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987 SERVICE HISTORY ISSUE, HELP?

NIBrown

Well-known member
Joined
10 Oct 2010
Messages
420
Hi Guys,

Not usually on this part of the forum being a 993 owner, but thinking of getting the missus a 55 reg 987 Boxster.
It has 67K miles and looks to be in pretty good condition, the only problem is the service history :eek:
The car belonged to the father of the family and he passed away, so the car in 2008 and 12k miles did not get used much and was SORN for a couple of years. The next service was in 2014 with 30K miles done.

So, there is a gap of 6 years between servicing and approx 18K miles!

The service at 2014 and those after have not been with OPC either!!

The car has done 36K since the laid up period.

The only work done on the car when it wasn't being used much was a battery and a trickle charger for obvious reasons.

The car is advertised at £8000 and available for £7250, that was prior to him telling me about the gap he has just discovered (he is selling for a friend).

It may come a bit cheaper, but is it worth the risk??

Not sure what the manual states about service intervals?? and the affect it may have when we come to sell it on??

Also, that stale oil sat in the sump for 6 years, will it have caused any damage? bore scoring etc??

Really looking for some advice as I know nothing about Boxsters

Please help??
 
I take it it's the 2.7 engine? That's a good price for a Boxster and I think the price reflects the history. You need to do your checks on the car as usual but I wouldn't be put off necessarily by the history book. At this age it's going to have a mixture of stamps anyway. I understand the risk with the gaps but just make sure it checks out in the areas that's matter.

Maybe take it to Porsche and get a 111 point check?
 
At that mileage you will want to check the clutch, they tend to last around 50-60k miles. A new clutch from an indie is going to be around a grand for a Boxster to make sure it's good.

Does it look loved or neglected?

Boxster has same intervals as a 997. Every 2 year's.
 
Service intervals are 2 years or 20k miles .. i dont see a problem if the car has not been used and sat in a dry garage , oil will degrade over time but it will still function .

Its certainly due a service though and rubber / bushes will degrade even if not used as will the tyres so i would budget for them at least .. Porsche say tyre change at 6 years old .

Is it cheap ? i cant say as i dont know prices but it does seem to be .

As with any car i would say a PPI and a scope .. if ok then its worth it .

Boxster .. 996 .. 997 .. all the same at the end of the day for what you have said .
 
isysman said:
At that mileage you will want to check the clutch, they tend to last around 50-60k miles. A new clutch from an indie is going to be around a grand for a Boxster to make sure it's good.

Does it look loved or neglected?

Boxster has same intervals as a 997. Every 2 year's.

Sounding too much of a risk, would probably need a PPI to check the bores/clutch, then still got that stigma of lacking the suggested 2 year services!

May be wise to hang on for one that has been better loved with OPC servicing.

Thanks for the advice :thumb:
 
Hi,

This wouldn't bother me too much. Allegedly, the IMS issue can be more of an issue on cars that haven't been run regularly, but Porsche paranoia tends to make much more of this than is reality. On a 55 plate, the car may have the later IMS design anyway which is much more reliable.

The things I would check are:

- Is the history, whilst not with an OPC, with recognised specialists ?
- When was it last serviced ?
- Does it look that it has been loved (good brand matching tyres, clean and undamaged alloys) ?

If the above checks out, I would recommend getting it into a good indie, prior to agreeing to buy, for a full service (or interim service if the recent history is strong). I would get a quote and negotiate a 50:50 cost split if everything is OK. i.e you pay £7,250 plus 50% of the cost of the service. Most specialists will, for a new customer;

- Check the suspension over to determine if works are required
- Check the belts and pull a plug to scope a bore
- Visually assess the coils
- Cut open the oil filter to ensure there are no tell tales of IMS wear or other issues
- Check discs and pads
- Check for RMS leaks
- Rads and a/c condensers are free from damage and the intakes aren't full of rotting debris (can be an issue for cars kept outside)

The clutches do go on these at mileages from 50k+, but typically don't cost anywhere near the £1,000 stated (unless a DMF is required). Good specialists with strong reputations are quoting £5-600. As the clutch is self adjusting, there really aren't many signs that failure is imminent.

Also, definitely check that both keys at present and working i.e. will lock/unlock/start the car. A new one can cost up to £380 from an OPC with coding to the car (found this out to my shock last month when I bought my Boxster, only to find the spare key doesn't work).

If all the above is fine, then you are getting a good Boxster for a cheap price.

Cheers, James
 
Demort said:
Service intervals are 2 years or 20k miles .. i dont see a problem if the car has not been used and sat in a dry garage , oil will degrade over time but it will still function .

Its certainly due a service though and rubber / bushes will degrade even if not used as will the tyres so i would budget for them at least .. Porsche say tyre change at 6 years old .

Is it cheap ? i cant say as i dont know prices but it does seem to be .

As with any car i would say a PPI and a scope .. if ok then its worth it .

Boxster .. 996 .. 997 .. all the same at the end of the day for what you have said .

It has just had another service and 3 cheap Hancock tyres fitted.

Not sure that it is cheap enough. He'll take £7250, and they seem to be trending at around £8000, but that is the lowest he said that he would take prior to discovering the lack of servicing!
There may be room to barter further!

Maybe it could still be worth a punt! :dont know:
 
Personally i dont think its too bad , we are talking 7 k here and not 50k .. a PPI and a scope is what i would recomend on any car and that would soon flag up any problems .. if you like it enough .. get it checked then decide as i dont see any reason atm not to .

Honest reply guv :)
 
My clutch price was with a dual mass flywheel.
 
jnwright71 said:
Hi,

This wouldn't bother me too much. Allegedly, the IMS issue can be more of an issue on cars that haven't been run regularly, but Porsche paranoia tends to make much more of this than is reality. On a 55 plate, the car may have the later IMS design anyway which is much more reliable.

The things I would check are:

- Is the history, whilst not with an OPC, with recognised specialists ?
- When was it last serviced ?
- Does it look that it has been loved (good brand matching tyres, clean and undamaged alloys) ?

If the above checks out, I would recommend getting it into a good indie, prior to agreeing to buy, for a full service (or interim service if the recent history is strong). I would get a quote and negotiate a 50:50 cost split if everything is OK. i.e you pay £7,250 plus 50% of the cost of the service. Most specialists will, for a new customer;

- Check the suspension over to determine if works are required
- Check the belts and pull a plug to scope a bore
- Visually assess the coils
- Cut open the oil filter to ensure there are no tell tales of IMS wear or other issues
- Check discs and pads
- Check for RMS leaks
- Rads and a/c condensers are free from damage and the intakes aren't full of rotting debris (can be an issue for cars kept outside)

The clutches do go on these at mileages from 50k+, but typically don't cost anywhere near the £1,000 stated (unless a DMF is required). Good specialists with strong reputations are quoting £5-600. As the clutch is self adjusting, there really aren't many signs that failure is imminent.

Also, definitely check that both keys at present and working i.e. will lock/unlock/start the car. A new one can cost up to £380 from an OPC with coding to the car (found this out to my shock last month when I bought my Boxster, only to find the spare key doesn't work).

If all the above is fine, then you are getting a good Boxster for a cheap price.

Cheers, James

Servicing has been done by a local garage by all accounts!
Tyres do not match, 1 Conti, others are new Hancook!!
Just been serviced so can't cut open the oil filter :-(

Good advice on proposing the 50/50 cost share on the necessary work, maybe this could be an option, but would want to try to trim some off the price first to make the deal look a bit better.

It has just been in to OPC Cardiff to have work done on the soft top due to blocked drain holes, apparently new membrane, pushrods and control unit??

Said I'd ring him tomorrow if I decided to go and view it tomorrow, he was concerned with the gap in history himself after noticing it (he is selling for a friend!)
 
It has just been in to OPC Cardiff to have work done on the soft top due to blocked drain holes, apparently new membrane, pushrods and control unit??



That means the rear drains had blocked .. its flooded the n/s of the car and damaged the rear Control unit .. not uncommon shall we say .

Its also had a door membrain replaced .. thats good .
 
The price remained fixed at £7,250, so I got cold feet and decided that I would rather spend an extra £750 to get one with a decent history!

Thanks for all the advice, it certainly helped me to make the ultimate decision :thumb:
 
Im sure youll find one you like soon enough and if you need any advise ref drains etc then feel free to ask or post as theres plenty of people on here that know a hell of a lot about them .
 

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