If so, opinions would be welcome to a potential buyer.

Hang on, I’ll go ask my hairdresser

I think it’s standard stuff that’s a bit steep ie discs and pads all round say goodbye to a grand but when you run a play car you should budget for at least one major expense….well that’s my theory and as for fuelling costs again if you have to worry about it don’t buy the car!

Nice cars and older ones can be had cheaper.

Be careful of ones bought by people who can’t afford to run them that require tyres/brakes and have no service history. The manual is a lot more fun than the auto as well.

Depending on how old you are looking to buy and how much cash you have to splash consider a Cayman as well. They don’t tend to suffer from being poorly maintained as much.

I very nearly bought one so did some research. The only real issues are a seal on the engine which you cannot tell is about it is going to fail without taking big bits to pieces. Check anything you buy has had the seal replaced. I can’t remember the name of the seal at the moment but google it and you will see the issue.

3.2 engines meant to be stronger than 3.4s and same with 2.5 vs 2.7

Grow a thick skin as it will be referred to as a coxster, poor mans porsche, Porsche Cliteros (every c*nt has one) etc

Nice cars overall. Take a couple of test drives as they are not that spacious

Mate in work ran a boxter s for a few years, he had no issues BUT his was subject to a gearbox recall (manual’box) so I guess you need to ensure a full history, ensure that all recalls have been done etc.
He used his as a daily commute from Warrington to Chester and loved it. Got a fairly good mpg too.

Wca – IMS / RMS failure!?

That’s the one most Porsche owners fear

Worth doing some research so you are going in with your eyes open there is a seal as WCA says, known as the RMS, this is typical to weep, but unusual to require changing other than at clutch change.
The nasty one is the IMS bearing, this is on the balancer shaft and if it goes it trashes the engine, but is actually pretty rare, but a lot of internet scaremongering, but not everyone is OTT about it
Linky to a very good specialist
When we bought ours this is the buyers guide we used:
buyers guide at hartech

FYI, Hartech is THE authority on these newer watercooled engines.

on a positive note, we have had 3, all S’s and all manual, and having driven a 2.5 I wouldn’t bother, but then I love the low down torque of the S. buy on condition not miles, and as WCA says on how much maintenance has been done, look here for a good DIY guides:
Pelican parts

and this is the forum I joined, there is a good boxster on there for sale now…

Boxa forum

Facelifted 3.2S with nice options, nothing to do with me:

linky

Ive had about 10 Porsche over the years,boxters,911’s etc, theyre great cars,like anything tho if you neglect them, servicing in my oppinion is no dearer than other german cars…

I ran one for nearly three years, a 2.7 built in 1999. had to do a bit of work on the suspension but other than that it trouble free. They do cost a lot to run though, even if nothing goes wrong but on the other hand cheap to buy. Lovely car to drive 😀

Petrolhead friend at work had one, balancer bearing went and wrecked the engine as above. Think he said he was looking at a 10k bill from Hartech to repair so he broke it for parts.
Not 100% which model Boxster it was.

Boxsters are probably the best all round car Porsche have made, brilliant cars, and don’t have to be that expensive to run. As has been said before the engines have suffered issues. I think the IMS bearing issue is now sorted and has been for a good few years. It was more of an infantile failure, so older cars that are going to get it will have suffered already and been fixed, those that haven’t are unlikely to suffer it.

RMS is still an issue on current cars, though it doesn’t affect every engine. It seems that if you get it, you’ll have it forever even if you replace the seal, but there are plenty if cars out there that have never suffered it. But an annoyance and something you can live with.

Another issue is the regular replacement of the front rads. They are mounted low down and get hammered by all the crap thrown up from the cars in front.

There are a lot of excellent specialists out there who put the dealer network to shame as all the dealer network want to do is std servicing. But they are brilliant cars to drive. Not super fast in a straight line, but given their excellent handling plenty fast enough for anyone in the real world (whatever that means).

Hairdressers have moved onto BMW Z4s and Audi TTs now.

I can barely afford to run my family car.

🙁

You got me looking with this chat about Boxter S’s and I’ve just looked at a few on eBay, some nice late plates to be had for £13-£15k..

Noiiiice.

There are some fantastic deals around as the car has suffered from its reputation for being expensive to run and the ‘hairdresser’ thing – which benefits those who recognise it as just a fantastic car, not just in the up front purchase price, but also in insurance. they’re also pretty fuel efficient too. Also it was a very popular model thats been going for a good number of years ‘s there are a lot around and the fundamental chassis of the car has not changed that much since it was first introduced. And if you’re not fussy about the S model then the base Boxster is even better value. The strength of the car is its handling so the extra HP of the S model, though nicer for straight line acceleration and a bit of extra grunt, actually won’t benefit you that much for the average normal driver. The engines are revvy engines so if you’re just pootling around you won’t notice the extra grunt from the S, so you can get even better value by going for a base Boxster. Though i’ve never owned one i’ve driven plenty and the driving pleasure is all in the handling, so from that perspective the base cars are the same as the S models.

If you’re thinking of buying one then i’d recommend finding out your nearest Porsche Specialist (try the Porsche Club GB forum to ask those in the know) and when you find one you’re interested in take it in for them to perform an inspection. It will cost you around £200, but these guys know what to look out for and will give you a good idea if the car is a good one or not. If you buy a pup it will cost you, no doubt, but if you buy a decent one you can run them for very reasonable money.

My fiancée had an early 2.7 when I first met her, it was a nice car. Parts were expensive but thankfully it didn’t need much in the time she had it. She then had an S2000 which we prefered but was far less refined. If anything the Boxster felt quite grown up. Plenty of people will say hairdressers car, pensioners toy, etc etc and point out their Octavia/Audi/hot hatch is quicker, the other ‘fun cars’ we have had since s2000, mx5s, mr2, don’t court the same comments. I prefer more simple cars like mx5/mr2 but for a fun car you can’t really go wrong with a well looked after Boxster.

I hope you get one and enjoy it, there are some great deals about.

Think I would be looking at a Cayman if UK based myself, with our weather etc

Lovely cars 8)

I have a Cayman S, I am biased but I think it’s the pick of the range and a great car. The 911 is superb but it’s nearly twice the price. OP unless you particularly want a convertible I’d suggest you have a look. Its just a bit rarer too which I do like. Has been trouble free although admittedly its low mileage, servicing every 24 months. I do resent paying £500 road tax and it averages about 23mpg but you don’t buy the car to potter around.

EDIT: see @timc agrees !

Borrowed one, got it up to 124mph before I thought better of it on the by pass

@rocket it’s the corners which are fun, the cars can go faster in a straight line than is wise

Hartech have not yet repaired a 2.7 so that is the best one to go for if you want to avoid, IMS bearing failure, bore scoring or cracked bores (so called D chunk)

Great cars but get it inspected if you are not mechanically minded. Make sure it has had yearly/regular oil changes.

Watch out if the exhaust is hanging too low at the back as it could be gear box mounts or a broken carrier (£700 job)

Had loads of 911’s and a few Boxster’s including the Gen 2, they are fantastic cars.

My father had the 2.7 as his fun car but I didnt like it. Felt way too planted to be fun and although it handled superbly. I cant remember the tyre size but that had a lot to do with it.

That he sold a TVR Chimera and bought the Boxster says a lot though as the Chimera was brutal in terms of acceleration and handling. The Porsche was far more progressive compared to the TVR which would just snap. The Boxster was fast though, even the 2.7 had plenty enough power to be entertaining and you felt fairly safe in it owing to the good handling.

Nothing came as a surprise though, turn it in and the back just followed you, I’d imagine you would have to be really making progress or be very aggressive with the steering wheel to unstick the back end.

I miss them both 😉 but miss the TVR more! As he has got older he has bought an MX5 now, I think thats his favourite as there is less power but its lighter and still handles very well!

I think my point is as a nice touring convertible, the Boxster is superb, for a proper “fun” car, I’d be looking for an S2000

Boxsters do make quite a lot of sense, relatively speaking. Very useable.

Just been for a test drive in a Carrera 4s this morning. Easy to drive, and what a sound.

Some decisions to be made…

Good point about the grip, 265 on the back, not as playful if you are used to beemers etc.

Budget an extra £300 in the first month for the “I’m just nipping out for a drive” petrol!

Tiboy – Member

FYI, Hartech is THE authority on these newer watercooled engines.

And ironically, sound a bit like a hairdressers.

Thanks everybody, some great advice. I have to make a decision by Mon morning though I feel I may have already decided!

You can have plenty of fun in a Porsche with the electronic handling turned off if you wish. Be aware though you need to press the car really quite hard to get it unstuck so if and when it does you’ll be going preety quick. A BMW is really quite unstable in comparison, I wouldn’t call that a positive feature.