Used car buying guide: Porsche Boxster from £3000

So, eight years, three engines and six power outputs: that lot should keep you busy but there are a few abbreviations and cautionary tales to take on board when considering a used Boxster 986 too. In particular, we’re talking RMS (rear main oil seal) and IMS (intermediate shaft) bearing. As ‘Buyer beware’ explains opposite, RMS trouble can affect all 986-series Boxsters. The part is cheap but it’s the labour that costs since the gearbox must be removed. As for the IMS bearing, again see ‘Buyer beware’ but, in short, post- 2000 cars with a single-row bearing are more prone to failure than earlier cars with a dual-row. Boxsters with a new RMS and IMS bearing fetch a premium – cars like a tasty 2002- reg 3.2 S with 84,000 miles and a ‘comprehensive service history’ that caught our eye. It had the work done in 2011 and costs £8000.

Then there’s cracked bore liners, porous engine blocks... We could go on but the best advice is to insist on a full service history and avoid low- milers that have stood idle. Grab a good manual Boxster S for around £7000 and you won’t look quite so enviously at that 718 GTS.

How to get one in your garage: 

An expert’s view - RUSS STANLEY, REVOLUTION

“I reckon you can’t buy another sports car for £7000 that’ll give you so much pleasure, although keep a couple of grand in your pocket for refurbishment. Once you’ve driven one, you’ll be hooked. Biggest concern? The intermediate shaft bearing. If it’s noisy, walk away. Our focus is servicing Porsches. It doesn’t do to mix sales and servicing. That said, if we’re offered something we know, we’ll have a go. The other week, a customer offered us his 2001 2.7 with 56,000 miles. We’ve looked after it for the past three years and it has a full history. We’ll advertise it for £7500 with a 12-month warranty.”

Buyer beware...

ENGINE - On a pre-2001 car, emulsified oil could indicate cracked bore liners. Have a specialist do a bore scope check. Pre-2002 cars especially can suffer worn chain guides on the VarioCam timing chain tensioner. Debris gets into the engine oil so missed oil changes can lead to accelerated engine wear.Bearing noises on a post-2000 car at the rear of the engine could indicate failure of the intermediate shaft bearing (IMS). At all ages, an oil leak on the engine’s underside could indicate a failing rear main oil seal (RMS). Engine misfires or rough running could be cracked ignition packs. Hesitation under acceleration could be the mass airflow (MAF) sensor. Check the coolant expansion bottle isn’t cracked and look for oil smoke that suggests the oil separator is packing up. Ensure radiators aren’t clogged with muck.

TRANSMISSION - Check for a stiff change from first to second gears, and if it pops out of second. The clutch should be light. Heavy indicates trouble.

SUSPENSION, WHEELS AND BRAKES - Check service receipts for the quality of pads and discs. Lower arm bushes fail at around 40k miles, so listen for knocking from the rose-joints on the trailing arms where they contact the body. Listen for worn rear wheel bearings too. Tyres should be N-rated.

BODY - Look for water behind the seats caused by blocked roof drains. Check the hood works smoothly. Rust is unknown unless caused by poor accident repair.

Also worth knowing IMS (see ‘Engine’) is a term any 986 owner quickly learns to fear. Relatively few cars suffered failure of the IMS, but if it does let go, the engine will be destroyed. One preventative solution is to fit a stronger, ceramic bearing during the clutch change. See imsretrofit.com.