There are a lot about at 8K for the 2.7 and 9K for the 3.2 as entry prices.

Is the 3.2 much better? For 1K I would have thought it was worth it but is it better to buy a better condition 2.7 for the same money?

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

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…

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:

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.