Slimwear

I’ve been shopping for a new toy for a few months and after looking at a lot of cars I bought a 2003 Boxster S about 2 weeks ago. I couldn’t happier with the purchase and I thought I’d offer up some of my thoughts at this early stage of ownership and ask a few questions along the way.

My father owns a 1998 Boxster and although I’ve only driven it a few times I knew a little of what to expect. My only real requirements were that the car had a manual transmission (which my dad’s does not) and, as the process went on, I decided that I wanted an “S” (mainly for the engine but I do like the look of the interior trim and clear indicator lenses). The car I bought did have a few extras that I valued like the Bose stereo with changer and 18” Carrera wheels which I really fell in love with. The car is silver with grey interior.

So my early driving impressions are…WOW! One of the great things about driving this car is that my daily driver is a Honda Element. I love the Honda (maybe the most useful car I’ve owned) but not for its cornering ability so driving the Boxster off the lot and onto the on-ramp to 75 in Atlanta was quite a refreshing change. First question, does the clutch make a small electronic ‘beep’ sound when depressed or is that just a squeak on my car (I suspect a squeak)?

The only issue that I know of at this point is the fuse box door down by my left foot on the drivers side keeps falling off. It appears that all of the clips are intact so it must be something on the receiving end. The car has a couple of chips in the clear coat on the hood (any easy fixes?) but overall it’s in good shape. I have all the service records and maintenance was performed at the local Porsche dealer. The tires have about 60% of life left in them I am wondering if anyone has some tire recommendations. A good mix of tread life and grip would be sufficient. I don’t see me tracking this car anytime, most of that urge was satisfied in my motorcycle club days. Is there a acceptable oil comsumption rate for this engine (3.2 liter)? I don’t suspect any consumption (time will tell) but I know this is a trait of some of the other boxer engines.

Thanks for your help and thanks to everyone in advance for the questions that I assume I’ll have in the future!


Regards,

Emery

smlporsche

I have an '03 S as well. Welcome to the addiction.

I don't recall hearing any "beep" when i depress the clutch pedal...

Do a search for chip repair. There are a couple out there but I don't have any experience with them. It seems that Porsches are prone to getting bumper/hood chips.

Tires will depend on your budget etc. Mine came with Bridgestone S02-A's and were very good. I'm now running Michelin PS-2's and thery are also good. Porsche reccomends getting ONLY tires that are approved by them. They carry an additional P0, P1, P2 etc rating

My S burns about 1/2 quart in 5000 miles but I hear that it is "normal" to burn quite a bit more according to the owners manual.
If you don't have an owners manual I have an extra one.

dennisafrompa

I never used a drop of oil between 10K oil changes...nor at track events.

I used Michelin PS2s and loved them..quite, good wear and grippy.

Marc Gelefsky

My ex-01 Boxster S never used oil, My clutch used to squeak for sure.

The Bridgestone RE 050A Pole Positions were pretty good tires, I likes them way better than the Conti's on my 996.

Enjoy and welcome to Rennlist!

Ray H

For paint chip repair check out: http://drcolorchip.com/

THXBABE

For the cover of the fuse box, heat the tongues on the cover and bend them a little bit. They will fit tighter. You can use really hot water or a blow dryer to heat them.

I have Kumho Exsta MX's on my 02S. I have put 10K on them and they are still in good shape after 6 auto-x events and a DE.