987 Boxster: Talk me down

So on a whim I dropped by the local Porsche dealer to look at this:

http://www.porscheorlando.com/used/Porsche/2006-Porsche-Boxster-1079dcfc0a0d0cc7090c76253b3f44b3.htm

It's a one-owner local car that has records, adult owner, etc. etc. The last time I went to look at 987 it was an '08 Cayman that had only 35K miles on it, but they were asking $27,000 and that car drove like ass and made all types of weird noises. This car with the triple the miles is the exact opposite. Drove fantastic, everything works, no weird noises, handles like it's on rails. It seems like a hell of a lot of car for the money. I'm smitten....

However my better judgement is screaming "2006-2008 NON-SERVICEABLE IMS BEARING DUMBASS!" and "$2800 CLUTCH SERVICE IDIOT!". It's hard to listen though. Help me hive mind, you're my only hope.

No!

.

I will not talk you out of it.

(Little devil whispering in your GRM ear) Learn to do your own clutch replacements. It can't be much diffrent than any other clutch job. And, while you have the tranny out to do the clutch, remove the grease seal for the IMS bearing so it will be lubricated and cooled by engine oil instead of running hot with the grease sealed inside.

No Ragrets...not even one little letter? (Hint: It starts with 'S')

Clearly we have the same affliction:

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/ap2-honda-s2000-vs-987-porsche-boxster-s/106146/page1/

Although I would add that if you're going to get a 987, you might as well just spend the extra cash and get the S. Bigger engine, more gears standard (6MT vs 5MT), bigger standard wheels/tires, sportier suspension, possibly upgraded brakes, ect. Similar 1-owner Boxster S isn't a whole lot of extra money:

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/661162091/overview/

Seriously get the S. Its a much much better car. Plus if you go online and look at say pelican or rennlist you can find one babied for not much more money.

Buying a P-car without records at retail price is not a great idea. If you get it - never, ever take a ride in the S model - you'll be annoyed you didn't hold out for it. Buy in the fall when people don't want convertibles quite as much.

mblommel wrote: However my better judgement is screaming "2006-2008 NON-SERVICEABLE IMS BEARING DUMBASS!" and "$2800 CLUTCH SERVICE IDIOT!". It's hard to listen though. Help me hive mind, you're my only hope.

Funny you say that. My good friend bought a low mileage Cayman S of the same vintage 6 months ago. Despite getting a PPI, they didn't notice that the pressure plate was damaged. Six months later, he just threw down $2800 for a clutch job. At least he got the full Porsche ownership experience.

WildScotsRacing wrote: (Little devil whispering in your GRM ear) Learn to do your own clutch replacements. It can't be much diffrent than any other clutch job. And, while you have the tranny out to do the clutch, remove the grease seal for the IMS bearing so it will be lubricated and cooled by engine oil instead of running hot with the grease sealed inside.

I've looked into DIY on the clutch. I've got lots of experience wrenching. Looks doable without a lift, but you need a friend for the exhaust system. With a new dual-mass flywheel parts alone are like $1000. I've also looked at a few other consumables such as brake rotors and pads and they don't seem stratospheric in price. More than parts for "The Answer" but definitely not as much as say parts for cars with little horsies on the nose.

The standard car seemed to have enough poke to keep me happy. I guess I'd definitely have to NEVER drive an "S" to stay happy. The thing about this car is it's one owner, with records, local and it's dirt cheap and it's a color combo with the wheels I like. From my searching seems like the "S" cars are about $24,000 to $28,000 which is a lot more than $14,800.

The reasonable thing to do is get something cheap and easy like another NB Miata or a MR2 Spyder or maybe wait until the '09 thru '11 987.2 cars with the 9A1 depreciate.....

We did a comparison test a few years back of the three generations. Bottom line... the 987 is the one to have, if you don't have the money to buy new. I would go with the S.

This is one hell of a lot of car for late model, used Camry money!