Thinking about a Boxster. . . Advice?
07-09-2006, 12:16 PM
#16
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Originally Posted by 02 Carrera
Here is my .02 from someone who does not have a Boxster. For that amount of money, you cound get a nice 964 instead. I am not a fan of the early Boxsters from my experiences with them. A 964 is a more complete car and will hold its value better.
A couple of years ago, I had a boss with a 98' Boxster. It spent a lot of time in the shop for repairs. Theses weren't engine repairs, but electrical repairs. The power windows stopped working. The the power top/boot broke...twice. Be ready to replace the top about every 3 years. The rear windows clouds and in unuseable to see out of in about 3 years. To replace the window, you have to replace the top. These cars definitely lack something in terms fo power. I was always disappointed with it everytime I rode in it. I never liked how the engine vibration and noise was always beeting on you whether the top was up or down. No this is not just the sound of an exhaust, but hearing and feeling valves, timing chains and accessory belts all the time. I got to drive the car solo one day and truely learned there isn't any real power. If you came out of a 944S2 or 944 Turbo, will be shocked at how slow these early Boxsters are.
Before buying my Carrera, I decided to look into a MY03 Boxster S. In 2003, Boxsters got more power, some restyling and a glass rear window. I test drove one and the first thing that got to me was the top rattling where it met the windshield. My previous boss' Boxster did the same thing. It does have more power that makes it adequate, but it just didn't feel right using it. I noticed lots of initial understeer. Turn-in was poor with a lot of push. Punch the gas in a turn and the rear end would rotate, just not smoothly. I knew very quickly I was not going to buy a Boxster. It doesn't drive like a 944 or a 911. I like the feel of a 911, so for the price range you are looking at a 964 would be a much more fulfilling ride.
This does not mean that there is not a Boxster that I would like. If you want to step to a new one, I am all for it. I knwo your concerns for resale, but they are so improved. I recently had an 06' Boxster with a 5-sp manual as a service loaner. I am shocked at how well these cars have been improved.
First, the engine is completely isolated. You can't feel or hear the engine at all. In fact, when idling you can only hear the engine fan on the right side when it is running. You have to look at the tach to tell the engine is running. Porsche did some impressive magic with the exhaust. It now sounds like an aftermarket sports exhaust. It is very rich and powerful in tone. It really brings experience to driving the car.
The 2.7l is far improved too. It no longer feels like a slug oof the line. Low end torque is good enough to chirp the tires from a stop and there is enough left on top to scratch them again shifting to 2nd. It isn't a torquey as the early S, but it isn't far off.
The new top seals wonderfully. It is a one-latch to unlock then full power back. It is amazing how tightly it seals again the windshield header without being latch. There is more room under the top. You don't feel claustophobic anymore. There is more leg room. In the early Boxsters, I have to set the seat all the way back; not in the new one. I can now recline the seat and have enough legroom.
Finally, the handling has improved. The is more front bite and far less understeer. The back end slides nicely like a RWD should. The new Boxster feels whole or complete, whereas the olders ones feel half complete. It is only going to get better next year with a 5hp increase in the base Boxster and a 15hp increase in the S. Knowing this, you should be able to get a good discount on the current ones.
A couple of years ago, I had a boss with a 98' Boxster. It spent a lot of time in the shop for repairs. Theses weren't engine repairs, but electrical repairs. The power windows stopped working. The the power top/boot broke...twice. Be ready to replace the top about every 3 years. The rear windows clouds and in unuseable to see out of in about 3 years. To replace the window, you have to replace the top. These cars definitely lack something in terms fo power. I was always disappointed with it everytime I rode in it. I never liked how the engine vibration and noise was always beeting on you whether the top was up or down. No this is not just the sound of an exhaust, but hearing and feeling valves, timing chains and accessory belts all the time. I got to drive the car solo one day and truely learned there isn't any real power. If you came out of a 944S2 or 944 Turbo, will be shocked at how slow these early Boxsters are.
Before buying my Carrera, I decided to look into a MY03 Boxster S. In 2003, Boxsters got more power, some restyling and a glass rear window. I test drove one and the first thing that got to me was the top rattling where it met the windshield. My previous boss' Boxster did the same thing. It does have more power that makes it adequate, but it just didn't feel right using it. I noticed lots of initial understeer. Turn-in was poor with a lot of push. Punch the gas in a turn and the rear end would rotate, just not smoothly. I knew very quickly I was not going to buy a Boxster. It doesn't drive like a 944 or a 911. I like the feel of a 911, so for the price range you are looking at a 964 would be a much more fulfilling ride.
This does not mean that there is not a Boxster that I would like. If you want to step to a new one, I am all for it. I knwo your concerns for resale, but they are so improved. I recently had an 06' Boxster with a 5-sp manual as a service loaner. I am shocked at how well these cars have been improved.
First, the engine is completely isolated. You can't feel or hear the engine at all. In fact, when idling you can only hear the engine fan on the right side when it is running. You have to look at the tach to tell the engine is running. Porsche did some impressive magic with the exhaust. It now sounds like an aftermarket sports exhaust. It is very rich and powerful in tone. It really brings experience to driving the car.
The 2.7l is far improved too. It no longer feels like a slug oof the line. Low end torque is good enough to chirp the tires from a stop and there is enough left on top to scratch them again shifting to 2nd. It isn't a torquey as the early S, but it isn't far off.
The new top seals wonderfully. It is a one-latch to unlock then full power back. It is amazing how tightly it seals again the windshield header without being latch. There is more room under the top. You don't feel claustophobic anymore. There is more leg room. In the early Boxsters, I have to set the seat all the way back; not in the new one. I can now recline the seat and have enough legroom.
Finally, the handling has improved. The is more front bite and far less understeer. The back end slides nicely like a RWD should. The new Boxster feels whole or complete, whereas the olders ones feel half complete. It is only going to get better next year with a 5hp increase in the base Boxster and a 15hp increase in the S. Knowing this, you should be able to get a good discount on the current ones.
I am a hard core 911 lover but I must tell you I find my Boxster S to be HUGE fun!! I admit if I had to have only one Porsche it would be a 911 but the Boxster S is just so much fun to "flog" around
07-09-2006, 04:18 PM
#17
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Front engine, mid engine, and rear engine are all going to drive completely differently. FWIW, I've never been in a Boxster that had all these top squeaks. The rear plastic window will oxidize like any vinyl window on any convertible if you don't take care of it. Regular use of something like Plexus will keep it clear as new for a long time, but the window will still not last forever. Aftermarket places can replace just the rear window without the entire top, and there are aftermarket companies that sell replacement tops with glass windows as well. While I love the exterior looks of a lot of the older Porsches, the interiors are too prehistoric for me. A lot of the front end push is instantly gone once you run non-stock front tire pressures which are absurdly too low. Go drive a few Boxsters to decide for yourself if they are for you. I think the majority of owners will say they are a huge amount of fun in a relatively reliable modern Porsche.
10-01-2006, 03:16 PM
#18
Instructor
My price point is around $25,000. I just sold my 98 M3/4. I am considering either a 964 or 2000-2001 Boxster S. The car will be driven daily, although I have a Volvo Cross Country to drive when the weather is bad.
I would like to have the 4 seats b/c I have 2 little kids. I drove a 1988 911 Targa and was frankly underwhelmed. The car seemed very slow in comparison to my M3. I have driven the Boxster S and its power was more in line with my M3. There aren't any 964's around Kansas City that I have found to drive, so I don't know for sure if it has the oomph I am looking for. I am also fearful of huge repair bills and maintenance costs from a 964.
Suggestions on which car to get? Does the 964 feel faster than the 964?
I would like to have the 4 seats b/c I have 2 little kids. I drove a 1988 911 Targa and was frankly underwhelmed. The car seemed very slow in comparison to my M3. I have driven the Boxster S and its power was more in line with my M3. There aren't any 964's around Kansas City that I have found to drive, so I don't know for sure if it has the oomph I am looking for. I am also fearful of huge repair bills and maintenance costs from a 964.
Suggestions on which car to get? Does the 964 feel faster than the 964?
10-03-2006, 07:20 PM
#21
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Originally Posted by dmw
Oops. Was running out the door. Is the 964 faster than the Boxster S?
The 2000 Boxster S is quoted at 0-60 in 5.8 seconds on Edmunds. Motor Trend quoted 0-62 (?) as 5.9 seconds with a top speed of 161.
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...che_boxster_s/
The performance numbers aren't tremendously far apart. It would really come down to which one feels faster to you.
10-04-2006, 07:32 PM
#22
Really I'm mystified by people who say a car isn't fast and quote 0-60 numbers.
First of all its a sports car not a 1/4 mile drag racer.
The wheel was meant to be turned left and right. Straight line top speed is
merely one aspect of many. Actually I hardly think of this factor at all. When I had a 1.8 Miata with lots of tweaks I pulled away from the rest of the traffic at a red light in the same sports car way as I do now in my BoxsterS. Its so subjective whe we are talking about the difference between 5 and 6 second cars.
Take even a 2.5 Boxster onto the track/autox and you'll find that you have
more than enough power to get yourself into trouble. The Boxsters all of them
2.5 - 3.4, are all "underpowered" like all the non-gt2/gt3/Turbo Porsches are underpowered. That's just the way Porsche do it. BMW, MERC, Chevy have no qualms dropping a monster V10 into a car but They don't do it that way at Porsche. So this notion that the Boxster is the only "under powered" car in the line up is weird.
Each Boxster 2.5-3.4 has a different 'feel' and most drivers will never fully maximize the capabilities of any. ALL ARE FAST. I've driven just about every naturally aspirated Porsche but the GT3 and CGT and none have really blown me away the way I did when I sat in highly tweaked C5.
My advice if you can get your hands on a 2000-2002 BoxsterS go for it. If you can't find a good one any 2000 or newer 2.7 Boxster is a good option. I'd wait until the BoxsterS prices came down a little more. Lots of lease returns are coming back(too many for all the dealers to absorb) and the slumping 987 Boxster sales (pricing me thinks) are depressing the Boxster market in general. This is a great time to be a Boxster buyer.
Also to consider is that the Valmet, Finland 986 Boxsters seem to be reporting fewer problems than the German builds. Pre 2000 Boxsters have had significantly more issues than post 2000 Boxsters which makes hesitant to buy ANYTHING pre-2000 from Porsche at these hourly labor and parts rates. I was just quoted $3K for a 3 year extended warranty with warrantydirect.com. I'm seriously considering it if I decide to keep this car.
First of all its a sports car not a 1/4 mile drag racer.
The wheel was meant to be turned left and right. Straight line top speed is
merely one aspect of many. Actually I hardly think of this factor at all. When I had a 1.8 Miata with lots of tweaks I pulled away from the rest of the traffic at a red light in the same sports car way as I do now in my BoxsterS. Its so subjective whe we are talking about the difference between 5 and 6 second cars.
Take even a 2.5 Boxster onto the track/autox and you'll find that you have
more than enough power to get yourself into trouble. The Boxsters all of them
2.5 - 3.4, are all "underpowered" like all the non-gt2/gt3/Turbo Porsches are underpowered. That's just the way Porsche do it. BMW, MERC, Chevy have no qualms dropping a monster V10 into a car but They don't do it that way at Porsche. So this notion that the Boxster is the only "under powered" car in the line up is weird.
Each Boxster 2.5-3.4 has a different 'feel' and most drivers will never fully maximize the capabilities of any. ALL ARE FAST. I've driven just about every naturally aspirated Porsche but the GT3 and CGT and none have really blown me away the way I did when I sat in highly tweaked C5.
My advice if you can get your hands on a 2000-2002 BoxsterS go for it. If you can't find a good one any 2000 or newer 2.7 Boxster is a good option. I'd wait until the BoxsterS prices came down a little more. Lots of lease returns are coming back(too many for all the dealers to absorb) and the slumping 987 Boxster sales (pricing me thinks) are depressing the Boxster market in general. This is a great time to be a Boxster buyer.
Also to consider is that the Valmet, Finland 986 Boxsters seem to be reporting fewer problems than the German builds. Pre 2000 Boxsters have had significantly more issues than post 2000 Boxsters which makes hesitant to buy ANYTHING pre-2000 from Porsche at these hourly labor and parts rates. I was just quoted $3K for a 3 year extended warranty with warrantydirect.com. I'm seriously considering it if I decide to keep this car.
Last edited by perfectlap; 10-04-2006 at 07:49 PM.
10-09-2006, 06:35 PM
#23
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My mechanic says yes to a boxster no toany 964,too costly to work on !
10-09-2006, 08:08 PM
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Originally Posted by Gregg Lewis
My mechanic says yes to a boxster no toany 964,too costly to work on !
10-11-2006, 02:24 AM
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Originally Posted by Gregg Lewis
My mechanic says yes to a boxster no toany 964,too costly to work on !
