P-on

Hi folks. Previous 944S2 and 911SC owner here, now looking to get back into one. Spring time without a Porsche is just too painful anymore. Seriously have an itch for a Boxster S and budget about $25-30,000. I visited another forum dedicated to the 986 and I was somewhat taken aback. There were MANY posts about the Boxsters being "fragile" and guys saying the clutches aren't built to be driven hard, you shouldn't "peel out" as that stresses the drive train and engine too much, and should NEVER be anywhere near red line. Am I missing something? These comments were not specific to any year but there were many similar threads like that and comments. My experience was that my 944S2 was always more car than it appeared when I pushed it hard at DE (Watkins Glen) and the 911 ran best when wound out hard. I never had a problem with "fragile" Porsche's before. I have not had a Porsche in three years now and would like a Boxster for spirited driving (DE maybe...), autocross and anticipate 8,000 miles per year. Would also consider a Cayman but road trips with the top down sounds enticing. My sense is that forum was a different population than what's on this forum. I believe that these cars should be driven hard as that's the lineage and what they're built for or has that changed???? I just want to hear feedback that the 2004-2006 S's are solid machines given a good PPI and records and can be hammered on (it will have proper maintenance and well cared for but I do not believe in garage queens.) I was scared away by the IMS issue but think I'll be OK if I really do my homework and find the right car. I am, by the way, test diving a 2007 Cayman, one owner, 25,000 miles, this week. I don't know what to expect as it's not an S and am curious as to how it stacks up against the two I've had intimate experience with. Thanks in advance for any perspective.

Macster

If you want a car to "peel out" with the Boxster (dare I say any Porsche) is not for you.

Too wide and sticky rear tires. Too much weight over the rear tires. Get a Mustang, Camaro, or R/T with the big old rear axle (solid if still available) and diff and lightly loaded tires and peel out to your heart's content.

While neither of my Porsche engines spend much time at red line both occasionally see red line. As long as the engine is fully up to temperature I have no qualms about getting close red line. The real concern is red line in the higher gears generally has the car exceeding the speed limit and this brings with it the risk of a ticket.

You need to be sure you want to spend time on the road with the top down. I found this not to my liking with my Boxster and stopped putting the top down years ago. I really wanted a coupe/hard top with the mid-engine layout but at the time the Boxster was the only Porsche with the mid-engine layout.

I have no experience with the MY's you specifically ask about but my 2nd hand info is they do not appear to be fragile. Find a good well cared for example and give it a good test ride and drive then a PPI and if you find no reason to reject the car buy it.

Approach that 2006 Cayman with an open mind. I believe the base Boxster can Cayman (and the base 911 too) offer the best bang for the buck.

They are the least expensive to buy, own and operate. They have good power and torque so the car/drivetrain do not have to be extra heavy to withstand the demands of bigger/more HP. The cars are as balanced as they can be and as such offer a superb driving experience.

The base cars can be surprisingly quick. They may not win the stop light gran prix against the brutish USA modern muscle cars but in other match ups they can be quite competitive.

zedcat

First thought is are you looking for a 04 or earlier 986 (M96 motor) or a newer 987 (M97 motor)? Your MY range 2004-2006 spans the model change. For your budget you should be able to find a 987. The clutches aren't particularly weak imo. Had a new clutch in my 04 S at 60k mi when the IMS was upgraded and based on wear it would have easily done 100k +. You can read thousands of posts on forums about the IMS. I had mine upgraded (LN engr) for peace of mind. I keep the revs up and don't worry about running to redline. I don't "peel out" and I think a driver could toast a clutch in no time if driven badly -could say the same for any MT. Overall the M97 motor seems to have a better reputation than the M96 but the M96 is easier to upgrade the IMS. For that budget I'd probably lean to a 987. If tracking regularly, would try to stretch to a 987.2 to get the current gen motor which has better oiling. Hope that helps.

P-on

Mac..and Zed, thank you for your responses. Mac, hope you didn't misunderstand. I'm WAY past my peeling out days. I'd rather go fast in the curvy stuff. Someone once told me that the car to buy is the one that makes you smile. I have a BMW 335 xi with the M3 package. Nice car. Fast. Great options list. It doesn't, however, make me giddy when I drive it nor feel like I'm one with the pavement like both of my Porsche's have. Zed, great information. I think you're right, I'd more likely head towards the M97 engine. I'll post my impressions of the '07 Cayman after I drive it.

Privateer

I bought my first Porsche Boxter S about a month ago 2001 with 39k on It very clean car had been looked after , took it out for a good run today took some twisty roads for about 50 miles awesome handling very good acceleration put a smile on my face very relaxed motor dont think I had It in 5th or 6th all the way doing on average 65 , 70 mph , Came back home on I 95 bigger smile on my face doing about 80mph rev counter was just under 30k not to shabby , road opened up a bit , hit the gas pedal *** in the back of the seat touching 100 mph before I knew It lol great stuff . Oh yes the top was down even better no rattles , creeks , rock solid . I just had the IMS issue taken care of last week just for peace of mind had the clutch replaced to and a few other bits and pieces . I love this car I think It could be a keeper . but then again I say that about every car Iv owned .

P-on

Sounds like fun!! Life is too short to drive bad cars, right?

joegoggans

My last Porsche was a 1977 911S. I drove that car for 9 years and sold it in 1992 with 245K miles. Ever since I have wanted another Porsche. In August of 2014 I bought a 1998 Boxster 986. Very low milage 32,500 in excellent shape only paid $12,000, I do not beleive the car has had much in the way of regular service. I been slowly getting the service up to date ( No service records), ie Flush Brake Fluid, change coolent, new belt, change oil and filter ( DT40) per LN Engineering. I have had a problem with a Check Engine Light. a bad MFS.

So far I love the way it drives and the performance is more than enough for this 61 year old. (PS when I need real speed I have A GSXR 1000 Suziki and when I need to haul things, a Ford 150 XLT Supercrew Pickup) I have been driving it almost every day to work and out on the road as often as possible, I'm up to 37,050 miles now.

tone40

Drove it like I stole it with a group of other Boxster owners for the first 5 years. Then I got a 1988 Carrera with about 117K miles (Had the itch to get a classic).

I still have both (103K on the S, 167K on the Carrera). Both give me the permagrin every time I drive them. No unusual maintenance issues, keeping in mind that one is 27 years old. The S goes through tires fairly fast (12K max. on rear tires).

Both are very robust. I drive them assertively, but I don't abuse them. I keep them well maintained. Both are very reliable cars. I drive both of them regularly too.

Ck986

I owned a boxster for 12 years and 50k reliable miles. My alternator was the only part that failed on me. I feel like i drove it pretty hard. For the base 2.7 to feel fast you really need to wind it up. Mine saw red line and the rev limiter frequently. I had nearly 13k type 1 revs and 0 type two when i sold it (all street driving). It was one of my favorite cars. The powertrain was strong but not sure if it would take the beating a drag racer does. Mine also had a near perfect ims at 50k miles. I actually want to buy it back. I replaced it with a 996 turbo and love the boost and motor heritage, but miss tossing the car around like i use to in the boxster. As for speed just keep the car in the power band. Go for it.

P-on

What the heck is a type 1 and type 2 rev??? And how do you count them? God I feel stupid now.

Ck986

Before you buy the car ask a mechanic to read the rev ranges on the ecu. This can be done with the Porsche computer or durametric.

For 9x6 models
Rev range 1 counts the number of ignitions at redline
Rev range 2 counts the number of ignitions above redline

The first are ok and the second are bad depending on how you look at it. The second could be from missed down shifts causing the motor to rev above its intended range (possibly bending valves and stretching the timing chain). if your rev range 1's are exceptionally high the car could have been a track rat. This is just another point of information to help you make a decision. If I were to buy a car I would look for one with minimal to 0 rev range 2. Like I said mine had 0 as I bought it new and drove it for 12 years. My type 1's were 12-13k after 50k miles. The computer stops recording after 65k ignitions.

9x7 models I believe have 5 rev ranges to indicate the severity of the ignitions above redline. Porsche sometimes used these read-outs to deny warranty claims.

Also this would be a perfect car for DE and auto cross. Boxster as they have come down in price are being purchased and converted to race cars. As I said go for it.

ep3_lol

I have put 40k hard miles on mine over 4 years. Regular maintenance and an AOS are all I've had to do. I used to autocross it a good bit and put plenty of launches on the clutch in those days, but now it sees lots of track time and ticket worthy highway driving instead. The idea that this drivetrain is fragile and should never be flogged? Don't believe a word of that crap. Keep on top of maintenance and it'll be fine- unless the IMSB goes of course.

On that note, some people think that the babied cars are more likely to have an IMSB failure than the cars that are regularly driven and driven hard. I know anecdotally I have seen far more posts about IMSBs going on cars with less than 50k miles than those with more. But I'm certainly no expert so take that with a grain of salt.

P-on

This is why sometimes a DE car is better I think: it's maintained and paid attention to. Something to be said for that.

P-on

So I drove the Cayman that I posted about when I created this post. I can certainly see what the thoughts are regarding low end torque. It is not, however, a dog at all. This particular car is a base with Cayman S wheels as an option, 24,000 miles, $27,000 is asking price. It was a BLAST to drive. I felt good when the dealer said, "Finally, someone who knows how to drive these cars. You stay on the gas, keep the revs up, corner hard...I'm sick of people driving them like they're Civics.." I thought that was funny. I was looking to trade my BMW 335 Xi with the M Sport package but their offer on trade was low I thought so I passed. He said that BMW had diluted their brand by putting out a "thousand a day." I liked the Cayman a LOT. I mean, a LOT. I will keep looking. I appreciate all the help. I have the dang bug again...

ep3_lol

The problem with the 2007s is that they still have the IMSB issue but unlike the 986s there is no way to remedy it without taking the entire motor apart. So if you are ok with taking that risk it could be a good car, but if you want to do something about the IMSB you either need to get a 986 or a 2009+ 987.