"afca" (afca)
07/28/2016 at 23:05 • Filed to: 987, 987.2, boxster, porsche ownership
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"afca" (afca)
07/28/2016 at 23:05 • Filed to: 987, 987.2, boxster, porsche ownership | 3
| 11 |
Let’s talk about engines. In my last post I wrote about a 996 that I test drove and rather liked until the PPI turned up a long list of mechanical problems with the engine. This put me off the idea of the earlier watered cooled 911. Oh well it was a good learning experience. So moving on the next car on my list, the Boxster 987, and … the same engine. Crap.
Plenty has been written about the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! of this vintage of Porsche engines. But here is short version for the uninitiated. The biggest problem is the “IMS bearing” deep in the engine; sometimes it just stops working and trashes the entire engine without warning. And even if that doesn’t give up the ghost there are several smaller problems that can crop up. For example here is an excerpt from the PPI for the 996 that I test drove:
VEHICLE NOTES AND NEEDS: OIL LEAK FROM REAR MAIN AND OR INTERMEDIATE SHAFT SEALS, OIL SEPARATOR (LEAKING OIL), SPARK PLUG TUBE SEALS (LEAKING OIL), COOLANT LEVEL IS LOW (NO OBVIOUS LEAKS), OIL LEVEL IS TOO HIGH.
Fun stuff. But there are a few bright spots. First the IMS issue can be addressed for a few grand, second if you don’t want to replace parts that statically a unlikely to fail soon you can buy a warranty from a place like CarMax, and third the 2009 and later MY 987's do not have the IMS problem at all and generally seem to be holding up quite well. Keep in mind that I was looking for a 30 Year Car so the 2009 MY boxster (also called the 987.2 or 987 gen 2) already seemed like a better fit. But let’s talk about that CarMax Warranty and the relative pricing for 987.1 and 987.2 cars.
When I was looking around 987.1 cars were listed in the 21k to 24k range and 987.2 would be in the 27k to 30k range; these prices are for the non S version. Roughly speaking there was a 6k difference between the 987.1 and the face lifted 987.2. YMMV. Besides the engine and transmission the two generations are basically the same. Besides buying a gen 2 the other option was a CarMax warranty, here is the pricing I got for a 2006 987.1 with 50K miles.
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
Once again you could easily spend close to 6K on avoiding catastrophic engine failure. The question is how much are you willing to spend on your piece of mind? My gut said that no IMS bearing was going to last 30 years; so for me it was worth it to pony up for the 987.2 .
Saracen
> afca
07/28/2016 at 23:22 |
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I’ll be buying a 997 and I’m not worried about it. The best thing you can do to prevent it is drive it hard and regularly (to keep oil pressure high enough to lubricate the bearings) and change the oil regularly.
IMS bearing failure at its highest affects 8-10 percent of engines with the smaller single row bearings. Anything before or after that as a much smaller failure rate.
heliochrome85
> afca
07/29/2016 at 00:04 |
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My 987.1S is at 104000 miles and has been nearly problem free other than standard wear items. The 05 MY cars were the last to truly be associated with failures and the numbers of cars that had issues dwindled until 09 when the redesign occurred.
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afca
> heliochrome85
07/29/2016 at 07:28 |
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You are correct but the market seems to treat them all about the same. I did not seem much difference in pricing for the single vs double row cars. Even so I still wondered if the IMS bearing was going to last 30 years. It was not the only thing pushing me to an ‘09 but it certainly help.
How long have you had your 987.1S? Is it a DD or occasional car?
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afca
> Saracen
07/29/2016 at 07:31 |
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You are correct but the market seems to treat them all about the same. I did not seem much difference in pricing for the single vs double row cars. Even so I still wondered if the IMS bearing was going to last 30 years. It was not the only thing pushing me to an ‘09 but it certainly help.
The 997 is a lovely machine. You’re going to love it especially if you follow your Italian tune up regimen. How would you plan using it? DD or just for weekends?
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heliochrome85
> afca
07/29/2016 at 08:11 |
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almost a year. Ive put 10k miles on it. I have all the records from the original owner and its a one owner car. I track it regularly and drive it on the weekends when I'm not driving my 328i.
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heliochrome85
> afca
07/29/2016 at 08:11 |
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http://oppositelock.kinja.com/skys-out-thigh…
Its an 06 S with 6MT.
Ross Kraz
> afca
07/29/2016 at 09:58 |
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I got excited for this to be a new Generation Gap post... now I’m sad...
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afca
> Ross Kraz
07/29/2016 at 10:12 |
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Oops! If I had done my homework I would have know there was already an oppo series so closely named.
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Ross Kraz
> afca
07/29/2016 at 10:16 |
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Maybe we need a version to discuss best generations of engine families, too.
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Saracen
> afca
07/29/2016 at 10:24 |
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Yeah, right now I imagine it will see a lot of daily use, though it will probably split some time with the project truck I bought this past weekend.
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afca
> Ross Kraz
07/29/2016 at 10:57 |
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That could be interesting. Engine families often span greater time periods than all but the longest running name plates. And you end up with all kinds of weird applications after such a long time. See Aston Martin and the Ford Duratec V6.