Advice needed

[paulwright]

Hi Guys,

Im new to this forum and was looking for some advice. Ive decided I want a boxster but could do with a few questions answered before I go and buy one. Its going to be my everyday car so firstly is this a car I can live with daily?
What are the fuel and running costs like?
Can I actually fit golf clubs in the rear boot like ive been told?
Can it be driven in snow?

Oh and if it helps im looking at buying a second generation 2.7.

Thanx for any help, Paul

 

[Dylan1]

Yes yes and yes

You will be fine it's cheap ish to run

Go and buy one you won't regret it😃

Expect average mid 20,s fuel mixed and service approx £400 PA on average and less at Indy

I drive mine yr round bit have winter wheels and tyres but if you're careful you can manage without

 

[rob.kellock]

They are great cars.

Test drive the S too. I actually tend to get better mpg out of one as I end up revving the smaller engined one more. On a gentle run up to early 30s mpg is quite feasible. Dylan's average is more realistic though!

Running costs can easily be a lot more than above though. Depending on which brand are fitted (Bridgestone last longest, then Michelin then Pirelli) tyre costs can be an eye opener if you come from more mainstream cars. Likewise brakes.

If you buy from an official Porsche Centre, the car will come with 2 years warranty, if not there is a decision to be made by you as to how risk averse you are. The Porsche warranty costs around £1000 including the inspection fee for a year's cover. The gen 2 cars are generally very reliable but can be expensive to fix.

As a daily driver it will be absolutely fine. The only downside is that you will find yourself parking at the far end of car parks away from everyone else!

Good luck with the hunt.

 

[Boxstercol]

My 987 3.2S has never done under 31mpg in my ownership & that's over about 4k miles. I don't drive it particularly hard & my work journey is about 16 miles each way of a roads.

Tyres can be a big cost, especially if running on 19" n rated rubber. If driven hard they can have a bit of an appetite for tyres. Also if buying from an OPC or buying private with an OPC warranty make sure you budget for servicing & brakes etc. in order to maintain the warranty these items will need to be dealt with by an OPC & things like brakes can be massively expensive - if I'm right front discs & pads on a 3.2 987 is around £800 at an OPC.

However they are great cars, absolutely love mine!!

 

[Tracy_Wilkins]

Hi Paul
I am on my 4th Boxster in 10 years and they have all been my daily drive with no problems.
The tax & insurance is very reasonable and as mentioned you can average between 27 & 31mpg on most journeys.
I use my car for work, the shopping run and then enjoy attending events with the club so it is a win win.

I hope you will be joining the Boxster register soon []

Cheers
Tracy

 

[MrDemon]

it is not cheap to run at all.

My mini is cheap to run, full disks and pads fitted about £300, 40 mpg and £110 tax, £50 a tyre

depends what you call cheap, it's not Ferrari expensive, but it is a far cry from running our mini.

I just bought new tyres, it needs new pads, full service and warranty renew, cost well lets say not much change from 5k

 

[Dylan1]

I didn't say it was cheap I said cheap ish - big difference .

Of course it's not as cheap as my kids aygo to run they virtually pay you to drive that!!

But would I drive that every day?? - I would rather catch the bus 😃

No it's not mega cheap of course but for a car that has just had me smiling up the stelvio pass in the rain you won't get much more fun for your bucks
I have spent only about. 4 k in 2 years of motoring with it , including warranty renewal over 20 k miles -it has lost about 6 k in depreciation so I reckon that is cheap ish

Buy a Ferrari and use it as a daily driver and do 10 k - 15 k miles a year and in 5 yrs it will be worth nothing - they are SO mileage sensitive , and as for a DB9 you will be looking at double running costs at least !!

 

[MrDemon]

yes Porsche are the cheapest big names sports car to run, but still not cheap.

VS Fords and other run of the mill stuff.

Tyres , disks and pads is always a big one, what ever you own with a Porsche, also the major service is also big.

I am always very pleased when I get a bill on the Mini and it's still a hoot to drive being a Cooper S,

I am always crying when I ask for Porsche prices and tyres costs.

 

[Dylan1]

I had a Mini Cooper s JCWorks with over 210 bho and sports suspension.

Tyres were not £50 each ,nearer £150 but ,it was pretty quick but not porsche experience by a long way,and I sold it after 6 months as my back was in bits with the sh!t British roads.i also got no better MPG than I do from the porsche - mid twenty s so no fuel,saving either

3 years later same roads 987 boxster s with all the bits and I am still smiling ....I shan't be scratching the Ferrari itch but a 991 C2S will be winging its way to me once the poole build finished next spring ;-)

 

[paulwright]

Thanx for all the replies!! So it sounds as if a boxster is fine for an every day car and will also get me to the golf course,which is good. Not many comments on the performance in snow though? As we seem to have regular snowy winters now will a boxster not move in the white stuff or is it ok on the whole? I don't live on country roads so mostly main roads and im a pretty decent driver too.

 

[Boxstercol]

Not driven mine in the snow (yet... ) but heard they can be a bit of a handful if you haven't got winter tyres fitted.

 

[stone58]

My wife calls our "the sledge" !
Michelin Pilot tyres on 986

 

[Glyn]

The Snow? Well expect the very worst handling car in the world, They don't get going very easily, steering is atrocious and generally don't feel very safe at all, If you can get going and keep going then usually you will reach your destination, but stop anywhere with a slight incline and youll never get going again without a push.
I never had winter tyres so cant comment about what there like with them fitted.

I had two Boxsters over ten years and was my daily drive, no second car to rely on so whatever the weather I was out in it, fortunately we don't get too many bad winters that result in a great deal of snow so I only got stuck once, but even a light dusting of snow affected how the car drove and you always had some trepidation that you wouldn't complete the journey.

Running costs? - well unlike most owners I didn't bother with warranty, servicing - yes I had that done at indies simply to maintain the service history entries and the costs were no much more than an average car - £220 ish for a minor and £350 ish for a major - and its only every two years (But changed the oil/oil filter annually myself)
Brakes, pads/disks are quite cheap if you do the job yourself and buy online - all disks and pads about £450 - but rarely would you need to change all of them at the same time - Its usually the rear disks that seem to wear/corrode first on the inner face.
Tyres - cost is dependant on whether you go for "N" rated, premium brand and have a heavy right foot, exploit the handling of the car with P Zeros and the rear will be shot within 10000 miles - Mitchelin last a lot longer, Non "N" are a little bit cheaper - On the Boxster I really liked the GSD3s - not an expensive tyre but a fantastic performance tyre with a good life.

Lastly- the costs are dependant on how fussy you are with adding stuff to the car - most owners seem to chasing the next upgrade or really getting into the detailing world -Carnauba wax for instance - can be had for £25 a tub - or go for Zymol "Royale" and pay £7K a tub.
If you keep your car in standard trim, drive with empathy and occasional big licks, don't get sucked in to the upgrade paths and look after it the same way you would a mondeo then you will find the running costs surprisingly affordable.

 

[spyderman]

Stick winter tyres on it and it would be usable providing the snow isn't particularly deep. Summer tyres - forget it - leave it in the garage on a battery conditioner!

Chris.