I'm thinking of buying a boxster

[RodBoothman]

Hi Guys,

After a few years of driving around in a dull Saab 9-3 I've decided to go back to having a fun car. I was thinking about another S2000, but then after looking around I couldn't believe the prices of the boxsters on the market! I was only looking at the 2.5 as i can get that for a straight swap, but what I wanted to know was: Are there any issues I should be looking out for on a car around 96 - 2000?

Cheers,
Rod

 

[Chrishazle]

Why follow the herd - there are so many Box's on the road, that's why they're getting so cheap! Now, a 944S2 cab or 968 cab, you're talking about a rare animal, much more interesting (says he who's had a 944 lux, 944S, 968 for 12 1/2 years and just bought a 968 cab!!)

 

[Buddy]

What you go for depends on what you want and what you will accept.

2.5's are ok but they were the first of the Boxster evolution and you'd probably enjoy a 2.7 much more or a 3.2 S.

2.5's were built to about 2000 when the 3.2 went on sale and I think the 2.7 followed a little later, up until 2005 these were all 986's.

If you are looking for a clean & original car then you'll probably have to try a few but if you will accept buying something that has been repaired from cat C or D then the prices will be cheaper. Sounds obvious I know but I saw a very tasty 2.7 in Green with sand beige sports interior which went for around £7K

The Boxster is a terrific car and much maligned by some. Some of the first batch were fitted with wet liners as there were problems in the casting of the blocks and they couldn't fill the orders, hence the wet liners but Boxsters and 996's had Nickersil cast into the cylinders a method which came from the 944 blocks. I doubt if any of the wet linered blocks still exist as they were a big problem for Porsche when the liners came loose and wrecked the engine.

There have been concerns with Rear Mainshaft Seals and with Intermediate shafts, bearings and seals. But apart from that individual problems as can effect any car. On a Boxster S I had an oil pump cracked ( replaced under warranty ).

Look out for oil leaks, under the rear end, damage to anything such as radiators at the front and anything you may look for on any vehicle.

Hope this is helpful.

 

[RodBoothman]

HI Buddy,

That's great! I was just looking at my budget really which is where the 2.5 came in. I was looking on Autotrader and Pistonheads when I realilsed that you can get a lot of car for a small amount of money.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the 2.7's come with semi-auto gearboxes? I was looking for a manual really as I love racing through the gears. Just a preference really. As for the power, I know what you mean about the 2.7 and 3.2 being more powerful, but I'm not overly worried about blistering performance as I have a motorbike that delivers that .

Thanks for the information though, that's really handy. It sounds like in general they are fairly bullet proof, which is what also attracted me to a Porsche. Also, just checking for the normal things you would check for in any car.

Just as a note about the engines. I take it a high mileage isn't that much of a problem then? Just check for the normal oil leaks...?

Cheers,
Rod

 

[Buddy]

Rod,

Oil leaks are the general criticism but even they are rare, on mileage I haven't heard of great problems and the front engined Porsches I had all went well over 100,000 while I had them, in fact my son had two of them off me and in one case covered quite a lot of mileage without engine problems the other? Well I borrowed it one day while he was away ( it was parked in front of my garage and it was raining so I used that rather than moving cars about ) and it was rear ended by a white van.

Boxsters are really good drives.

 

[RodBoothman]

Sounds like typical German engineering They just go on and on as long as the oil is changed! I'll watch out for Cat D as I don't want to go down that road. I'm planning on keeping it for a while, but I've never been a fan of write-off cars (even though I know Cat D is more cosmetic that structural). If I feel like that, then I'm sure the person who'll buy it off me will think the same.

I've spotted a 2000 car in a garage just down the road from me, so I'll pop down at lunchtime and have a look. My car's booked in for a valet then it's into Autotrader. So fingers crossed I could be on the road in a 2 seater again within 4 weeks

Thanks again for your responses... And I hope your son wasn't too gutted...

Rod

PS: I always thought it was the son who crashed Dad's car, not the other way around

 

[thboxster]

ORIGINAL: RodBoothman

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the 2.7's come with semi-auto gearboxes?

I've had a 2.7 (986 - my2002) and it was definitely a 5-speed manual. The gears were surprisingly long and I couldn't imagine using a semi-automatic, although it was an option.

 

[RodBoothman]

Okay. I'll have another look then. It really just comes down to cost really. I don't do many long trips anymore, so fuel isn't a big concern anymore which is why I got the Saab in the first place. I guess I should try a semi-auto before I decide against it, but there is something nice about changing gear yourself in a sports car

Rod

 

[Chrishazle]

I've had a tip 968 for 12 1/2 years, also now have a tip MB, and you can drive them as a clutchless manual rather than fully automatic. With the 968 you use the gearstick just like a manual, whereas I think all tip Boxsters have buttons on the steering wheel. Never driven one, so don't know how that feels compared to a gear stick.

With my 968, the only difference between a manual and a tip is using the left foot! Once I'd got used to it (which did not take long) I actually thought "why do people still make cars with clutches??" I've loved my tip coupe so much I've just bought a tip cabriolet!

The 968 tip gearbox is clever, unlike some others I drove before buying the 968 (M3 Evo steptronic). If you're in manual mode and red line it without touching the stick, it will change up for you. Equally, if you let the revs drop to about 1000 without touching the stick, it changes down, so you don't find yourself stationary but still in a high gear! Also, the auto side is clever and "looks" at how you are driving - I think it has about 5 "mpas", and adjusts the gear change RPM's to suit how you are driving - Sunday meander, it'll change up at about 2k, start playing and the revs go up - I believe it will even red line if you loon it even in full auto mode!

Try it - not sure about buttons on the wheel, but with a gearstick it's great!

 

[RodBoothman]

Well... If it's that good then I'm going to have to try it out. Are there any known relliability issues with these boxes? I've had no end of trouble with my Saab autobox, so I am weary of them to say the least! Are they Auto's with a torque converter, or are they proper manual boxes with a controled gear change? A friend of mine has a Golf with the DSG gearbox and loves it. But that I'm guessing is something very to what is fitted to the Boxster?

Rod

 

[Buddy]

My 968 was also a Tiptronic and I always drove it in manual, only used auto about twice! Like most sports car driver's I prefer to do the gear change manually but I don't mind tiptronic in manual mode. Auto mode is as Chris says quite intelligent and I liked it when even in manual mode it would change down when I had to brake hard so never left "flat footed"

It's great to drive but does use a torque converter! I found that there was a feeling of slip in the drive like most autos but it didn't seem so bad in manual when you just nudged the stick fore and aft for up and downshifts.

I tried a Boxster tiptronic 3.2S once and using the rocker switches was very good I didn't buy the car as it was rough and had been damaged with a poor repair done. But I know there are good repair places doing Cat D's

I've driven a C4 with tiptronic and that was just the same nice and easy not something to put you off if the rest of the car is nice. And of course your hands never need to leave the wheel! Which gives a very nice feeling of total control when you downshift as you line up for a fast corner. Definitely worth trying if you find a nice one.

As for my son being gutted, we both were I'd saved the car for him while he was at uni for about two years, he had just had all the front seals on the engine done and used the car for about 3 months, the driver who hit it was very sorry and owned up to his own insurer who happened to be Norwich Union ( not good at paying out to the injured parties ), the car had been undamaged and we'd had it for about 6 years it was valued then at £3K they paid my son £1200 and allowed him to keep the car which he sold to a friend's garage for £1K when he bought a 944S which he was very happy with until he decided he wanted Dad's 968 Tippy. At least I brought him up to have good taste.

Mind you I think he got revenge for me getting his 924S smacked. He bought a Vauxhall 220 turbo about a year ago and it had it's backside smacked at a roundabout just before Christmas, as I wasn't working for a few days I offered to run it around to the repairer's for the quotes, I think my right hip should feel ok in about a year, heck that's hard to get out of!!

But back to Boxsters, my son had a nice 986S '03 model on lease before he got the VX, I think he'll be back in the fold within a year.

 

[bigbol63]

Well Rod,
I'm a motorbiker too so appreciate where you're coming from with speed etc. I recently acquired a 2.5 boxster and love it, ok so she's not quite as fast as the others but it comes down to how you drive. Like biking really, only as fast as the twist or the foot. My Boxster is a 1999 year and now has 51k on it, well tidy and well looked after, there are low mileage ones out there. I was lucky, mine came from a friend. No leaks on my car, oil or water. Reckon the front discs will need changing soon but thats about it.

As with any 2nd hand car, tread carefully and take your time.

Colm

 

[RodBoothman]

I had a wonder down to the local garage this lunchtime as they happen to have a 2.5 tip in the show room. They wanted £6295 with 78k on the clock and FSH, not all with Porsche, but at least it has been serviced. It came with a hardtop too which would be handy for my motorway trips as that used to bug me with the S2000 for long periods + winter. I liked the feeling of the switch gear and the dials are perfectly situated (again, something of a nigle on the S2000, unless you are about 4ft tall in which case you were fine ).

I'm going to hunt some more down locally I think and see if I can drive both a manual and tip to see which one I like. There's plenty of space in the boot and bonnet which is great.

From what you've all said so far I'm not too concerned about reailability. I just need to spend my time hunting down the right one that ticks all the boxes.

As for the engine size... the 2.5 / 2.7 sounds fine to me. If I want to rocket myself down the road I'll get the bike out! I just want something fun to drive again with the power at the back wheels.

I guess now all I have to do is start the search!

Cheers,

Rod

 

[bmurphy]

Hello Rod,

I had a 2.5 Boxster for 5 years. They are great cars. When I bought it it had 72K on clock and when I sold it it had 124K on the clock and was still going strong. Apart from replacing the radiators I had no trouble with it at all. It always felt like a very well built car.

After not owning one for a year and a half I have just bought my second - a 3.2S Facelift this time.

They are great cars - once you own one I think it's difficult to kick the habbit.

Enjoy the search!

 

[RodBoothman]

Well that just about does it! I'm going to have to get one now . I was taken with the soft top in the S2000, but after sitting in one today and all your comments I have no choice. I just have to get one.

Thanks for all your comments, it's been really helpful!

I'll let you all know when I get one.

Cheers,
Rod

 

[Buddy]

What area are you in Rod?

There are plenty of specialists around to visit, at the age of cars yo're looking at OPCs are out of the list but a good source of info is GT Porsche and 911 Porsche world where they do buyer's guides and you can buy back issues usually on line.

Go to the local region meet, there are usually some people who have had Boxsters and usually a few cars with owners there.

 

[GOOFY]

Hi Rod

2.5's are great - I've owned one for over six years now and after test driving 3.2's and 996's &997, just could not bring myself to part with it for a more powerful spec. After all how often will I notice 0-60 is up to a second faster ? And with the proliferation of speed cameras how can I use all that extra power frequently. I was also fortunate that it came with only 14,000 miles and original MO30 sports suspension and this made it feel a lot faster + especially useful on a trackday ! The engines are really smooth and the chassis really agile due to its lightness. I have saved my money from upgrading the car and instead modded mine with Litronic's HID front lights, Ottelle Sports Exhaust, Bose Sub and Sound System, along with possibly LED Rear Lights soon (as per 997 s Spec). It sounds better than a standard 3.2, handles better, has lights from a 996 ! All it needs are the red calipers and an "S" and I could fool everyone I have an S - but I am very happy with it. There will always be a faster Porsche version of every model (almost very six months now days !) so just go for it whatever Boxster !

BTW the car has now done only 30,000 miles low for a 97 car and nearly every technician has remarked on how good the car is. If you can still hang on, I may now be possibly selling it - just due to a possible 2yr work assignment overseas. I'd love to take it with me but owning a car in Singapore is ridiculously high - and we thought UK was bad ! Contact me in two weeks time if interested. but good luck with the search - you have chosen the right path - Porsche!

 

[RodBoothman]

Hi Guys,

I live in Bristol so I'll have a look at the specialists in the area.

GOOFY: Cheers for the offer. I'll keep that in mind as I expect it'll take me 3 weeks to sell my current car. Although after all that work you've had done and the quality of your car I think it might be out of my price bracket!

I've worked in Singapore a few times about 2 years ago. I hope you get a good ex-pat allowance as the price of the beer will kill you. Who ever thought of escalating the tax on beer as the evening progresses was just being pain cruel! As for Cars, take a cab they are ridiculously cheap in comparison!

Rod