986 Daily Driver Usage Questions

[Powerdna]

986 Questions.

How reliable is the 986 series? I am planning on using it for a daily driver including winters (Wisconsin), about 7000 miles a year. With a full set of snow tires is it an acceptable, reliable vehicle? I have no doubts that it isn’t reliable, I am just looking for input, examples or suggestions if anyone has any. I would consider a Cayenne, but garage space is extremely limited, and my snow/ice winter driving will be very limited.

Anything I should be on the lookout for prior to purchase specifically relating to the 986?

What model year did Porsche start use of a glass rear window? Does the rear window contain the defrost option?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions, comments.

Andrew

[djomlas]

if you want to use it as a daily trough winter (i am as well), get a set of winter tires, if you can locate a hard top for better protection and heat escape and it also has a rear defroster and it will protect your rear window on your soft-top.

its actually a fun car in winter if you got tires for it, its also better to get a set of used 17s to mount winter tires and swap them that way you save money in long run with swapping tires and you can save your summer wheels from salt and winter condition.

check your heating system to make sure everything is working fine and you will be good to go.

and yes if you get one with glass window softtop it will have heated window option

Edited December 27, 2006 by djomlas

[Chris_in_NH]

my 1997 986 has been the most reliable car i have ever owned. i have had a few things break, common to most Boxsters - the Air/Oil Separator, power window regulator, and a few other things here and there. the car is almost 10 years old and has 106K miles.

of course, there are horror stories out there - failed engines being the worst if your warranty has expired. but for the most part, i would say they are very reliable cars. keep in mind i do my own maintenance and repairs, and that has kept the cost of owning the car down, but there weren't too many part failures that i had to fix to begin with.

with snow tires, the Boxster is a very capable winter car. djomlas mentioned getting an extra set of 17" wheels for winter. this is good advice, but depending on which Boxster you get will determine which size wheels are best for winter. the non-S model Boxsters will have better snow traction with 16" wheels. for Boxster S's, 16" wheels will not clear the brake calipers, so you'd need to use 17" wheels.

the glass window started in 2003 and it has the defroster strips. there are also a few aftermarket companies that offer a complete soft top with a glass windows for pre-2003 Boxsters. these tops also have defroster strips, and the tops run about $1K, with professional installation being another $500 or so. GAHH is one of the companies that makes such a top. but even if you got a pre-2003 Boxster with a plastic window, i have found that the interior of the car heats up quickly and will melt the snow/ice on the plastic window.

you asked about 986s (1997-2004) but not 987s (2005-on). are you only interested in 986s (for price purposes)?

one of the members here, Mike Focke, has a great write-up on what to look for in a used Boxster. here's the link. hope this helps... http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/mikespor...boxsterwebpages

but remember, these cars are FINICKY! i got lucky with mine. the rule of thumb is to buy the newest one that is in your price range to take advantage of progress made to the model line. good luck!

[jinijazz]

I was not lucky as Chris and yes my 99 busted @ 40k miles. I do drive aggressively but so did I with two previous miata's and a couple of Mercedes and bimmers. Reliablity alone, I wouldn't recommend to my firends or family, not to mention the pathetic services you generally get from Porsche dealers.

I'm crazy enough to buy another Boxster, but it has nothing to do with reliability. I strongly recommend you to get warranty for any year of Boxster.

Boxster is addictive. Proceed with caution!

[Powerdna]

Thank you all for the quick responses. I was planning on a 03 or 04 986 primarily for price, but if i found the correct 05 I would consider that too. I usually look for certified cars but I am not sure that will be a requirement this time around. Thanks for all the responses.

[vfxbox]

Any model after 2002 year will do fine, specially 2002 is year they introduced glass rear window. most of engine failure is corrected after 2000, but my 2001 did failed and replaced with brand new last year (out of warranty, ouch!!!). personally, I would keep this baby in the garage until spring. Simply, it's summer fun car.

[Chris_in_NH]

Any model after 2002 year will do fine, specially 2002 is year they introduced glass rear window. most of engine failure is corrected after 2000, but my 2001 did failed and replaced with brand new last year (out of warranty, ouch!!!). personally, I would keep this baby in the garage until spring. Simply, it's summer fun car.

2002 glass window? :rolleyes: ;)