And yet, here we are. Insane, right? It's funny though how both cars were conceived to bring sports car level excitement to the masses, and both received equal amounts of love and hate for it. Car people are weird :-)
@@EazyDuz18 I have a friend that owns a boxter and hes alot of issues with he's and spends way to much money on a car. So we told him just to get a NB or NC but he's porsche fann but drives a fiat now for a year because the boxter is in the garage (engine trouble)
The Porsche Boxster and 944 are arguably two of the best and underappreciated, affordable Porsches you can get right now. 944 prices are rising rapidly, the Boxster is sure to follow. Great job on raising more awareness chaps 👍
Probably better if he didn't buy it, those things are getting pretty rare now and we don't need to see another one stuck sideways against the front of a lorry
Hey Alex! This was my car! I sold it early 2020. So funny to see it on here - feel free to reply if you want to chat about my ownership experience of it and I can drop you guys a line 👏 P.S. it actually did have some rust/paint bubbles around the wheel arches that I got rid of. I can also shed some light on the air con pipes and water pump...
@@hugohugo2832 your sons age at 20 yrs old I would look at an insurance company that specialises in performance cars you could end up with a quote higher than the cars value.
I worked in a porsche specialist garage for 1 year & have seen about 5 engines that has had either IMS bearing fail or the IMS chainring being worn bent or faulty, so I think it is a common problem. I actually bought a 2.5 Boxster with a broken engine, it was cheaper to buy another engine than to rebuild. Cylinder 6 was cracked on the original engine.
@@luffy858 I hadn't really considered that. Can you imagine how much better the noise would be with a super charger? You'd probably have to do a lot of modding to do that, but it would be awesome😎
Actually it is not that bad at all. Sure you can't stare at your engine and admire it that easily, but for maintaince everything is nice and accessible - much better than let's say on a Mercedes. I have quite a lot of experience with these cars and an engine out job takes about 3-4 hours if you take your time and do it properly, but you should know when to loosen what part and in what procedure. In the end it fits all very nicely in the car. If I have to replace my clutch or do have to do any work on the engine itself (like valve covers etc.) I don't even bother starting wrenching underneath the car on a lift - i just take the engine out, much better access a you can gurantee a much higher quality of repair too.
The letter "U" in the chassis number means the car was built in Finland by Valmet Automotive , Porsche subcontracted some of the Boxster and Cayman manufacturing out as the Stuttgart factory needed extra capacity . The "U" letter means Uusikaupunki , a town in the south west of Finland , they're currently are making some Mercedes A class models there , there is a rumour that the cars from here are better made than the German made ones . en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valmet_Automotive
I'm about a year ahead of you on restoring a late 2001 Boxster S! Great cars, the body control modules can be repaired by a few specialists so don't jump straight into buying a new one. I also have the templates to reproduce the under-bonnet chassis label as they fade in time and I can decode the options to find out how the car was spec'd up.
I owned a very clunky 914 in the early 80s so was glad when Porsche went back to a mid-engined car. Unfortunately, while I probably could afford a Boxster, I am not sure if it's a good idea since I no longer have access to covered parking and I have reached an age where simple car maintenance tasks can become a bit drawn out, timewise.
Hey the reason why the the Boxster is getting water in it is because the drain ports are clogged with dirt, debris,leaves, etc and now water cannot escape so it gets in the cabin and floods the floor right where the computer is. The same thing thing happened to mine when I got it... Right after a wash where I was obliviously flooding the interior the car started to tweak out on me on a drive with the locks and the security system going on and off. I looked down in horror to see the DME sitting in standing water. I was fortunate enough to recognize this and immediately got the water out and pulled the computer out and dried it off with several fans for 3 days so no corrosion was able to for on the connectors or innards of the computer. The important thing is there actually is a company that makes a a fix where you can transplant the "innards" of the DME into a waterproof box so it can never happen again. But if you don't dry it off immediately chances of corrosion formimg are high and a new DME of the exact same year and model has to be installed then programmed by a dealer. You have to do a high pressure clean on all 4(front and rear) drain ports and not just the holes but the entire passage way needs be clear and drain water freely so it doesn't store up like a dam and then find it's way into the car.
Great Vid I owned a Boxster and felt it handled really well despite having cheap tyres. In fact my alarm control unit was knackered too, so I bought a secondhand replacement with a key and ecu
Had a 2002 3.2 S and i absolutely loved it! was a joy to drive, so engaging and the sound was fantastic. Wasn’t necessarily fast but didn’t really care about that. Do regret selling it 😫
Great stuff. Loved my boxster S. Bought it for £5k. History and receipts for work done. Drove for a year no probs. Serviced etc. Wonderful. Then…..knock knock. No joke. Trip to Porsche specialist and basically an economical loss to fix. I’ve owned many cars from mk1 Mx5’s, sw20 MR2’s and many Beemers and the engines have never given me grief like the Boxster did. I think I was unlucky and would have another (I think?). So you have to ask yourself, do you feel lucky. Well do yer, punk!
1 year w/ a Cayman 981 now. 1 million miles of BMW ownership. Porsche engineers really did think about maintenance of these cars. Feels like is was engineered underneath much more as a track car than any BMW I've had. Took me all of 15 minutes to remove the rear bumper... so I could polish the exhaust ;-) 10 minutes to remove the engine cover... so I could clean the engine ;-) I bought this thing w/ 54k miles, now has 64k miles and I plan on putting 250k on it! Oil & PDK fluid changes are a breeze. Unmodified, and it's a Blast at the autocross. Maintenance costs will always be higher than Japanese; but the sound of the flat 6 at 7,500rps... priceless!
I own two 986 Boxsters. A 986 2.7 and a 3.2L version. Those are great drivers cars, especially considering the money and the Porsche brand name. Parts availability is great, many parts can be bought used for very cheap as many Boxster become parted out. Everything is well layed out and thought through, easy to work on and cheap to maintain for a diy kind of guy. Furthermore insurance is very low and luggage space is decent, making it a great daily driver or weekend fun car. The interior quality is not as bad as people say it is and in person the quality is actually really decent for a 20 to 25 year old car. However the early 2.5L Boxster have a lower quality in the interior as the 2.7 and 3.2L version, depending on the extra options. Anyone saying that the Boxster isn't a good sports car or that it is just a grocery getter has never driven one! The Boxster delivers such a great and rewarding driving experience and an excellent exhaust note in the interior (especially with the porsche sports exhaust from eisenmann). It's light and nimble and eventhough it only has 200 something horsepower depending on which engine you have it is also a very light car weighing just 1300kg. A much more compareable figure would be hp/kg where this car is great considering the age.
I know you wrote your comment over a year ago… But out of curiosity, which Boxster was better out of your 986’s. I’m a couple of weeks away from a potential purchase, and I can’t decide between the 3.2 S and the 2.7! If acceleration/speed is the only real difference, then I’m not fussed as I’m a bit over 0-60 dashes from traffic lights etc. But I’m interested in things like which sounds the nicer engine/exhaust note from stock etc. Or if the S’s firmer suspension meant the handling was recognisably better etc. Cheers in advance. Appreciate your opinions. 👌
I've got the same year-model. Regarding rust -- yes the bodies are galvanized and should be good. But the combination of aluminum and steel suspension components and worn rust protection on the suspension can result in galvanic corrosion within the suspension components. This will result in bolts which don't come out (primarily the sway-bar linkage bolt that goes through the bearing carrier, but can also effect other bolts). If you see white scale on the aluminum parts, it's a clue that it might be happening. If the car is going to see salty conditions, you should really refresh the undercoating on the car regularly.
Yes it should be your next car. I have had my 2002 Boxster 5 speed for over a year now and driven it EVERY SINGLE DAY and continue to do so. For the value its hard to beat for the amount of enjoyment you can get. *also at 125k miles
Bought my gen 1 Cayman 5 years ago. Epic epic car to own and drive. Easy to work on yourself, and as shown in this video everything has an access panel and has been thoroughly thought out to make servicing easier. Would highly recommend to anyone on the fence about buying one or a Boxster 👍
These have become more expensive in the US.... Every time a youtuber says "X is an affordable enthusiast's car!" the prices immediately go through the roof.
Drive a 2005 987, and love it. Has the larger improved IMS, which is lucky on 55 plate. Allot of car for the money, things to check are: RMS oil weeping, IMS gasket can also weep, Exhaust muffler to manifold gaskets, front coolant cross pipes, front suspension struts rust at the top, AC condensers, coffin arm bushes, they get through disks and pads but not crazy expensive if you do them yourself. Coil packs crack, they improved them so worth replacing if you have the originals on. I switched to Millers Nanotech 5w-40 and engine runs quieter/smoother, great oil. Nothing to be afraid of.
“Porsche thinks about the people that have to work on these cars.” Having just replaced the water pump on one of these…they barely thought about the people that work on these cars. Also the water pump is a common wear item. At 100k miles, expect to be replacing it.
I dont agree. It took me half the time (including bleeding the coolant system) to change Boxster waterpump than on the meriva that belongs to my Missus. As unfriendly as the car seems to work on, the more jobs ive done on it, the more i think its not so bad. Been told 996 is much worse to work on as its too cramped in the back.
@@kacperczubkowski9227 I agree with you. If you're doing jobs regularly or at least more than once on these cars they get easier with practice. I replaced my water pump on my '07 Cayman on my drive and in a blizzard, in the depths of winter. Replaced every suspension component, also in winter, including Bilstien PSS9 coil overs and top mounts, rebuilt the CV joints while the drive shafts were off, and rebuilt the brakes with all new components. Also just replaced the AOS, piece of piss.
Love my 02 986 S. I’m so glad these cars are finally starting to get the love they deserve. Been seeing quite a bit of boxster future classic vids pop up…. And the boxster 25 now
When covid started these were so cheap. I picked up a 2004 Boxster S( the final edition) slate grey, looks like a mini CGT to me, for 14k flat. Now these last edition models are going for 24k plus. They were cheaper than s2ks at the time and they are much faster than s2ks. Great car,it sounds so good with the engine in the back,especially with the top down.
I swear BDS Motorsport must be one of the coolest places on Earth. I love the people and workshops they show on this channel, they are always great, and there are so many!
@@michaelpeebs His girlfriend had a TT that Alex gave her but she has an Up now since the TT had too many problems. So close lol. Up is a hairdressers car too though.
That was awesome Alex! 100% got me inspired to purchase a boxter and fettle with it. Please let us know how you go upgrading the boxter. Maybe get BDS on and have them chat about the mods to his 3.2 S and what can be done to the 2.7. Keep up this kind of work. Love it! Cheers
People change amber lenses to clear both front and rear to make it look newer (and more like a 911) They also replace the Boxster script and rear with P-O-R-S-C-H-E lettering ( so people KNOW it's a Porsche from the rear) as the only Porsche name is on the front badge in tiny letters.. all of this to impress your neighbours. A cheap "Personalised" number plate like "ZYZZ 1234" from Northern Ireland finishes it off and - Viola! - you can impress 14 year olds down the chip shop that you are a big cheese with a new Porsche!
I spent £4K on my Boxster S 3.2L and it’s great. Insurance at 21 just £600 a year. My water pump exploded but it was an easy afternoon jacked up, £60 part and hundreds saved on labour.
I've recently been thinking about getting one for my wife. She has a 2003 Astra 2.2 convertible with only 72K. We've had it from a year old. It has everything you want, leather, aircon, cruise control, heated seats etc. However, what would you get if you wanted to change it? You certainly wouldn't want anything less (it is a superb car). We bought it as our daughters were in child seats at the time and it was one of the few convertibles that actually ha room in the back. Now a four seater is not a necessity. So, the idea of a Boxster, not older, seems good to me. Thanks for the very informative video.
They are still very expensive here they are around 6000 euros for a broken one and around 10000 to 150000 for "okay" ones. And for a good example they are 20k. So unfortunatly the boxter is not for me. Love from the Netherlands
I bought a 987 Boxster Sport Edition at 21 for £9,000, only costs me £838 a year to insure, they are surprisingly cheap to run and buy. Much better and more interesting choice over boring Golf R's and A45's most lads my age have
had an 05 987 which was awe inspiring. My wife wanted a slightly more updated version so it left us in favor of a 2015 981. Love both models, wish I could have 1 of each. Also wish the 987s would become as cheap as some of the 986s as I really like the styling and interior of the 987 a bit more.
Step 1. Buy a boxter for cheap price. Step 2. Make a video of how awesome they are and that it is a better choice than a mx-5. Step 3. Prices go up. Step 4. Profit
Every Porsche Indi I've spoken too said the same about the IMS. I had a 987. Still had it checked after I bought it though. Still the most fun car I've had. I miss it.
Kinda cool seeing the knowledge of someone in press for a company. Car companies seem to actually care who works for them, which also makes a good image. Wish other big companies worked this way.
8( I bought a 987 Gen 2 Boxster 2009 49000 miles Basalt Black with black leather/interior, PDK, Sport Chrono, Porsche Sport Exhaust, PASM (electronic dampers), Sport Seats Plus, Bluetooth & sat-nav plate, 19 inch Sport Design alloys, with a two year extended warranty for £21000 in June 2018 from Porsche Centre Cambridge
This is an excellent video! I have long been a fan of the boxster and now they are entirely affordable! Love it! Definitely going on my short list for a project car!
I have the opposite experience. I have a 2.7 Boxster which costs £197 insurance for the year. My Audi A3… £700 a year 🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️ But insurance is a postcode lottery as they say
Never been much of a Porsche fan until I got myself a Cayenne turbo. I can't think of any other car that does so much so well. It goes like stink, works well off road, handles like a dream on road. It is incredibly well screwed together and it's clear they only used the best materials when building them. After market parts such as starter motors etc are now very cheap and easy enough to get hold of although with some parts you can easily see a quality difference when compared to genuine Porsche parts - suspension arms being one example. I don't think this will be my last one.
One thing I didn't see noted was the mismatch between the front (amber) indicators and rear (clear) indicators. Factory put all the same on, model year dependent. 1999s and earlier should have ambers, while later should be all clear.
He was annoyed he couldn't see the engine, it really isn't as much hassle as I was expecting to get at coming from Jay's video on it. I thought it would be more similar to I think the Ferrari 360 where a large amount of basic stuff is an engine out job. Had he not been there with the Porsche guy and had been told about the service position etc then I think he could have quite easily had a look, but maybe not on the 25th anniversary one. :)
Just makes me want to go and buy a Porsche Boxster. I'd want Rich to service it as he seems to be an honest & easy going bloke to know. Alex, I hope you intend to fix all the problems in what is a very good car. I'm not a Porsche person but I'd be interested in you continuing you time with it.
I bought one wrecked in the front for cheap. I stretched my '68 Karmann-Ghia convertible a few inches and repowered it. Still working out the bugs, but it will be a kick in the a$$ when finished.
@@Perry_dAccard Haha I remember that scene.. Eventhough it is a proper sports car and the fact the only woman bought / drove the car is just a lie by the press. Porsche themself has files which show, that only around 7-8% of Boxster buysers were woman. Anyhow I really don't understand that stigma of a girls car anyway. Drive it and enjoy it..
@@fishadthethird There may be a gray area of cars that were bought by rich men for their trophy wives. It's no car for a 'murican man' if you know what I mean. In europe it has a better reputation.
Bought a 986 a few years ago, I've spent more on motorbikes... 2003 and sure I've done some work on the 18 year old car. Turns out that you can get parts cheap and working outside the engine cases is easy for a decent handyman. Fun to drive? Oh yeah! Get one!
Parts aren’t too bad, but labor rates will kill you. They’re surprisingly simple to work on, though. I’ve only had my 996 in for service once in 4 years of ownership, everything else was easily navigated with a RUclips degree of engineering.
You want a laugh, go into the Porsche dealership and ask for a quote on new clutch, flywheel, IMS and cam chain tensioners. ( Mine is a 2000 986S) They don't sell a IMS bearing replacement. £8000 to change the IMS..... Most likely a new short block. the price for the clutch and fly wheel was not to bad. Crazy. Once the maintenance is done it is going to BDS. A note on buying one, try and find an early S. My early S is much cheaper to buy road tax for than a 2001 car and is likely to have the better IMS fitted and no traction control (Talent Compensation). Stock they understeer badly I was disappointed to start with. But fitting H&R up rated anti roll bars (sway bars for the Yanks) transformed the front end. And the way they go from 3rd to the top of 5th gear is enough to deal with a lot of newer cars with higher horse power.
Dope......now the prices are gonna go up just like every other car video like this thats been done. Like they just started to drop in price making them affordable. Lol
![Driving My 'Cheap' Porsche Boxster Across America! [Part 1]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/K4SvnieYQ8A/mqdefault.jpg)
I wanna see a vid like this again but of jacks 300zx
yeah what happened to that? With 4 seats if its any good I would have it
I’ve got one so I’d love to see more of it
300zx ay 🤔 I too would like to see this!
Yeah, too bad it's a auto but, a good car though.
Yes please! 300ZX check up!
Surprised Alex hasn’t got a Porsche engineering sticker on the back of that mx5. The amount he mentions it 🤣😂
Blue Ford oval with Porsche written in it more like
PORJAGFORD Powered In COSWORTH lettering and the world is right.
Alex's NOTE TO SELF: "Put proper Porsche badging on the engine."
(it'll fool everyone not named Jack)
@@SarkyBrit n. MN m mñ
I never thought a day would come where a first gen Miata creeps on the price of a first gen boxter.
Cheaper to maintain aswell and much less problems.
And yet, here we are. Insane, right? It's funny though how both cars were conceived to bring sports car level excitement to the masses, and both received equal amounts of love and hate for it. Car people are weird :-)
@@TheMx5Channel porsha is cheap to
Can get a 3rd gen MX5 for the same price too!
@@EazyDuz18 I have a friend that owns a boxter and hes alot of issues with he's and spends way to much money on a car. So we told him just to get a NB or NC but he's porsche fann but drives a fiat now for a year because the boxter is in the garage (engine trouble)
IM SO GLAD THEY ARE UPLOADING MORE THAN ONCE A WEEK!
The Porsche Boxster and 944 are arguably two of the best and underappreciated, affordable Porsches you can get right now. 944 prices are rising rapidly, the Boxster is sure to follow. Great job on raising more awareness chaps 👍
100%.
You can add the 924 Turbo to that list. Good ones are still under 10k
🙏🙏
Oh man, the 944. I can't recall the amount of times I've considered to just go out and buy one.
944s been going up for years now
Would be good to see the Porsche get fixed with everything working again on it
Jonny Smith from Late Brake show has, he ended up with it last year and has sorted the problems now 👍
Not fully related but did Jack buy that 300ZX? It was basically him with 4 wheels 🤣
@Brain Damaged Flies loool violation
@Brain Damaged Flies fiwfy*
@Brain Damaged Flies crazy I read that in Jack's voice
Probably better if he didn't buy it, those things are getting pretty rare now and we don't need to see another one stuck sideways against the front of a lorry
@@MotoCat91 Ellie Gouldings are getting rare too
Hey Alex! This was my car! I sold it early 2020. So funny to see it on here - feel free to reply if you want to chat about my ownership experience of it and I can drop you guys a line 👏
P.S. it actually did have some rust/paint bubbles around the wheel arches that I got rid of. I can also shed some light on the air con pipes and water pump...
Cool!
You seem a bit young Morgan. How much was your insurance on that porsche 😅
I love my Boxster, my insurance with the Halifax is £100.80 👌
@@TheYjmfan can I ask how old you are? I want to insure my son. He’s 20
@@hugohugo2832 your sons age at 20 yrs old I would look at an insurance company that specialises in performance cars you could end up with a quote higher than the cars value.
GIVE PROJECT Z3
Finally someone said it!!!!
Yeah what has happened to this...
So Rocket League sponsored this and not when they played rocket league in real life…
Maybe they noticed the channel after that video??
@@pollumG Adam lz has been sponsored by them too so perhaps they just went on a sponser spree to get more players back
@@ryandinosaur3089 they’ve been acquired by epic games and they’re a terrible immoral company so many players may have left then.
I worked in a porsche specialist garage for 1 year & have seen about 5 engines that has had either IMS bearing fail or the IMS chainring being worn bent or faulty, so I think it is a common problem. I actually bought a 2.5 Boxster with a broken engine, it was cheaper to buy another engine than to rebuild. Cylinder 6 was cracked on the original engine.
I didn't really like these before, but lately I'm starting to come around to them. Just accessing the engine seems like a chore though.
I bought a Boxster when miata prices started skyrocketing here. The intake noise you get right behind your ear is amazing.
@@luffy858 I hadn't really considered that. Can you imagine how much better the noise would be with a super charger? You'd probably have to do a lot of modding to do that, but it would be awesome😎
@@isk1tz but you will loose power with this "mod"
Actually it is not that bad at all. Sure you can't stare at your engine and admire it that easily, but for maintaince everything is nice and accessible - much better than let's say on a Mercedes. I have quite a lot of experience with these cars and an engine out job takes about 3-4 hours if you take your time and do it properly, but you should know when to loosen what part and in what procedure. In the end it fits all very nicely in the car. If I have to replace my clutch or do have to do any work on the engine itself (like valve covers etc.) I don't even bother starting wrenching underneath the car on a lift - i just take the engine out, much better access a you can gurantee a much higher quality of repair too.
@@luffy858 right
The letter "U" in the chassis number means the car was built in Finland by Valmet Automotive , Porsche subcontracted some of the Boxster and Cayman manufacturing out as the Stuttgart factory needed extra capacity . The "U" letter means Uusikaupunki , a town in the south west of Finland , they're currently are making some Mercedes A class models there , there is a rumour that the cars from here are better made than the German made ones . en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valmet_Automotive
I just love that Porsche participates in videos like this. Just shows that at their core, they are like us.
I'm about a year ahead of you on restoring a late 2001 Boxster S! Great cars, the body control modules can be repaired by a few specialists so don't jump straight into buying a new one.
I also have the templates to reproduce the under-bonnet chassis label as they fade in time and I can decode the options to find out how the car was spec'd up.
I owned a very clunky 914 in the early 80s so was glad when Porsche went back to a mid-engined car. Unfortunately, while I probably could afford a Boxster, I am not sure if it's a good idea since I no longer have access to covered parking and I have reached an age where simple car maintenance tasks can become a bit drawn out, timewise.
Really good segment, great content. Mature editing, funny moments - ace!
Hey the reason why the the Boxster is getting water in it is because the drain ports are clogged with dirt, debris,leaves, etc and now water cannot escape so it gets in the cabin and floods the floor right where the computer is. The same thing thing happened to mine when I got it... Right after a wash where I was obliviously flooding the interior the car started to tweak out on me on a drive with the locks and the security system going on and off. I looked down in horror to see the DME sitting in standing water. I was fortunate enough to recognize this and immediately got the water out and pulled the computer out and dried it off with several fans for 3 days so no corrosion was able to for on the connectors or innards of the computer. The important thing is there actually is a company that makes a a fix where you can transplant the "innards" of the DME into a waterproof box so it can never happen again. But if you don't dry it off immediately chances of corrosion formimg are high and a new DME of the exact same year and model has to be installed then programmed by a dealer. You have to do a high pressure clean on all 4(front and rear) drain ports and not just the holes but the entire passage way needs be clear and drain water freely so it doesn't store up like a dam and then find it's way into the car.
Kevin White I just bought a 2000 Boxster Can you tell me where the drain ports are Any help Thank You
I love mine. On my second one. 986s manual, lowered, split rims, loud pipes & GT3 aerokit. Nothing else more fun or better sounding for the money imo.
I'd love to see some photos of it :)
@@ExtremiSS88 check my instagram @urban_menace theres a couple of pics on there 👍
Great Vid I owned a Boxster and felt it handled really well despite having cheap tyres. In fact my alarm control unit was knackered too, so I bought a secondhand replacement with a key and ecu
13:10 probably the most weirdest thing that’s been on carthrottle 😂
Had a 2002 3.2 S and i absolutely loved it! was a joy to drive, so engaging and the sound was fantastic. Wasn’t necessarily fast but didn’t really care about that. Do regret selling it 😫
Great stuff. Loved my boxster S. Bought it for £5k. History and receipts for work done. Drove for a year no probs. Serviced etc. Wonderful.
Then…..knock knock. No joke. Trip to Porsche specialist and basically an economical loss to fix.
I’ve owned many cars from mk1 Mx5’s, sw20 MR2’s and many Beemers and the engines have never given me grief like the Boxster did. I think I was unlucky and would have another (I think?). So you have to ask yourself, do you feel lucky. Well do yer, punk!
Great to see Porsche UK supporting this!
First port of call make shore all the drain holes are clear and replace the ball and socket on the roof.👍
1 year w/ a Cayman 981 now. 1 million miles of BMW ownership. Porsche engineers really did think about maintenance of these cars. Feels like is was engineered underneath much more as a track car than any BMW I've had. Took me all of 15 minutes to remove the rear bumper... so I could polish the exhaust ;-) 10 minutes to remove the engine cover... so I could clean the engine ;-) I bought this thing w/ 54k miles, now has 64k miles and I plan on putting 250k on it! Oil & PDK fluid changes are a breeze. Unmodified, and it's a Blast at the autocross. Maintenance costs will always be higher than Japanese; but the sound of the flat 6 at 7,500rps... priceless!
Bought my manual 986.2 S a couple years ago and it has been great!
I have a boxster 986. I can't wait to get rid of it. Just a couple of jobs to do then it's going.
I was just browsing 986 listings a few hours ago and then you post this. It’s a sign.
I own two 986 Boxsters. A 986 2.7 and a 3.2L version. Those are great drivers cars, especially considering the money and the Porsche brand name.
Parts availability is great, many parts can be bought used for very cheap as many Boxster become parted out. Everything is well layed out and thought through, easy to work on and cheap to maintain for a diy kind of guy. Furthermore insurance is very low and luggage space is decent, making it a great daily driver or weekend fun car.
The interior quality is not as bad as people say it is and in person the quality is actually really decent for a 20 to 25 year old car. However the early 2.5L Boxster have a lower quality in the interior as the 2.7 and 3.2L version, depending on the extra options.
Anyone saying that the Boxster isn't a good sports car or that it is just a grocery getter has never driven one! The Boxster delivers such a great and rewarding driving experience and an excellent exhaust note in the interior (especially with the porsche sports exhaust from eisenmann). It's light and nimble and eventhough it only has 200 something horsepower depending on which engine you have it is also a very light car weighing just 1300kg. A much more compareable figure would be hp/kg where this car is great considering the age.
I know you wrote your comment over a year ago… But out of curiosity, which Boxster was better out of your 986’s.
I’m a couple of weeks away from a potential purchase, and I can’t decide between the 3.2 S and the 2.7!
If acceleration/speed is the only real difference, then I’m not fussed as I’m a bit over 0-60 dashes from traffic lights etc.
But I’m interested in things like which sounds the nicer engine/exhaust note from stock etc.
Or if the S’s firmer suspension meant the handling was recognisably better etc.
Cheers in advance.
Appreciate your opinions. 👌
Now thanks to this video these are going to go up in value :‘(
We'll call you a Waaambulance ;)
@@CarThrottle Market manipulation. You know car throttle brought a warehouse full of boxsters
@@danielrobinson2861 where did they bring them from?
@@R03333 Buying them for about a year knowing a video was planned, so they could pump up the price and become billionaires
@@danielrobinson2861 Boxsters are the new crypto, get in early boys!
I've got the same year-model. Regarding rust -- yes the bodies are galvanized and should be good. But the combination of aluminum and steel suspension components and worn rust protection on the suspension can result in galvanic corrosion within the suspension components. This will result in bolts which don't come out (primarily the sway-bar linkage bolt that goes through the bearing carrier, but can also effect other bolts). If you see white scale on the aluminum parts, it's a clue that it might be happening. If the car is going to see salty conditions, you should really refresh the undercoating on the car regularly.
Yes it should be your next car. I have had my 2002 Boxster 5 speed for over a year now and driven it EVERY SINGLE DAY and continue to do so. For the value its hard to beat for the amount of enjoyment you can get. *also at 125k miles
Bought my gen 1 Cayman 5 years ago. Epic epic car to own and drive.
Easy to work on yourself, and as shown in this video everything has an access panel and has been thoroughly thought out to make servicing easier.
Would highly recommend to anyone on the fence about buying one or a Boxster 👍
These have become more expensive in the US.... Every time a youtuber says "X is an affordable enthusiast's car!" the prices immediately go through the roof.
Roughly $20k for a decent one here Dallas.
@@burtonboarder503 Makes me want to export some. Although I'm not sure how they would like the right hand drive.
Drive a 2005 987, and love it. Has the larger improved IMS, which is lucky on 55 plate.
Allot of car for the money, things to check are: RMS oil weeping, IMS gasket can also weep, Exhaust muffler to manifold gaskets, front coolant cross pipes, front suspension struts rust at the top, AC condensers, coffin arm bushes, they get through disks and pads but not crazy expensive if you do them yourself. Coil packs crack, they improved them so worth replacing if you have the originals on.
I switched to Millers Nanotech 5w-40 and engine runs quieter/smoother, great oil.
Nothing to be afraid of.
“Porsche thinks about the people that have to work on these cars.”
Having just replaced the water pump on one of these…they barely thought about the people that work on these cars. Also the water pump is a common wear item. At 100k miles, expect to be replacing it.
I dont agree. It took me half the time (including bleeding the coolant system) to change Boxster waterpump than on the meriva that belongs to my Missus. As unfriendly as the car seems to work on, the more jobs ive done on it, the more i think its not so bad. Been told 996 is much worse to work on as its too cramped in the back.
@@kacperczubkowski9227 I agree with you. If you're doing jobs regularly or at least more than once on these cars they get easier with practice. I replaced my water pump on my '07 Cayman on my drive and in a blizzard, in the depths of winter. Replaced every suspension component, also in winter, including Bilstien PSS9 coil overs and top mounts, rebuilt the CV joints while the drive shafts were off, and rebuilt the brakes with all new components. Also just replaced the AOS, piece of piss.
@@kw8757 Is there any other time to do difficult repairs? :D At least it should be done at night, in the rain. :D
@@MongooseTacticool Been there, done that, got the T shirt 👍. I love my Cayman but it likes to try my patience.
A water pump at 100k miles is far from uncommon... Lots of cars actually have it planned in the service manual sooner than that.
Love my 02 986 S. I’m so glad these cars are finally starting to get the love they deserve. Been seeing quite a bit of boxster future classic vids pop up…. And the boxster 25 now
totally agree!
I have always wanted a boxster as I drove one years ago and they drive so well.
Love my boxster. I drive it any day the sun is out. She's a garage Queen and has never seen snow or rain. I'm going to keep it that way.
When covid started these were so cheap. I picked up a 2004 Boxster S( the final edition) slate grey, looks like a mini CGT to me, for 14k flat. Now these last edition models are going for 24k plus. They were cheaper than s2ks at the time and they are much faster than s2ks. Great car,it sounds so good with the engine in the back,especially with the top down.
If it’s the 550 edition then it’s GT Silver but realistically more like £18k tops ! You can get a good RS60 for £24k.
I swear BDS Motorsport must be one of the coolest places on Earth. I love the people and workshops they show on this channel, they are always great, and there are so many!
Alex should also buy the BMW Z3 from Ethan and then he'll have the ultimate hairdresser's garage.
sorry, you meant z4
Finish it off with a TT convertible too
@@LucaBonato
No, it was a Z3 he was working on. Not a Z4.
@@michaelpeebs His girlfriend had a TT that Alex gave her but she has an Up now since the TT had too many problems. So close lol. Up is a hairdressers car too though.
Genuinely lol’d at this comment
That was awesome Alex! 100% got me inspired to purchase a boxter and fettle with it. Please let us know how you go upgrading the boxter.
Maybe get BDS on and have them chat about the mods to his 3.2 S and what can be done to the 2.7.
Keep up this kind of work. Love it!
Cheers
Upgrade taillights and front blinkers please lol it changes the look a lot
Taillights look ok there
Clear headlights are considerable more expensive. 2500€ for a set of new ones straight from Porsche I believe.
People change amber lenses to clear both front and rear to make it look newer (and more like a 911) They also replace the Boxster script and rear with P-O-R-S-C-H-E lettering ( so people KNOW it's a Porsche from the rear) as the only Porsche name is on the front badge in tiny letters.. all of this to impress your neighbours. A cheap "Personalised" number plate like "ZYZZ 1234" from Northern Ireland finishes it off and - Viola! - you can impress 14 year olds down the chip shop that you are a big cheese with a new Porsche!
I spent £4K on my Boxster S 3.2L and it’s great. Insurance at 21 just £600 a year. My water pump exploded but it was an easy afternoon jacked up, £60 part and hundreds saved on labour.
"Boxsters are pretty good out of Box" 15:55
Had mine for 3 years now, great value mod doing an exhaust bypass! Thanks for raising it's value ;)
Doesn't that get rid of the cat?
Nah - manual swap the 300ZX.
This is by far in to good of a condition to have been bought by Alex.
I've recently been thinking about getting one for my wife. She has a 2003 Astra 2.2 convertible with only 72K. We've had it from a year old. It has everything you want, leather, aircon, cruise control, heated seats etc. However, what would you get if you wanted to change it? You certainly wouldn't want anything less (it is a superb car). We bought it as our daughters were in child seats at the time and it was one of the few convertibles that actually ha room in the back. Now a four seater is not a necessity.
So, the idea of a Boxster, not older, seems good to me.
Thanks for the very informative video.
They are still very expensive here they are around 6000 euros for a broken one and around 10000 to 150000 for "okay" ones. And for a good example they are 20k. So unfortunatly the boxter is not for me. Love from the Netherlands
They are more expensive than he said here in the UK too I just checked.
I bought a 987 Boxster Sport Edition at 21 for £9,000, only costs me £838 a year to insure, they are surprisingly cheap to run and buy. Much better and more interesting choice over boring Golf R's and A45's most lads my age have
Ha, my wife literally bought a 2.7 986 in the same colour last month for a bargain! I'm sure it'll keep me busy...
had an 05 987 which was awe inspiring. My wife wanted a slightly more updated version so it left us in favor of a 2015 981. Love both models, wish I could have 1 of each. Also wish the 987s would become as cheap as some of the 986s as I really like the styling and interior of the 987 a bit more.
It is the beginning of the end, now you have ventured over to the dark side :D
I've had my 987 Gen 1 Boxster for a few months now and it's been brilliant. It drives amazing and sounds so good
Step 1. Buy a boxter for cheap price.
Step 2. Make a video of how awesome they are and that it is a better choice than a mx-5.
Step 3. Prices go up.
Step 4. Profit
Well, thanks for the guide, i'll now definrtly have confidence to looking for a porsche engineered mk1 vauxhall zafira
I literally just refreshed my RUclips and this popped up I guess you can call that great timing
My cambelt snapped I guess you can call that not so great timing
@@george5040 haha good one mate
One of the best videos one can find on the 986. Awesome job and thanks for sharing 👊😎✨
Just enough time to watch before the football 😂
Bloody hell Alex, ive got a na mx5 and just bought a 986 the other day....great taste
I just cant get passed that dash man the rest of the car is bearable
@Rich: good presentation skills! Well done, nice pace, you really pulled me into the story.
I driven a porsche for two years and loved it
Every Porsche Indi I've spoken too said the same about the IMS. I had a 987. Still had it checked after I bought it though. Still the most fun car I've had. I miss it.
It is like looking up your symptoms online. It will say that it is cancer...
@@DashCamSerbia absolutely
@@DashCamSerbia that’s a good comparison actually 👍
4:35 Alex didn’t know… Rich being a good sport about it though
Still have mine. 01 blk/blk plus matching hardtop S model going on 10 years now. They’re going up in price if you wanna grab it.
would have been funny if they lifted the bonnet and found a Fiat 126 engine under there.
There's a reason it was £5K. lol
NB Miata owner, and have been wanting a Boxster. Now I need one! Thanks Alex!
2091 Boxster S owner and now I want a Miata. I love roadsters and those two are the best.
I was thinking of buying one… but now they’ll probably go up in value lol
Snatch one while you can
Loving these videos recently absolutely mint 💪
3 Guys 1 Car (Include Jack)
Kinda cool seeing the knowledge of someone in press for a company. Car companies seem to actually care who works for them, which also makes a good image. Wish other big companies worked this way.
Everyone's too busy putting bags and wheels on Financed German Cars to care about Project Cars 👀
savage
Too busy getting the best shart and fart map they can before the local meet at Halfords
Harry main haha
True though.
It's definitely not the fact that project cars require space and tools to work on them or anything like that.
0:46 "...decent boxter for well under 5k pound"
in Italy,basic model is 14k € (12k £ / 16,500 $)
It's amazing how cheap are cars in UK...
Makes me want to export them.
8( I bought a 987 Gen 2 Boxster 2009 49000 miles Basalt Black with black leather/interior, PDK, Sport Chrono, Porsche Sport Exhaust, PASM (electronic dampers), Sport Seats Plus, Bluetooth & sat-nav plate, 19 inch Sport Design alloys, with a two year extended warranty for £21000 in June 2018 from Porsche Centre Cambridge
Meanwhile in Australia: $18,000 for a clapped 250,000km auto 🤨
Same in Russia!
Swings and roundabouts, my antipodean friend. You pay less than half we do for fuel. And can take the roof down without freezing yer nuts off
@@neilturner6749 😅 I'll allow it
This is an excellent video! I have long been a fan of the boxster and now they are entirely affordable! Love it! Definitely going on my short list for a project car!
Engineers thinking about making maintenance easier for technicians. I'm I in a dream?
my work colleague has one, and sure the cost to buy is pretty low, but insurance costs a fortune as well as maintenance so... miata sounds fun
I have the opposite experience. I have a 2.7 Boxster which costs £197 insurance for the year. My Audi A3… £700 a year 🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
But insurance is a postcode lottery as they say
Manual swap the 300ZX please, that car would be a great project.
Never been much of a Porsche fan until I got myself a Cayenne turbo. I can't think of any other car that does so much so well. It goes like stink, works well off road, handles like a dream on road. It is incredibly well screwed together and it's clear they only used the best materials when building them. After market parts such as starter motors etc are now very cheap and easy enough to get hold of although with some parts you can easily see a quality difference when compared to genuine Porsche parts - suspension arms being one example. I don't think this will be my last one.
Let's be real Alex isn't spending his leisurely afternoons playing rocket league 😀
Not with a v6 mk1
One thing I didn't see noted was the mismatch between the front (amber) indicators and rear (clear) indicators. Factory put all the same on, model year dependent. 1999s and earlier should have ambers, while later should be all clear.
Yes, yes, yes, we ALL watched the new Jay Leno’s garage episode 🙄
He was annoyed he couldn't see the engine, it really isn't as much hassle as I was expecting to get at coming from Jay's video on it. I thought it would be more similar to I think the Ferrari 360 where a large amount of basic stuff is an engine out job. Had he not been there with the Porsche guy and had been told about the service position etc then I think he could have quite easily had a look, but maybe not on the 25th anniversary one. :)
Just makes me want to go and buy a Porsche Boxster. I'd want Rich to service it as he seems to be an honest & easy going bloke to know.
Alex, I hope you intend to fix all the problems in what is a very good car. I'm not a Porsche person but I'd be interested in you continuing you time with it.
People saying its a hairdressers car. No idea that it's an engineers car.
I'm an engineer. It's a hairdressers car.
@@ShiroZ31 what do you drive David? Care to share?
After a good day out, you need to go to the hairdresser.
@@ShiroZ31 haha classic...i own a 986 and a mx5 but I'm not a hairdresser or an engineer, but I like your witty answer.....cheers
@@ShiroZ31 totally outdated saying for people that know feck all about cars. The Boxster has better balance on the limit than a 911!
Great video, nice to see a actual professional going over a car who know them inside out
Prices of boxers just went up, thanks Alex
I bought one wrecked in the front for cheap. I stretched my '68 Karmann-Ghia convertible a few inches and repowered it. Still working out the bugs, but it will be a kick in the a$$ when finished.
Holy crap refreshed my pages to see 15 seconds old 😁
Wow this vid hearted lol
My S2000 skyrocketed in value, it wouldn't surprise me one bit to see one of its most direct competitors do the same.
"Your Dad's Car is a Porsche with panties" (Ralphie Aprile, The Sopranos)
"Ah, a Boxter. The girl version." (some taxi driver in Two And a Half Men)
@@Perry_dAccard Haha I remember that scene.. Eventhough it is a proper sports car and the fact the only woman bought / drove the car is just a lie by the press. Porsche themself has files which show, that only around 7-8% of Boxster buysers were woman. Anyhow I really don't understand that stigma of a girls car anyway. Drive it and enjoy it..
@@fishadthethird There may be a gray area of cars that were bought by rich men for their trophy wives. It's no car for a 'murican man' if you know what I mean. In europe it has a better reputation.
@@fishadthethird oh yea it's a good car it's just smaller than a 911 so people think of it as for women
@@Perry_dAccard "there's no replacement for displacement" (Vin Diesel, some fast and furious movie)
Bought a 986 a few years ago, I've spent more on motorbikes...
2003 and sure I've done some work on the 18 year old car. Turns out that you can get parts cheap and working outside the engine cases is easy for a decent handyman.
Fun to drive? Oh yeah!
Get one!
Stupid car throttle! Now these are gonna go up in value.
P.S- Nice work guys!
Brilliant video, really informative, thanks.
I’d love a Porsche but scared off by the costs of the parts and servicing
On the plus side; they're well built and pretty reliable.
Learn it yourself!
Parts aren’t too bad, but labor rates will kill you. They’re surprisingly simple to work on, though. I’ve only had my 996 in for service once in 4 years of ownership, everything else was easily navigated with a RUclips degree of engineering.
It is not too bad if you do it yourself. Otherwise like any car paying some one is expensive
@@Swordie100 100% agree nothing like working on your own car but sadly my health isn’t what it used to be.
You want a laugh, go into the Porsche dealership and ask for a quote on new clutch, flywheel, IMS and cam chain tensioners. ( Mine is a 2000 986S) They don't sell a IMS bearing replacement. £8000 to change the IMS..... Most likely a new short block. the price for the clutch and fly wheel was not to bad. Crazy. Once the maintenance is done it is going to BDS.
A note on buying one, try and find an early S. My early S is much cheaper to buy road tax for than a 2001 car and is likely to have the better IMS fitted and no traction control (Talent Compensation). Stock they understeer badly I was disappointed to start with. But fitting H&R up rated anti roll bars (sway bars for the Yanks) transformed the front end. And the way they go from 3rd to the top of 5th gear is enough to deal with a lot of newer cars with higher horse power.
Dope......now the prices are gonna go up just like every other car video like this thats been done. Like they just started to drop in price making them affordable. Lol
Ive loved mine over the year!