Re: 987 information

Hi,
Looking for some information about my 987. I bought a 2006 Boxster S 10 years ago and now at a crossroads on whether to keep it or move on to a Cayman. Car has some great options, of which I am not 100% sure of their value, etc.
The main one is the Milltek exhaust system installed by the original owner (he traded at 18 months and 8K miles). I picked it up as a CPO through family (Bay Area Dealership) for a good price and the car has been reasonably trouble free.
Question is the value, not cash but performance, of the Milltek exhaust system. I really don't know much about it but it does add a nice sound so I am trying to guesstimate the HP increase, a rough estimate is just fine. Secondly need to know what possible issues are likely to be coming my way. I already had a water pump failure, AOS (UGH), and a couple of window regulators. Car now has 43K miles and has been dealer serviced for all its life; I get a reasonable deal from a subsidized dealership. I have been reading about IMS bearing issues (OMG) and have been told that it won't be a problem with this car... Spidey sense says that just may not be the truth. I suspect the first question for me is why are you only just now asking these questions. I don't drive my cars far as my commute is short and I travel quite a bit. Some options: Milltek Exhaust, acrylic clear bra, evolution motorsports pedals, & 19 inch wheels. I believe the original owner spent quite a bit on appearance options (crests, white gauges). Thank you in advance.

Those options may help you sell the car faster but the miles, color and transmission are liable to have more impact. Color being a personal choice, some wouldn't have a fill-in-the-blank color. Others want just that color. Some can't or don't want to drive a stick. Others wouldn't have a TIP.

As to the aftermarket exhaust, its sound may appeal to some, not to others. None of the "upgrades" on your car would have influenced me (to take just one example) to spend a dime more for the car. Maintenance history of things like brakes, clutch, alignment, oil changes, etc would.

You have the third gen IMS bearing. While they fail sometimes (name me a part that doesn't) they don't fail that often. I wouldn't advertise that you don't drive the car far on most trips, that isn't particularly good for a car.

As to what the future holds for the car, who knows. Lots of folks have driven 200k plus miles in these cars. Some have had bad luck.

David
I owned a base 2006 987 for 6 years and traded in 2012 with 43K on it. Over the course of 6 years, I did the brakes, and other regular maintenance items but never had one issue with the car. I did numerous track events and probably had in excess of 5000 track miles on it when sold. It didn't burn any oil, the clutch was fine and still looked great.
From what I've read, the bigger IMS bearing and assembly on the 987 has a much lower failure rate than the 986. I'm thinking you should get 100K out of this motor if taken care of properly.
Since you do short trips, I'd make sure the oil is changed once a year. Likewise, an oil analysis might give an indication if there is premature wear going on.

I have an 06 S with 151k miles. This has been, knock on wood, one of the best cars I’ve ever owned, it is by far my favorite. I’ve gone through several sets of tires, one full set of rotors, 2 sets of brake pads, and a water pump. I think my water pump is about to crap out again, my top needs replaced, and the driver’s side floor mat has a hole in it. Apparently I rest my foot in the same spot. No way I’m getting rid of it. IMHO these cars get better with age. And while I just ordered a new car to be my primary vehicle, my Boxster isn’t going anywhere.

Paralizer 06 Boxster S Atlas Grey/Black/Black

Great and thanks for the input, all is good. First off, the car has been maintained as needed and on schedule per the dealer that I have been going to for the last ten years. No skimping. Agreed, what a fun car to drive and you can't beat it.
The only bad news is that I was not aware that not driving the car can impact the IMS bearing life. I now know that I likely have the third generation bearing that cannot be easily replaced and I also know that this issue has been beat to death. Sorry
Still I'm taking the car to be checked (make sure that I don't have the smaller second generation bearing) and stepping up the oil changes to every six months. I just wish the dealer might have shared that info as they know that I travel frequently and the car sits.

So I'm still curious as to a ballpark figure of how much horsepower the Milltek exhaust could add vs factory, 280. Also anybody want to add what tires that they are running? The original Michelin Pilot Sport's treads disappeared in 9K miles, PS2 maybe 11k, now running Michelin Super Sports and getting 22K~.

Thanks in advance

the way you check which generation of the IMS bearing you have is to look with the transmission detached from the engine. Once that is done, you have done about half the work of replacing if that is possible.

2006 Boxster seems to be the year to have .Mine has almost 100k and no major issues, basically same maintenance parts as above (tires, brakes,waterpump,battery)