The only time you do not need a PPI when purchasing a used Porsche is when ....

Hi, Everyone -
Can anyone comment on the 2008 RS60 Spyder? I have a 2003 Boxster, but the "need for speed" has bit me and I am looking at this special edition to the Boxster S. Any bad reviews on it? Does the IMS problem affect the 2008 model year yet? Any advice, comments, or information, good or bad, would be much appreciated. Thanks!

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Boxsterbabe14
Hi, Everyone -
Can anyone comment on the 2008 RS60 Spyder? I have a 2003 Boxster, but the "need for speed" has bit me and I am looking at this special edition to the Boxster S. Any bad reviews on it? Does the IMS problem affect the 2008 model year yet? Any advice, comments, or information, good or bad, would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Sounds like someone is shopping for a terrific Christmas present. The 9A1 engine (without the IMS) was introduced in 2009. Good luck in your search.

Was generally a terrific driving car. James May loved it. It has a wee bit more power, stiffer suspension, and is decontented, making it lighter.

One thing to watch out for is the spyder top, which is a PITA and blows off at speed. Cant use it at the track for example.

As to the IMS, 2007-8 had a much larger IMS from the factory, non replaceable (the bearing is larger than the opening), but its still there. incidence of failure is way down. I cannot specify way to any degree of accuracy. You cna add a DOF.

I have also driven a 2008 Cayman R fully tricked for the track ( solid bushings etc) and all i can say is "OMG". That said read my earlier thread. The need for speed is an illusion on the street.

Grant

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

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grant
Was generally a terrific driving car. James May loved it. It has a wee bit more power, stiffer suspension, and is decontented, making it lighter.

One thing to watch out for is the spyder top, which is a PITA and blows off at speed. Cant use it at the track for example.

As to the IMS, 2007-8 had a much larger IMS from the factory, non replaceable (the bearing is larger than the opening), but its still there. incidence of failure is way down. I cannot specify way to any degree of accuracy. You cna add a DOF.

I have also driven a 2008 Cayman R fully tricked for the track ( solid bushings etc) and all i can say is "OMG". That said read my earlier thread. The need for speed is an illusion on the street.

Grant

Grant, you may be confusing two models. There's the 2008 RS Spyder, which was a Special edition model. It has the same top as any 987 / 987 S. There were some cosmetic changes. Most were GT Silver with the red convertible roof and red leather interior.

Then there's the 2011 / 2012 Boxster Spyder which was decontented, lightened, came standard with essentially the Sports Suspension option available in the 981, the PITA to erect roof and also had the 9A1 non IMS engine. The Cayman R is essentially the Cayman version of the Boxster Spyder and I believe was only available in 2012.

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

Quote
Boxsterbabe14
Hi, Everyone -
Can anyone comment on the 2008 RS60 Spyder? I have a 2003 Boxster, but the "need for speed" has bit me and I am looking at this special edition to the Boxster S. Any bad reviews on it? Does the IMS problem affect the 2008 model year yet? Any advice, comments, or information, good or bad, would be much appreciated. Thanks!

The 2008 Boxster RS60 Spyder is a great special edition Porsche. Loads of special aesthetic and performance features (info on the web). When I was looking for my 987S in triple black I was very tempted to buy one of those or the Porsche Design 2008 white martini style. I can't wait to buy my previously enjoyed 2017 Boxster RS60 Spyder in Black.

Just remember which ever one you choose, ensure you do a thorough PPI.

Happy hunting and Merry Christmas!

MIKELLIG

We're going tomorrow to look at an RS60 at a dealership. They have the maintenance records of what they did to the car (minor - new tires, oil change, brake fluid flush, etc...). Would you recommend still getting an independent mechanic to do a PPI? The car is out of warranty as of August - probably why the owner traded it - but it only has a little over 8000 on it. Read the Carfax on it - regular maintenance, minor repairs. The complicating factor is that it is 7 hours away, so I can't use my local Porsche mechanic. Can one trust a Porsche dealership for what they say about the car?

... you are purchasing it as a CPO car.
If that's not even the case you should hire an independent Inspector.
The seller should not do the PPI. It's unethical.
You cannot put a lot of trust in Carfax since many incidents are not reported and would not show up.
A PPI is a good investment.
Good luck
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

Low mileage cars can have troubles too. In fact, i worry in some ways more about them - they are exactly the car that have old, acid, diluted oil int he crankcase that the IMS bearing sits in like a pool of metal solvent. Crash damage? Electrical issue from sitting? What? $1-200 tells you.

As to trusting dealers, the key to owing when the lie is to watch their lips for signs of movement.

Grant

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

I guess my main question would be if the car is for sale by a Porsche dealer why is it not a CPO? No accidents and only 8000 miles. Perhaps others can chime in on this.

A CPO costs the dealer a mechanic's time to inspect the car and fill out the report and money to purchase the warranty.

Dealers want to maximize profits.

So why not first offer it at top dollar without investing any more in it, if it doesn't sell, you can always go the CPO route later.

If it does sell you have top dollar and no investment beyond carrying costs.

No CPO can actually tell you the dealer assumes the car is good enough to sell quickly and at close to his price without a CPO.

All the above reasoning assumes the car is eligible for CPO in the first place.

To recoup that they need to sell it for at least $3-4k more. They are likely betting that you will feel comfy with an 8k mile car.

I would not.

The cost of a PPI is very low. I made one dealer bring a car to my mechanic ( who found evidence of crash repair that was not on any carfax)

Grant

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

I'm guessing that if the car went off warranty in August, that would have been the CPO warranty.

The conditions for being able to obtain a CPO warranty are:
- Car must still be under new car warranty at time the CPO warranty is applied for
- CPO warranty is good for up to 100,000 miles or 6 years, whichever occurs first (from original in service date), which in the case of a 2008, bought in August of that year car would be August 2014.

So I don't see a CPO warranty as an option in this case.

(having 217k on my car)

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

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Boxsterbabe14
We're going tomorrow to look at an RS60 at a dealership. They have the maintenance records of what they did to the car (minor - new tires, oil change, brake fluid flush, etc...). Would you recommend still getting an independent mechanic to do a PPI? The car is out of warranty as of August - probably why the owner traded it - but it only has a little over 8000 on it. Read the Carfax on it - regular maintenance, minor repairs. The complicating factor is that it is 7 hours away, so I can't use my local Porsche mechanic. Can one trust a Porsche dealership for what they say about the car?

One owner?

Out of warranty as of August--if the car was sold in 2008 then this car was probably sold with a CPO warranty (assuming it is a Porsche warranty) with the warranty ending this year. I'm thinking once it has been CPO'd it can't be offered that way again but I may be misinformed.
PM coming your way.

Good morning, everyone -
Just returned from our 13 hour journey (4 hours over from visiting relatives for Xmas and 9 hours back to MD). The car was spectacular. If I could figure out how to post pics on here, I would put up the pics I took off the dealer site - with their permission, btw. (How do you post pics? All I see are links to URLs) Anyhow, we had them put the car on the lift. Checked underneath as thoroughly as one can with a Boxster. Took it for a test drive. I asked about getting an independent PPI done, but there were no Porsche mechanics/garages in the area to do one. So, against all of your sane advice, we took the leap of faith (I guess sometimes you just have to trust someone) and purchased it. Hubby drove it home - he said it drove like a dream. Stopped a couple times to get out and take a break - got a number of lookers. So, that's his Christmas present! Hope he lets me drive it every now and again!
Seriously, for peace of mind, I'll be making an appointment with our mechanic down here and taking it in for a PPI (Post Purchase Inspection).
While I was there, I spoke with them about getting a hardtop. I had searched online for one, but the 986 is the one that you typically see available on ebay and Craigslist. Even searching the sold listings, I've not seen a 987 hardtop. They had never heard of one, but when they called Germany, they had two available in GT Silver. Unless someone knows another source for a 987 hardtop in GT Silver, I guess it'll have to be through them. I know - I'm hearing the screams now - "Why"? It's like owning two cars - a Cayman and a Boxster. It gives you the versatility to switch things up.
If all goes well, looking forward to driving it to the Boxster convention in NC in May!

Well congratulations, boxsterbabe14! I'm sure you're going to love the car. I love Silver Porsches and GT Silver is a special colour. The past number of years, that's the colour that Porsche has used to introduce any of its new models.

We'd love to see some pictures. The instructions are at the top left of the home page. Here's a link to those instructions: [pedrosboard.com]

Any reason that you feel you need a hardtop? You'll find that the Boxster convertible top is padded and insulated, so if you're planning to drive the car year round, you should find it plenty warm and comfortable, even it winter.

Can't wait to see some pictures and look forward to seeing it at BRBS at the end of May.

You'll love your RS 60.

In the February 2015 issue of Excellence, they say that the risk of IMS failure on engines with over 40,000 miles on them is 'relatively low'. As Grant mentioned, it's possible (likely) that a car with only 8000 miles on it didn't have many oil changes.

Also, as Grant mentioned from '06 onward the IMS bearing was much bigger, and less prone to failure. The Excellence article was referring to the pre-'06 engines.

It's worth your money to make sure the car has fresh oil and filter. Change the oil frequently, and then enjoy the car. If not quite 'rare', your RS60 is nonetheless special, and will reward you with many, many, miles (and years) of wonderful driving.

The RS60 is a great looking car and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Please post pictures when you can.

Since you bought it out of the region, there might be a few posters on board that can recommend a dealer or mechanic in your area.

Regarding the HT, I had forgotten they offered one on the 987 and I don't think I've ever seen one in the "flesh". The 986--IIRC--had an uninsulated top and earlier models had a plastic window, which may have contributed to the number of people going with the HT.

Congratulations on purchasing one of the fine examples of the Spyder RS60 special edition. I saw the car on the Porsche website...well I am guessing it was yours as it has 8K miles.

Brand new!! and all those options...well done!

Enjoy.

MIKELLIG

Happy New Year!
Got the car back from our mechanic: it passed his meticulous inspection AND the state inspection with flying colors! So, yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus - in other words, there are 2008 cars with only 8000 miles with nothing wrong! I will admit though after reading some of your comments, I was holding my breath and hoping for the best on the inspection report. The prudent thing to have done would have been to have had a PPI, but circumstances dictated otherwise. Anyhow, here are some pics. Some are courtesy of the dealership (with their permission) that they had posted on their site. The others are after we got home from our marathon drive and were washing the road grime off the wheels on an unusually balmy 59 degree day last week. It's now 32 degrees - Boo!
Still thinking about the hardtop as an alternate look - not for winter driving. My other thought was getting the speedster humps. Has anyone had any experience with those?
Hope I posted the pictures correctly - I'm still learning.




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Hey boxsterbabe14, Great pictures. Beautiful looking car. Fantastic to hear that, yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

For posting pictures from Photobucket:
- Copy the second line (labelled Direct)
- then in your message, click on the Insert Image button in the formatting bar at the top.
- paste what you copied into the window (be sure there's only 1 http:// - not 2 of them)

and your picture will come up like this,

Just got to thinking, that if the reason you want a hard top being that you want to drive the car in winter. In this case, it would be REALLY important for you to get winter tires for the car. The high performance tires with which Porsches are equipped are for handling and grip in warmer temperatures (40+ F). You don't want to drive with those in cold weather and DEFINITELY not in snow.

I'm guessing that the reason for so few hard tops being available for 987's is the introduction of the Cayman. After this, people who wanted a hart top would likely buy a Cayman instead of a Boxster, so few hard tops would be sold with Boxsters.

My guess is that the intro of the glass rear window has a lot to do with the low demand for a hard top. When I purchased our 987 I briefly considered driving it in the winter, but didn't consider the hard top. Looking at the cost of a winter tire package, we decided to store the car for awhile and see if we could do without driving our Arizona car in the salt. This is our second year sharing our Honda Pilot and storing the Porsche and Corvette. Since I'm retired, it's not a big problem.

TRRS60WT
I didn't go into it, but there could be N spec (Porsche approved) tires available.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/29/2014 05:51PM by Laz. (view changes)