Marine Blue

I'm going through the options for the Spdyer and had a question about staying warm on cold days and heated seats. I've never owned a convertible but I do remember being the passenger in a convertible on a cold day and getting cold rather quickly.

For those of you that drive your Boxsters in colder climates, can anyone comment if the car stays warm enough inside when the top is down with the heat cranked up?

I really like the Sport Bucket Seats and want to stick with them but I'm wondering if the heated sports seats will be a plus when I'm out on a 40 degree day with the top down.

Definitely need some help making a decision on this one.

batty

Owning a Boxster in Seattle, I consider heated seats absolutely mandatory and non-negotiable. It is the only way to enjoy top down motoring, year round. Trust me, you will like quickly find it indispensable and your female friends will love it!

Macster

You'd better get the heated seats.

Early on I drove my Boxster with the top down on pretty cold days and the heater can put out a lot of heat but nothing can take place of sitting on something warm.

My Boxster doesn't have heated seats and I no longer drive with the top down warm or cold but were I to want to resume this cold weather top down activity I'd spec a car with heated seats.

Sincerely,

Macster.

racer

My boxster did NOT have heated seats. I really grew to not like that, when it was say 50 degrees or even a bit cooler. There was a good supply of heat from the HVAC, but having your bum warmed really makes it much nicer. I really want to try an example of Mercedes' airscarf.

And well, imho, if you are planning to use a spyder in the cold weather, you would be better protected by a regular 987S top/window than the "flap" the put on the spyder.

jfoxny

I live in upstate New York and I find that with the top down, windows up and the heat on I can manage comfortably in temps down to about 55-60F on highway drives; anything lower is pushing it. It gets really cold really quick especially at night.

The biggest problem is that your neck will eventually stiffen up especially on long trips as most, if not all, of the heat is lost by the time it would have reached your neck. So, wear a scarf or something that keeps your neck warm if you're really determined.

The heated seats, by the way, are amazing. They heat up super fast and get nice and toasty and definitely help keep you warm when the top is down.

Hope that helps,
Jason

PS - The BMW Z4 has a neck heater in the seat that blows warm air on your neck. I think it's a great invention, but, my guess is you'll probably never see one in a Porsche.

Marine Blue

I should mention that this will be a fun weekend and evening car. I won't be taking it to work or on any trips unless it's driving related!

Seems unanimous so far that the heated seats are a huge plus. I feel like I'm spoiling what the car is all about by ordering sports seats and adding a bunch of weight.

racer

--You are! May as well add back AC too

n2cars

Here's my 2 cents worth. The Sport Bucket Seats area a MUST in this car. I wouldn't want the car without them. The seats make the car. Since this is your first convertible you might be surprised how friggen cold it can get with the top down. Seat warmer and heater on just isn't going to cut it when the temp drops into the low 50s or high 40s especially at night and at highway speeds. The back of your neck will be frozen before your butt is. Now if you are running a short trip to pick up milk and bread then top down wouldn't be a problem. The Boxster Spyder isn't my only sports car so I can put up with some the short comings. But I would not trade the Bucket Seats for a seat warmer.

Macster

The problem is the Spyder's top fiddly to lower and raise. With heated seats you can put this off longer and continue to drive down to a lower temperature.

I agree your head and neck will get cold. I wore a hat and didn't require a scarf but I could pull over and have the top in seconds if it got too cold.

Sincerely,

Macster.

s2ktaxi

I've had my S2000 for over 10 years and driven through dry winter days in temps down to the mid 20s with no heated seats. The key thing is to dress accordingly - keep an extra muffler (the kind that goes around your neck) in the car. To me, if I start going for the creature comforts, why not just get a Boxster S instead of the Spyder?

Marine Blue

I have to agree that the sport buckets seats are a huge plus and the fact that they are included in the package makes it even better. When I test drove the car I wasn't expecting them to be comfortable and more importantly I wasn't expecting them to be easy to get in and out of. Neither were a problem and in fact they're one of the most comfortable seats I've sat in. Kind of nice not having to mess with the controls and being comfortable. At 5'8" I'm starting to appreciate being short. It lets me fit comfortably into all sorts of cool cars!

At this point I'm thinking I would prefer to drive less in the cold weather than spoil the car with more weight.

I will admit that the A/C and radio will be but I'll probably wait a year or two and pick up a Lithium Battery to make up for it.

n2cars

The seats actually get better after a couple hundred miles. Here's what's cool about the top. It's the fact that it is a two piece top. I leave the back weather protector off at all times (except when I wash the car). With the back piece off and the top piece on you still get the feeling that you are driving a convertible. Yet you are protected from the weather elements. Here's what happened to me on Sunday. I leave Denver, Colorado and head to Aspen. Temp in Denver is 88 and the top is down. A couple hours later I'm high in the mountains and losing the sun. Temp drops into high 40s. I pull over and put the top up and leave the back off. Crank the heater on to 80 and off I go. Toasty inside the car... perfect. So don't worry about driving the Boxster Spyder in cold weather. Put the top up , leave the back off, and turn the heater on. You'll love it.

MikeBat

Regarding seat heaters.....

I really think I must be anatomiclly different then all of you. If there is one place on my body that never needs to be heated, it is my rear end.

I have often driven the car in 50 degrees F and a wool cap and scarf are nice, as well as a jacket with warm sleeves (especially the left arm, if you are the driver). Properly dressed, with the heat blasting, it is positively toasty in the car.

Then again, it could be that I am from the north and my blood is thicker....

But seat heaters... never turned them on in any of my cars unless they were parked all night at under -4 degrees F, and I wanted to avoid freezing my butt off when heating them up before the drive to work. After 5 minutes I shut them off completely.

No HTwo O

I've driven thousands of miles, top down, in cold weather. My threshold is about 40 degrees. The heater is excellent, heated seats, and windstop all work together. About the only thing that gets a little cold is the back on my head and neck. For that, I wear a cool knit cap.

Dino944

Try to test drive a Boxster in the late fall when the weather starts getting colder (unless of course you are planning to spec a car sooner).

Another question to consider in the north east is how close you live to the water or tall bridges. I find that it can get cold and windy very fast with a breeze coming in from the water or when going over tall bridges. The MRS. and I were driving over some bridges with the top down in Connecticut and it felt significanly colder. I noticed that according to the outside temperature monitor that the temp had dropped by a little more than 10 degrees on the bridges. Just some more food for thought.