987 2.7 high mileage

[Mirinjawbro]

hello all

very bored of current car, had my eye on these for a while

going to view sunday,

90k miles
987 boxster 2.7 manual 5 speed

anything to look out for?

thanks

[LennyM1984]

Crossover coolant pipes and worn suspension would be the main ones. You can see the coolant pipes with the wheels on full lock (look for antifreeze pooling on the arb bracket). The suspension arms are cheapish and easy to replace if you are semi handy with a spanner.

You could also take a look at the gearbox-engine joint. If it's oily, you have a leaky RMS. Not really a big deal but worth doing if you get a new clutch at some point.

Don't listen to the armchair experts that tell you that the IMS bearing will explode - its a non issue on the 987.

[evojam]

You'll want to see evidence of a caring enthusiast owner ideally and plenty of receipts,common 987 issues are

Steering rack leaks
Coolant tubes leaking at the joints both under the main floorpan and above the front axle
Door membranes failing allowing ingress of water
Exhaust joint studs corroding and seperating
Worn suspension components,dampers top mounts,arms etc
Corrosion to underbody floor fixings
Corrosion to rads at the front,have a look in the intakes below the lights to see if there's alot crap to hold moisture and rot the rads.

There's quite a bit more to the above and stuff I've missed so worth taking the time to find a nice one and don't be taken in by the fact it's nice and shiny uptop,get it up on a ramp if possible and get it looked at by someone who knows what their looking for,a cheap 987 with lots of deferred maintenance will cost you a pretty penny to put right!

[Mirinjawbro]

2021

Vehicle passed MOT with no advisories


2020

Offside Suspension arm ball joint has slight play (5.3.4 (a) (i))
Nearside Play in steering rack inner joint(s) ()

2019

Offside Rear Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))
Nearside Front Shock absorbers light misting of oil or has limited damping effect (5.3.2 (b))
Nearside Front Track rod end ball joint has slight play (2.1.3 (b) (i))
Offside Front Track rod end ball joint has slight play (2.1.3 (b) (i))

i definitely do not know enough about cars to know about all of the mentioned above. quite worrying.

[Noel]

I took a 2.7 Cayman from 98k to 122k over the last few years.

You'll need to consider all of the above plus smaller items like wheel bolts. The collars can start to fracture.

The TPS on mine never functioned, at £500 a corner i lived with the error message until my indie managed to remove it.

They are great cars, hope you find a nice one.

[soxboy]

I have a 987 2.7 on 138k. I would echo all of the above, and also add:

Check the drainage channels are clear and that there’s no water ingress under the passenger seat
Check the water pump

[Mirinjawbro]

thankyou all for the advice.

this company says they offer a 3 month comprehensive warranty on all electrical and mechanical faults. however i think im more worried that everything mentioned above would need changing rather than go bang within 3 months. i assume costs are not cheap

hmmmm

[Andyoz]

If you want cheap motoring, a 15yo Porsche isn't the best place to start unless you're handy on the spanners.

Also, check the annual tax on that car as some 2.7's were actually £560 a year (same as the S)

[Mirinjawbro]

yep sadly this one is the higher.

it was this or an older 650i.

[CardiffTam]

There are plenty around. Just take your time and follow your instincts.

[soxboy]

Andyoz said:

If you want cheap motoring, a 15yo Porsche isn't the best place to start unless you're handy on the spanners.

Mine has cost about £2.5k in servicing over 4 years I’ve had it. All either specialists or local garage - I’m ok with spanners but have no space at home and the cars are very difficult to get to a lot of stuff as everything packed in.

[Mirinjawbro]

i suppose as above the car has bottomed out price wise (almost)

so just maintenance,

test drive tomorrow. will see. the garage has 5 / 5 with many reviews.

thanks all

[F6C]

LennyM1984 said:

Don't listen to the armchair experts that tell you that the IMS bearing will explode - its a non issue on the 987.

Not accurate, unfortunately.

MY 2005 987 Boxsters built from late 2004 to late 2005 have the small single-row and most problematic IMS bearing. I wouldn't claim it's a massive issue. But insofar as it's an issue at all, it the first year of 987.1 Boxster production is equally problematic as all the earlier single-row cars.

987.1 Cayman is fine for IMS, they're all MY2006 on.

It wouldn't overly concern me, but would still probably lean toward a car built from roughly October 2005 onwards to render IMS a total non issue.

[Mirinjawbro]

here is the car in question. anything i should ask tomorrow?

i hope the deposit is easily refundable

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

[bennno]

F6C said:

LennyM1984 said:

Don't listen to the armchair experts that tell you that the IMS bearing will explode - its a non issue on the 987.

Not accurate, unfortunately.

MY 2005 987 Boxsters built from late 2004 to late 2005 have the small single-row and most problematic IMS bearing. I wouldn't claim it's a massive issue. But insofar as it's an issue at all, it the first year of 987.1 Boxster production is equally problematic as all the earlier single-row cars.

987.1 Cayman is fine for IMS, they're all MY2006 on.

It wouldn't overly concern me, but would still probably lean toward a car built from roughly October 2005 onwards to render IMS a total non issue.

Ignoring IM’s then, what about bore scoring? Need to be post 2010 for reliability.

[julian987R]

Mirinjawbro said:

here is the car in question. anything i should ask tomorrow?

i hope the deposit is easily refundable

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

looks great. With the deposit down, and if your viewing goes well - pay a few hundred quid for an Official independent inspection at Porsche Centre Silverstone which is 15mins down the road from that dealer..... that will give you peace of mind. If they refuse to allow you to do that/facilitate that for you, then walk away.

[Mirinjawbro]

thanks so much for the help

very rare these days (in all aspects of life)

[julian987R]

Mirinjawbro said:

thanks so much for the help

very rare these days (in all aspects of life)

Looks like the rear lights have been replaced with aftermarket ones, possibly the front ones too. Without being presumptuous but such mods don't match the claim of 'one lady owner' - but who knows the backstory of how those mods came to be.
Nice its got the extended leather on the door - its a very nice example.
Hope it goes well for you - lets us all know.

[Mirinjawbro]

have checked other models and i think you are right. the rear lights do not fill the whole panel the stock ones do (much less red)

i agree that this does not in my mind suit a lady owner since 2014 (unless done before of course)

[F6C]

Rear lights are factory but with some sort of dark / black film around the edge. If they needed replacing, second hand are plentiful and cheap.

Headlight units are factory xenon though he light temp looks quite blue, possibly non factory bulbs.

Has extended leather which is nice and unusual on a 2.7.

It’s a tiny bit barried / murdered out but if you like the look could be an ok deal.

If you don’t like the modded rear lights and black wheels, etc, perhaps best to jog on. Plenty of others to choose from and while it wouldn’t cost megabucks to Refurb the wheels and buy replacement rear lights, at this price level it wouldn’t inconsequential.