Newbie question - do they lose much power

Boxster and Cayman discussion area

Moderator: Moderators

Post Reply
Andrew981968
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:07 pm
TIPEC membership: 0

Newbie question - do they lose much power

Post by Andrew981968 »

Hi all - I was a 986 Boxster owner having a 2003 seal grey 2.7 from new. I drove it to my wedding and to Lake Garda for my honeymoon. It’s in most of the wedding pics somewhere. I moved furniture in it (hood down!) and to my dads funeral. I drove it to work and on adventures. I even took it over hartside in snow(not by choice) using the sidewall of the tyre to hold it on the verge. It was not just a great sports car it was a great car and a mate. We did 70000 miles together. Then we had the first of the kids 12 years ago and I had to get an Audi. 12 years on we have a bigger house and a double garage and I’ve just got rid of the classic Alfa. Obviously it’s a 986 for me - and I’m on the hunt for a good/ excellent 03/04 in seal grey.

If I had one moan about the 2.7 is that I’d come from a Impreza sti and the Boxster felt low on torque until it got above 4000 or so. These days I can live with it but less so if the cars drop a bit of power with age. So that is the question - Do they lose a little bit with age or do the gooduns stay fit. If so I’ll prioritise a 2.7, if not a 3.2. Does anyone know if the 2.7s keep their 225bhp and whatever the torque is.
User avatar
Tris986
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 4:40 pm
TIPEC membership: 8974
Location: nottingham

Re: Newbie question - do they lose much power

Post by Tris986 »

All cars lose HP over time. :( I have a Boxter 3.2 that when new would have had 252 hp but most prob not now!
ferdinand
Posts: 34
Joined: Sun Mar 10, 2019 5:10 pm
TIPEC membership: 0

Re: Newbie question - do they lose much power

Post by ferdinand »

That's an interesting question.
My take is that on modern cars it's a combination of driving style and maintenance mostly the latter.
On a well maintained car where everything ,and I mean everything ,has been maintained in good condition then power drop should be minimal over the years.
I have an 04 2.7 Boxster ( in Seal grey,best colour IMHO ) ,bought it early last year.
It's a nice car in all respects but the performance is a little underwhelming,like you I can live with it ,my OAP driving style is sedate these days.
Never driven a 3.2 but the extra grunt probably makes it a better car.
My previous 'summer' car was a 1988 Lotus Elan M100 with 60K on the clock , when the turbo kicked in it was a real flyer.
I don't think that engine had lost much ,if anything, over it's 30 year life.
Hope you find your Seal grey 986 in time to enjoy the summer.
Post Reply