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I'm thinking of buying

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Hi all,

I'm thinking of buying a Boxter to replace my very reliable and comfortable Merc for every day use. However, I am receiving very mixed messages as to whether this is a good idea. One car dealer advised me not to go down this route as Boxter engines are prone to 'blowing up', also, I'd need a hard top for the winter etc etc.

Any advice to this potential new entrant to the World of Porsche and convertibles will be gratefully received.

Regards,

Dave.
 
I will take that the dealer was a Merc dealer?

Anyway, here's some info which is my opinion.

Can't say i've heard of too many Porsche engines blowing up. If this were the case then i'm sure Porsche would have looked into it by now. As for the hard top, needing one or not is a matter of opinion. With the advent of the '03 model, they now come with heated glass rear screens. So if it is problems with not being able to see out the back then a new Boxster would be fine without a hard top. If you want a pre '03 model, which has the good old clear plastic, then you have this issue. Is it an issue though? I have an '02 (plastic rear screen) and I just stick on the heated mirrors and can see fine. I don't have a hard top and can quite catagorically say that I don't regret not getting one. The Boxster is fine as-is in all seasons.
 
And for what it's worth:

I used to own a string of BMW's (saloons, coupes) and descided to jump into the fire and get a more unique vehicle with a soft top. After checking around at the competition, as you do, I easily crossed some off (TVR, Lotus, BMW). Then looked at the remaining contentders.

Out of all of them, what you get for your money (and going back to one of your concernes), the Boxster provided the better package and the best reliability. Lets face it it's German, that has to account for something.

I expect to change my Boxster in about a year and at the moment I can easily see it being replaced with another Boxster. Unless I go for something more extreme.
 
Hi Tony,

Thanks for your advice and opinions. The car dealer was in fact an independent but was so negative about everything he kind of lost his credibility.

In your opinion, do you think I would be ok to put on 15k miles per year for the next 4 or 5 years without either experiencing major expense or devaluing the car beyond reasonable limits?

Anyway, I'm test driving a '99 Boxter later today so thanks once again for your prompt response.

Regards,

Dave.
 
I do 12k a year and I'm not worried about residuals. This is my main car. If you're going for one a few years old, then as with all cars, you stand a greater chance of there being a problem as things can break due to age. There's no getting away with that though.

Of course, if you buy anything other than brand new then the less miles that it's done, the better for you.
 
I've NEVER heard of a boxster engine failing completely - in fact there is a guy on boxa.net hust hit his 200,000 mile mark and the car is still going strong. I'd say porsche engines are on the whole a lot more reliable than most other manufacturers.
 
My 2pennuth Dave

I would seriously consider getting a hard top, or buying a used car with one already included!

There is no doubt in my mind that it keeps the roof in better condition even if garaged (like mine). I've had one for three and a half years from new and have only just this Spring reconditioned the hood, which has come up prtty much like new.


With or without the hard top, you'll be buying one of the best cars in the World, so don't worry.[8D]

Lazza
 
We have had three Boxsters, and will get another in 2005. Wonderful cars.

Fantastic reliability - Never heard of an engine 'blowing up'.
 
ORIGINAL: davemumf

I am receiving very mixed messages as to whether this is a good idea.

Any advice to this potential new entrant to the World of Porsche and convertibles will be gratefully received.

Regards,

Dave.
Click to expand...

Dave ask yourself this:-

Why is the Boxster still rated as the number one sports car to buy despite being basically unchanged for 8 years
Why is the Boxster one of the lowest depreciating cars
Why has the Boxster consistently come very high in reliabilty / customer satisfaction / consumer surveys

Final thought for ya I gave up 911's in 1997 (after owning 4 between 1978-1989) and I am now on my 4th Trouble Free ultra reliable beautifully made great fun to drive Boxster! :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

Think the independant you spoke to needs to have a LIE down and stick to the truth:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 
I drove a Merc C200 (old shape) for four years and it never missed a beat. It was very well built (compared to the new shape C Class) and was 100% reliable despite being given a hard time by me. The customer service was top-notch from Greenoaks in Slough. The car drove well and never let me down. All in all, the entire package was excellent.

I got my MY03 2.7 Boxster last year and have been *very* disappointed with Porsche customer service. The car has also let me down on a couple of occasions in the last year with mechanical defects. Hence, the customer service and reliability has been far worse than my experience with Merc.

However, and this to me is the most important point, the sheer exhilaration of driving the car *more* than makes up for poor customer service and slightly worse reliability (in my experience). The car is totally awesome. I am prepared to put up with the flaws in the whole package just to experience the kind of drive that only the Boxster is capable of.

In many ways, I wish the car did not have a Porsche badge on it and I also wish it looked a bit more anonymous as I hate the attention is attracts. I even drive with the top up in the sunshine (I know this winds a lot of people up). I just love the car for the driving pleasure it gives.

I do around 15K miles a year and even use it to pop to my local store round the corner which is only a five minute walk. It sits parked outside and has taken everything our weather has to throw at it and the roof never leaks. After 13 months it still looks brand new. And, more importantly, it sounds brand new!

Taz
 
Driving with the roof up !!! i thought i only did that, this is my first Porsche , i ahve a boxster, i used to own a CLK cabriolet before it but it was boring to drive ( lovely drive - just boring) - i must say i have never in my life experienced the amount of c..p you get when you drive a porsche - people just hate you , you can see it in there eyes - when they try and cut you up , swerve out in front of you , come right up to the back end at the lights , i never got this in the merc , even to the point where i leave my top up in the sun as like you say - it brings so much attention , any way - i have a 966 tip on order - hate to see wht they do when that comes!!!!
 
To hear all the bad experiences you guys suffer from other motorists is quite disturbing as my Porsche will be with me all the time and not just a pleasure car. What a shame!
 
I use my pretty much every day, I think that most of the problems that people report with the car happen in the 1st year and get sorted out. My engine did fail but was sorted under warranty. So if you go for a 99 car is should be pretty straight.

Since then no problems, no issues, no one giving me grief (quite the opposite) just a loverly car.

Servicing and running costs have been less than I thought.

As with any 2nd hand car get it checked over by someone other than the place you are buying from. You can get some pretty decent warranties nower days in case something unseen does come up and bite you.
 
Dave, I think it's like a lot of what are perceived to be 'prestige' motors. There is a certain amount of envy and some members here have suffered with that.

For the first three months I owned my boxster I worried every single time I left it in a car park that someone would do something nasty to it just because it sported a Stuttgart badge.

However, i've now had the car for nearly 2 years. I've never had an ounce of trouble with it, it's a beautiful drive and nobody (touch wood) has done anything nasty to it. I live in Essex and some areas here (as in other parts of the country I appreciate) are such that you should be worried to leave a Porsche there but even then i've not suffered from any abuse at all and all four alloy wheels are original[:D].

I understand that some of the 2.5 cars were a little prone to bad failures but i've never ever heard of anyone who's suffered from a 'blown up' engine or anything anywhere near close with a more modern car.

I'm probably biased but I think i'm allowed to be. My car is 4 years old in August and I do 12k per year in it but it went in for Porsche Clinic on Saturday and the only thing it needed was a new set of windscreen wipers!

Class![:)]
 
P.S My car gets used in all weathers, rain, sun and even snow once when I was desperate. I have a hard top but truly don't think it essential. Just buy one - you'll never go back! [;)]
 
Mine is a daily driver as it is my only car. I am doing about 15k miles a year. I have not found I have a problem with other motorists, exactly the opposite. I find people let me out, move over and be polite. The other day I had a conversation with someone in a truck about the Boxster and what I thought about it.

The only thing you need to bear in mind are the cost of tyres and servicing, the more miles you do, the quicker they come round :)

I do not know if Greenoaks have changed their management, but I went in there a few years ago to enquire about a Merc, only to be told to "read the litriture and come back. You need to do things the Mercedes way" [:mad:] I have never been so badly treated in my life and would not go back there again

Graeme
 
I tried to enquire about an SL350 a year or so ago and was brushed off like something off the salesmans shoe. The Porsche experience has been fantastic - though there are plenty of people who have been disappointed.

My car is 40k miles old and it has never put a foot wrong. Tyres and servicing do add up as Greame says but these costs are mitigated by the strong risiduals (not totally - but think of the resale value on a 40k mile Z3 2.8 vs a Boxster).

A guy at work was poking fun at me saying I earnt too much money. I did a quick mental calculation and retorted that as I couldn't afford the depreciation on his Freelander I had to settle for a Boxster instead. He didn't like that![:D]

I have nothing but praise for this car - if anything it' a bit too good. I fancy something a bit more raw and will be considering a 993 C2 if I can get the dosh together. If not, I will have another Boxster as nothing gets close for the money.

Edited to say that the 993 cost a lot more to run than the Box, although they can be bought for about the same ball park.
 
Thanks for all your advice gents. I bought my Porsche Boxster S over the weekend. Can't wait to pick it up!

Davemumf.
 
A word of caution, there are indeed instances of engines catastrophically "˜blowing-up'.

I know as I unfortunately currently have one very sick example of an early 2.5 with a cylinder liner half an inch further into the cylinder than it should be, with the top of the piston ripped off and the fragments of which embedded into the cylinder head. All pretty terminal, with the re-build cost prohibitive, a replacement engine cost exhaubatent, and a second hand engine probably the only realistic option. Make that 3 reported instances in the last 6 months JCB.

This is in a 6-year-old car with 72K miles (average?) and a full Porsche service history. Although quiet old, how many people would consider this acceptable from a car manufacturer of such repute.

Having said all that, this is the first problem I have ever had with the car, and when running driving the car was always a pleasure "" who can't simile at that noise when that engine come "˜on-cam'. Assuming I sort my current one out, I would by another (an S this time) "" am I mad?

Three questions:

Does anyone know if the liner slippage is a "˜recognised' manufacturing fault?

Has any one ever had any assistance from Porsche with a car, out of warrantee with such a problem?

Anyone got a spare 2.5 engine with liner bonded into place?

Gary
 
Gary,

Really sorry to hear that.

This IS a recognised fault - some very early cars had this problem, although they usually failed earlier on in the cars life.
This problem was fixed after the first failures. Later cars shouldn't have the same issue.

I'm afraid I don't know what Porsche's stance is on a car this old with slipped liners - most were of course discovered and fixed under warranty.

Who diagnosed the problem? OPC?
 
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