MOT advisories

[markat]

Hi all, new member here. Looking to purchase a 2001 boxster S with 103k. Runs like a dream but only has 3 months MOT remaining.  Would someone be able to advise on the advisories and if they are a cause for concern before I agree to buy please 🙏 🙂 

Thanks

[Paul P]

Welcome.

 

My 2p worth...

 

Brake pipes are common - and have been known to blow - so yup - would worry me if not addressed - but MOT advisories can be alarming - you would probably have to judge for yourself

Suspension worn enough to show up on an advisory would suggest to me there's plenty of scope for spend on refreshing it to make it good rather than adequate, thats not cheap.

Exhaust- cheap ones don't suit everyone - often said to be too loud or have a bad drone at the rev range that gets used a lot - closer to original spec  replacements not cheap - if original its been on there 20 + years - not coming off without a fight or a chunk of time. But if it isn't blowing then OK, one for later....

Fuel cap - 15 quid - if someone hasn't bothered to fix that then chances are they have spent b****r all on more pressing matters.

Based purely on that - unless its REALLY cheap ( like 3K less than a car without those issues), the exact spec you want or you want a project and like spending time with heat, spanners and frustration then I would suggest there are maybe others out there with less issues and money already spent.

Of course other opinions are available, and are equally valid - but with just that info I would say if you really feel inclined then suggest the seller takes it for an MOT - if it passes - great - you pay at least for the MOT - if it doesn't then you have your answer.

A pre purchase inspection would also help find things that aren't MOT but maybe ££ waiting to bite you.

Generally - we are good at spending other peoples money on here - and if you give us some idea of budget, location, must have's etc - some of us will gleefully look. Also - at the risk of exposing a "prize" to anyone else looking - feel free to post a link to anything you are looking at for a gut feel from the crowd.

 

 

 

 

[markat]

11 minutes ago, Paul P said:

Welcome.

 

My 2p worth...

 

Brake pipes are common - and have been known to blow - so yup - would worry me if not addressed - but MOT advisories can be alarming - you would probably have to judge for yourself

Suspension worn enough to show up on an advisory would suggest to me there's plenty of scope for spend on refreshing it to make it good rather than adequate, thats not cheap.

Exhaust- cheap ones don't suit everyone - often said to be too loud or have a bad drone at the rev range that gets used a lot - closer to original spec  replacements not cheap - if original its been on there 20 + years - not coming off without a fight or a chunk of time. But if it isn't blowing then OK, one for later....

Fuel cap - 15 quid - if someone hasn't bothered to fix that then chances are they have spent b****r all on more pressing matters.

Based purely on that - unless its REALLY cheap ( like 3K less than a car without those issues), the exact spec you want or you want a project and like spending time with heat, spanners and frustration then I would suggest there are maybe others out there with less issues and money already spent.

Of course other opinions are available, and are equally valid - but with just that info I would say if you really feel inclined then suggest the seller takes it for an MOT - if it passes - great - you pay at least for the MOT - if it doesn't then you have your answer.

A pre purchase inspection would also help find things that aren't MOT but maybe ££ waiting to bite you.

Generally - we are good at spending other peoples money on here - and if you give us some idea of budget, location, must have's etc - some of us will gleefully look. Also - at the risk of exposing a "prize" to anyone else looking - feel free to post a link to anything you are looking at for a gut feel from the crowd.

 

 

 

 

Thanks @paul P, appreciated. Went to see it earlier and we are currently nowhere near 3k, almost double that, hence my conerns. I was thinking exactly the same about the MOT, will ask the owner tomorrow. Weird about the fuel cap seal too, he has spent a fair bit on routine maintenance over the last 4 years but neglected to replace it.

Cheers 

[edc]

I would try to agree a purchase where the seller puts 12 months MOT on it. That way you either have 12 months to sort some stuff, it's fixed if it fails, or it fails and the owner doesn't want to fix and you can negotiate the right price. 

[½cwt]

The short brake pipes from caliper to the flexible hose are about £20 each from Porsche, but whilst you are doing that, changing the flexible hoses to Goodridge or similar braided hoses is a good plan for about another £20 per corner.

Rusty shocks, unless they are leaking it is a condition report, short term fix is a wire brush and paint.

They all have rusty manifolds at the age these cars are unless you find one with a new system fitted, and again unless leaking are not an MOT failure.

ARB drop link, these can be rusted into the hub upright, but with patience you can DIY if you have some decent tools and some heat, or most Porsche specialists can do them quicky, a link i about £30 (look for TRW brand as it is OE, cheaper ones fail quickly, ask me how I know...  

Generally these car benefit hugely from a complete suspension refresh but it costs about £1400 in parts along with some smart shopping for OE brands and trusted after market parts.  Lots of advice on that on here.

Fuel cap is a fairly low cost replacement, cheapest source is direct form a Porsche Centre.

 

If that is all that's showing up, and advisories can be tester specific, this one might have been thorough by listing advisories, or might have been lenient by not failing on these items, who knows?

Otherwise it could be a good starting point for a long term purchase as long as the price is not too high (£5.5 or lower may be?).  I got my 2000 S nearly 5 years ago for just under £5k and have spent around £2.5 in necessary repairs since ranging from CV boots to air con condensers to reversing light switch to an alternator, to a cooling hose to a full suspension rebuild, all done DIY.  I've manage to avoid any exhaust work yet, it is very rusty with no chance of any bolts or clamps coming off in one piece so it will go eventually and that ain't cheap...  Post a link to the ad if you wish to get a more detailed response from peeps on here with buying advice.  

 

[markat]

Thanks for all the advice so far, we are currently at £5400 with 10 litres of Mobil 1 and a filter. The car is dirty, and I mean dirty, but runs really well and im surprised how tight it still feels. They guy wants a decision by 9am! 

[½cwt]

32 minutes ago, markat said:

Thanks for all the advice so far, we are currently at £5400 with 10 litres of Mobil 1 and a filter. The car is dirty, and I mean dirty, but runs really well and im surprised how tight it still feels. They guy wants a decision by 9am! 

If it is dirty, check the training edge for the front wing/wheel arches and just below the engine side intake ducts for spots of corrosion starting.

[markat]

Deal done. 😁

[½cwt]

31 minutes ago, markat said:

Deal done. 😁

Excellent and welcome to Boxster ownership. 

Post some pictures when you have them please, use Imgur of Flickr to host them (Instructions are in the Newbie section of the Forum) and use their forum links as there is only very small direct hosting capacity to keep costs down. 

Post up any questions as they arise, hopefully you've already found out we are a helpful collective.

[markat]

1 hour ago, ½cwt said:

Excellent and welcome to Boxster ownership. 

Post some pictures when you have them please, use Imgur of Flickr to host them (Instructions are in the Newbie section of the Forum) and use their forum links as there is only very small direct hosting capacity to keep costs down. 

Post up any questions as they arise, hopefully you've already found out we are a helpful collective.

Thanks!

Yes, incredibly useful already and it's not even in my garage yet.

Thanks everyone ☺️ 

[Menoporsche]

Well done. Put your approx location in your profile so we don't suggest a great garage at the wrong end of the country.

[Rev Ken]

I had similar advisories regarding brake pipes covered in grease. That was deliberate to stop corrosion, so before spending money replacing them wipe them clean and look! (Examiners aren't allowed to clean them off hence making them advisory)

Edited July 19, 2023 by Rev Ken

[Everywhen]

I’ll echo what others have said on there.

I’ve just done brake lines, one of the lines on your list, the others had been done. And a suspension refresh.

And this is on a car which had a MOT 3 weeks before I bought it with the only advisory being corroded front discs.

If suspension is getting the attention of the tester it’s past it.  When I removed my front tuning forks the play could be felt using just fingers, they were that bad, but on the car felt solid.

In total the suspension has cost me £1300 in parts, lots of shopping around and Porsche Classic parts discount, I already had a decent arsenal of tools and my time is given with pleasure.

In reality any 986 is of the age that unless there is documentary evidence the brakes, suspension, clutch, RMS, IMS - a top topic I know but you could use it to get the price down - exhaust, AOS and much more has been done bank on it all needing doing sooner rather than later. If you can do most of the work yourself its going to be expensive, if you pay someone else its going to be very much more so to the point where you might as well buy a newer model.

Having said that my brother paid over 3 times what I paid for my 986 for a shiny high-spec 987 3.2S from a very posh looking “Specialist” in the Home Counties and he’s had catalyst Codes since he’s had it. It’s been back to the dealer under warranty several times and it’s still doing it, unsurprisingly the CAT isn’t covered under the warranty …

Great cars to drive, a proper analog sports car, and once you have it properly sorted you will really enjoy it.

[markat]

On 7/19/2023 at 9:44 PM, Everywhen said:

I’ll echo what others have said on there.

I’ve just done brake lines, one of the lines on your list, the others had been done. And a suspension refresh.

And this is on a car which had a MOT 3 weeks before I bought it with the only advisory being corroded front discs.

If suspension is getting the attention of the tester it’s past it.  When I removed my front tuning forks the play could be felt using just fingers, they were that bad, but on the car felt solid.

In total the suspension has cost me £1300 in parts, lots of shopping around and Porsche Classic parts discount, I already had a decent arsenal of tools and my time is given with pleasure.

In reality any 986 is of the age that unless there is documentary evidence the brakes, suspension, clutch, RMS, IMS - a top topic I know but you could use it to get the price down - exhaust, AOS and much more has been done bank on it all needing doing sooner rather than later. If you can do most of the work yourself its going to be expensive, if you pay someone else its going to be very much more so to the point where you might as well buy a newer model.

Having said that my brother paid over 3 times what I paid for my 986 for a shiny high-spec 987 3.2S from a very posh looking “Specialist” in the Home Counties and he’s had catalyst Codes since he’s had it. It’s been back to the dealer under warranty several times and it’s still doing it, unsurprisingly the CAT isn’t covered under the warranty …

Great cars to drive, a proper analog sports car, and once you have it properly sorted you will really enjoy it.

Thanks @Everywhen. So far I have replaced the fuel filler cap😁  and both front drop links, restored and re-waterproofed the roof, cleaned almost everything inside, including the sticky radio knobs (they were grim) and under one of the front wheelarches, clay bar'd and polished the back end etc. More parts arriving this week, pollen filter cover, heater matrix cover (as I discovered a leak into the drivers footwell when cleaning it)  It will be a work in progress for quite a while to come but just getting the keys and opening the garage door fills me with excitement every time. Still can't believe I own a Porsche, happy days, even if she is an old girl. She just needs some love and attention.

 

[McDonald]

9 minutes ago, markat said:

Thanks @Everywhen. So far I have replaced the fuel filler cap😁  and both front drop links, restored and re-waterproofed the roof, cleaned almost everything inside, including the sticky radio knobs (they were grim) and under one of the front wheelarches, clay bar'd and polished the back end etc. More parts arriving this week, pollen filter cover, heater matrix cover (as I discovered a leak into the drivers footwell when cleaning it)  It will be a work in progress for quite a while to come but just getting the keys and opening the garage door fills me with excitement every time. Still can't believe I own a Porsche, happy days, even if she is an old girl. She just needs some love and attention.

 

These are great cars but they're elderly so there'll always be some work to do. Your obvious pride in ownership means it'll be a labour of love. And they're great fun to drive.