Boxster purchase questions

[PeterKo]

I'm currently eyeing a 2004 Boxster 2.7L, priced at $30K AUD. The service history is mostly impressive, with one notable exception.

The current seller, who is the fourth owner and has only had the car for six months, mentioned that the engine has been replaced with a newer 987 model, equipped with a larger IMSB. This was apparently confirmed in 2020 by the technician who worked on the clutch and flywheel, stating it's indeed a later engine.

Interestingly, the owner mentioned that Porsche typically reuses the old engine number when replacing engines. However, during a thorough vehicle check, I found a note from 2011 indicating an IMS failure. The owner at that time commented in 2012 that Porsche declined to assist with this issue. They were contemplating an engine rebuild. Assuming the engine was indeed rebuilt or replaced, it would mean the current engine has only clocked about 40,000 Kms.

My queries are as follows:

1. Is it feasible to fit a 987 engine into a 986 model?
2. In the case of a 987 engine fitting, would they retain the original engine number? And if so, does this still pose an IMSB issue?
3. Should the engine number inconsistency be a major concern? I'm considering that if it was rebuilt, a Porsche IMS replacement might have been used. Would this be problematic in the future?
4. Any other questions and answers would be great in helping me make a decision.

[10/10ths]

… move on to another car.

[BruceH]

That seems like a high price for a 2004, of course I am in the US so maybe they go for higher prices in Australia. The engine issue is certainly a question mark. Take a look at the thread here "Thinking of buying a Boxster?". At the very least, take it to a shop that knows Boxsters and have it looked at before buying so that you know what you are getting into. Good luck and welcome to the forum

[piper6909]

Originally Posted by PeterKo

I'm currently eyeing a 2004 Boxster 2.7L, priced at $30K AUD. The service history is mostly impressive, with one notable exception.

The current seller, who is the fourth owner and has only had the car for six months, mentioned that the engine has been replaced with a newer 987 model, equipped with a larger IMSB. This was apparently confirmed in 2020 by the technician who worked on the clutch and flywheel, stating it's indeed a later engine.

Interestingly, the owner mentioned that Porsche typically reuses the old engine number when replacing engines. However, during a thorough vehicle check, I found a note from 2011 indicating an IMS failure. The owner at that time commented in 2012 that Porsche declined to assist with this issue. They were contemplating an engine rebuild. Assuming the engine was indeed rebuilt or replaced, it would mean the current engine has only clocked about 40,000 Kms.

My queries are as follows:

1. Is it feasible to fit a 987 engine into a 986 model?
2. In the case of a 987 engine fitting, would they retain the original engine number? And if so, does this still pose an IMSB issue?
3. Should the engine number inconsistency be a major concern? I'm considering that if it was rebuilt, a Porsche IMS replacement might have been used. Would this be problematic in the future?
4. Any other questions and answers would be great in helping me make a decision.

Answer to your first question is YES. I found out mine had a 987 engine when I attempted to replace the IMSB while my transmission was being serviced.

2) IF the engine was replaced by Porsche, which seems wasn't likely in your case, the engine serial number should have "AT" in it.

Someone else please chime in if I'm wrong, but I've never heard of a swapped engine being stamped with the original engine's numbers.

[husker boxster]

Putting my Way Back Hat on and going back to 2012...

Porsche would not have provided any help or good will for an IMS failure in 2012 on a 2004. Tough luck sucka. And they wouldn't have any 2004 engines sitting in inventory to slap in, so they'd use the best possible fit available (possibly a left over 2.7). A 2.7 would not be plug and play as there'd be DME issues to address, but doable. Would have been an expensive repair.

So it's very possible to have a larger IMS 2.7 987 in this 2004. Have no idea about what stamped number the engine would have.

Is all of this a bad thing? Not really. You just need to know what you've got when it comes time to buy parts for it. The IMS will be a Gen III version and while not serviceable, it had a 1% chc of failure. As long as the oil chg intervals were good (5-8K mi or annually), that bearing will last.

[LoneWolfGal]

I don't mean to hijack PeterKo's thread, but I have a question for Husker, who's just the guy to answer it. I picked up a very nice 2000 986 base a year ago for $5000. See details below. 155K miles, but meticulously maintained, as attested by a thick folder of maintenance receipts. It's all original, and the exterior and interior are above average, very clean. I've done some minor repairs myself: replaced the fuel regeneration valve and heater core. Changed engine and transmission oil, flushed and changed coolant. Slapped on a new set of Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus tires from Tire Rack. It runs and drives like a new car. Here's my question: If you were curbing a 986 like mine, what would you price it at?

[husker boxster]

Originally Posted by LoneWolfGal

I don't mean to hijack PeterKo's thread, but I have a question for Husker, who's just the guy to answer it. I picked up a very nice 2000 986 base a year ago for $5000. See details below. 155K miles, but meticulously maintained, as attested by a thick folder of maintenance receipts. It's all original, and the exterior and interior are above average, very clean. I've done some minor repairs myself: replaced the fuel regeneration valve and heater core. Changed engine and transmission oil, flushed and changed coolant. Slapped on a new set of Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus tires from Tire Rack. It runs and drives like a new car. Here's my question: If you were curbing a 986 like mine, what would you price it at?

Hi Lone Wolf Gal. Your 986 sounds like an excellent example and should be highly desirable. Unfortunately, I only have limited room in my pea brain so I don't follow the 986 mkt closely and couldn't just snap off an exact number for you. I follow the 928, 987 & 981 mkts carefully and a friend is looking for a 718 so I've been learning about them. I've never had a Wheeler Dealer 986 (almost had one on consignment but he traded it in). So I'll give you a SWAG at the end, but I'll teach you how to fish so you can pinpoint a value.

The first thing to consider is the car mkt in general and where it's at right now. The craziness of COVID pricing is over and the bubble burst in July '22. Unless you have a time machine and can crank it back to Apr 2022, you won't be getting those high prices now because the mkt is headed down. When it equalizes, no one knows. But knowing the mkt is in a downturn is important to consider. There will be a slight bump in spring as people's tax refund checks are burning a hole in their pockets and people's thought turn to fun cars. So spring is the best time to sell a convertible.


Before I buy a WD car, I use autotempest.com to figure out what its value will be. I do nationwide searchs and with the advanced options can really pinpoint value. I would suggest for you to search on mileage of 125-170K to get a feel for what those cars are priced at. But also read the ads to see what they list for maint, as yours is towards the top in that regard and it should be priced with that in mind. If someone has one with no maint listed at $10K, you know yours is worth another $3K. And also remember dealers will have a bit higher price than private sellers, because they take in trades and provide financing. You pay for those services and since private sellers don't have those features, they have to compete with a lower price. The good news about a 986 is its price won't break the bank and there should be lots of people who can afford it. The bad news is a high quality one has to compete with ones that are barely road worthy. A smart consumer can tell the difference but most may not.

Now you're ready to advertise. I would suggest 986forum, rennlist, PCA, and Craigslist. You might consider FB Marketplace, but there's a lot of riff-raff there. And speaking of, consider where you can safely show your car. Our county sheriff offers a section of their parking lot that they monitor constantly for just this situation of selling a car. I would suggest advertising on Portland and Seattle CL. People laugh at me selling on CL, but I sell 90% of my cars thru CL. I advertise in OMA, KC, and Den CL. Think about 3 places to suggest for PPIs, as someone from out of town may not know where to go. Be accommodating - be willing to pick someone up at the airport or help with shipping (ie being there when their shipper shows up). Make the experience fun.

Have your car clean and detailed before you take pics of it. Then take those pics in a nice location, NOT a crowded garage or on a rainy / cloudy day. I take my WD cars over to a fancy neighborhood and take pics in front of big homes or fancy landscaping. Location-location-location. CL lets you post 20 pics per ad - use all of them. List out the maint in bullet pts so people know exactly what's been done, rather than just saying maint is up to date (that can mean a lot of things). Go to the classifieds and search on my ads for a layout.

So hopefully this has helped. Would have been easy to just shoot out a #, but I tend to be verbose. My SWAG would be $12-14K, but I wouldn't swear on a Bible to that #. Feel free to PM if you have addl ques.