bcrdukes

Hi folks,

After moving/living in Toronto for close to my second full year now, I'm fully settled in and can now comfortably call Toronto my new home.

I currently have a 2017 Toyota Corolla iM as a daily driver and it has served me very well, except for the fun part. I'm looking at a secondary vehicle, and have a 986 Boxster or Boxster S in mind. I estimate I will put no more than 6000KM on it throughout the calendar year as the idea is to insure it from April to October. The goal here is not to spend a whole lot of money, and most of these Boxster can be had for less than $20K, if even, these days. Edit: I'm not looking for a fast car.

A handful of questions:

1. Is the "S" a must?
2. 5 or 6 speed? I know some early model years came with 5 speed. I'm not sure that I really care, unless the 5-speed gearbox is dreadful.
3. Any preferred shops for out-of-province inspection and/or for maintenance? I live in a condo and cannot do maintenance myself without coming across any trouble from the condo board, and I may consider shipping a vehicle from Vancouver, BC to keep my options open. The Dekra shops in Toronto have closed up, and they were good to me when I brought a car over from Vancouver.
4. Anything to really look out for on these cars? I previously had a 996.2 C2, so I'm aware of the usual suspects i.e. IMS/RMS, 2nd gear popout etc.

Thanks in advance!

Mike

993GT

Have a '99 Boxster, great car and lots of fun... stock besides set of KW V3's.
All 986/7 Boxster's have 5 speeds, Boxster S's have the 6 speed.
Not a fast car, but neither is the S..all about revving out and carrying momentum
Boxster's have similar issues to the Carrera's and nothing much else to look out for

bcrdukes

Thanks, Rob.

How many KMs on your Boxster? And is that a regular Boxster or an S?

I should emphasize that I'm not looking for a fast car. Can't really go fast when you're stuck on the 401 or DVP early in the evenings.

993GT

fairly low km's at ~143km, base Boxster 2.5, very stripped/base model, not sure if I've ever run the VIN but not sure if it has a single option...I pulled it out of a barn as a shell and put the whole thing together, anyone who says these are picky cars are wrong...
S's started in MY2000
For around town, urban use, I can't think of a more fun car, go-kart status

brianmch

I drive an 01 Box, 5 spd, mostly a base model, 85K miles. My wife has an 01 Box with the Tiptronic which is okay too 105K miles. My car is in better shape than hers due to better maintenance from prior owners. It's important to do a PPI because you need to get a clear idea of what the car needs. These potential items can add up.

Some DIY is very easy, like oil changes, brakes, air filters, cabin filters, etc. I've not done much more than that.

I love how my Box feels to drive. IDK how the long term ownership experience will be as it's only been since October 2016.

petee_c

I've had an '01 S 6 speed since about 2009.. Currently has 130-140K km on it... No major issues to report. Bought it with about 68K km on it from the Chicago area. I like it fine.

bcrdukes

Have any of you guys updated / refreshed the suspension on your Boxsters?

993GT

yes mine is on KW V3 coilovers, worth about half the whole car lol... suspension is otherwise stock, have thought about monoballing it but probably not worth it for my use with it

eyedoc

Mike. Note the base Boxster in 2009 is a 6 speed manual; 2.9 L engine-no IMS. Mine has 103K kms, no major issues ;replaced clutch cable at 94000 kms.

bcrdukes

@ 993GT - Scary how the suspension is worth half the car on the market.

@ eyedoc - Hmm...I thought about the newer Boxsters, but beyond what I want to spend right now, especially given that I don't plan on putting much mileage on it. If that were the case, I would pursue another 996/997 or Cayman.

I'm okay with a car that hasn't had the IMS replaced.

993GT

a great option 9a1 without DFI, standard port injection

993GT

986 are crazy good value right now... I'm seeing how far the bone stock original engine will last... sees LOTS of oil changes and driven hard... early m96's had double row IMS

petee_c

i did the front rear trailing arms on the( back) wheels of my boxster.... (try to picture that) that's about it. they were making a clunk at the lip at the bottom of my driveway... I got TRW parts that fit a 987 - exact same length... They were under $300 for the pair delivered....

Christien

I've owned both a non-S (99) and an S (01). Both were great but I found the base underpowered. I'd recommend the S, even with the consideration of not wanting a fast car. That said, if you find the right base model, I wouldn't consider it a deal-breaker. They're absolutely fantastic cars, way under-rated (IMO). I've always said as soon as our kids are older and a 2-seater is practical, we'll have another one.

Greg981

986's are very under rated. Owned a base 2004 for 10 years. Only money I spent on the car was oil change supplies and a brake flush done at the dealer every other year. Thats it. Fun car to drive.