Considering buying 1999 986
 

Hi folks

I am considering the purchase of a 1999 Boxster with 125,000km. Carbon fibre side view mirrors, carbon fibre gear shifter, Kenwood deck/DVD player, 18" rims, Ruf badges.

Car runs well, one small crack in vinyl rear window. Car well maintained by one owner, porsche certified. $12,500.

Question is, do I pull the trigger and buy?

What concerns should I have?

Your help is appreciated!

US Monkey
in the deep south west

Your concerns should be about the engine & suspension, not the carbon bits & badges. Getting a thorough PPI done by a Porsche mechanic is a must, it could easily cost you thousands in maintenance if it's not sound. I'm assuming the dealership that certified the car did this? I'd ask for the report. Does it come with a warranty? That would be great, and add a ton of confidence.

CV Boots, water pump, RMS, IMS, MAF sensor, AOS, and more (search the forum, you'll find plenty) typically need maintenance at some point in these cars life, so if you can't tell what's been serviced, and / or if it's not warrantied (even if it is), I'd probably get an independent PPI done.

I'd get an independent PPI anyway.

I would say your biggest concern is that it's got RUF badges on it. :eek:

Hey guys,

Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated. lol I know the carbon stuff isnt what I make the decision on, just trying to give you a sense of the car. Assuming it is well maintained, I think the aesthetics etc are the next thing that come to mind! For me, anyway!

Are there any big ticket items that consistently come up with these cars? Ive done a fair bit of research, but havent come up with any glaring issues that I should expect to present themselves. Would you agree?

Thanks again

US Monkey

Unless you wrench it yourself, there is very little that is cheap to maintain on these cars. The 800 lb gorilla in the room is the IMS bearing failure; I won't try to scare you about it, but do your research before you buy, so you are at least informed. You can spend thousands in preventative maintenance on it, or you can take your chances (I won't wager the odds, many have had long lived cars without touching it).

Otherwise, That PPI will give you the best info about the car you are looking at. All of the items I listed before can cost more than a few bucks if you don't DIY.

Again if its certified with a warranty, I like the odds better. At least you're covered for a while should something fail. Personally, I put aside "maintenance money" every year, to cover the inevitable with a car that old. Stuff just wears out.

The big ticket items are the IMS bearing failure $6K-15K, Clutch, Transmission, and on 1999 and less years the "D-Chunk" Piston failures $2K-15K.

If there is any oil leaks at all on the underside, it will likely cost you some money as it could be an indication of the RMS or IMS needing attention.

I avoided the 1999 and earlier to reduce risk of at least one big ticket failure when I got mine recently.

However, if the maintenance record is good and can be verified with receipts and it has not failed yet, then perhaps it will last a while before things start needing replacement from wear at over 100K miles

Its a crap shoot and if you cant afford to spend up to a couple thousand a year plus some down time now and then its likely not a good choice.

That's some good and detailed advice, thanks very much, guys. It seems that the responsible decision is to not purchase this vehicle.

Out of curiousity, how much is a brake job on this car? How much are the pads if I were to do it myself?

Thanks again,

US Monkey

Research is good...

Pelican Parts - Porsche Boxster Catalog (1997-04) - Parts and Accessories

https://sites.google.com/site/mikefocke2/mikesporscheboxsterwebpages

Porsche Boxster Buyer's Tips, Mods, and More

Incorrect. D-chunk is largely a 996 3.4/3.6 problem. Some 2.5s built in a period 98-99 did have sleeve problems due to manufacturing issues. But this wasn't D-chunk and in any case I doubt many if any of these engines are still running today, they tended to fail pretty early doors form what I can tell, the fault was that bad. In my view, early and 2.5s or 2.7s that are running well today are probably the most solid 986s around.

Oh yaa, slipping cylinder sleeves on the 1999's.

What was the D-chuck caused by?

In any case if the engine made it over 50k miles and still running then perhaps its not a problem.

D-chunk is caused by the open deck design combined with thin cylinder walls of the 3.4 and 3.6 engines. Not an issue for 986s.

US Monkey, if you're set on a '99, why not buy from a reputable forum member that has carefully maintained his car?

Not sure why he posted it twice, but here are the links:

http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/35879-selling-99-boxster.html
http://986forum.com/forums/boxsters-sale-wanted/35807-fs-1999-boxster.html

I'd be MUCH more comfortable buying this one as opposed to the one you were looking at. It will be well worth your plane ticket to fly out to pick it up. And the drive home? Going to be freakin' awesome... :)

Get a PPI so you know what you're getting into.

And a '99 with 77K miles should be priced under $11K from a private seller and under $12K from a dealer. Its a buyers market with lots of cars available. Ignore the asking prices. No reason to overpay.

Monkey....send me a message.....I have a great 99 for sale.

bar10dah - Those are my ads.....thanks for the referral!