Help for a newbie.
 

Hello, I hope I am posting this in the correct forum.
I'm looking at buying an older 1999 Boxster as my new (weird daily) because my current (weird) daily (94 Subaru Legacy RS) is going to die soon. I have some questions that I am hoping this community can answer. First I want to state something about myself so you may be able to better help me answer some of the questions. When I say id use this car as a daily I mean it (I have a backup encase though). I am a learning mechanic, I love weird cars, my current car is an ex rally car, I am knowledge in flat engines thanks to my love for Subaru and Beetles.
Now for my questions.
1: What are your opinions on using a Porsche as a daily? I wouldn't be pushing it to its limits and I also take good care of my cars so It should last long.
2: I hear that pre 2000 only have a 1% IMS baring failure opposed to the post 2000 having an 8% failure.
3: If you own a pre 1999 what did you pay for it and how reliable has it been?
4: I get that Porsche is an exotic car but is a 986 weird to maintain? (Is it hard to change oil? and things like that).
5: Is there anything I need to know if I do indeed want to get one?

Note: This would be my first Exotic car but I have driven fast/weird cars in the past hens my rally car daily. Im also sorry for any spelling or grammatical error I didnt catch.

Note I know I should get the Porsche I want a PPI.

Welcome, start here:

http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/14685-thinking-buying-boxster-must-read.html

Deleted...

I'm new to this as well so take my input with a grain of salt.

I daily my 2001 unless it's raining hard. Don't have to get it out in that ... why would I. I average about 21 mpg. Love it.

I haven't found it any harder or more expensive to work on that my prior car (2004 Infiniti FX45). Oil changes are super simple, the engine is actually reasonably easy to access. Especially compared to my wife's Chrysler Town & Country. Stupid transverse engine!

Read the FAQs here. Read lots of threads, look at lots of cars. I love mine. I got a base, sometimes wish I bought an S but was just out of my budget. Makes me smile each time I see it and I always look forward to getting on the road.

There is tons of info, facebook groups, etc. Folks here are very helpful also.

Good luck!

Bryan

There are many on the forum that use their Boxsters year round, including in winter conditions. My daily driver rotates between my Boxster and Cayman. I use my Cayman in the winter but I put Blizzaks on it. Gets around fine on ice and snow < 4". A 986 will be the same as long as you use dedicated snows in the winter. Never drive with summer tires on wintery conditioned roads (it will only be a matter of when you crash, not if) and don't waste your time with all-seasons since you're in CO. Get a set of snow tires and dedicated wheels for them and you'll be fine.

Boxsters are very easy to work on and routine maintenance is possible for the DIYer. There are plenty of articles on how to do many maintenance items. And with a few unique tools in your tool box, you'll be ready to tackle most jobs (star and hex socket sets chief among them).

It will be hard to compare what someone paid for their car because of when they bought it, how many miles it had, and what condition it's in compared to the one you're looking at. I would suggest looking at multiple Craigslist ads from numerous cities to get an idea what mkt value is, keeping in mind that supply and demand influences price. So prices in LA will be lower than in Kansas City. But they will give you a feel for the mkt. You can also look at some of the price guides like KBB or NADA. I like to use NADA and use the following formula when calculating a private party price - go half way between clean trade-in and full retail. AutoTrader and PCA.org are also places to look for pricing, but they'll be a bit higher.

Your estimates on IMS failure appear to be in the ballpark. Let's not turn this thread into another IMS debate. It sounds like you've done some homework, but if you have several days to kill, search on IMS and read everything you'll ever want to know. That horse has been beaten to a pulp many, many times before in tons of previous threads.

I first bought mine as my daily. It worked for me and makes the drive going to and from work something to look forward too.
Now you need to be prepared - 17-18 year old car, a sports car, dependability could be questionable.
But you indicate you have a fall back car.
You will need one for:
- Weather
- Maintenance projects that may take a few days
- Car breaks down - for a DIYer, it may take a few days just to diagnose, even if the fix is easy
- Getting parts. The only parts I have been able to get locally is oil, filter and wipers. Everything else has to be ordered

And as said, you can work on these cars yourself. That is part of the ownership relationship you can have with these.
Their not exotic, the engineers made compromises to make them more Daily friendly

I bought a cheap 99 Boxster with high miles (177k) as a summer car. I drive it if the weather is decent. If the weather isn't decent, I drive my Cayenne. Mine hasn't needed any maintenance yet, but when it does I'll take a stab at it. FWIW: I DIY my 82 928, so I'm kind of brave/an idiot.

I wouldn't own an older Boxster as my only car, but I wouldn't hesitate to use it as a daily if I had a reliable backup.

I wouldn't call the Boxster an exotic. The parts are all well-proven, the engineering is sound and mainstream, and the cars are solid and reliable.

And if you do buy a Boxster, be sure to join your local PCA region!

Good luck!

1. It can be done but keep in mind the premium tires and sticky, performance tires are going to make it more expensive than a more sedate offering.
2. I have a '98 and the dual row bearing is more robust. Just as important is regular oil changes. Plus, the bearing isn't the only thing that can go terribly wrong. If the cam tensioners fail and clog the cam oil ports it is also new engine time.
3. They can be found for $7k to $14k depending on their condition and service records.
4. The mid engine makes simple maintenance a bit more of a chore but nothing is extremely hard to get at. I've replaced the accessory belt, the starter and the air oil separator and none of those jobs was terrible. You need to add maybe an extra hour on most jobs vs. a car with a more accessible engine.
5. You should have a PPI done by someone who knows what they are doing. Complete maintenance records are a huge plus.

https://www.pca.org/news/2017-05-30/pca-spotlight-what-goes-pre-purchase-inspection-996-gen-911-and-986-gen-boxster