986S, Buy from AAZCD, fly and drive OK to PA, and ownership log

I wasn't looking for this car, or any car really.  Our (wife Chrissy and I) garage is appropriately full.  We have our daily drivers (E400 wagon for her, Escalade tow pig for me), a fun car (NSX) and two race cars (Mazda 3 and Civic).  I just sold the C4 Corvette that I didn't want.  All was well.  She kept asking to get another Miata though, as we have had several over the years.  I suggest she drive the NSX more, but she is getting more hesitant as the NSX is worth real money these days and her commute roads suck.  

Fast forward to late November 2023.  I am watching AAZCD-Jon's various assorted build thread because I enjoy seeing the various rediculous BS he has.  He had this silver 2000 986S that he got with a bad motor but otherwise very well cared for, then ended up with another 986S with a bad everything except a motor, and he put the two together and wanted to move it along.   I wasn't all that interested ina 986 because of the usual problems, like IMS bearing, clutch, M96 BS, etc.  Well, wouldn't you know, he put in a new LN Engineering IMS bearing.  And the clutch was almost new.  And it was a TX car with zero rust, a new top with glass window, and otherwise in good solid shape.  It wasn't "for sale" but he said it was going to go soon, so I emailed him.  From seeing his threads I completely trusted his honest presentation of the car and general character, and that he knew to watch for any of the 986 problems, and the price he offered was below market, leaving room for what the car still needed and with a GRM discount.   

At this point Chrissy and I are trying to decide how to use up the last PTO we have for the year that is use it or lose it.  We were leaning toward going to Colorado (from PA) to go skiing.  Then I proposed: How about we fly to OK and buy an old Porsche and drive that home?  She was on board from the start.  Adventure starts now.  

The planning commenced.  I paid Jon, he sent me the title and BOS.  Then PA told me that I couldn't register an out of state private party sale without an in person VIN inspection.   So I looked into OK temporary plates, and they don't exist as OK says to just drive around without plated but your paperwork.  As we were driving through lots of states including VA (and VA state troopers have no sense of humor) I asked Jon if we could keep his plate (with my insurance) for our ride home and he graciously agreed.   

Then, trip on.   Flights booked.  We go from PHL to ORD to TUL.  TUL is small, really small.  Jon continued his gracousness and offered to bring the car to the airport for us.  When we were on the ground I got in contact again by text, he was going to bring the car right to the terminal.  We walked through the small airport and there it was, our first view of our new car

While just parked at the curb at the arrivals terminal, Jon went through the car with us, we got all loaded, and he wished us well.  If we were at home at PHL we would have been told to leave long ago, but there was nobody here.  So, we loaded up and headed out.  

We had some plans.  Part of this trip I wanted to check off a few of the few remaining US states I have not visited, including OK, AR, MO, and KS, so that's where we started, heading east with a target of the tri state marker between OK, AR, and MO into Waze.  

Initial impressions of the car.  Visually it was solid, with a few scratches and dents, but overall well cared for.  It needed a bath inside and out.  Within 30 seconds of leaving the terminal I knew that it needed a new left rear wheel bearing.   Jon had commented on how the all season (nearly new Michelin) tires were louder than his other cars, and the problem really was the bearing.  Whatever, keep rolling, bearings can scream for a long time before actually failing!  Otherwise, the car runs and drives quite well and everything seems to work.  

On our way to the tri state marker we find a taco truck, as we are starving, not sure if it was delicious because of that or not, but it was awesome.  We keep rolling as I eat a Burrito as we drive, then we get to our first stop, the border between OK, AR, and MO

We take our pictures, are happy the wipers work, and keep going.  Next stop, the tri state marker between MO, OK, and KS. 

One more state checked.  

From here, our plan is to drive a bit of Rt 66, even though this isn't the "good" part.  We have to make it to Lake of the Ozarks for our only actual booked Air BNB this first day, so we need to press on.  Next stop is in Joplin, MO, then we follow Rt 66 out of town. 

As we were driving a completely unknown car (to us, though I have a high level of trust in Jon), having no tools or anything makes me nervous when driving 1500 miles in a 23 year old 95k mile Porsche that just had an engine swap with a known bad wheel bearing.  So of course we find a Harbor Freight on our way just off the highway in Springfield MO and stop there.  We get one of the awful $30 99 piece tool kits, duct tape, a knife, zip ties, a wheel bearing size 32mm socket, a breaker bar, electrial tape, and some wiring pliers.  We also stop for gas, and find that this car has an extremely accurate fuel gauge for the 17 gallon tank and that the oil level sensor seems to work OK.  

Pressing on, we are back on I44, then to MO 5 heading north.  As we do, the rain starts.  And gets heavier.  And the fog rolls in.  We press on.  We make it to our planned stop at a supermarket in Osage Beach MO to get what we need for our Air BNB where we are going to stay for 2 nights, which is off the beaten path and not near a store.  We are drenched as we load up the trunk and frunk with our groceries and head toward the house in the ever thickening fog, backing us down to 25 mph on the back roads.  At this point I think I catch a whiff of coolant and the defroster is not working as well as it should, but I don't say anything to Chrissy, but press on as we as so close and I know Jon just changed the heater core to a good used unit.   Finally we make it to our lakefront house, unpack and settle in, no worries.  It was a long day from PA all the way through several states and to our rental, but all is well enough.  

Here's the only picture I can find easily of the house, this is from the next morning as Chrissy has her coffee on the porch

*fine print* Warranty good for 500 miles or 30 days, whichever comes first.

^In for Porsche related road trip stories!

To start day 2, we wake up to a beautiful day as seen in the picture from the porch above, so nice that the storm from the night before has really cleared out.  Our plan today is to give the car a good once over, cleaning, and to install the carplay stereo I brought from home, and then take a drive around the lake.  

Crutchfield as usual has good instructions and includes everything you need except the tools, which I had from the Harbor Freight kit.  

I installed a Sony unit with some actual physical buttons, and it works great, and repositioned the climate control to down at the bottom.  While I was doing this, Chrissy worked on cleaning everything with the vacuum and cleaning supplies from the house. It cleaned up quite nicely. 

I also gave the car a once over as best I could on the ground, and nothing was falling off.  I found the wheel bearing torque spec was like 340 ft/lb so I stood on the end of the breaker bar to make sure the bad bearing was at least tight, which it was.  We had a squeak somewhere in the front end, the brakes had a significant uneven transfer layer on the worn rotors, and the rear sway bar end links had torn boots, but all of that is not going to stop us.  We topped up the oil dropped the top, and went out for a nice drive around the lake on a sunny day in the mid 50s. This was her first time driving it, and she is a fan. 

 We make it home successfully after stopping for lunch and at the store, and settle in to watch playoff football on the iPad from the hot tub at the house overlooking the lake with a few beverages, then a nice steak dinner.  Quite a lovely day. 

I also had the opportunity to decode the options sticker

This is a pretty lightly optioned car, it has the better stereo with DSP and speakers behind the seats and the amp, the wind deflector, cruise control, and not much else.   

Sonic said:

 

That seat fabric is nice.  Was it special ordered?

Day 3, Monday, from Osage Beach MO to Bardstown KY via St. Louis.

We get up fairly early as we know this is going to be a longer day.   We take back roads up to Jefferson City and then take some twisty two lanes along the Missouri River to head east.  It was overcast and cold, no pictures from this section, but all was well.

The seats: They are aftermarket, Corbeau RRX.  These seats, though looking great, offering lots of support, and professionally installed, were not great for long stretches of time.  Fortunately the car has cruise control that works and the stereo is loud enough to drown out the wheel bearing mostly and we had a good audiobook.  

One stop we wanted to make was to visit the St Louis arch.  Neither of us have ever been and it seemed interesting.  We arrived at 11 AM or so, and if you want to visit at a time without a crowd then a cold mid December morning is the time to go.  The staff was waiting for us at every point and there was nobody there.  We really enjoyed the ride to the top and the view and spent a few minutes in the nice museum.  My favorite is the view when you get right up to the windows at the center and look straight down. 

We tried to get pictures of the car wherever we were on this trip

With that done, we set off heading east.  Next stop Bardstown.  This is a pretty boring stretch of the country across southern IL and IN.  We had snacks for lunch, and found that we were getting a reliable 24-25 MPG for our trip, which seems decent, that's about what our NSX gets which is quite similar.  The car continues to hum (loudly) along without issue. 

We make hotel reservations on our way, staying at the Talbott Inn and Tavern right in the center of town.  For this trip we agreed to avoid chains if at all possible, with the only exceptions being for gas and groceries, all food and lodging and whatnot was to be from small local establishments, and it was a great way to get more local flavor.  We ate at the bar, had a bourbon flight and some other bourbon drinks (as one does in Bardstown), then had some local KY fare for dinner of hot brown and shrimp and grits.   Our room was very nice and we had a nice walk around the center of Bardstown, which is a cute little town, would recommend.   

Nice looking 986S! Quick tip: Make sure the cord on the soft top at the door openings go into the grooves of the window frames. There's some elastic straps meant to manage them but it goes away and the cords end up on the outside of the channels. It will tend to increase the wind noise.

Fairly easy to manage: open the top about 10 inches and push the cords into the channels then close the top. Even if it's not doing it right now, it will eventually and if you can keep it trained you may not need to replace the elastic.

My 987.1S has been doing it since I got it and I'm going to have to replace the elastic.

Also make sure the weatherstrip around the side windows is seated. It can come off the frame and this too will increase wind noise.

Enjoy your trip and your wonderful car!

I'll have to check the cords, thanks.  The top is a recent replacement with a glass window which is nice.  The car was loud on this trip due to the wheel bearing, fast forward to now with everything fixed and it is nice and quiet for a convertible.   The trip was in mid December, just catching up now.  

Wow what a great trip and great looking Boxster!

I love the mid-trip parking lot stereo install - I get it though;  Ive gotten very used to having Android Auto on trips.

Day 4, Tuesday, Bardstown KY to Lexington, VA.

As we were in the bourbon capital of the world, we knew we had to make a stop or two on the bourbon trail, which is partially on our way.  We looked at what was convenient and what was available the next morning and booked a tasting at Woodford Reserve at 10:15.  Neither of us have much experience with Bourbon, so we were looking forward to this.  

After a nice breakfast at the Inn we took a lovely drive up the Bluegrass Parkway and then Rt 1659 through the rolling hills and farms of old KY horse country, it was very nice, even in the foggy cloudy morning.  

Our tasting at Woodford was excellent, trying all 5 of their standard products with some paired food with each one.  It was all very small, but a great intro and having some food made us feel better about drinking bourbon at 10 AM.  My favorite was the double oaked followed by the malt, Chrissy also liked the double oaked, followed by the Rye.  

From here, we kept going along the scenic route up to Frankfort, where we stopped at Buffalo Trace.  This was MUCH bigger than Woodford, and we had no line to walk up to a tasting counter, where we had 5 different products, including a vodka they just started to make which was excellent, along with a bourbon, a rye (which became Chrissy's new favorite), a bourbon cream, and one more.  We got a few bottles and got back on the road, headed east on I64 as we needed to make some miles.  

Just past Charleston, WV we got off of the highway as there was a really squiggly road on the map that was a hypotenuse of the interstate. US 60.  This was a nice break and a great fun road for the car.  We had created a scavenger hunt for ourselves on the trip and had been making good progress, but hadn't see a waterfall yet, and once we hit the WV mountains we saw lots.  Other things on the card included an eagle (2), abandoned amusment park (2), loose livestock by the road (3), and things like that.  

The day was pretty uneventful otherwise, the car kept humming along, kept getting 24-25MPG, but we started to smell some oil when we stopped the car after running, it was certainly leaking somewhere, but wasn't all that bad yet, so press on.  

Eventually we got to Lexington, VA just before dinner time and checked into the Abigail Inn.  This place was a really excellent medium sized BNB and apparently we were the only guests.  The owners live there too with their two kids and they certainly have a lot of pride in their place and what they do, our room was excellent and the price was great.  Highly recommended if you are in the area.  We got some thai food in town and then had an old fashioned with our newly aquired rye to end our day back at the inn.  

Great story so far.

Sonic said:

  We got a few bottles and got back on the road, headed east on I64 as we needed to make some miles.  

And luggage.  And tools.  And groceries.  How much can you fit in that car??  It must be bigger than I thought...

In reply to chknhwk :

Boxsters have a surprising amount of storage!  There is both a trunk, behind the engine at the back of the car, and a frunk up between the headlights and suspension.  We kept our suitcases in the back (2 carry ons) and in the front we had the tools, cooler bag, and the things we picked up along the way.  The frunk stays much cooler than the trunk as there is nothing to heat it, the main radiators are off to each side.  

The trunk is big enough that it fits a Honda Motocompacto, that's important consumer advice: 

Day 5, Wednesday, Lexington VA to Birdsboro PA home

This is going to be a shorter day on mileage, but likely just as long due to lower speeds.  We have driven up and down I81 through VA so many times.  It's a terrible drive, boring, and with the cruise control set at 76 as VA state troopers have zero sense of humour.  I've seen the signs for the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive so many times, and heard from others that they are a great drive, so as part of this trip, in a Porsche, without a rush, we were going to take those, which is part of the reason we stopped in Lexington as it was an easy entrance onto the BRP.  

We have a fantastic breakfast at the inn, it was seriously delicious and made to order.  Then we loaded up and headed to the BRP. 

Getting out of the car for this picture, we smell more burning oil that we have before.  Oil level is still acceptable, but lower, so we press on.  Just up the hill from this sign is the actual parkway and we pull up and it is...closed.  In both directions.  Bummer.  Just a few days earlier I had checked the website and it was open, but now it is December, traffic is light, and the storm we had in MO has pushed through this area.  So, we check our maps, and re-route back onto 81, sigh.  

Chrissy checks the website and sure enough, the BRP is closed for most of its length then for a combination of repairs and winter weather.  Looking at Skyline drive though, that appears to be open so we go far enough up 81 to head east to the start of Skyline drive.   Sure enough, the gate attendant (as it is a national park there is an entry fee, which we happily pay to support how great national parks are) and move on.  We ask the gate attendant about the road conditions and she says "We have reports of some slick spots".  OK, slick spots we can handle.  It is a RWD Porsche, but fortunately it has nearly new all season Michelin Pilot Sports on it, not some bald Azenis or the like.

 As we start, it is a beautiful sunny day, about 38 degrees.  No problem.  We start climbing in elevation.  Outside temp is 35, then 32, then 28.  Uh oh.  Then we find places where the sun has not hit yet that are still snow on the road, but mostly it is OK and we have some beautiful views at the many pull over spots.  There is basically zero traffic either way. 

We press on, and alternate between clear/wet and slick, but are doing OK.  Then, as we get higher, the clouds obscure the sun.  Without the sun, the road is all slick.  Then it snows.  Then it snows some more.  We are still climbing.  

The Boxster is doing really well overall. Temp is in the low 20s and the road is fully snow covered and untreated.  I'm exercising tremendous restraint not to hang the tail out in corners as Chrissy is nervous and would be quite upset at me if I put the car in a ditch on an empty road so far into our trip.  The ABS works great, the throttle is easy to modulate, and the car has more grip that I expected with the good tires.  We eventually make it to the highest point, a wide open snow field with gorgeous views that really didn't get captured in the picture, and then gradually start out descent, and with that the sun comes back out more and more, and the temperature goes up and up.  We eventually are mostly back off the ridge and can start making good time and enjoying the road a bit.  If you are out this way and have the time, would recommend.  

After that, we are just back on I81 into MD, WV, PA, to 78, to smaller roads home.  We made it back in late afternoon with plenty of time to unpack and relax a bit before going back to work the next day.  Overall it was about 1500 miles, 1 qt of oil, 24mpg average overall, and nothing actually broke.  We know the car has some needs to address soon, but it was a fun and hassle free trip.  

Next time, we will drive it to work and find that the repairs are going to have to start right away.   

The day after we get back I take the Boxster to work, because why not.  On the way there, all seems well.  Once I leave for home, shortly after I leave I get a pretty strong coolant smell in the car, and by halfway home the windshield is fogging up pretty well and not clearing with the defrost.  Damn, that heater core is leaking after all.  Next thing is I notice a pretty sizeable new oil stain on my driveway, which is on a mild slope.  Well, we knew it was leaking from the smell, looks like it was worse than we thought.  These, combined with the wheel bearing and font end squeak and it was time to get this into the garage work bay and see what it needed and get to work. 

After an initial inspection, we sure did have some oil leaks:

That sure does look like a rear main seal leak, plus a leak at the driver's side front, and something at the right rear up high.  I spend lots of time cleaning everything up really well and then running the car in the garage for a while to see where it leaks.  Conformed at those places, with the worst at the RMS. It also looks like the oil pan gasket is leaking, more easily visible with the car not driving.  

 I check in with Jon as he knows these cars so well, he confirms he did not replace the RMS when he did the IMS. He agrees with my assessment of the source of the leak and graciously offers some money back for having to do that job that could have been done pretty easily when it was apart.  Additional checks show that the air oil separator (common issue) looks totally fine.  So, that means the trans needs to come out.  Time to learn how to get the car into "service position" and get the access panels off.  Service position is a little harder in this car as the aftermarket glass window top does not get fully out of the way, I need to use a bungee cord to hold it up.  

Once it is all opened up, you have pretty good access to most things, you just have to move around to get to everything.  

In a once over I come up with a shopping list:
RMS

Shocks, as the RF is totally blown, so I get some Koni Special Active

Rear sway bar links as the boots are torn

Rear LCAs as the ball joints seem pretty loose

Rear wheel bearings

New brake pads and rotors all around.  Pads look fairly recent but rotors are done, I get the OEM make but not OEM box sport version Textar pads

Heater core, along with the hoses as they are already half out and original

low temp thermostat, OEM but in a different box (at Jon's recommendation)

Front hood gas support shock, as it was falling down

Fuel, air, oil, and cabin air filters

bump stops as they are turning to dust

Upper front strut mounts as one seems to be grinding a bit and they look original.  

Crankcase breather connector as that seems likely for the left front upper oil leak

Bumper trim piece that is missing

Everything comes from either Rock Auto, FCP Euro, Pelican parts, or Tire Rack (shocks) based on price and if I want the FCP warranty.  

I would later also get some new GKN axle boots as they were starting to tear and I have them off already.  So the credit card was tired, but I'll have a nice car when this is all done.  

Teardown commences.  That wheel bearing sure was trashed

I take the entire rear suspension and braking system apart, int the front I pull the brakes and shocks, along with the heater core.  Yup, looks like it was leaking

In general, I'm finding it reasonable to work on.  Some access is strange, and you spend a lot of time on your back to get at most of the powertrain, but it all seems logical and most things have decent access.  I'm really happy the heater core is accessible in the frunk once you take out the battery and wiper linkage, don't even need to touch the dash.   

Next time, we pull the trans and see what we can find, and then the oil pan and take a look inside to see how healthy this motor really is.  

Fun reading, thanks for sharing! Working on my 987 I also found these cars to be well thought out in terms of ease of maintenance and glad to hear heater core is readily accessible... 

In reply to Sonic :

ive bookmarked a few Boxster threads over the years.  you might find some nuggets of wisdom herein:

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/the-frugal-mechanic-meets-a-porsche-boxster/120457/page1/

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/986-base-boxster-build-with-a-little-trailer-throw/158286/page1/

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/running-a-cheap-boxster-what-could-possibly-go-wro/117735/page1/

Lessons learned in review: Always replace the rear main seal when the flywheel is off. Do not reuse a 'good when removed' heater core. That noise that you don't want to be a wheel bearing *is* a wheel bearing.

/decides not to remove the flywheel on the engine going in 'The Frog' and hopes...

AAZCD-Jon (Forum Supporter) said:

That noise that you don't want to be a wheel bearing *is* a wheel bearing.

every. single. time.

As mentioned earlier by rdcyclist, there's an issue with the top that isn't a difficult fix.

Mike Focke made a great info site for Boxsters. Some is outdated, but most of it is very useful.

Here's the fix for that issue: https://sites.google.com/site/mikefocke2/convertibletopedgedoesnotfallintoguidech

AAZCD-Jon (Forum Supporter) said:

/decides not to remove the flywheel on the engine going in 'The Frog' and hopes...

As friend who is a retired US Army SF operator likes to say: "Hope should not be considered a viable course of action."

In reply to AAZCD-Jon (Forum Supporter) :

Thank you for that Jon. That is a great resource for Boxster and 911 owners. I'm gonna bookmark that right now...