Cb4d

I've had my eye set on a Boxster (used) for years now and I'm finally in a position to pick one up. I'm curious what the consensus is on using the Boxster as a daily driver, particularly in a traffic-clogged city like Los Angeles. Ideally I'd love to get a 987.2 with low-ish mileage and a cheap commuter but it'll be a year or two before I can swing having tow cars. So for at least the first year or so, the Boxster would be my DD.

I worry about putting unnecessary wear and tear on the car and increasing maintenance costs. (Granted my commute is only 20 miles round trip.) For those of you who daily your Boxster, what's your experience like?

I'm new to the Porsche world and crazy excited to finally own one. I just want to do it right.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

Disaster

Great DD, but it might leave you stranded without a backup. Uber?

zedcat

Which trans-6MT or PDK? I drive my 987.2 (Cayman R) 6MT in Houston traffic occasionally and would not want to do it every day. PDK would be different.

Cb4d

Likely a manual. I'm not opposed to the PDK, as certainly it would be better in LA traffic.

It would be a base Boxster, not an S.

Macster

If you didn't drive the car who would you be saving the miles for?

My (base) 2002 Boxster is almost my DD. I use my 996 Turbo 2 days a week to commute the 60 miles to work and back again M-F.

When I can -- via alternate routes coupled with some flexibility in when I have to be at the office -- I try to avoid serious stop and go driving but there is some of that in my commute.

Your biggest problem is the low miles to/from work. The car is really helped by a longer commute which has the engine fully up to temperature and ideally some highway miles to help burn away engine deposits. (My advice: Run Chevron gasoline, premium grade of course.)

My base is a sweet city car. (Ain't too shabby out on the open road, either.)


The car is very nimble. It is quick. The 5-speed shifts like hot knife through soft butter.

Tire and brake life is good. Rear tires last 20K or more miles, fronts double that. Brakes I can't recall the mileage now because it is so long between brake jobs. (Heck, I got 120K miles out of my Turbo's front brakes and the rears have plenty of life left yet.)

The Boxster (and Turbo) gets 5K mile oil/filter services and the rest of the scheduled services on time or miles.

Frankly if one has to drive to/from work better to do it in a Porsche than just about any other car I can think of and a Boxster is as good as any other Porsche for work commuting and better than most.

Cb4d

Good advice all around. I agree, I'm buying the car to drive it. I'm not worried about resale value or mileage, more so any maintenance concerns with a traffic-heavy daily commute.

There are stretches of my commute where I can let her loose. Not highway speeds but nice canyon roads. Much of the stop-and-go I can't really avoid, but there's always the weekend to exercise the engine.

Thanks for the input!

Disaster

Keep in mind, an old car is more likely to leave you stranded, and an old German car more likely than a similar aged Japanese car. There are any number of things that can happen to Boxsters, like broken ignition switches, failed water pumps, broken convertible top pivots, that can leave you in a no ride situation. It is a great car and relatively reliable compared to other "exotics" but I wouldn't want to depend on it as my only ride.

Macster

Both my Porsches have been pretty reliable.

Water pump, fuel pump can fail on any car, German and Japan cars included.

I recall some years ago -- quite a few years ago -- my brother-in-law had a new Toyota Corolla SR-5 (?) and it stranded him along with my then wife and my sister at Santa Cruz, CA. Long story short the car had a fuse for the starter circuit and one for the engine run circuit and the fuse for the engine run circuit had failed. The engine would crank and appear to start but then as soon as one released the key the engine would die.

The Boxster top can be manually raised if the top raise mechanism fails. The steps are in the owner manual.

While I consider 2 cars an almost must have I don't feel particularly at risk of being stranded with a Porsche vs. any other car.

For any car my recommendation is to belong to a good auto club and have its 800 number on speed dial. The few times I have had to have either car towed auto club membership proved invaluable.

Disaster

All good points.

I'm just saying statistically, you are more likely to have an issue with a Boxster than a Prius and ANY older car...especially one that is more than a decade old, is going to greatly increase your chance of breakdowns.

When I drove a 15 year old Fiat 124 spider I learned to carry an emergency toolbox, all the basic wrenches, screw drivers, plus duct tape, electrical tape, fuses, etc. Nothing quite as entertaining as adjusting your points by the side of the road...in the rain. Added a raincoat to kit. :-)

Haven't done that in years with a myriad of cars, including the 20 year old Miata which never let me down. After a couple incidents with the Boxster, I'm putting together a new emergency toolbox to keep in the trunk (wrenches, torx, allen, screw drivers, pliers, trim tool, tape, gloves, flashlight...etc.)

P.S. My other DD is a Chevy Volt which I haven't had to add gas to in 2 months and 5000 miles of driving...but given the choice I way prefer the morning commute in the Boxster.

zedcat

Just 2c worth- Although this is the 986 forum, the OP is planning to get a 987.2 (09-12). I have a 986 and a 987.2. I've had a number of items fail on the 986 but never left stranded. The 987.2 has been very reliable including a lot of track (HPDE) use. I would have no concern about a 987.2 as a daily driver. For any out of warranty used Porsche, I'd keep the maintenance up to date, have a fund set aside (few thousand) for unplanned repairs, and get to know a good indy mechanic.

Cb4d

Exactly my thoughts. I'm looking at a 2012 right now with about 32k miles with a little warranty left. I'm thinking being fastidious with maintenance and opening her up when I can on highways and I should be good.

Shred

If you have to drive through LA traffic in the morning every day for 90mins, you might start to hate it if you are used to an AUTO. I mean by 405, 101 stop and start constant traffic with idiots cutting in and out.

I've driven a manual my whole life in London traffic, to be honest once you are used to it, it never bothers you. You learn to control your distance and speed to stay in 1st or 2nd without needing to stop much.

* I must add, driving in LA traffic is pretty horrible but a Boxster really makes the experience much better.

n559br

I drove my 986 with 5MT in San Francisco traffic for 3 months and pretty much needed another set thigh muscles. Stop and go traffic is okay on the car if you're not a clutch killer. It's your leg that will kill you . And forget trying to drink a cup of coffee on the commute.