I am considering buying a used Boxster with manual transmission to use as a daily driver. One of the concern I have is its reliability and maintenance cost. I do plan on maintaining the car myself.

Before I get into my car search, I would like to read on the subject and get to know the car the same way I have read and leaned about the 914s here. I also want to read on what is doable with these cars as far as swapping parts from years to years, like we do on our 914s.

So, is there a "BoxsterWorld" equivalent to our beloved forum?

I would assume there are quite a few Boxster owners/mechanics on this forum. Where are you guys hanging out when discussing the modern 914 stuff? Is Rennlist the place, or there is better?

I am somewhat familiar with the IMS issue as I have read on this a little. Looks like the problem was addressed on 2007 (?) and later models? I have heard about cylinders scoring in the 911 crowd. Ignition key assembly seems to be a classic issue too.

As usual, my budget is limited and I wonder if finding a good survivor driver in the 13-15k$ range is realistic... I am not necessarily looking for an S, unless everyone thinks they are a must.

Comments, suggestions, warnings?
Please share experiences and recommendations! Thank you!

I had considered having a Boxter in the fleet, and voted NO. Too many electronics, systems, "modern features"

Being an old guy and a CSOB another 914 won out

Currently 5 in the fleet, an original 1975 911S, 1987 Turbo cab, 1985 Alfa spider and an original 1970 Dodge Power Wagon (with history)

I'm sure the Boxter is cool, but I like simple. My 2022 F150 goes to the shop for anything other than oil changes

2009 was the first year of the non IMS bearing cars. Also the dchunk cylinder issue and RMS (rear main seal) issue. Ping @jim_hoyland he has owned a couple.

I understand. I have piled up 275k miles on our familly Sienna minivan and it just won't die. Kids are old and out of the house now. The minivan is my DD and pick-up.

After talking with a 5-speed Boxster owner at the gas station yesterday, I thought it would be nice to daily drive that instead of the auto-trans van.

The owner was 101 years old! He used to race with 914s in his 912 back in the days. Amazing guy! He bought the Boxster at 92!

Does driving a Porsche keeps you young? He was!

By now the IMS has been addressed, either 'fixed' or it's not an issue. It was only like 5% of cars had the issue.
All German cars have pricey repair needs, specially at the 100k mark. Being able to fix stuff yourself eases the pain.

Prices seem to have gone up this year.

I couldn't imagine a stick as a daily. The clutch will need replaced at some point too.

I’ve owned two; a ‘98 986 Stick shift and now an ‘06 non-stick.
I recommend any low mileage Boxster especially if the original owner is the seller and he has all the service records.
I bought my ‘06 from a PCA member who advertised in the Panorama.

I also caution buyers that previously leased Boxsters may be a problem. Dealers leased more Boxsters than they sold new. Now, car lots are selling them.

Prices are pretty good from what I’ve seen; options make a big difference.
Good luck, it’s a fun car to drive.

987 Boxsters are very easy to live with.
Great around town...great on the highway
Comfortable seats
Good luggage space
06-08s have extremely low IMS failure rates...they used a larger bearing.
Base models had low bore score issues, as well.
I have an 08 base with 70k miles and it has been very reliable ......
I replaced the injectors at 50k miles as preventative maintainance
Lost a belt and tensioner at 65k
renewed the suspension at 68k (17 year old rubber bushings owe you nothing)
In total, probably under $7k in repairs/updates in 18 years of ownership other than brakes, oil, and tires
I daily drove it to NYC... put blizzaks on it for the winter. It was a champ.
Look for one that has been used but cared for... ultra low mile garage queens tend to have more bearing/bore score issues
I will keep mine forever...love it.
As low cost as a camry? No. But no one looks forward to hopping in a camry.

I was an early adopter. I had a 2001 Boxster S for years. I never had problems. I think they sorted the IMS problem for 2009. Fun car…

Like any daily, buy the newest, low mile one you can possibly afford. I know guys who are buying first generation boxsters now for low dollars and the cars are giving out, engines, gearboxes, other major components.

get a cayman.

My brother picked up a 2000 Boxster 3 years ago. He got it way cheap as the po thought it had a head gasket failure. Come to find out the shop he took it to didn't know anything about the car or how to bleed the coolant system. Once my brother did a full service and properly bled the coolant system it ran perfect. Drove it around with no issues at all. The IMS was done under warranty at the dealer that part we know for sure.
It had a few issues here n there but nothing major. He was driving it last week and the horn started to beep all on its own. Looks like this was a common issue with older Boxsters. The bushings under the airbag wear out and cause the bag to droop which turns on the horn. It's a simple fix but just a pain to do it. Like any older vehicles they are going to have some issues. Overall he got a smoking deal on it and drives it like he stole it.

I have owned a 2000 986 Boxster and I currently own a 2010 987.2 Boxster in addition to my '70 and '76 914's. They are great cars with real AC, good sound systems , compliant suspensions and modern features that make them great daily drivers.
The early 986's (1997 - 2000) used the dual row bearing IMS and they are very robust. I replaced the IMS bearing in my 986 at 89k miles and it was still in decent shape. The 987.2 Boxsters (S and non-S) introduced a new engine configuration that eliminated the IMS issue. In addition, those engines, internally have 33% fewer moving moving parts.
My 2010 Boxster makes 255hp and is equipped with a PDK 'box. It is an absolute blast to drive. If you go the 986 route, I would avoid the 2005 thru 2008 as an IMS replacement is not possible without splitting the case. Also, avoid the Tiptronic transmission. If I am not mistaken around 2007 Porsche introduced an upgraded IMS bearing in a large ball bearing version. It is said to be more robust. I take that with a grain of salt.
I agree with the previous comments that number of previous owners, mileage, maintenance history overall care are paramount. I would purchase from a PCA member and the PCA Mart is a good place to find a nice used Boxster. Buy the nicest one you can afford and don't be afraid.

@jim_hoyland I had not thought about PCA adds, very good tip. BTW, very nice Boxster and paradise picture setting...

@johnnymiz Wow! What a fabulous color and wheel combo, it is stock or a wrap? Beautiful 914 too! Lots of good info. The car will not be driven in the snow, I am in SoCal. As for the Camry, I know I drive the minivan version of it...

@wonkipop did you read my post and see my target budget? Yes, I am on the lookout for a Cayman, but one has to be realistic...

I will make more reasearch on the IMS single vs double row. With the mid-engine configuration, I assume removing the gearbox to do the IMS upgrade is somewhat similar to removing our 901. That being said, buying a car that had the IMS upgaded will tell something about the owner too.

I am also a Cayman daily driver. I like being surrounded by solid metal top!

Do a quick search on the Boxster/ Cayman forums on rennlist and pelicanparts and you will see that the first 986 years and the last 987.1 years had virtually no IMS issues. 987.2 had no IMS but was a little less analog. I have no worries that my 08 will have an issue.

Mine is a one year only Limited Editon model. With that color combination. 500 examples worldwide...250 base and 250 S

I thought I recognized it as a LE reboot (not sure its called Phoenix red though)

I looked hard at a couple but never pulled the trigger

The color is simply..... Orange
Same color used on the contemporary GT3 RS

I have owned 2 but got nagged into selling both at some point by my now X,
enjoyed daily driving both the '97 2.5 with hard top, and my 2001S speed yellow , that car was bought with 60k miles car had $14k in upgrade options etc, bought for $12k drove for 4 years put 40k miles on it and sold for more than i paid , kid that bought it from me put another 100k miles on it and still original clutch and IMS, compare that to my 1997 car bought with 30 k miles, within 1k of buying it, noticed a drip and also issue with clutch master cylinder, took it in for clutch and MC, ended up it was not a RMS leak it was the IMS and caught just in time! at that time about 8 years ago, it was $3700 for all that work including the LN IMS etc . fun car and after that i ddint look back but i only paid $7k for the car and put tires on it that was it drove to 60k miles and sold for $12k . if you get one get one with good miles and full maintainence history, or as others said

get either boxster or Cayman 09 or later with no IMS the 2.9 PDK is faster car than an earler 3.4 S car, so much fun . I autocross and some of the fastest cars are the the 2.7 and 2.9 caymans. I will be selling my Maserati and will be looking for this soon for myself again!.

Boxster is nice due to the dual trunks and add a hard top even a luggage rack if desired.

Phil

I daily my 2002 986
Got it from a 914 World member and the PO before him is a 914 guy too. lots of documentation with the car. It has needs here and there, parts can be a bit pricey, but not outrageous. I have found it easy to work on and maintain. Look around, be picky and get a Pre Purchase Inspection from a reputable Porsche shop.

take your point montreal - but i'd still search and snoop for a cayman - you never know.
not that the boxster is a bad car but the cayman is a better car - esp as a daily driver.
lets face it - its the best looking porsche, porsche make (or did in the past tense). sorry arse draggers but......
it reminds me of early 911s. dimensionally small (ish) and closed cabin but not claustrophobic - stiff body.

theres a few floating around down here that on occasion are good bargains.
esp the earlier ones.

Marc, you can search forums here:

https://986forum.com/forums/

They are not as active as over here on the world.

I drove my 2002 Boxster 986 2.7 with 91,000 miles often as a daily over a period of 6.5 years. For the most part 42,000 miles trouble free save for the usual maintenance items on these cars: water pump, AOS, cracked fuel sender, convertible top gears….

@Dynosoar11 This one?

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I DDed a 2005 Boxster S from 2007 to 2017. The rear main seal started leaking at 36,300 miles, and was replaced under the CPO warranty. Besides routine maintenance and tires, I bought all the components for a brake system overhaul at 89,000 miles. At one point the convertible top got fiddly (fixed by tightening the tension strap on one side) and the center dash buttons got sticky (a known problem).

It was great to drive, even in daily Houston traffic.

^^^ Nice car!
I like the clean lines of that model and definitely those wheels. For some reason, I see them as a modern version of the Fuchs.

@Jeffrey, I will check 986Forums, thanks!

I’m also looking at getting a Boxster but automatic only. My wife and daughters love going for drives in the 914 but there’s no way the three can deal with shifting. So going forward the next Porsche will be one that works for all of us!
Drive it Paul

This will be your other family

https://986forum.com/forums/

I had a 1999 Boxster for around 10 years and the sold it to my oldest son. I bought it for a very fair price in 2012 with a failing clutch, and it’s matching hard top and about 115K miles. I had driven Boxster’s before as I had a few customers with them. I liked the ride and handling, you can get away with stuff that would have you facing backwards in a 914 or early 911. I loved the excellent HVAC system and precise shifting of the manual transmission. To me, the Boxster is a much more fun car than the 911 from the same era but I don’t have the status issue of it not being a 911. Hell, I own an old 911, the 914-6, and a 356.

I have never driven a PDK equipped car and I feel the old Tipronic hamstrings the drivetrain but I’m a stick shift guy for the most part. Hell, my brides new 2025 Jeep has a manual transmission.

I pulled the transmission with the car on my scissors lift to replace the clutch and the original IMS bearing while I was at it. Also the clutch slave cylinder and release arm which had fractured which was the cause of the clutch failure and the rear main seal that was not leaking. It was a pretty easy job truth be told. They also sound great!

I have owned 2 Boxsters. A 986 and a 987. They were purchased used and both served as my daily driver.

I think the key with any Porsche is how well they have been maintained. My 986 was not well maintained, but it was what I could afford. I paid the price in repairs over the long haul.

The 987 was Porsche Certified Pre-Owned (CPO), which is a good indication of maintenance. You pay a premium for it, but it was worth the peace of mind and warranty on a car that was my only mode of transportation. The 987 remains the most fun car I ever had. Even more fun than my 991.

I think in both cars it was around the 10 years old mark that various electronics started to fail and things began rattling to the point that it became a nuisance. That's when I traded for a newer used car.

There is a 986 forum as well as other Boxster-centric boards.

I’ve got one complaint about Boxster. There is no room for a full size spare. If you get a flat the owners manual ( 987 ) says to fill the tire with a sealing foam.
My work around was to buy the early narrow wheel. Works in a pinch only. Still gotta repair or replace the original.

Yes, that my 986

@Dynosoar11

I absolutely loved this car and sold her to Mike D. in March of 2024.

This is what she looked like when I got her in October 2017.

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I saw Mike with the Boxster last month; what a beauty !

I got the 986 from Mike D. back in December he is driving a 987 Boxter now, a black one.

Thanks. I loved those wheels too. They were standard on the Cayman. The original wheels were more pickle-fork style--not my favorite.

Hmm, I might be tempted to buy a car with a MT and tell the girls that you could not find an automatic.

Alert : The May Panorama has 26 Boxsters listed.

Owned a few 986 2.5's years ago. Liked them all, very fun cars to drive and listen to. Always worried about things like the windows not going down that little bit when you open the door or other tech-heavy stuff. Figured things like that wouldn't hold up over the decades.

That window going down an inch is actually a thing. After a lot of use....in my case it was 69k miles...they tend to pop down as if the handle is being pulled. The handle gets floppy. There is a $65 part (porsche...aftermarket is $20-$45 if you wanted to save a little) in the door that gets replaced.
2 hour driveway job.

Time to give an update on this topic.

Last WE, I picked up this 2007 Cayman from a PCA member in the greater San Diego area w/~70kmi on it.
I did stretch the initial budget of $13-15k but I think it was worth it. (I guess I followed your suggestion @wonkipop ).
Daily drove it all week. What a wonderful car!

Now to get motivated in working on the 914 project. Hopefully, the weather will cool off soon.


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MY 2006 987; great car

@Montreal914

niiiiiiiiiice.
tan interior super niiiiiiiice.

I daily drive my 987.1 Cayman in the summer and have been across country in it 5 times. Fantastic GT car and daily.

About to hit 104k miles.

Clutch, fuel rail, tires, and some normal VW electrical stuff. Been great.

Tires...15k for the rears and 30k for the fronts. Camber smokes 3/4" of the inner rears.

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