Affordable Boxster ownership - sweet spot?
Discussion
I'm looking to move away from one car ownership (in this case a GR86) to running one car that is super practical and one that is purely for driving pleasure.
Which brings me to my Boxster search and what a search it is!
Much like the Defender and Golf, somehow the car stays the same across the various generations with only budget determining what flavour you end up with.
A 987 S would appear to be a sweet spot with a decent variety in the the £15-20k region,
Priority is driving satisfaction, limited exposure to costly bills (!!!) and sense of pride on ownership so that rules of the £5k eBay special.
£25k is my <preferred> max but we all know how these things go...
Which brings me to my Boxster search and what a search it is!
Much like the Defender and Golf, somehow the car stays the same across the various generations with only budget determining what flavour you end up with.
A 987 S would appear to be a sweet spot with a decent variety in the the £15-20k region,
Priority is driving satisfaction, limited exposure to costly bills (!!!) and sense of pride on ownership so that rules of the £5k eBay special.
£25k is my <preferred> max but we all know how these things go...
Based on your priorities, I'd say you need to look at 987.2 and 981 as they're in your price range. I've had both flavours (although my 987.2 was a Cayman) and they are different cars, the .2 being the more raw experience. Both great though.
If you do want to stay away from costly bills, 981 might be better than 987.2, they're considered to be pretty bullet proof, but you need to drive both as there's not much in it costs wise. I would stay away from 987.1 S cars, do some reading on the M96 engines as they seem to be affected more than other generations.
Bear in mind though that there's no such thing as a cheap Porsche so you'll nee to budget accordingly, at least £2k per year. You might not spend it every year, but it's there if you need it.
If you do want to stay away from costly bills, 981 might be better than 987.2, they're considered to be pretty bullet proof, but you need to drive both as there's not much in it costs wise. I would stay away from 987.1 S cars, do some reading on the M96 engines as they seem to be affected more than other generations.
Bear in mind though that there's no such thing as a cheap Porsche so you'll nee to budget accordingly, at least £2k per year. You might not spend it every year, but it's there if you need it.
Your budget is a little on the tight side for a really nice 981S. But £25k will get a fabulous 987.2.
987.2 is older, but honestly at this point the 981 is getting on too and I don't think either car is dramatically more likely to give problems, comparing two really clean well maintained examples.
The 981 is the nicer / easier daily and sounds better. The 987 is more mechanical and involving and has more steering feel. Both great cars. Obvious answer is a quick go in one of each, you'll probably have a clear preference.
Oh, if you want PDK, 981 is probably the pick. 987 makes more sense if you're after a more mechanical very slightly old school drive.
987.2 is older, but honestly at this point the 981 is getting on too and I don't think either car is dramatically more likely to give problems, comparing two really clean well maintained examples.
The 981 is the nicer / easier daily and sounds better. The 987 is more mechanical and involving and has more steering feel. Both great cars. Obvious answer is a quick go in one of each, you'll probably have a clear preference.
Oh, if you want PDK, 981 is probably the pick. 987 makes more sense if you're after a more mechanical very slightly old school drive.
A good 987.2 S (late as possible 2011) with some nice options should be available around £20k.
I would buy one then take it to a reputable porsche indie that focuses on watercooled porsche (strasse, i just seen you are in yorkshire) and get as much of the “nice to do” jobs done for the remaining £5k of your budget.
You should find that it only needs servicing/consumables from then on for a long time .
I would buy one then take it to a reputable porsche indie that focuses on watercooled porsche (strasse, i just seen you are in yorkshire) and get as much of the “nice to do” jobs done for the remaining £5k of your budget.
You should find that it only needs servicing/consumables from then on for a long time .
Edited by Philvrs on Wednesday 14th May 09:34
AndrewGP said:
...I would stay away from 987.1 S cars, do some reading on the M96 engines as they seem to be affected more than other generations.
Yes and no, the ideal 987.1 that was all 'sorted' is a 3.2 MY06 from engine No. 62504095 onwards. The 3.4 then reintroduced the bore scoring sadly.Popolou said:
Yes and no, the ideal 987.1 that was all 'sorted' is a 3.2 MY06 from engine No. 62504095 onwards. The 3.4 then reintroduced the bore scoring sadly.
The 3.2 is definitely more reliable and doesn't really suffer scoring. But the 3.2 isn't exactly rock solid, either. I've owned both a 987.1 3.2 and a 987.1 3.4, and both ended up needing new lumps / rebuilds. The 3.2 has failure modes beyond just IMS.I mean, the 9A1 isn't perfect, but if your life depended on the engine not letting go, you'd take a 9A1 and not an M96 3.2, that's for sure.
The OP comfortably has budget for a 987.2, so don't think looking at 987.1 makes sense.
TheFungle said:
I'm looking to move away from one car ownership (in this case a GR86) to running one car that is super practical and one that is purely for driving pleasure.
Which brings me to my Boxster search and what a search it is!
Much like the Defender and Golf, somehow the car stays the same across the various generations with only budget determining what flavour you end up with.
A 987 S would appear to be a sweet spot with a decent variety in the the £15-20k region,
Priority is driving satisfaction, limited exposure to costly bills (!!!) and sense of pride on ownership so that rules of the £5k eBay special.
£25k is my <preferred> max but we all know how these things go...
£25k will get you into a nice 987.2 or 981 as already stated. I sold a 987.2S Manual with 60k miles for about 17k a couple of weeks ago. Which brings me to my Boxster search and what a search it is!
Much like the Defender and Golf, somehow the car stays the same across the various generations with only budget determining what flavour you end up with.
A 987 S would appear to be a sweet spot with a decent variety in the the £15-20k region,
Priority is driving satisfaction, limited exposure to costly bills (!!!) and sense of pride on ownership so that rules of the £5k eBay special.
£25k is my <preferred> max but we all know how these things go...
Its still a porsche so has the chance to throw some big bills. Main things to look for are the coolant pipes (cross over tubes / pipes), A\C condensors, shift cables, clutch, general condition of bushes and suspension (galvanic corrosion can cause issues with the bushes and alignment bits)
As mentioned before the 987 is more raw and probably the more 'drivers car', the 981 is more comforable with a more modern interior and ability to fold the roof remotely etc and as such would make a better daily driver.
If you're focusing on driving pleasure, in my opinion the 987 delivers more of it than the 981. But the 981 has a more modern interior and I understand why some people would prefer it.
Ideally, look for a 987.2 S with as many of the following options as you can find. The cars are quite spec-sensitive and some options make a real difference to how it drives.
Manual
PASM - leave it in Normal for the road, use Sport if you take it on track
Sport Chrono - definitely sharpens the throttle response and also relaxes the stability control threshold, livens the whole car up in my opinion
18 inch wheels - the bigger ones rob you of some feel and make the ride worse - in my opinion
Sports seats (deeper side bolsters, offering more support)
Sport steering wheel (smaller diameter, round central section rather than more triangular)
The interior on the 987 cars is perhaps a bit basic, but it's well made and nicely laid out. Bose would be nice to have, as would dual zone climate control.
Enjoy the search...
Ideally, look for a 987.2 S with as many of the following options as you can find. The cars are quite spec-sensitive and some options make a real difference to how it drives.
Manual
PASM - leave it in Normal for the road, use Sport if you take it on track
Sport Chrono - definitely sharpens the throttle response and also relaxes the stability control threshold, livens the whole car up in my opinion
18 inch wheels - the bigger ones rob you of some feel and make the ride worse - in my opinion
Sports seats (deeper side bolsters, offering more support)
Sport steering wheel (smaller diameter, round central section rather than more triangular)
The interior on the 987 cars is perhaps a bit basic, but it's well made and nicely laid out. Bose would be nice to have, as would dual zone climate control.
Enjoy the search...
Thanks for the advice all.
A naive question perhaps but almost every Porsche thread has a variation of 'budget for bork worthy bills' comment. Is this simply because parts are more expensive than say an MX-5, or are the cars that delicate they need an extra level of upkeep combined with pricey parts?
A naive question perhaps but almost every Porsche thread has a variation of 'budget for bork worthy bills' comment. Is this simply because parts are more expensive than say an MX-5, or are the cars that delicate they need an extra level of upkeep combined with pricey parts?
I would say extended leather is a must for the interior on either model. The plastic dash and door cards are awfully low rent. Obvs it doesn't impact the drive, but it does impact the sense of quality pretty dramatically. And there's absolutely no downside.
You also get much nicer leather on seats when ext leather has been ticked. The standard 'leather' seats look and feel like cheap plastic.
You also get much nicer leather on seats when ext leather has been ticked. The standard 'leather' seats look and feel like cheap plastic.
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