand headlights and then apply auto clear coat to permanently restore the appearance and this will work on headlights that are extremely messed up
the IMS will put gold flakes into oil but it usually happens immediately before complete failure.
the 2.5 2.7 3.2 don’t get bore scoring but all of the bigger displacement engines can suffer from it; bore scoring makes a distinct sound and a car can survive for a bit with it although it will suffer from reduced power oil consumption and gas mileage.
all single row bearings are scary and I would stay away from them doubles are ok 1/100 is pretty rare but personally would get one that has the LN engineering ims solution (oil feed journal bearing discussed in this video) any bearing is really temporary a normal bearing is the only one that’s going to last a very long time.
You don't need to add a oil line to lubricate the bearing. LN Engineering has an open bearing model that allows oil to flow through. Replaced mine myself with one and have 120K miles with zero issues.
Oh I didn’t see that one, I’ve only found the one with an oil line!
Ive had 2 and they are great cars. I wouldn't worry abouy the IMS but I would worry about cam deviations, which you dont mention. These are orange plastic guides in the cams that wear out and the cams begin to devaite. More than 9 deg and its curtians. Its a £3k repair , if you catch it. If you dont its full engine rebuild. You can measure cam deviations with an electronic tool. Suspension refresh, £3k, new hood £2k, IMS £1k, AC £500, AOS £500, cosmetic tidy up and wheels £1k. And soon you are spending £8k on an £6k car thats still worth £6k and thats why they are cheap. Are they worth it, yes if keeping long term, dont but one for a cheap runabout for 6-12 months. Could be financial ruin.
Video about the car in consideration buying with money that I could definitely use for something better. By a guy called “financial regret”. I think this is a sign to maybe hold off. 😂
Cheaper to buy and insure than any hot hatch…
Glad the bloke pronounced "Porsche" correctly......
Great video
Glad you enjoyed it!
Actively looking for one, budget of £15k but just not sure what model 🤷🏼♂️ thanks for vlog and advice 👍
£15k is more in the region of the 987 values so you’ll be okay. I’d say that the 2.5 and 2.7 from what I’ve seen don’t feel all too different as it’s 15bhp more. The S definitely will be quicker but it’s more a question of are you wanting it for speed or a cruiser?
Go for a 2005 3.2S, an incredible upgrade on the 986, Lobster claw 19" wheels make it, 15K will get a great one, zero depreciation IMO
Yep all well doccumented but what isnt are the cracked heads and engine blocks. I know of 2 986 and 1 996 all fallen fowl to this and it effectively writes the car off. Big gamble if you ask me
Very good video. Have you ever considered de-caf? LOL
it's a dice roll unless you have the LN Engineering IMS upgrade.. Base model 987.2.. No IMS and no cylinder lining.. virtually bulletproof
My 1998 986 has over 120k miles and no silver in the oil filter, the original IMS bearing is fine (knock on wood). If you must, pay $2k and get it replaced along with the clutch and the rear main seal (RMS). At the price good ones go for on Bring a Trailer you can have a GREAT car with IMS replaced, glass window top, perfect interior and new tires for well well less than $15k. What kind of car can you buy ANYWHERE for $15k much less a Porsche with the quality it was grown from frigging seed that goes like stink and can go into turns way way more than your courage will EVER allow? Nowhere. If you are scared and can't live with just two seats and no glove box but two GIANT trunks, buy a 1980's technology Miata and be a drone and dream it's a Lotus Elite.
5 star evo car ,please enlighten us on why its garbage?Is your corsa better then lol😂
Huh?
What is good mileage for these cars ?
I’d say avoid low miles for sure. 50k onwards seems to be good as it ensures is has actually had some use rather than being tucked away and no car does well with that. High mileage can be good if it has history to back up maintenance, buying a car even with 150k miles that’s had bushings done, suspension, regular maintenance and has a clean bill of health on the engine, you’ll be golden
I hate wetness in my boot
i love my 986 my insurance $61 / month
986 is garbage.
Then why watch a video on one?
Compared to what? For what it is, the Porsche 986 is a great car and well made. IMS bearing issue can be fixed...no big deal..done it myself.
What nonsese