Hey guys...finally went ahead and pulled the trigger. It was difficult decision cause this is a 3rd vehicle and just for pleasure and also involved me relinquishing driving rights to my 09 Cayenne S to the wife in order to trade her 08 MB E320 for the Boxster. In the end she relented and readily accepted the loss of her "black beauty" for the Boxster. Looked at an 2008 RS that they had and was very tempted along with an 2008 Design edition car but didn't want to spend upwards of $79k on a 3rd car especially one that was already 15+ months old despite the numbered/limited edition status and additonal features.

So in the end we ended up with a moderately optioned 2009 Boxster in speed yellow with black interior. Non PCM with bluetooth, aux audio, PCM, sport chrono, 19" sport design wheels, sport seats, dynamic bi-xenons, leather sport steering wheel, PASM, limited slip differential, heated seats, auto dim mirrors, Auto Climate control, designation delete and of course Bose (can you get a car without one nowadays?).

This my 1st convertible and the drive home was great with the top down. Not bad or loud at all or too cold as I expected. Car is quick and sure footed and any concerns I had over the loss in HP are lost. I came from a previous 05 997 base in the spring that I am still kicking myself for giving up. Also we still have the 385hp of the Cayenne S for those times when I need that and my 414+hp M3 which is my daily driver so I should survive.

Okay and now a pic or two. Would be interested in folks experiences and thoughts with their cars as well.

 

Love Speed Yellow. You will love dropping the top. Makes a bad day good and a good day great! Enjoy.

Now, go clean out your garage. All that stuff in there is making me nervous!

 

Very nice, enjoy your time behind the wheel. I love touring around in my Boxster S with the top down, there is a sense of freedom from the day to day grind. The Boxster is truly are great sport car for the open road and twisty mountain back roads, none better IMHO.

 

Looks good! I bought an 08 SY Cayman S. One suggestion: Clear side marker lights.

Also, treat engine to an early/oil filter change. 750 miles or 1000 miles or so. This removes the factory fill oil which is undoubtly loaded with the usual trash/debris a new engine sheds. Filter catches this but filter can fill up and then this oil routed unfiltered to engine.

I won't unless you ask for them but I can post pics of the oil filter housing oil I dumped out of my Cayman's housing at the 750 mile oil change I did on my Cayman. The oil filter housing oil was just loaded with very fine metal (alum. mostly) particiles.

BTW, I own an 02 Boxster and have put over 223K miles on it since buying it new in 02. These are great cars.

Sincerely,

Macster.

 

That speed yellow looks amazing - congrats on the new ride. What wheels are those ? They look really nice.

 

Congrats! I just got mine 2 months ago and still get an instant smile on my face every time I get behind the wheel! I hope you enjoy yours as much as I do mine.

Dave

 

Yeah I've dropped my top more than the feature dancer at the best strip club in Vegas so far! LOL

Already ordered along with trunk/hood liners this evening! Thanks for the advise on the oil change. Will do so and put it on my reminder list for when the time comes. Hey did you do anything special for the breakin period like not go over xx mph or not rev over xxx and for how long/miles if so?

Thanks...it came down to black/black, an GT Silver/black RS60 Sypder (very nice and tempting) and a meteor gray/gray car...ended up going with my long love/desire to own a Speed Yellow Porsche one day. I feel it is just a true sports car color combo so yellow/black it was! Wheels are 19" Carrera Sport wheels which were a dealer installed item. Tried to get them to remove them from the deal so I could install aftermarked ones of my choosing (Champion's maybe) but dealer insisted saying that the sale value of them was worth it and they made the car (sales manager is an old friend and knows I often sell my original wheels online after I replace them with aftermarket ones of my choosing LOL) and so far nothing but compliments...wife says definately keep em as my best bud today when he saw the car for the 1st time.

Yeah I am trying NOT to get a ticket or arrested...for some reason it seems alot more agile and quicker than my old 05 Carrera base. Both were sticks so don't know if its the weight/power/torque or the smaller car/feeling. But it seems so agile. Can't wait for some good weather and a day off to go explore the twisties on the shenadoah valley or around the eastern shore or VA beach!

Next thing is to upgrade the exhaust...still looking at options as I didn't get the PSE with the car but it does have the Sport Chrono w/out PCM, Limited Slip Diff, and sport seat! I wonder how it would do at autocross, track?

 

I just followed break in guide lines given in owners manual. As I mentioned I changed oil/filter early, once around 1000 miles (this the 02 Boxster) then again with odo at 5000 miles then every 5000 miles afterwards. I'm pretty careful and have even had oil changed when I've been on an extended road trip with car and have reached 5000 miles on the trip.

With Cayman S I changed oil at 750 miles, again at 1350, cause filter housing oil at 750 mile oil change just loaded with fine metal particles. Oil filter housing oil at 1350 mile oil change had just a hint, not even enough for me to try to photograph, of metal particles in oil.

Then had oil changed -- at dealer this time -- at around 2000 miles -- just prior to heading out in car for a week long road trip. (Unfortunately, trip plans blown all to H*ll before I even got very far from work when Cayman hit by another car and Cayman S deemed a total loss by other driver's insurance company).

I do not like to when break in period "over" to start hammering engine on dirty oil, so I change oil/filter at end of break in period. Even then though I don't go from restraining myself to keeping engine rpms under 4000 to banging engine off of rev limiter. I up the rpm limit over the next 1000 miles or so until I'm revving engine to near red line.

(Field and lab testing by car makers have found engines continue to break in long after the initial break in period. In some cases engine break in can extend out for 10,000 or more miles as evidenced by improving fuel economy as engine gradulally loosens up. When fuel economy stabilizes this signals engine has reached end of break in.)

Additionally I give engine a few moments of idling before moving off from a dead cold start. The colder the temperature the more idle time. Generally I use the shut off of the secondary air injection pump as a signal it is "ok" to move off.

My car's a stick. If I owned a Tip I might not wait quite as long. Still, the wait's just a few seconds. Gives me time to fasten seat belt, take inventory I haven't left something behind, turn on radio to AM station to check traffic conditions (I commute in car as well as use it for pleasure), and just give car a sort of preflight check out before heading off.

Once moving I keep rpms below 4000 (and try to stay below 3500) until engine fully up to temperature. This can take longer than one thinks.

Before I shut off engine I either drive sedately a few minutes to give engine time to shed heat load it might have accumulated from high speed driving such as freeway driving, or if for instance I pull off freeway to gas station located right near exit I'll let engine idle a minute or so before shutting engine off.

I check oil level every chance I get. In AM before heading out, after every fill up and before engine start if engine fully warmed up.

Pretty much I follow same procedures I have used for all my motor vehicles.

These cars are very fine cars. I love to drive mine and yet want to do my best to keep car in good condition as long as I can so I give it a bit better care. Nothing out of the ordinary. I don't wrap car in plastic at night and don't make passengers remove their shoes before getting in car, but I give engine and car good maintenance.

Car has been driven in all kinds of weather from blazing heat (116F) of southwest desert in mid July to freezing cold in upper Michigan in winter.

I've driven in bright clear sun, pouring rain, high winds with and without dust, snow storms (though unless you have snow tires fitted I'd advise you give this experience a miss).

I've driven car in stop/go traffic in bay area and other major metro areas, and on deserted highways of the interior of the southwest. From as far north as Wisconsin and Michigan, to San Antonio TX. From Arkansas to CA. In short I've covered considerable ground between Canada and Mexico borders and west of Mississippi River.

I drive my 02 Boxster, a lot.

Sincerely,

Macster.

 

Thanks for the write up. So far have 100+ miles on it in two days! Love droping the top and cruising in the sun and fress air!

 

I bought an '08 Speed Yellow base over 1 year ago and still drool over it. The car gets tons of compliments. Your car is nicely specced. Are you interested in trading rear diffs? :-) Good luck with it and enjoy!

 

Thanks but I'll keep my current rear diff!

 

The car is nice but there are two things wrong with it.

1) The top is up
2) It's in the garage

Solve both problems by going for a nice long summer drive on some twisty back roads. Then you will know your car is perfect!

Seriously, that's a sweet looking ride and the wheels are very very nice. Enjoy it. Best of luck.

 

I stand corrected on at least one thing. the top is now down. But it is still in the garage! Have to pickup the kids today and 2 kids don't fit in the front passenger seat and I ain't gonna be the one left standing on the curb nor can I leave one of them...wife would kill me! But am enjoying the ride. Very Sweet.

 

i love those sport wheels - can't believe that the car was cheaper than the RS 60. anyway - enjoy

 

RS 60 was $78k and although it was an 2008; with the current deals on 2009 financing and lease terms it ended up being cheaper getting the 2009 Boxster at approx 8% off the sticker (car optioned out to about $62-63k) and 1.9% financing for 36-60 months. Rate was much higher on the 2008 RS60 although amt discounted off was higher it ended up being more costly monthly and when you looked at overall amt financed.

But they had an RS 60 and a Sport Design 2 Boxster that were VERY tempting and optioned out the azz. But I passed. White was too difficult to keep clean although a beauty it was a show car to be seen not drivin in all white with light grey interior and white Carrera sport wheels too. I'd spend more time cleaning it than driving it to keep it the way it deserved to be presented. The RS 60 was GT Silver and black and scrumptious...but my heart has always been for a Speed Yellow Porsche...it just says this IS a sports car when done correctly!