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What could possibly go wrong?


mat1

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I've found a Gen2 987 that I'm fairly certain I will be buying. From what I could glean from the seller it has a full book of stamps from independents. 60k Miles.

 

Nothing jumped out at me on the test drive but I get the feeling there could be some big ticket items on the horizon that he hasn't mentioned. Has just has a minor service and MOT which had front tires and 4 brake disks as advisories. I'm assuming he didn't want to eat the cost of this before selling.

 

Are there any big ticket expenses that won't show up in a test drive? Things that could be on the way out purely from age?

 

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Based on a late 987.1 with 60K:

Air con - if its not working, it's unlikely to just need re-gassing. Condensers go, as do all the pipes - could be £1500 or so to sort that.

I also had some of the rad pipework replaced - not so expensive in itself, but needed re-alignment afterwards, which adds a wedge (more than the cost of the pipework if I remember well).

Exhaust flanges corrode, again, not so pricey but a faff and there's some sensors that were close proximity so a risk.

Coil packs were knackered.

My clutch is heavy - I think it's imminent.

 

 

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When I bought my 05 987.1 S 4 months ago to bring over here to France I paid top end prices for it.

I felt I had a bargain as in the beginning of the year it had brakes all around new manifolds,cats and sensors.

The year before suspension all around.

I have all the history and everything works as it should.

The day I bought it drove from Silverstone to LeMans to where I live.

On Friday driving to Spain and Portugal for 3 weeks.

Love this Boxster.

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15 hours ago, Rob™ said:

Based on a late 987.1 with 60K:

Air con - if its not working, it's unlikely to just need re-gassing. Condensers go, as do all the pipes - could be £1500 or so to sort that.

I also had some of the rad pipework replaced - not so expensive in itself, but needed re-alignment afterwards, which adds a wedge (more than the cost of the pipework if I remember well).

Exhaust flanges corrode, again, not so pricey but a faff and there's some sensors that were close proximity so a risk.

Coil packs were knackered.

My clutch is heavy - I think it's imminent.

 

 

Rob, if you change the clutch get the RMS done at the same time. My clutch is heavy too, has been since I've owned the car, wasnt sure whether its a characteristic or not.

 

OP, Rob is spot on with his advice.

Also check for creaking suspension arms, especially on the front. It means the lower coffin arm ball joint has failed. They're not individually serviceable items so you'd need to budget for the coffin arms to be replaced on each side. That will also mean a geo afterwards so you won't get much change from £500 if paying someone to do it all.

Check window drops about an inch when you pull the door handle to open the door. If it doesnt its either a sensor issue in the handle which is fiddly to do or the window menchanism is faulty. Mechanism is about £150 per side and 2hrs labour.

Shift cables tend to just let go for some people, there doesn't seem to be any correlation with mileage of the car though. A lot of people upgrade to Numeric Racing cables which have metal collars rather than the OEM plastic ones. They're about £500 plus fitting.

I'm not sure if it applies to the 987.2 as they sorted a lot of issues with the gen 2 but the water pump is likely to need changing very soon if its anything like the gen 1. Mine failed at about 70k miles, sounded like the engine was self destructing before sh*tting itself all over the road. That gave me a lovely bill of almost £800 just before Christmas. I did have a low temperature thermostat fitted at the same time and a rad pipe in the front left wheel arch area replaced as well though.

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8 hours ago, Floppy said:

My clutch is heavy too, has been since I've owned the car, wasnt sure whether its a characteristic or not.

Yeah, got used to over the 12 months I've had the car, and not really a problem unless in a stop-start queue for any length of time. It was really noticeable when I got back into the V40 I used to have after the test drive though (almost crashed the pedal through the floor!)

Will keep an eye on the water pump as I'm at 72k now. Might be the push I need to get my hand back in my pocket for that 981 I fancy.

 

One thing I will say is that I have no regrets over the car, I bought the 987 to see whether it would be at practical for me (living on a hill in the countryside, winter, space, that sort of thing) and aside from not being able to do much in terms of a trip to the tip or B&Q, it's been great. It would be nice if the mpg return was better, but then it goes with the territory and is only marginally worse than a Mini I had once.

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Well I got the car, drove it home obviously I really love it! 58,000 miles, 2009 white PDK with good options.

 

I'm just going over the service docs now. Seller sent me pictures that conveniently cropped out the advisory section 😂

 

Front Tyres Signs of cracking - Worth changing now or see out summer, get some winter tyres and get fresh ones next year?

Exhaust straps, stretched/loose. Exhaust Tail pipe clamps cracking - Feels risky not fixing this?

Front+Fear brake discs, pitted on inner side - I can't see any receipts for these being replaced ever. Is it worth replacing these now? How do I know when these need to go?

Spark plugs have not been changed in 40,000 miles and 6 years - Can I just wait for the major service on these??

 

Thanks!


 

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@mat1 why not use BoXa to locate a good Independent Porsche specialist near you and get an inspection done. They can then help you to prioritise any work needed then you can  budget for the work needed over time. My 2011 987.2 was last seviced in Aug.2018 at 52000 miles, nothing nasty found or advised, now on 61000, good luck.

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1 hour ago, mat1 said:

Well I got the car, drove it home obviously I really love it! 58,000 miles, 2009 white PDK with good options.

 

I'm just going over the service docs now. Seller sent me pictures that conveniently cropped out the advisory section 😂

 

Front Tyres Signs of cracking - Worth changing now or see out summer, get some winter tyres and get fresh ones next year?

Exhaust straps, stretched/loose. Exhaust Tail pipe clamps cracking - Feels risky not fixing this?

Front+Fear brake discs, pitted on inner side - I can't see any receipts for these being replaced ever. Is it worth replacing these now? How do I know when these need to go?

Spark plugs have not been changed in 40,000 miles and 6 years - Can I just wait for the major service on these??

 

Thanks!


 

tyres - depends how bad the cracking is and where it is - and what age are the tyres - date code on them should tell you - if old and cracking then time to get rid

exhaust clamps aren't a big deal to sort and saves you losing something more costly

brake discs have a minimum thickness - I think its 26mm front, 22mm rear -  should be easy enough to look that up and measure with a micrometer or caliper

plugs should probably have been changed previously - it's one of those 'recommended' service items - not an 'essential' (but not really optional either).

What Rob said above was spot on too, condensers, pipes, and clutch likely

and Topbox - good idea to get it checked over so you know what's coming up precisely and can plan for it

Hope you enjoy it - and don't worry too much - the gen 2 is great car and will serve you well if you look after it

 

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Beware tyres. Mine had plenty of tread but 6 years old. They had gone hard as previous owner was keeping a garage queen. Fresh tyres have transformed the car

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2 hours ago, Topbox said:

@mat1 why not use BoXa to locate a good Independent Porsche specialist near you and get an inspection done. They can then help you to prioritise any work needed then you can  budget for the work needed over time. My 2011 987.2 was last seviced in Aug.2018 at 52000 miles, nothing nasty found or advised, now on 61000, good luck.

Yes that makes sense. The advisories I'm looking at was from a month ago at Charles Ivey Porsche in Surbiton so maybe I should just get a few small things done locally and figure out a plan? 

The clamshell alignment could do with a bit of adjusting too but maybe I can do that myself!

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Mat1 are the stamps OPC or independent in your service book? Porsche do fixed price servicing that is actually really competitive, otherwise a good independent is a good call. I've found both Porsche Silverstone and some independents hit and miss so definitely get some recommendations depending on where you live.

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3 hours ago, frozen said:

Hope you enjoy it - and don't worry too much - the gen 2 is great car and will serve you well if you look after it

 

 nice one, I think I'll do the clamps and tyres/brakes (depending on measurements tomorrow). Not sure whether to risk a 7/8 year spark plug interval? think I can get away with it?  :)

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7 minutes ago, Floppy said:

Mat1 are the stamps OPC or independent in your service book? Porsche do fixed price servicing that is actually really competitive, otherwise a good independent is a good call. I've found both Porsche Silverstone and some independents hit and miss so definitely get some recommendations depending on where you live.

Last two have been indies. Looks to be a 3yr service interval in the middle which has kind of messed with things but I can't be sure the dealer didn't do some work before selling it on.

Anyone got any recommendations for London? North of the river?

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10 hours ago, mat1 said:

Front+Fear brake discs, pitted on inner side - I can't see any receipts for these being replaced ever. Is it worth replacing these now? How do I know when these need to go?

Just had pads/discs replaced, circa £540 for all at a specialist indy in Lancs. MOT listed it as an advisory, then the pad warning light came on within weeks...

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8 hours ago, mat1 said:

 Not sure whether to risk a 7/8 year spark plug interval? think I can get away with it?  :)

My indie showed me a Cayenne V8 block where an old plug tip had dropped into a cylinder. Engine was scrapped. 

I’d pay to change the plugs. But it’s your choice ;) 

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3 hours ago, Menoporsche said:

I’d pay to change the plugs. But it’s your choice ;) 

😂 cant have that!

Gotta say I'm in love with this thing. I've been very surprised by the reaction people are giving me in this.. little do they know it's the cheapest PDK in England.

 

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What brand are the tyres? I drove my MPS2s until (gulp) 10 years old. Yes they had a stupidly easy life. I think Pirellis have a reputation for cracking, and there was something about Bridgestones not aging well IIRC.  My point is, if they are decent ones you could leave them for a few months as long as you don't drive like a twit - and that very much includes in the wet, which has killed more Boxsters on this board than the IMS everyone frets about. 

I'd do spark plugs quickly, for the reason I gave, and brake discs as a fast car is dangerous if it doesn't stop faster than it goes.  And damn, these cars can stop when they want! Exhaust clamps can't cost too much either, and as mentioned they could save much more costly damage.  Of all you've listed, I see the tyres as the lower priority.

This is fast turning into a running report...

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18 hours ago, Simon Thorpe said:

Hello @mat1

Not strictly north of the river, but I use RGA Porsche in Vauxhall.  Always been happy with the work, and Bob there will tell you if anything needs doing you haven’t spotted yet.

Best wishes, Simon.

I use then too. Recommended by a neighbour with a 911. Just had a service - they do seem to know their Porsches. Very handy for PT when you have to leave the car.

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On 8/22/2019 at 12:26 PM, Menoporsche said:

What brand are the tyres?

They are Bridgestones from 2013.. I would like to change them but sounds like I can wait. 

 

I've ordered spark plugs, discs+pads and the exhaust clamps for now. I'm gonna ask RGA to also clean out the radiators so I can fit some Zunsport grilles.

There's a few little cosmetic things I want to do myself but if I can get it in good shape for under 1000 I'll be really happy!!

 

@Simon Thorpe @DaveEFI thanks for the recommendation. I'm assuming he'll be fine with me bring my own parts??

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21 hours ago, mat1 said:

They are Bridgestones from 2013.. I would like to change them but sounds like I can wait. 

 

I've ordered spark plugs, discs+pads and the exhaust clamps for now. I'm gonna ask RGA to also clean out the radiators so I can fit some Zunsport grilles.

There's a few little cosmetic things I want to do myself but if I can get it in good shape for under 1000 I'll be really happy!!

 

@Simon Thorpe @DaveEFI thanks for the recommendation. I'm assuming he'll be fine with me bring my own parts??

Most garages in the UK won't fit customer's parts, IMHO. For obvious reasons.

It's not a difficult job to clean the rads - but best to have two people to remove the front.

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Tyres- modern performance tyres are much more prone to cracking than they used to and there has been plenty of complaints of various Pirelli, Goodyear, Conti, and others. As recommended earlier check the DOT codes on the tyres, if over 6 years old then think of changing, but if younger and the tread is ok then I would live with them (assuming handling seems good). I had an MOT informal advisory on 3 year old Pirellis for cracking.

Brakes - These can be prone to some pitting and corrosion on the inner disks especially if not used much (many Boxsters don’t get driven for months at a time),  as stated above measur ethe disk thickness and have a look yourself, some pitting on an otherwise ok disk isn’t necessarily a worry. 

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@Greenman The tires are 6 years old on the front. Back is fine. I kinda want to change them at some point as Potenzas reportedly have poor cold/wet performance and this is my daily.

I've seen Design 911 have a load of 265/40/18 Pilot Sport 2's in stock so maybe I could do the whole lot a cheaper than I thought. It's a shame the new pilot sport 4 tyres aren't available in the correct 18" size for rears :( .

Would it be better to go PS2 all around in the correct sizes or PS4 all around with 255 instead of 265 in the rear? or 265/35/18 in the rear?

 

I recon I'm gonna get all the brakes changed just incase, found a local garage who will do Brembos all around for £450

 

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