General Questions

[CraigWorden]

Hello all,

As you can see, this is my first post and am currently looking at buying a porsche boxster - probably the 2.5l pre 2000 - and am looking for a bit of advice,

I have browsed the internet looking for general running costs etc. but i thought it would be best to come to somewhere like this and ask some real people who have had the experience with them,

I know it is a bit of a broad topic, but some general advice would be much appreciated, things like servicing costs, general parts costs ( the things that might need replacing anually/ bi-anually such as brake pads etc.), actual mpg,

Or a link to some good sites would be great,

Sorry if this topic is in the wrong place!

Thanks a lot,

 

[Black80XSA]

For an idea of parts costs just look at independent parts places like www.eurocarparts.com , www.marque21.co.uk or www.porscheshop.co.uk to name a few.

Tyres - a full set of Porsche approved N rated tyres is going to be about £500 for 16", £550-600 for 17" and £600-700 for 18" (not recommended on cars before 1998).

Servicing - independents will give good service at lower costs - check out Ninemeister, Hartech, Strasse or Northways Porsche (easy finds on google) for an idea. Typically you are lokking at £300 - 350 for a minor service, £550 for a major.

Brakes - around £300 if you DIY, £500 at an indy.

Replacement roofs are around £750 fitted with a heated glass screen.


Bear in mind it was a £40k+ car when new so parts and running caosts are not going to be Ford Focus level. Air con condenosrs are about £350 a side so check the front radiators carefully for any debris and leaf build up behind the front bumper air intakes

A small number of early cars suffered porous engine casings - these should have been replaced by now under warranty - unlikey any cars on the road still with the dodgy castings. Early engines can suffer slipped cylinder liners - again given the age of the cars any problematic cars should have failed by now. Sometimes its better to go for a car with soem miles on it than a low mileage weekend and summer car to have a bit more faith in the engine. again the number of failures is a very small percentage. www.autofarm.co.uk has details of the failures and how they rectify them - still a big bill !

 

[berty987]

The usual worries with older cars are electrics so make sure everything works. Boxsters can have issues with water in the footwells and under the seats. This is caused by either the door membraine splitting or the drainage channels in the front trunk becoming blocked with leaves. Easy to fix but a headache if and when it happens. Suspension can wear out , so keep an open ear for any squeaks or knocks on test drive. A small amount of white smoke on start up is normal , but if it fails to clear after a minute or so then start walking. Check the hood operates properly and if possible take a look at the brakes especailly the rears. Boxsters have a habit of rusting the brake discs very quickly especially if left wet after washing. This causes the disc to rust and then damage the pad , leaving ribs and uneven contours , normally more pronounced on the inside of the disc. The disc wear limit is 2mm from new so if there is a 1mm lip on each side of the disc then you will be needing new discs and brakes soon. Clutches vary in life and can go between 30k and 100k miles depending on how the car has been driven and if its done a lot of town driving. My advice would be find a car you are interested in and then get it checked by a porsche specialist for about 50 - 100 pounds. Really it is money well spent.

 

[CraigWorden]

Thanks guys, all really helpfull advice, hopefully be back here soon!

 

[salva]

Hi Craig,

I would go for a 2.7 even an early one MY 2000, give the 2.5 a miss. A friend of mine started with a 2.5 then he tried the 2.7, sold it straight away.

Management has had 2 boxters, one new in October 99 RHD and in July 03 a second hand 00 LHD.

First 2.7 was good all round only expense was the servicing (Porsche dealers) sold it as we needed a LHD.

Second 2.7 was also good in fact sold it 2 weeks ago, to be fair needed new set of tyres, a service and air con. servicing. So the only expense we had in over 5 years was: new MAF (Air Flow Sensor), new battery 2 years ago, pollen filter, spark plugs, usual oil filter and a new belt (which will last until 2012). I did all the servicing myself and after fitting the new MAF the car flew. Did aprox 6500 miles a year. So all in all not expensive to run and very reliable.

I would recommend a K & N filter.

Best regards
Salvador