[Closed] Porsche Boxsters - Anyone got one? 2.7 or 3.2?

The wife had one when I first met her and it wasn't anything special although she shed a tear when we sold it.
She had the 2.7 but always said she wished she'd bought the 3.2 instead.
Watch out for the door seals, feel the bottom of the doors for wet or smell for the damp carpets, the guy that bought mrs flatfish checked there but I'd already dried it out and kept it in the garage whilst selling it. 😉
Servicing is VERY costly as you can imagine.

A friend had to have a gearbox replaced after a fairly low mileage and was told that it wasn't unusual

you can get a roofrack for them (which I quite like, innovative)

http://www.rahul.net/dennisp/boxster/boxster-rts.shtml

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Brother has one, think it's smaller. loves it.

He's found an independent ex Porsche mechanic who fixes it for much cheapNess. Well, relatively, not ap cheap as my beloved MX5.

I'm not sure if I'd bother with one personally. Too prone to the occasional massive bill (IIRC bits of the engine which shouldn't move often do - think it's either the liners or a two piece block design). And the regular massive bills - silly prices for brakes etc.

Had one of the first generation ones in 2001, 3.2. Pretty good car to be honest, never had any problems with it in 18 months of ownership.

2unfit2ride to the forum

Sat in an early version that had been traded in to the Skoda dealership when we picked up our Octavia - exactly the same price for the two cars.

Was so disappointed with the Boxster, looked and felt cheap - and I was buying a Skoda FFS!

i had a 3.2s for a year and it was the second best car i've ever driven in the dry, after a certain SL63 AMG F1 Safety Car. Was a different story in the wet, but traction control is an option on the older ones if you are lucky enough to find one with it.

I had a 3.2S 986. Loved it, not the cheapest car to service but Independant Porsche garages are cheaper. Don't bother with the older 2.5 it has a nasty habit of cracking the cylinder head around the valves, very expensive repair! The later models have sleeves. The facelift 986 is the better one to go for or better still a 3.4S 987! I would personally avoid the 2.7 and get a 3.2, the engine is a peach with lots of grunt, the 2.7 runs out of steam too quickly.

brother in law has an 05 Boxster S which I believe is 3.2 and it is very nice. If it were me though I'd be looking at a Caymen, but not in that price. My money would go on a Lotus Elise.

I've got 6.

Boxster = can't afford a Cayman

Cayman = can't afford a 911

Obviously, my hypocrisy would be exposed if I could afford any of them 🙄

I bet you wish you could have 6 like me Swadey.

"can't afford" statements = you are a saddo 🙂

My mate sold his Boxter. Apart from me skitting it saying I couldn't tell which end the front was at, a service (at a Porsche specialist) cost him what a decent MX5 would have cost to buy.

He sold it soon after.

I had a boxster - with an uprated 8.5L dragster engine in it

TBH it wasn't all that, and the lag from the twin turbos made it a proper handful in snow. Also the fuel's hard to come by round here

OR

Glitter Gary - do you own a string of salons ?

Thanks for the feed back. I realise it costs a few quid to maintain but then running a V12 6 litre AMG Mercedes doesn't come cheap.

I don't bother trying to justify the cost, do you for your bikes? For the cost of most STWers bikes you could buy 3-4 cheap ones.

To summarise so far : Avoid 2.5 at all costs. 3.2 is worth the difference over a 2.7. I should sell the wife's kidney and try for a 3.4 really though*.

*cannot afford this option unfortunately**.

**Swadely - I tend to agree and find myself in that position.

You can borrow number 2 of 6 if you want. It's pink. With a gigantic phallus painted on the bonnet.

It doesn't go very fast though, as it's a Boxter.

😳

Well after reading all of the usually useful respknees, mostly from people who've not owned one, I'll add my two penny worth.

We had a 2001 3.2s last year for fun for the last year b4 kids, and it was fantastic. You will get those who can't afford one telling you it's the poor mans Porsche, and yes it is the cheapest drop top, bit it is a fantastic drive, and preferred by many for pure driving due to the mid engined chassis rather than rear engined 911s.

We tried the 2.5 before buying the 3.2 and it's by no means slow, and when driven hard there's not much between them, however the extra torque and 6 gears of the S makes it much nicer to drive everyday.

On terms of running costs all I'd say is find your local Indy, and join boxsternet.com for all the advice you'll need, really helPful bunch. There are issues with RMS and IMS seals and bearing, so it is worth getting it inspected by an expert before vbuying one, and general consensus is don't go for an ultra low mileage garage queen as it's more likely to suffer from dried seal and dry bearings.

Overall though thy are fantastic fun and with two boots are reasonably Practical, never tried the bile rack though!

If you do get an early one try to get the PSM which is stability management, makes all the difference in the wet!

Cheers

solamanda - Member
2unfit2ride to the forum

I'm free!

Anyway if you want a chat then mail me your phone number, I won't try to sell you anything, but I can give you some sound advice.
It's a shame your so far away as I could no doubt make ownership fairly painless for you.

I always tell customers that a Boxster S can do 90% of what a 911 can do for nearly half the price. So yes its a great car, fun too, but its not a screamer like say an Integra, just a well rounded very balanced sports car that most people have never experienced, they just can't get their heads around the 0-60 figures & say a Skoda VRS with a chip can keep up 🙁

BTW, we have met, if you remember... 😉

My old 3.2, a cracker with lovely Tequipment exhaust. Unfortunately, and I kid you not, my wife found out she was pregnant THE DAY AFTER I bought it. I sold it 2 months later....

I now drive a battered Touran, which tells you all you need to know about having kids...

[IMG] [/IMG]

2unfit - I will be pestering you by email for a month or so. Remind me where we met, I travel the world. Of you can sort me out a mint 32s or better for **** all money I can drive to meet you

Tsk. Forget that boring little hairdressers car, and buy something Japanese:

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Faster. Better.

Tsk. Forget that boring little hairdressers car, and buy something Japanese:

Agree.... I had a Honda S2000 too, prefered that over the 3.2S Boxster.

S2000, great engine, doesn't get close to the boxster on handling though.

It's not a Honda....

S2000, great engine, doesn't get close to the boxster on handling though.

Agree, but the LSD can be fun!

It's not a flippin' Honda! 👿

It's not a Honda - which means it has a small chance of having a soul

All the reviews I have ever read on the Boxter say the 2.7 isn't half as good as the 3.2

I used to have an MX5 and alot of the debate on the MX5 forums was about MX5 v S2000 v Boxter.

People who had owned all 3 said that the Boxter was the best all round package but only in the 3.2 form. The general consensus was the MX5 was the most fun to drive, the S2000 ok but nothing special and the engine actually a pain after a while as it needs to be reved to work. The Porsche just came out as the most refined, sporty and most characterful of the 3.

Porsche servicing costs would put me off one though.

'Ere Elf, how do you keep you Nonda/Porsche intact daaaan the ghetto? I'd have thought you'd be overun with blinged Mercedes ML's/Porsche Cayenne's and would stand out like a sore thumb 🙂

Fantasic cars.

Lad I know had to have the seal (under the engine bay) replaced twice on his (I think you have to remove part of the engine to access?).

He ended up flying down a motorway sliproad and promptly stoving it into the central reservation as it was 'abit twitchy'.

Why not a slightly older M3? 😀

Played with an S2000 and didn't rate the handling and after the Integra it was a bit samey.

Thought about the M3 but this is bought as a toy car and the M3 is a bit business like.

Was going for an MX5 but wife said I looked silly in it and she preferred the Porsche, which I had previously thought was out of my price bracket, but if she is happy to raise the price range I guess I can live with the 3.2 Porsche.

Showed a few pictures to my god daughter (6 years old) and she wants it in BRIGHT ORANGE. Why? Because she will be able to sit in the front and here brother won't be in the car to pester her. Sounds like the clinching argument to me.

I had a 3.2S for a couple of years before we had the babies. It was a fantastic car. I'd definately recommend it and they are very cheap to buy now, but running costs can be high. Watch out for gearbox problems and leaking oil seal gasket which are common problems and can be costly to repair ££££'s.
If you buy one from an enthusiast on boxa.net or pistonheads you may bet a better looked after example but definately go for one with fsh and preferably main dealer although there are some very good indy specialists.
If you drive a porsche you'll have to be prepared for hatred from other drivers and races from boy racers almost daily.

Not having a go at you but it does my head in when people say this.

Boxster = can't afford a Cayman

Cayman = can't afford a 911

And when they leave work or the pub they get in their shitty little rot box 10 year old clio, corsa or fiesta.

That afford bollox is only valid if you drive a 911 Turbo that you brought new.

I'd love a Cayman. **** that hassle with what the hood brings.

Luckily I am arrogant enough not to care what other people say or think about the cars I drive and if you want to get boy racers challenging you at the lights, drive an Integra Type R. Boxster is my toy car so the roof should be down most the time.

Boxster = Can't afford a 911 and want a rag top

If you drive a porsche you'll have to be prepared for hatred from other drivers and races from boy racers almost daily.

Never experienced any of that. I think thats perhaps a conclusion some drivers jump to when someone doesn't let them out "ooh it must be because of me fancy porsche" when really people are just driving like the always do.

+1

Funnily enough when I had my Subaru's everyone let me out/into spaces.

Now I can be left waiting/hanging.

I was monstered a couple of times by 4x4's when I had my MX5's.

Wierd how people see a car as an indication of the person. I mean if I drove a pink Micra I'd be road-raged until I put someone on their ass.

Nowt as queer as folk.

I like Porsche's. I don't 'get' Jeremy Clarkson's obsession with Merc's personally.

I have a 10 year old 2.7 Boxster. I've owned it almost a year and have had no problems. The rear tyres were replaced and were £130 a piece which I thought was very reasonable considering the performance and their size. I've not driven a 3.2 but quite frankly mine has more than enough acceleration for me. A dab of the throttle in 2nd or 3rd and the speed limit is soon passed, overtaking feels very safe and easy. I typically average about 30mpg but did achieve 37mpg on a longish motorway journey. Presumably insurance is cheaper than a 3.2.
Just considering selling it, no reason other than its an expensive toy.

goslow - where are you? roughly how much?

Hi, I'm hoping for about £7k and am based in the north east near Durham.

goslow whats the name of your salon?

Sorry GoSlow but that is a bit of a hike from Southampton but if I am in Pity Me again soon I might give you a shout.

Salon?

Pity Me is very close to me.

Don't buy a Porsche! Get a Jap car! Far better value, and faster and better. Boxsters are cars for people who want a Porsche but can't run to a proper one, which is the 911. If you're going to do it, do it propperly. Otherwise don't bother.

If you want a stupid little sportscar, get a Jap motor what has loads of tuning potential. That way, you can end up with a far hotter car than that hairdresser's motor. Loads of fettling opportunities. And you can get it sprayed orange.

Look pon:

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Whack a stupid stereo in it, and Little Abbi can cruise around in it blasting out the latest choons.

Our lord Fred a social climber? Who'd have thought it?

No, it's just that the Hoi-Polloi often lower themselves to spend time with me. 🙂

What is your fascination with rice rockets Fred?

I fancy a change and the 3.2 Boxster out handles the base 911s and should be fun

Jap cars have no soul. Thats partly the reason I ended up selling my MX5 it just was good at everything but didn't evoke any passion or feelings unlike stepping in to an Elise, Boxter etc.

What is your fascination with rice rockets Fred?

You can do a lot more for a lot less, and they don't come with a 'badge premium'. In many cases, they are simply better in terms of performance and reliability. And you won't look like a ponce.

Give it some thought at least.

Jap cars have no soul.

What a load of nonsense. It's a car, not a painting by Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes...

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Or Edvard Munch...

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Or a sculpture by Barbara Hepworth:

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You get more 'what' for your money?

It is not about a single metric such as acceleration or top speed, it is about the blend of metrics that most closely meet the requirement. Badge and money are not an issue to me.

I agree about cars and soul to a certain extent but Marylyn went all sad when she saw the 'teg getting taken away and said things like At least it is going to a good home etc

She's only sad because she knows you'll be replacing it with some other stupid car.

That Porsche is a dilution of what a Porsche should be. Made purely to appeal to people who covet the Porsche badge but can't run to the cost of a proper one. It's the Tesco Value version.

Whereas that Nissan is made to be a nippy little sportscar with no pretension. More tuning opportunities, more flexibility, greater scope to personalise it. And will be a lot less to maintain than that jumped up Audi.

You know I'm right. Listen to Elfin, and not your heart. Elfin is always right.

Don't buy a Porsche! Get a Jap car! Far better value, and faster and better. Boxsters are cars for people who want a Porsche but can't run to a proper one, which is the 911. If you're going to do it, do it propperly. Otherwise don't bother.

Agreed, a bit like the people that buy a 318i BMW, whats the point in that. £20K plus for something with zero performance when they could have bought a top of the range sports saloon/hatch from a 'lesser' manufacturer.

If was I looking to spend under £10k on a two seater I'd be looking at VX220's or if you need something a bit more practical what about a Z3M Roadster or Z4 3.0?

A friend of mine has a 03 3.2s and it's a fantastic car. He manages 30+mpg on the commute and servicing has been reasonable unless it needed something out of the ordinary. Look for one with as many factory fitted extras as possible of you can, his has everything except the porsche badge embossed on the seats. He is trying to sell it at the moment with no avail (although I'm not sure how hard he is really trying :wink:)

Boxters? My only experience of them is seeing one go backwards very quickly in the mirrors when he took me on on my Triumph Speed Triple......I think it was the fast one too..... 😉

Personally, I'd buy an Elise, but then I did, then I sold it (children again) and am still not quite over it 🙁

Buy what you want - the Boxster has consistently been reviewed as one of the best sports cars out there, not because it's the fastest, but because it's usable every day, has a great ride, handles UK roads well and offers a great driving experience to the driver.

The japanese cars may outpoint it in lots of specific areas but none have come close to it (Z cars ride too crashy, Honda's too peaky in power delivery)
The only japanese sports car that doesn't outdrag the Porsche is the only one that's highly regarded as a drivers car (MX5) - it's the one to buy if you can't afford a Porsche (take a look at the BBR 20th Anniversary MX5)

As for 'poor mans 911', if the boxster wasn't conceived it's probable that Porsche and the 911 would have gone down the tubes in the 90's.

I'd probably go for the 3.22 if it was me - you'd always be wondering if you should have bought it if you go for the 2.7!

it is about the blend of metrics

Amen to that. I've never driven a Boxster, but I had a 944 S2 for a while. I loved the way all the controls felt perfectly, and equally weighted. That, coupled with the chassis + some other German engineering magic I don't understand beyond weight distribution and centre of gravity, meant the car was always going faster than I seemed to be trying to go.

On paper, the performance doesn't look that outstanding, but on the road, it just seemed to catch up with / drive away from all sorts of 'faster' (and newer) cars.

Good luck with the Boxster purchase, OP - I would've done the same but for the requirement to carry a dog on a back seat. So I bought a '95 E-320 Coupe instead. Not quite the same, but still full of German engineeringyness, and plenty thirsty enough.

I was looking at the MX5 with a turbo for about 5K when the wife said she didn't like it and extended the budget for a convertible she does like.

Not buying it for the badge, but for the car. Elfin should know that I don't give a toss for pretentious badges, I just buy what I like.

The original question was 2.7 or 3.2 which very few people have actually answered. Having just tried one of each I will be going for the 3.2.

2jumpers - if your mate is still struggling to sell his, he could always say he has a potential buy in Southampton and is just waiting to get the finances sorted. It could give him a couple more months with a semi-valid excuse. Do you know how much he is after?

I had the same decision to make last year and was looking at older Boxsters, but in the end I bought a much newer BMW Z4 3.0l SE. IMO the older 986 series boxster does look very dated campared to the newer 987. The Z4 however, still looks amazing.

I bought a 60k late 04 plate 3.0se, with £4000 worth of options, recent tax, tyres, brakes and MOT for £7600 in the summer.

The Boxster did handle better, and the engine and exhaust note sounded sweet.

However, the Z4 is:
better looking,
cheaper,
newer (for the same money)
better specced,
stopped better,
far mor practical (load space wise)
MUCH cheaper to service (and you can do it yourself, which is much harder with a mid engined car unless you happen to have an inspection ramp)
more reliable (3* more reliable infact)
has a better roof mechanism,
glass rear screen,
much nicer cabin and a more quality feel when you're inside it.

The reports of a crashy ride are correct, but this can be remedied by ditching the Runflat tyres for standard ones + a Mini puncture repair kit. £400ish all in

I did this with mine, and I can't stress enough what a difference it made to the cars handling, MUCH close to that of the Boxster. I have no idea why BMW did it.

Any questions please ask as I did a massive amount of research into this before buying last year.

Daffy - I did consider the BMW but don't like the look although the very latest one looks nicer. Agree with most the other points you make but practicality isn't an issue as it is a weekend toy for when the sun is out.

Not buying it for the badge, but for the car.

So don't buy a jumped-up hairdresser's Audi then. 🙄

Brrrrm!

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But something that you can fit ridiculous spoilers to and that, spend weekend tinkering to get 0.3HP more out of it, stuff that makes it go 'TSSSS!' and all that sort of thing. You'll have loads more fun.

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If you drive a porsche you'll have to be prepared for hatred from other drivers and races from boy racers almost daily

I was quite shocked to hear that. it was yellow though.

I guess styling is pretty subjective. I personally can't stand the 986 Boxster, I think it now looks very cheap (which I suppose it is) and chavy.

Be careful with reliability though, the index for the car puts it in the top 10 worst cars you can own with a larger than average percentage of faults related to engines and transmission.

Good luck in whatever you choose. 2 seater convertibles are ace, just make sure heated seats are on the options list.

[url= http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2298594.htm ]Westfield[/url]
More fun than you can shake a stick out.. and probably quicker than a Boxter S
If you're running an AMG Merc as yoru daily driver.. you may as well get a completely impractical FUN car.

I sold my self build 1800 Zetec SeiW.. very sad day and I miss it every time I drive anything.

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If you're buying one as a toy car, I'm assuming you're going to ignore the tiptronic auto options (if not, SHAME ON YOU, buy a bloody Merc SLK instead...). With that in mind, having researched all of this myself in the past for a mate who very nearly bought one, the 5 speed box in the 2.5 and 2.7 engined Boxster is known as a bit of a weak point. Conversely, the 6 speed box is straight out of a 911 and is as tough as old boots! The 6 speed Porsche box is often connected to the back of a very high powered Chevy Small Block in mid engined Kit cars. In fact there are certainly a couple of cars out there with a Porsche box (probably with an uprated clutch) with 1000bhp going through it!

My mates parents own a 54 plate 3.2S, and have had no problems with it other than some VERY organised tea-leaves... Pretty well organised lift too, they managed to get hold of a spare key and just took it off the drive at about 5am one morning. Fortunately they got it back though! And haven't had any other problems with it.

What do you want in a toy though? Do you want something refined, deft, delicate and probably ultimately very rewarding? Or would you rather something that was a bit wayward and leaves a big grin on your face? If the former, then the Boxter S is the logical choice, if the latter then get yourself a Z3M roadster...

Tell him he's better off with a Jap car please Mboy.

This is a Porsche:

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This is a hairdresser's Audi:

[img] [/img]

See? It's quite simple really.

LOL @ elf

Sorry mate, 350Z is ok but ultimately not as good as either a BMW Z4 or a Boxster, MX5 is great but obviously our man wants something a bit quicker, S2000 is a great engine and gearbox in an ultimately unrewarding car supposedly. A Japanese car will be cheaper to run for sure, but that's hardly the point here I suspect.

I should also point out (and 2unfit2ride will definitely agree with me here I suspect) that it is a common misconception that all good Porsches have their engines mounted behind the rear axle. Porsche have made many, many good cars with the engine in the middle of the car, and many more with the engine mounted up front even! Porsche need to drop the Cayman (good as it may be, who buys it? It's nearly as expensive as a 911!) and bring back a "cheap" (all things being relative) front engined 2+2 fastback just like the brilliant 944 and 968. The Boxster revived Porsche's fortunes, sadly the monstrosity that is the Cayenne continued that (hence Porsche won't drop it), they still have the 911 in all its guises, but they need to bring back a more affordable "real drivers" car, a void left since the demise of the 968CS and the 944S2 before it...

350Z is ok but ultimately not as good as either a BMW Z4 or a Boxster

Base performance is better than either. With the money saved over a Boxster, you could soup up a similar vintage 350z and it would defecate all over the Porsche. The Z4 is a nasty looking car anyway. 

Jap cars are simply better for the money. This is something European car fans refuse to accept. Pay half as much again, just for a badge. It's a bit like the Taiwanese v US bike argument. By all means pay extra, but you won't get owt better really, just more of a myth.

Bear in mind, that WCA is going to thrash any car he gets, to death. So, better, I say, to get something Japanese, have the enjoyment of tinkering and personalising, then drive it to within an inch of it's life an beyond. And if owt goes wrong, you can get replacement bits cheap. Proper bodykit, spoilers, and a mad paintjob. Neons underneath, naughty stereo, nitrous, the works. Like Tokyo Drift!

[img] [/img]

Imagine something like that, right, but with a nudie lady tastefully airbrushed onto it. Classy.

Check pon dis:

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Niiiice......

And don't forget some ICE....

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[img] [/img]

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If you're gonna relive your youth, then do it propply. Don't arse around half-cocked in a poncy hairdresser's car you're too afraid to thrash in case you break it. Get a proper naughty motor that your neighbours and pets are scared of...

And the finishing touch:

[img] [/img]

Beautiful. I will buy this for WCA.

If you really just want a fast rewarding car to drive and you don't need any practicality consider a 7 style car as BearBack suggests. A Caterham or a Westfield will give you great performance for your money and you will probably not loose much on it when you come to sell it.

I used to do lots of track days in my Westfield Megabusa and those turbo nutter jap barges that Elfin likes didn't stand a chance 🙂

Bazzer

Daffy - Just an observation, you have bought a sports car based on criteria you use when not buying a sports car...ie surely peformance, handling, engine etc should be at the top of the criteria ??

Of course I know every one has different opinions etc etc.

I want a sports car the wife will sit in too. Westfield/7 was top of the list but wife won't go near one. I want to be able to go out for a blast along some nice roads and then stop in a restaurant before going on to the hotel and have pleasant weekends away (with the wife) as well as ripping up the back roads.

The jap-crap elfin is proposing doesn't fit and unfortunately nor does the westfields amd Ultima that I was looking at.

Yep if you want to do weekends away etc then the 7 is not ideal. I know people do it but its not my idea of fun either.

I reckon the Boxter sounds good then, for no other reason than it seems you really want one and that's a good enough reason to buy a sports car 🙂

I am considering a Z4M coupé at the moment. I would really like a 996 GT3 but cant bring myself to spend that much on a car any more, even though I know it will probably loose less money then the BMW. I have wasted loads of money on cars in the past and I have told myself I would not do it again, but it is hard 🙂

I drove a Boxter S about 5 years ago and it was really nice and sounded great.