986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners - View Single Post

husker boxster · 07-21-2016, 05:49 PM

Good for you on your business success.

This is a Boxster forum, so most will tell you to buy a Boxster. The best advice is for you to drive both and decide for yourself. They're very different cars, so one will light your fire and the other one may not. Each has pluses and minuses that will be obvious to you. You're the one who will know which to buy.

Are you familiar with IMS? If not, do a search and you'll find TONS of info on it here. The trimmed down version is this: a 986 will have the IMS that is more prone to fail vs a 997 (or 987). However, the 986 IMS can be easily replaced with a version that is quite reliable while the 997's IMS requires a total engine tear-down to replace. There are no reliable numbers but estimates are the 986 IMS fails at a 10% rate while the updated IMS fails at a 1% rate.

I'm sorry to bring IMS up and I hope my quick description is enough to end the discussion here. I don't want this thread to become another IMS thread, but wanted you to be aware of the situation. No need to be scared of it, just be informed.

Good luck with your decision and hopefully you'll find the right Porsche for you. There are no wrong answers when joining the Porsche family.

07-21-2016, 05:49 PM	#2
husker boxster Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Omaha Posts: 2,867	Good for you on your business success. This is a Boxster forum, so most will tell you to buy a Boxster. The best advice is for you to drive both and decide for yourself. They're very different cars, so one will light your fire and the other one may not. Each has pluses and minuses that will be obvious to you. You're the one who will know which to buy. Are you familiar with IMS? If not, do a search and you'll find TONS of info on it here. The trimmed down version is this: a 986 will have the IMS that is more prone to fail vs a 997 (or 987). However, the 986 IMS can be easily replaced with a version that is quite reliable while the 997's IMS requires a total engine tear-down to replace. There are no reliable numbers but estimates are the 986 IMS fails at a 10% rate while the updated IMS fails at a 1% rate. I'm sorry to bring IMS up and I hope my quick description is enough to end the discussion here. I don't want this thread to become another IMS thread, but wanted you to be aware of the situation. No need to be scared of it, just be informed. Good luck with your decision and hopefully you'll find the right Porsche for you. There are no wrong answers when joining the Porsche family. __________________ GPRPCA Chief Driving Instructor 2008 Boxster S Limited Edition #005 2008 Cayman S Sport - Signal Green 1989 928 S4 5 spd - black 1987 928 S4 - Granite Green Metallic (Felsengrun)