# Porsche Boxter Any Good?



## taylormade-tt (May 14, 2007)

It is my wifes Birthday in just over a months time, and i was just thinking about getting her a new car...well a second hand boxter to be precise. :roll:

She Loves the TT when she drives it.  

But the selfish part of me wants a boxter s, :lol: :roll: i have always fancied one 3.2s of course :wink: so i thought i might buy a nice second hand one for about 15k, low milage and in black.  
But since its a significant birthday for her... 40th... i thought i would indulge her :roll: ..it will be for her but then i can have a go now and then...well more now, than then :lol: :wink: :wink: 
I have quized her about one.... "do you like them...favourite colour ..nice aren't they.. Top down in the summer... etc etc."

so its looking good. 

Has anyone got any experience of the 3.2s? is it as tempremental as the tt... more expensive to own etc.

Any thoughts or advice would be welcome.

Thanks

Tom.


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## elrao (Apr 19, 2005)

Good mate of mine has just sold his Boxster S, was an 02 with FMDSH etc., good spec, for Â£16.4K - as a guid to price.

Having driven that and recently had a 2.7 Cayman as a courtesy car, I would seriously advise against the base model Boxster, the extra 1/2 litre makes such a difference!!

Main thing to check is the Rear Main Seal (RMS), these go on Boxtsers and 996s all the time and are an engine out jobby to fix, c.Â£2k. Mate had had his done less than 2 years ago, new buyer had it inspected by Porsche (11 point OPC check is Â£100 ish) and they said it needed doing again!! My mate then pulled out his "get out of jail free - 2 year warranty on the last RMS" and they reluctantly booked it in to do it again, this time for free.

If you can afford it get an 'S'.


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## Hilly10 (Feb 4, 2004)

A guy we meet at Le Man every year is a Porche service manager and said the very same thing Main oil seal :wink:


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## qooqiiu (Oct 12, 2007)

No idea what the running costs are...all i know is the best drive of my life was last year in a boxster s 24hour test drive. Sounds great, handles great! I had the 3.4, cant imagine it being much different to the 3.2.. Emptied its tank in a day 257miles  or 22hours :wink:


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## Jac-in-a-Box (Nov 9, 2002)

A "love hate" car.

RMS (oil seal between engine and gearbox) is absolutely nothing to worry about. It won't wreck your engine, you'll not lose your oil and it'll not contaminate your clutch. At worst you'll see a few drops of oil on your garage floor...ignore it.

Don't run one without a Porsche warranty. 986's, all varaints, have a propensity to self destruct their engines. Auxiallary drive shaft bearings collapse, liners crack and valves drop - all will result in a new engine at around a cost of Â£11k. Warranty costs Â£925/year.

Service costs are high, parts cost are stupid and you'll need to find a good dealer (thin on the ground) who'll not rape you everytime you see them.
Don't just look at the fixed price menu costs and think they're reasonable...my last 4 year "fixed price" service didn't include the cost of spark plugs, drive belt, fuel filter but they need to be changed according to the schedule. Nice little add-on for the dealer.

At the age of car you're considering, it would be good advise to get the car thoroughly inspected. All the front mounted radiators (2off) aircon condensors (2off) engine and transmission coolers are ready for changing - they rot away and they're not cheap.

Wheel bearings are made from liquorice and don't last well. 25k miles is an acceptable life according to Porsche GB... they tell me it's because they go "round and round" :roll: And at Â£400 a corner to change , you're eyes will water (and the warranty won't cover it).

Brakes corrode like hell - you've only got to point a hose pipe at them and they'll go a crusty shade of brown.

Soft tops - rear screen is made from plastic (no expense spared!) and is prone to cracking. Costly to repair. Glass screens on 2003 and above cars.

Otherwise, fabulous car...best steering and brakes I've experienced on any car. You can "think" them around corners and great fun on twisties.
Need care in the damp and wet - make sure you have a car with PSM. I don't and regret not be patient enough to find a car with it fitted.

30mpg easy on a run - 25'ish when driven as it should be.

Don't discount Tiptronics - takes a while to find out their capabilities . I like it and it's just as quick as a manual in real life.

Loads of crap out there, buy carefully.

Dave


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## elrao (Apr 19, 2005)

qooqiiu said:


> No idea what the running costs are...all i know is the best drive of my life was last year in a boxster s 24hour test drive. Sounds great, handles great! I had the 3.4, cant imagine it being much different to the 3.2.. Emptied its tank in a day 257miles  or 22hours :wink:


3.2 is the 986 and 3.4 is the 987 I think (well the 3.4 is only available in the 987, not sure if it was part of the model change or not!).

Another friend has just bought a 987 but I haven't seen it yet, he loves it though, but you won't find one for your budget unless it has been stolen recovered, vandalised and has high mileage!

Note: To maintain a Porsche warranty you do not need to have the work done at a Porsche dealership, you just need to use original Porsche branded parts. A lot of people I know on the 911 forum always have their cars serviced at an OPC (dealer) and any warranty work done and then go to an independant to have any other non-warranty work done at half the labour rates!


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## jamesl (May 15, 2002)

3.2 engine was available in the 986 and 987. Its only in the last year or so that Porsche has changed the 'S' engine to be 3.4L.

I ran a 987 Boxster 'S' (3.2) for two years and it was the most amazing car to drive. It felt so agile comapred to the TT.

During my two years of ownership I also drove a 986 'S' for a period of 8 weeks while my car was being repaired. IMHO the steering and brakes were even better in the 986 than they are in the 987. The interior is not as good in the 986 but you won't find a 987 for Â£15k.....anyway, you will be having so much fun driving you won't notice the interior 8)

All valid points from Dave above - watch for servicing costs because it never ends up being just the fixed service price. Also don't think that just because you are buying a prestige marque that the dealer network will be any good....in my experience they were dreadful. I've got a meagre Ford Focus now and my local dealer is superb.....just the car that's $hite ;-)

James


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## Kell (May 28, 2002)

Whatever you do, don't buy a Porshe Boxter

Buy a Porsche Boxster instead.


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## taylormade-tt (May 14, 2007)

Kell said:


> Whatever you do, don't buy a Porshe Boxter
> 
> Buy a Porsche Boxster instead.
> 
> ...


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## Wallsendmag (Feb 12, 2004)

Have you seen the shine though? the only one that I have seen much of is as clean as a new pin :roll:


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## Jac-in-a-Box (Nov 9, 2002)

Don't let my comments put you off Tom...as I said it's a "love-hate" car for me.

Just go for it with your eyes wide open and I'd reckon on budgeting Â£1.5 - Â£2K for warranty /servicing costs.

If it's for your wife be sure she's going to be happy driving it. "Our" Boxster is the wife's and it's bitten her a couple of times and she'll not drive it now...she likes being a passenger though which suits me and sounds as though it might suit you :wink:

Totally different driving experience to the sterile and dead experience the TT offers (sorry TT owners  )

Dave


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## vassy (Jul 31, 2006)

I've had my Boxster S for almost a year now,great fun to drive & can't recommend it enough.Had no problems with it so far (touch wood).

Perfectly balanced & the handling is superb.One of the first things i noticed coming from a TT,was the amount of feedback you get through the steering.The car lets you know exactly what it's doing.Word of warning though,if pushed in the wet it can bite you in the arse if you're not careful.Worth having PSM if you intend to drive the car all year round.

Luggage space available isn't bad due to the front & rear compartments.Plenty for the shopping anyway.

What i would suggest is if you can,go for a facelift 986 which has the heated rear glass screen.
The pre-face lift has the plastic rear which goes cloudy & is prone to crack when lowering the hood.You'll also have to perform the dreaded "Boxster Chop" everytime you want the top down.It comes with nicer looking clear rear lights & front lenses as well.

This is a idea of what the serving cost will be if you go to an OPC:
http://www.porschehost.com/servicepricing.asp?opc=17

Apart from that i think Jac in a box has pretty much covered things


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## ResB (Apr 17, 2005)

Jac-in-a-Box said:


> Don't let my comments put you off Tom...as I said it's a "love-hate" car for me.
> 
> Just go for it with your eyes wide open and I'd reckon on budgeting Â£1.5 - Â£2K for warranty /servicing costs.
> 
> ...


Don't listen to Dave, he's in "Lurv with a CSL"


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## Jac-in-a-Box (Nov 9, 2002)

ResB said:


> Don't listen to Dave, he's in "Lurv with a CSL"


Sssh! "She's" looking...and I'm trying to employ some of Adrians tips to make a persuasive argument :wink: 

Dave


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## ResB (Apr 17, 2005)

Jac-in-a-Box said:


> ResB said:
> 
> 
> > Don't listen to Dave, he's in "Lurv with a CSL"
> ...


lol :lol: :lol: :lol:


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