2005 Boxster purchase?
 

I'm thinking of purchasing a 2005 Boxster with 47k miles. The current owner has only put 4K miles on it in the last 5 years but has taken good care of it. I'm aware of the IMS bearing issue but is there anything else I should look out for? What do you think of your Boxsters overall? Can it be a daily driver?

I'm just trying to understand what I'm getting into. Thanks for your help!

There's a whole boat load of things to look out for. Like any used car, especially a high performance sports car. Do the research and filter out the noise and you will get a clearer picture of typical problem areas. So if a PO has addressed those components then you can at least feel that the car was cared for.

As a daily driver, driving to work everyday, all seasons, certainly yes.
Pulling it out of the garage at 7 o'clock at night when it's 20 degrees to drive a couple miles to get Milk, No way.

Daily driver - yes. Even in winter.

But in CT, you'll need to get a dedicated set of snows. That way you get the entire experience in winter and summer (with a set of summer tires). All-seasons are a compromise and you'll live that compromise year round. Do it proper and wring the most enjoyment out of your 'new' Boxster.

Daily driven, even in snowstorm today... With dedicated snow tires, no problems and it's fun!

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Absolutely, snow tires make all the difference. I have an Audi A6 Quattro with P zero tires and it sucks in the snow until I put snows on it. I figured the mid-engine has to help with traction.
I'm more concerned with understanding what to look out for before purchasing. I know the common things but every model has its own quirks. I talked to a local Porsche mechanic and between the clutch and IMS bearing fix, I'm looking at around $3k. Also, the tires are ok but will need to be replaced at the end of summer. Overall, it looks like the car is in good shape and been treated well.

Think your'e checking for the typical "obvious" problems.

Service History
Recent Service Performed
Previous Owner Knowledge on the model
Oil Leaks
CV Joints
Strange Sounds (Creeks and moans)
Convertible top operation
Steering components
Brake Condition
Transmission Operation
Clutch Operation

I actually have a PPI printout list that the previous owner of my car and I went through together before I took it to the Porsche dealership for a lookover. But many of the items are fit and finish type stuff.

Make sure the heat works, make sure the heated seats work, make sure the turn signals and all other lights work, ensure the air conditioning works (might be tough in a CT winter).

Check a cold start - Check a warm start - How's the battery (People often cheap and get a tiny little battery for these cars as opposed to the larger factory styled battery...good spot to see if someone has really taken good care of things.

Biggest thing you'll need is a test drive, and really drive the car. I've only owned mine for a few weeks now, and am surprised that i've put about 400 miles on it already. The previous owner only managed 2,800 miles in two years, and I've been racking up miles through the dead of winter...and it's my "sunday" car....but any day that's not freezing cold, snowing, or sleeting has been Sunday for me. I really imagine this car will get plenty of use during the spring, summer, and fall once the weather has broken and I can take it to work with me on the regular. They're absolutely fantastic cars to drive!

As to the "daily driven" part...I could honestly see me selling the car in a few years for a 911. Not so much because I want some extra performance (although more gitty-up is always fun) but I do love the idea of a fixed roof and back seats (makes shuttling the kids easier). I could almost imagine ditching my Daily Driver and the Boxster and purchasing a used 996 or 997...or just ditch the daily driver and keep both the Boxster and a 911...but who knows.

'05 is kind of a weird year as far as IMS is concerned. Some cars had single row, some had double row. Some are easy to service, some aren't. For these reasons, I'd avoid that year unless this has been documented. Any other year, you will either know it should be replaced (IMO all single row cars), can be replaced easily (all 986, 97-04), or isn't worth worrying about (97-99, 06+).

As far as the car being a daily, I basically drive mine whenever it's over 40 degrees out. It's fine if its colder than that, the cabin warms up really quickly. But tires are going to be the key - my Boxster definitely doesn't have the most winter-friendly ones currently, plus I have a 924S with Blizzaks which is ridiculously fun in the snow.

Kirk is correct - 05 was a transition yr for IMS in the Boxster and 911. They went from a single row Gen II version to a larger single row Gen III bearing. The Gen II can be replaced, the Gen III cannot w/o a lot of work. The Gen II fails at approx. 8-10% rate while the Gen III fails at approx. 1%.

Unless you have a build date on extreme either end of the model yr (late 04 for Gen II or June / July 05 for Gen III), there's no way to know for sure which version you have until you drop the trans.

I like my 05.. No tire temperature sensors to keep up with... if you have the latest bearing setup then that's good. Lower failure rate.. Only thing I know off the top of my head with 987s are the shifter cables... I went with numeric. One and done, as they say..