Hello
Starting to investigate ownership possibility.
Has anyone got any experience of buying, owning, do's and don'ts?
Any guidance appreciated.
Hello
Starting to investigate ownership possibility.
Has anyone got any experience of buying, owning, do's and don'ts?
Any guidance appreciated.
I suspect the search function will keep you busy for a while.
I e had the S and the 2.7
Both great cars
Never spent a penny on them in repairs as super reliable
Try a specialist like PCT in Coventry
He has a few in normally and good warranty
They are v well balanced but alas my back stops me buying now
Not had one myself, but close family have.
Early sub 3-litre models not rated much - performance adequate but no more. A couple I know both traded theirs for Honda S2000. Expensive to maintain, even DIY (parts are dear and not prolific after-market compared to some) . Porsche badge means morecostly that equivalent models - but that carries through to residuals/resale too so not necessarilya bad thing.
Not a great looking car IMO, but we all like different things. Depending on what level of performance you're after, I'd opt for large cc BMW Z4, S2000 or even MB SL.
Agreed better options in my humble opinion.Originally Posted by afcneal
Having had Z4 2.5, 987 S, 981 S in the household and driven a S2000 a fair few times, the opposition does not come close.
Check out Hartech website and buyers guide. That's what I did, good info and guidance.
My view of a Porsche Boxter........................................ usually a rear view!
:)
Get the bores scoped...
Chaps
I had a friend who was a Porsche nut. Every time I saw him he was driving a different Porche.
His view on the Boxster was that it was 95% of a 911 for 50% of the cost.
The only downside is that they don't hold their price.
Regards
Mick
I agree with the first comment, less so on the second!
Have mentioned this on the previous threads, have ownership experience of a 987.2 S (now sold) and have been in/driven a 986 (and a 997)
Looking at Autotrader, if I were selling it now (at the worst time), I would have lost only about £5k in 3.5 years of driving and 20,000 miles which for a car priced in the late £20,000's doesn't sound that bad to me. I agree however that if you add loads of optional specification, most of the cost of that is lost when you sell if from new.
I used to own a 987 Boxster S and still think it it one of the best cars I have owned for the overall package. Not crazy money to buy or service, fun to drive and there are some great used examples out there.
I would not buy without a FSH personally. There is a good used Porsche buying book on amazon which tells you the thing she to look for. I don't recall the title will see if I can find it.
Having also owned a 911 afterwards, which is obviously great. But on balance if buying again I would probably go Boxster, the current model is very pretty I think.
My missus ran a vanilla 2.7 987 for 4 years before she changed to the 2.9 cayman she runs today. A 'cayman with a soft top' wouldn't be far off the mark as a description of the boxster. Great cars both of them. And I disagree about not holding value. Definitely at the lower end of the depreciation spectrum provided they're kept in order which is surprisingly inexpensive to do.
Last edited by wolf; 17th December 2016 at 16:41.
The horror stories for a car with 80k miles 14 years old and costing £10 grand, steered me to my immaculate 08 3.0 Z4 same money with equal performance and lower upkeep
Mind you I have completely contradicted myself by buying a Discovery 4 knowing their reliability record, mind you it's still got 2 years warranty. But what do I know
Last edited by hilly10; 17th December 2016 at 17:21.
I still have my S. I doubt I'll ever sell it. I tried every 2 seater under around £40k when I bought it many years ago, I took each one for a lap around the TT course, and it was the only one that made me smile from ear to ear.
It's just a matter of time...
The 2.5 is downright slow but has character. The 2.7 is better but no rocket ship. The 2.9 and 3.2 are getting there and the 3.4 is pretty exciting but the reason some people rate the 911 better (and it costs more) is that it does feel noticeably quicker (other maybe than against the latest 3.4s). Since about 1990 there hasn't really been a 911 lacking in oomph, they feel roomier inside and tend to be better specified. I don't think a bore scope is really necessary on a Boxster or Cayman, it is the 911 3.8l which suffers bore issues in the main. Seals on the other hand are dodgy on many 90s/00s Porkers
Last edited by Padders; 17th December 2016 at 18:19.
Great car and suprisingly practical. My advice is to buy as late a car as your budget allows. Mine was a 986 3.2s. Had a few issues, coil packs, heat shields on exhaust and brake calipers. All normal stuff but they do carry the Porsche tax lol.
Test drive a few to know a good one.
Good luck
I've been toying with the idea of getting a 986s recently. I think I would have bought one years ago were it not for the wallet-busting reliability tales you read about. I can afford a 986 boxster, but I can't afford a new engine for one.
Still extremely tempting though...
Thanks for all the comments so far.
I will post progress.
Buy a car with impeccable history it will serve you well against a cheaper car that seems a bargain !
My 986s hasn't been to a garage since the warranty expired - it's only needed service items mind (counting exhaust heat shield bolts as service items).
Only done 40 odd thousand miles and treated gently. No issues, no rattles or squeaks and a great engine.
Plastic screen is an issue, you have to look after it - I always ensure its folded neatly and give it the hindsight treatment, every now and then.
As I said in my post earlier get yourself a E85/ E86 Z4 great soundtrack from one of the best straight 6 engines ever made they are very reliable with only a couple of issues mainly being the electric water pump.
Last edited by hilly10; 19th December 2016 at 17:28.
I bought a 2005 987 2.7 a year and a half ago and it has probably been the best thing I have ever bought. It's pretty base spec but has heated seats and cruise control and an aftermarket Parrot thing for Bluetooth and iPods.
I got a good deal on it but it needed things doing (brake lines badly corroded, O/S shock and a few other not so substantial bits). It certainly is fast enough to get you into big trouble, especially on the twisty stuff. Straight line speed isn't ridiculous but it lets you use all the revs in most of the gears which sounds fantastic, even more so with the PSE or similar aftermarket one.
Mine is on 17" rims which makes it ride supremely and the increased tyre sidewall height has minimal effect on the handling. I have driven new Boxsters with 19/20" rims and it was quite surprising what the difference in ride comfort was.
Boxa.net is a great forum and there is a buyers guide on one of the sub-fora and certainly helped me out when doing my research. Whatever you do, get a pre purchase inspection.
I ran hot-hatches before the Boxster and you simply can't compare them. The Boxster was designed from the ground up with the end-purpose in mind whereas the majority of the current hot-hatches have had a big engine (or the boost turned up!) shoehorned into them with generic upgrades to the brakes and suspension.
Apples and oranges.
Good luck on your quest!
Here's a question for the Boxster experts:
I currently drive a 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STI and for a long time have been thinking about getting a Porsche. My initial thoughts were a 996 or even one of the later 928s. I'd discounted the Boxster but reading this and other threads has made me wonder...
There is a nice 987 for sale locally. It's the 2.7 engine, and I have always, always gone for the biggest engine available in my previous car choices. I wonder if after the Subaru, the 2.7 will feel a little underpowered? Is there a massive difference between the 2.7 and the 3.4S on the road? I know coming from the Subaru I will obviously miss the turbo, but in normal driving conditions you're off-boost most of the time anyway.
TIA
had plenty of Boxsters over the years as courtesy cars and they are great fun.
for day to day craic they are excellent and dare I say it, in normal format much better bang for your buck than a 911. Not better as such, but a really great daily softop that handles brilliantly and always delivers.
might have to sell my 911and would seriously consider a value Boxster as a 'run-around' alternative with the added benefit of not being so precious about it.
Interesting question. I came from a mapped GTI which was pretty epic when the boost came on and the tyres were up to the job (never experienced wheelspin in third before that!) but the power band was narrow and pretty on/off like.
The biggest difference was the immediacy of the power delivery and the way in which it delivered it - it was much more drivable. Of course 5k rpm upwards is where the best power is at (and noise!).
The 2.7 vs. 3.4 debate is long standing but my view is that the 2.7 allows you to use all the power most of the time whereas the 3.4 gets you there quicker with less gears so is not quite so engaging (plus the insurance was cheaper for someone in their mid 20's).
Take it for a test drive and make your mind up from there. I don't think a 928 will provide anywhere near the same driving experience. It's very mucha grand tourer and the manual gearbox model is rare/expensive. They are appreciating however!
Good luck.
I wanted to scratch the itch myself and dipped my toe in the water with a 80,000 miler 986 2.7. It drove very well, sounded amazing, went pretty well; certainly enough for the public roads. It was pretty economical, very comfortable and shockingly practical.
However, I did not keep it long; the reasons being: The electric hood went wrong, she blew fuses on the electric seats, the throttle bodies needed re-building, the indicator stalk broke and the prospect of owning her was becoming tainted by what was going to go wrong next.
I have now bought a new Mini F56 JCW, which is faster than the Porsche and for a 4 cylinder sounds brilliant with the Bluetooth JCW exhaust valve open. I also have an old MX5 which is still one of the best driving machines out there at any price and even after 8 years of ownership has never needed anything more than a routine service and consumables.
If you can afford it get the newest, lowest mileage and best example you can find, plus as someone else mentioned, get a Cayman instead; at least the electric hood can't go wrong on that!
Boxsters are great cars but cheap ones like mine was wont be cheap to run, you are better off with a Mini JCW, MX5 or Fiesta ST to get modern cheap and reliable driving thrills. If you can afford a newer Boxster then I'd get the last of the flat sixes.
Good luck, it's a nice predicament to have.
There are a great deal of very valid and very good views on this post. I agree on the view of hot hatches compared with sports cars is like comparing oranges and apples and like that analogy.
As a previous 986 2.7 owner, I would take my NB Mk2.5 MX5 1.8 VT Sport over the Boxster all day every day, I do agree with the view if you are after a light weight drivers car to look at a Lotus Elise, but my only issue is that the Elise lacks practicality and is fragile compared to an MX5. I would say the Elise is the best car I have ever driven however but would honestly say my MX5 is well up there with the best cars too; you just have to accept the engine noise isn't going to send shivers up your back (like a Porsche flat 6) and your not going to break the rear end on power alone on a dry roundabout, but the lack of inertia, inherent chassis balance, feedback, all day every-day ability to thrash the thing and it never goes wrong is too strong a reason for me to rate it ahead of the Boxster. I really wanted to update my old MX5 this year simply because it is now 15 years old, I would have bought the ND 2.0 Sport-Nav but the boot is tiny so I ended up with my old MX5 and a Mini JCW.
To the gent wanting to go from an Impreza to a Boxster, I fear you may find it a little under powered, therefore I'd say to go for a 3.4S, although as with most Porsche's the gearing is quite tall, my 2.7 would do 45mph in 1st, 70mph in 2nd and 105mph in 3rd, so even the 3.4 may lack the low end punch you are used to?
Despite all of the above the Porsche was a great car to drive and I'm glad I had one, everyone should own one at least once.
Good luck
Yumma
To the OP: apologies if someone has already mentioned it, but if you are tall make sure you are comfortable in the car. I'm not overly tall (6') but must have dis-proportionally long legs because every time I moved my foot from the accelerator to the brake I hit my knee on the steering wheel. No amount of seat/wheel movement would allow me to be comfortable and still avoid a knee/wheel interface.
And I don't fit in an MX-5 either
100% agree, I'm a relative short ass and only 11 stone, but the Boxster was a squeeze and not much knee room at all - still it made steering with your knees a doddle - Just kidding!To the OP: apologies if someone has already mentioned it, but if you are tall make sure you are comfortable in the car. I'm not overly tall (6') but must have dis-proportionally long legs because every time I moved my foot from the accelerator to the brake I hit my knee on the steering wheel. No amount of seat/wheel movement would allow me to be comfortable and still avoid a knee/wheel interface.
And I don't fit in an MX-5 either
Thanks for the tip. Slightly built so no issues with sports cars. The Morgan was very comfortable for long journeys surprisingly.To the OP: apologies if someone has already mentioned it, but if you are tall make sure you are comfortable in the car. I'm not overly tall (6') but must have dis-proportionally long legs because every time I moved my foot from the accelerator to the brake I hit my knee on the steering wheel. No amount of seat/wheel movement would allow me to be comfortable and still avoid a knee/wheel interface.
And I don't fit in an MX-5 either
Going through the posts on the boxter forum I've come away with the conclusion that you really have to purchase an approved vehicle from an AD. You might be able to save a little going to a non authorised dealer but by the time you've added on the warranty etc... (which is a MUST) then there's not much in it.
I agree re. running costs. Owning a Porsche does seem to be an expensive past-time. There's the grand a year for warranty (included in the price from an AD). Then there's the much more expensive service/insurance and the fact that the nearest dealer might be half way across the country. Perhaps, at least, another grand or two on top for the essentials (service/insurance/tax/tyres/etc...). Makes running a Lotus look REAL cheap: A new Elise cost me £100 for service, £200 for insurance, £200 for tax and that was it - no special warranty needed. The 3 year old Elise I ran for a couple of years was even cheaper to run and, again, no special warranty needed because it really doesn't cost that much to repair (lots of Toyota parts probably helps). And, of course, there's the depreciation - by that I mean a LOT worse on the Porsche!
However saying all that I think every 'petrol head' (I hate that expression) must at least ONCE in their life own a Porsche.
Last edited by solwisesteve; 22nd December 2016 at 09:18.
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