Buying New - Advice?

[Guest]

Hello there.

I intend to buy a new Boxster 2.7 very shortly, and would appreciate advice on the following topics from those who have " been there - done that!" .


Firstly, being on a budget (aren' t we all!) I need to make sure my options list is sufficient, yet not too long. In trying to balance a good options package with affordability, I have come up with:
- Aircon, 17" wheels, wind deflector... all as ' probables' .
- And hard roof, metallic paint (blue), and PSM... as ' possibles' .
Leather would be nice - but it seems expensive, and I can' t really justify it. So we' ll probably just go for the standard ' Leatherette/Alcantara' interior.
Does all this sound sensible? Any superfluous or missing items?


Secondly, it looks like for Porsches, list price is what you pay. Is this true? Are there any discount available? How about haggling even for something as small as floor mats - Anyone been successful?


Finally - I realise that the Boxster has been out for a while now. And even though it has only just had a minor facelift, I' d hate not to have waited for the MY2004 before ordering, if there were significant changes over the MY2003 cars. Apart from that one ambiguous AutoExpress article, is there any ' word on the street' about a new Boxster model?


thank you very much for all help
Colin

 

[Guest]

You say " options list is sufficient" . Sufficient for what?

The aim is to specify the options that you think will enhance your enjoyment of the vehicle.
If you intend to keep it for a long time, then it' s purely down to what turns you on and what you can afford.

If you have one eye on trading it in in the future, then the most important decision is the colour. Safe colours (black, blue, grey, silver) are better, colour-to-sample in bright pink or dayglo orange, will knock thousands off the trade-in price. Make sure the interior goes with the exterior.
You need to think about what options you would pay extra for on a second hand car, bearing in mind that you won' t get back what they cost.
On most cars now aircon is essential, but on open top cars I am not so sure. A decent stereo with cd changer is pretty much essential.

You could look through the ads to see what options are mentioned as selling points, or how these affect the price, alternatively ask the Porsche garage. When I was deciding on the spec for my C4S I asked about how some of them would be viewed were I to trade it in.

I' m afraid I don' t have enough knowledge about Boxsters to say what options are cost effective.

Rgds, Stuart.

 

[mikecolquhoun]

Being a buyer of a used one I can tell you what was on my must have list:

Climate
Leather (def not full)
Stereo with multi (I let the multi slide)
17" Wheels
Unfaddy colour combo

To be honest that was about it. I am extremely happy with it let me tell you!

 

[Guest]

Hi Colin,

-Leather interior
(I would try and go to full leather - it' s beautiful in comparison)

Aircon/Climate - but people seem to ask for this even though its a drop top! Don' t know why?!

Stereo upgrade i.e. Bose (it' s VERY hard to better the sound aftermarket)

17" wheels as a minimum are a MUST.

Wind deflector is as it' s cheap and effective - but you CAN retro fit the Porsche one if you can' t justify right away.

----------------------------
I put the 17" wheels and wind deflector last as these could be added after you' ve had the car for a while (reducing the initial outlay).
RE: PSM - Some people I know swear it, although I don' t have this fitted to mine. Try with/without (it's switchable on/off, I believe)

Remember that if you choose full leather, sports seats are (or used to be) no extra cost. However, some people find them uncomfortable so try both sport and non-sport seats first over a good test-drive.

18" wheels would be nice if you can stretch to them! (the new Carrera alloys are gorgeous!). Also, Sat Nav is becoming popular, but it is very expensive - not sure it' s worth the outlay. But it would set the car aside from most come re-sale. Doubt it effects residuals either way.

Geri

 

[JCB..]

Colin

I was in the same boat as you 3 years ago. Firstly you may well be surprised when you find out how many people don' t seem to be on a budget!

First thing is to decide if it' s " your" car that you are speccing or whether you will be selling it in two years time. Stuart' s post highlights some things to avoid if you are looking to sell.

I bought a hard-top as I use the car everyday and have found roof down opportunities very few and far between in winter. However I don' t have garage space to stow it so once it' s on it' s on for the winter and vice versa. It transforms the car into a coupe when it' s on.

I never had Air-Con but when it' s wet and humid in the summer it' s murder with the hood up. Similarly if it' s so hot that you risk getting burnt it' s also murder with the hood up.

I had the full leather - worth every penny IMHO.

List is what you pay but you may get a cap thrown in. Mine came with mats.
Nic Doczi bagged an umbrella that fits in the passenger side cubby hole.

I doubt very much that 2004 will see any significant changes. The AutoExpress picture was just an impression.

 

[Guest]

Sorry, I forgot to add I also paid list. I' m not sure that haggling will get you anywhere. Whilst unfortunate in terms of upfront expense, this helps to maintain strong residuals.
Porsche harmonised their euro prices, so savings from grey market, parallel imports or buying abroad are smaller now - if they still exist.

Mats come included I believe.

Regarding a facelift or improvement, whilst it is true that Boxster sales have slipped, I can' t see any performance hike coming before the 997 comes out (late ' 04). No-one knows what power that will have - if they move it on too far, the turbo and GT2 run out of room or become too extreme. They have to maintain a differential between the 911 and the Boxster from a marketing perspective. From a styling perspective, I doubt anything is imminent.
Even when the styling changes do occur, I also doubt it will make a huge difference to residuals.

As a general point I am always wary of getting the first of anything - it is best to give it a year for all the gremlins to work their way out of the system. With the new Boxster, it has a completly new interior with, I would guess, new electrics. Whilst Porsche may be good, they are not immune to issues. So even if a new one does come out, do you want the first one?

If you use it year round, then air-con is very effective at stopping the windows misting up.

Sat-nav is hard to predict. In 3 years time I think it may go the same way as air-con, in that it is an expected feature. However, as long as lots of people don' t specify it at the moment, then it will not have an effect.

The full leather is nice, but if you are on a budget, will the outlay be offset by a similar rise on trade-in price? I don' t know.

Rgds, Stuart.

 

[Guest]

When I was ordering my car just over a year ago, the dealer recomended that I considered a Boxster S. Although more expensive, this gave my leather seats and air conditioning. Also being a higher spec model, it sells better and gives a better return on you' re money than a lower spec model with extra' s.
I bought the Boxster S. I' m pleased I did.

 

[mikecolquhoun]

Climate in my view is essential in a soft top especially on those damp days plus you don' t have the top down all the time, well I don' t anyway.

On the other hand I think you can overdo the leather bit, spose it looks good.

I would agree with Paul. I would go for the S from a resale point of view.

 

[Guest]

I' d also agree with Paul & Mike, in that if you are considering options like leather and aircon then going for an S would make the most sense.

That said, making the car a little more expensive every time you consider options, could turn out to be Very expensive in the long run.

My Boxster S started out base, but then I had more and more options added as I convinced myself that my special car could be even more special.

My 2001 blk/blk/blk S was loaded up with 18" sport-design alloy wheels, Sports Exhaust, Sports seats, Sports suspension/dampers, Litronics, Full leather interior, PCM (SatNav), CD multichanger, Sound System upgrade1, Sound system upgrade2 (DSP), Wind Deflector, Alum Gear/Handbrake pack, Coloured centre caps & Hard-top.
Deciding on these took up most of my 18month wait for the car[].

However, I have since traded the S in against a 993 and the feeling I got from the many dealers I spoke to was that the Hard-top, alloy wheels & colour add value - but everything else simply make it easier to sell but do not necessarily make it worth any more...... That said, in my eyes my S was as near perfect as I could make it and although someone else is now driving around in it, I' d do the same thing again.

Have fun,

Peter

 

[Guest]

I realise that this is about new car purchase but I have to ask the question if you are on a budget and want lots of goodies why bother with a new vehicle. I know there is a big buzz on delivery day and a nice feeling to be had about being the first person to own a car (25 years of company motors) and you know exactly how it has been looked after but and it is a big but, all cars lose a huge amount the moment they hit the roads, Porsche for all their stout residuals are no different.

Porsche cars IMO are usually very well cared for, regularly serviced and so forth, find a twelve month old vehicle, low mileage with everything bedded in and you will get much better value for money. The OPC purchase web site is excellent, comprehensive details of the car, specs, colours and even a picture without even leaving your chair!! I would be very surprised if you could not get the spec you wanted, unless of course the day-glo orange mentioned above appeals, and no 18 month waiting time watching new models announced before the paint is even dry on your order!!

I purchased a Boxster ' S' and found it using the web site, I knew exactly what I wanted and sourced it accordingly. My choice for the record is 18" Sports Design wheels which look superb against the Zenith Blue bodywork. I have litronic headlights which are terrific and improve night driving enormously, they also look good and make the car stand out. Inside I have upgraded sound system, nice but not essential and full leather (complementary Metropole Blue) plus air con, both of which I believe do add value to re-sale. The other extra I have on mine is heated seats, which are a great feature if you want to have the top down when it is sunny but cold (like now) my 80 year old mother loves it!!

I would guess that by buying a car that was 18 months old but with all the extras, I saved about 7K and once the personalised plate was added no-one knows how old it is, apart from being pre MY03. I know one thing, I couldn' t have bought the car with all those ' bits' if it were new.

Good luck, I envy you the fun of making the selections!!

 

[Guest]

One ' extra' I forgot to mention, that I enjoyed very much was Factory Collection. This makes the experience of buying a new car even more special.

 

[Guest]

James,

I loved my Boxster S and in the two years and 20,000miles I had covered in it, it performed impeccably "" and in short has probably been the best all-round car I' ve ever owned.

However, if I were to be critical I'd say it wasn't fast enough "" as if Porsche had engineered in a form of asthma! And although I had the factory sports exhaust (No hp I know but it sounds quicker!) and a K&N it still became breathless before the red-line. My previous 964 carrera2 felt noticeably quicker and felt more special.

Choosing the 993 over the 996 was easy. I' ve driven most 996s, and the tt apart, I prefer the look and drive of the 993 C2S "" and for me the 996 looks over-weight and is just overly diluted from the shape of the original. In contrast the shape, the wide-bodied look, the air-cooled' ness, the sound and I suppose character of the 993 meant it was the one for me. It really is very different to a 3.2carrera however, and I'd strongly recommend getting in the driving seat of a 993, as I'm confident that once you've moved off you' ll very quickly see beyond the similar dash and haphazard ergonomics.

Just a note on Boxster Trade-in/resale - When I bought my boxsterS in April 01 I paid over £50,000 and two years later OPC's were offering £31,000-33,000 trade in against a more expensive 996/993. I'm sure mileage had a big impact however (mine had done 20k), but unless your mileage is extremely low I think you'll be hard pushed to get £39,000... But I'd love to be wrong.

Peter.

 

[Guest]

Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply. It has been so useful hearing everybody' s opinions on this.

I think the most beneficial comments were those advising us to look into the ' S' . We did that a couple of weeks ago. From memory, list price was 6 or 7k different - but as suggested, when we did the maths comparision and included the ' standard' options on the ' S' , the difference reduces to almost exactly 4k.

After the test drive, we decided the extra power & 6-speed box were worth it. And then when we calculated the residuals and analysed 2nd hand prices, we realised that we' d get most of that 4k back on resale in 3yrs time anyway.

So the cheque has been written, the appointment to order it booked for Sunday, and a September build slot for one of the first MY04' s confirmed. []

For the record, the options list we went for included:
* obviously the standard ' S' spec of: A/C, 17" wheels, leather seats (mono blue)
* Wind deflector
* Electric memory seats (I' m 6" , and my wife is somewhat smaller!)
* Metallic paint (the slightly lighter dark blue, not the ' midnight' dark dark blue)
* CD storage for the ' standard' CDR player. No Changer)

I' ve managed to persuade my wife not to go for the hard-top initially. So many people have said that the soft roof is very good, and that many who buy a hard roof just store it in their garage and hardly ever use it.

Apart from the hard-top, one of the hardest decisions has been about PSM. Not because we' ll be caning it everywhere - more to get out of a tricky spot if needed. The conclusion has been: No.

I might have liked an upgraded sound system. But I' m not really an audiophile, and would rather spend the extra money on something else.

Similarly, I' ve always spec' d a CD changers for my previous cars. But I' m using it less and less. What I' d love is for a cartridge-type MP3 player to become available, which would slot straight into the CD-changer space. There' s only one make on the market right now (the ' Keg' something-or-other, from Kenwood I think). Our entire music collection is on MP3 now.

I preferred the feel of the ' normal' seats. The sports seats were a little too snug for my tastes (no - I' m not a fattie [], I just prefered the feel)

And I really can' t (in my opinion) see the value of the full leather. Sure... it looks nice, but not 4-figures-extra nice. Obviously that' s a personal thing. But the diference between the black or dark blue leather dash etc. and the plastic is not really all that noticable on recent model year cars. We did a car-by-car comparision at the dealers, and had to know what we were looking for to spot the difference (on the dark-interior cars).
[I' m half expecting a bararge of contradictions on this one from leather-interior owners [] ]


So thanks again for all your help. And you have 2 days to change my mind before the order goes in! []

regards
Colin

 

[Charlie_McLaughlin]

Colin,

Having had 3 Boxsters over the last 4 years, you must get " heated seats" . It extends your " top down " driving days throughout the year, especially in Spring on cold clear days, hood down, heating on and seats warm.

I also think waiting for 2004 model is a good idea. Whilst you may not get any discount of the list price, I found my dealer was able to " throw in" some extras for free. Its worth a try.

Charlie

 

[Guest]

Get the heated seats !!!!!!!! The thrill in driving on a sunny Winter' s day with your back and nether regions gently toasting is terrific. Electric seats are just an excuse for being lazy. My other half is 5 foot nothing and she learned very quickly to return the driving seat to the correct position []

The S is a superb choice however I know that the standard version is a terrific car in it' s own right.

The on board computer is a waste of time IMO however could you look down the back of the sofa and gather enough loose change for Litronics ? If you live out in the sticks, you' ll wonder how you ever drove a car without them. You will be able to retro-fit the arctic silver interior trim which I plan to do when I' m next feeling a bit flush.

Do check with the dealer for the absolute last chance to change your mind date. I saw a rainforest green boxster two weeks after placing the order and managed to change the spec. To see plenty of examples of all the possible combinations of colour and trim, look at http://www.whiteson.org/boxster/gallery

To help you get through the next 6 months and sharpen the appetite, check out www.986board.com

happy waiting and enjoy the agony

Brian Fraser

 

[Guest]

Have you considered an " S" ?

When you look at what is included ( 17" wheels and climate control, for instance) the real price difference is only about £4000, which is not a huge amount if you are financing it. And you get a much better car IMHO. My previous Boxster was a 2.5 so the extra power was particularly welcome.
I went for a fairly highly specified " S" which ended up at £48k odd.

I was persuaded by the salesman that the Porrsche sound pack was adequete but regret not getting the Bose system as the Porsche sound pack is pretty useless at any kind of speed with the top down. What sounds good in the showroom is completely different at anything over about 60mph.
Other things I will get on my next car (911 Cabriolet 4 due in June )are cruise control(license saver) and a handset for the phone so at least the passenger could use it. And with the top down a bit of privacy can be handy, unless you want the world to hear your phone conversations in slow moving traffic.
I got a hard top but would not bother again as I like to put the top down at the merest hint of sun.
Full leather is nice and I suppose if you have it from new it is different, but seeing it looking slightly shabby on used cars in a Porsche showroom and having specified a black interior I thought it would make little difference. But my next car will have full leather.
PCM was only about £1700 including the phone which compares well with aftermarket products. I believe the phone is now Bluetooth which saves getting and extra sim card (and paying for it of course).
What I did like but could not bring myself to pay £400 for is the aluminium handbrake with Porsche written on it. Every time I see a car with it I regret not getting it. I know it' s a small thing but it does finish the interior nicely.

Porsche threw in a set of mats without being asked (BMW made a big deal about this and the £10 golf umbrella they gave with my wifes £52k X5).
God knows what these salesmen would do if they ever had to actually sell a car, as opposed to deal in cars which sell themselves!

Good luck in your purchase, and remember you are the one who will be driving it

Tom

 

[Guest]

Having read down I see you have aready ordered your car so for the benefit of anyone else looking for information I would second those who suggested litronic headlights. My wife has them on her car and I wouldn' t buy another car without them. Night driving is just so much better with them. I also have self dimming mirrors but while they are great I would not count them as essential.
This topic is interesting for me at the moment as when I called in to check out the situation with my Cab 4 I saw areally nice looking Turbo. Only 5000 miles and ten grand more than my ordered car.
So there is a bit of justification going on here!