Dan Rufer

Gang:


My wife tried driving my 911 stick but the results were not as desired. It seems that Tiptronic driving would suit her better. She would also like a soft top. While I know the problem areas of 911s, I don't know them for Boxsters. Are there a few things to be very cautious to identify? Anything associated with particular years? 100% I'll do a PPI. But it sure would be nice to eliminate a few cars before the expense of a PPI. Thanks for any comments. Dan

Vampyre

as with most cars, the newer the better, what price range you looking at?

Jack Esposito

Just bought a 2003 Boxster S with a stick for my wife so she wouldn't have to drive my 993 C4S that is set up for racing. Asked others within the Porsche club what to look for in a Boxster and they recommended the 2003 or newer because it had the glass back window instead of the plastic. They also said to get the PSM and the litronic hedlights for safer everyday driving. My wife likes the shifting of the Boxster over my 911, so you may want to have your wife try a Boxster stick. The 2003 also has new front and rear bumper covers, 8 more hp and a glove box.

Jack

Edgy01

From the subject line I was expecting a joke...

blinkwatt

http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/mi...oxsterwebpages

J-RAD

As stated, much more info is needed to offer an opinion. What is your price range? What years are you looking at? Etc. The previous link is a good overall resource.

Aside from the rear main seal (RMS), which is really an intermediate shaft issue, there aren't a lot of major areas for concern with the 986, IMO.

Later models (987) generally should still be covered under Porsche factory warranty.

As you indicated though, make sure you get a PPI done by someone that knows Boxsters...not just Porsches.

Tour18

Absolutely! The best thing I ever did was buy my wife a Boxster S. Instant car fan...

Now, she sometimes drives the Z06, and sometimes the 993TT, and sometimes the FX4. Now, she doesn't look like she stepped in a cow pie when I rhetorically ask if I should dump the Z06 and get a 997 Turbo or wait a year or so and get a 997 GT3RS when the prices stabilize...

Aside from the fact the Boxster is an absolute jewel...

monela

Well, the only major problems, depending on the particular year of boxster is oil leaks. When you buy one (or if you already bought one), have a mecahnic check the car out for you to make sure it is in good shape. I just bought one (used 1997 with only 57K mi), and got a check of it, and it turned out fine. Not a single oil leak or anything. But they can be notorious for leaks. This is definitely a chic car! TINA

perfectlap

I think you and her are giving up to soon. Learning to drive a 6 speed takes practice. She's not going to figure it out right away. I learned to do it in 10 minutes but didn't learn to do it well for weeks.
THat's the same mistake most women I know make. If they don't succeed at the stick shift right away they give up on it altogether. It's not like learning to heel and toe or left foot braking. Anyone with par coordination can do it well.

but me thinks you are just using this as an excuse to get a world class sports car in you garage...

PorscheMD

Some common problems with the Boxsters are: Ignition switch failure, oil separater, RMS seal, spark plug tubes leaking, airmass sensor, excessive rear tire wear, occassional O2 sensor. In the past I would tell people NOT to buy an extended warranty on those cars but most of what I mentioned IS covered under those extended warranties. Other than those items it is general maintenance to keep up with. I agree to buy the newest possible although I don't see any problem with 2000 and up. They seem to be a little tighter with less rattles and creaks. Hope this helps

mborkow

i had previously let my girlfriend try driving my 993...she never even got the car out of the parking lot (it was ugly). this past weekend she took a 2 hour driving lesson with a manual transmission (from a pro instructor in his car) and it helped a lot. she is still learning to drive a manual (i figure you have to have your own manual and drive it pretty frequently for a year before you really get comfortable), but she was confident enough after the lesson to take the car up to 99 mph on the highway during the ride home.

perfectlap

^ yes, rent a manual shift compact car for a weekend and the "ah-ha" momment will come much sooner...not to mention grinding someone else's gears is worth the rental..

mborkow

i did try to find a stick rental, but it is really hard to find stick shifts for rent! none of the major rental companies seem to rent them. i even tried some specialized rental companies, but really didn't have any luck. fortunately my GF found an ad on craigslist for manual driving lessons. it wasn't cheap...but neither is replacing your tranny. i also think it is better to have someone else teach your GF/wife how to drive.