CharadeSG: SG Archives: Porsche Boxster 2.7 Tiptronic (986)

Thursday, 7 August 2025

SG Archives: Porsche Boxster 2.7 Tiptronic (986)

Although a cheaper entry-point to the Porsche line-up, the 986 Boxster is a rarer sight in Singapore.

The Boxster is in a better position than it was when it was first unveiled. This was a new entry-level roadster for the brand, which at the time in the 1990s was undergoing severe financial troubles.

Its existing line-up were aging with models like the front-engined 928, 968 and 964-generation 911 being either very old platforms or poor sellers.

Not only were they old and expensive, most parts were not interchangeable and were bespoke to each model, if not also hand-assembled.

And so Porsche was in a dire situation, which they played a decisive gamble with the Boxster to save itself - its first modern mid-engined roadster priced as an entry-level car into the Porsche lineup

Bringing in management consultants (notably Toyota Production System specialists) to streamline production and push a strategy of reducing production costs and complexity by allowing more models to share parts with one another, models produced after this bold yet smart decision can be seen in the Boxster.

It shared parts with the 996, primarily the front-end, which is the easiest to spot the similarities with the Boxster and 911 of its age. 911 owners were seemingly unhappy that their prized flagship was sharing the same parts as the Boxster, but Boxster owners would be thrilled their car looks like a 911. Top-down fun is better too, after all!

This Boxster is a facelift, a post-1999 model.

The first few years saw the Boxster with a 2.5 litre Flat-6 M96.20 engine - Porsches first water-cooled engine that wasn't mounted in the front. It made about 201 horsepower, with the choice of a manual or a tiptronic automatic, the latter being much more common in Singapore (I have never seen a manual 986 here).

The year 2000 saw the Boxster receive an update, the base specification now using a 2.7 litre M96.22, an evolution of the 2.5 with a longer piston stroke (72 mm to 78 mm) for the increased displacement.

This facelift also saw the Boxster receive the "S" trim, the highest specification with a 3.2 litre engine from the same engine family.

The facelift featured several cosmetic changes, included but not limited to revised front and rear bumpers, revised headlights, wheels, and interior changes.

The Boxster as a model is not very common - any 2 door Porsche that isn't a still-new model tend to be much harder to find. I'd guess that these cars have owners that will upgrade to a more recent and expensive car, and so these "stepping stones" are left behind. Few survive the subsequent COE renewal. It doesn't help that the 986 does not have as big of a community as the 911.

These used Boxsters have the recurring mention of engine failure primarily from the IMS (Immediate Shaft) bearings in the engines, which if failure occurs can essentially grenade the engine - roll the credits and repair receipt.

The early model 2.5 litre engines were not as affected as they used a dual-row type for the IMS, with the other engines in the engine family (2.7, 3.2, etc) using a single-row type, which were less durable.

Failure rates for the 2.5 are generally quoted to be negligible or, because a figure is needed, about ~1% affected by IMS bearing problems.

The rest of the engine family cannot be as praised, with the 2.7 and 3.2 having a rough ~10% failure rate and slightly more in the 911s 3.4 litre variant.

If you can look past the ticking timebomb of the facelifted models or can settle for a 2.5 (good enough in my opinion), these first-generation Boxsters are worth looking.

Prices are quite haywire optimistic assumptions of the body value, but the cheapest facelift and non are looking at 13-19K yearly depreciation. The single Boxster S sold at an updated price is looking at 15K yearly depreciation, but a unit sold previously was as low as 9.26K.

I was considering a 1996 model year 986 2.5 Tiptronic when I was in the market for a car. Its not this exact unit - rather a repainted dark purple example.

More details of this car can be found in its most recent sales listing.

~Efini

(Photographed June 10, 10/6/25)