Is it worth the chance?

[jamiemacp]

Hi All,
New to forum as I am planning to "possibly" buy a weekend car in the shape of a boxster this summer. I have no intention of spending big money on it so am going to limit budget at around £9k. However as you start to read some of the threads on here, I start seeing horror stories of things breaking and expensive repairs and service costs.
So the question I am asking is "Is it worth bothering about" or is the risk of something going wrong big enough to just keep the money and cut the grass at the weekend instead.
What is the feeling of the majority on here and what do you think the annual running costs would be per year based on a mileage of a max of 5k a year?
Cheers in advance

jamiemacp

 

[Mark_Bennett]

Well, if you get that much fun cutting the grass...[]

You have to remember that most people only post problems. When the car is running well you don't tend to get a lot of people logging in to say "car's still starting everyday, and running nice"

Service costs are reasonable. You can find Official Porsche Centre pricing here:
http://www.porsche.com/uk/accessoriesandservice/porscheservice/servicepricing/

Independant Porsche specialists tend to be cheaper, but Porsche also have a discount if you are a club member, and often have cheaper rates on "older" models.

As long as you look after the brakes and take the car for a short drive after washing (otherwise they can corrode badly), there shouldn't be too many surprises.

 

[Black80XSA]

£9k might get yu a 2.7 in todays climate - its not going to be the tidiest example and chances are it'll need some TLC - if you're handy with the spanners then brakes are easy enough (£400 in parts). Servicing via an independent should be around £300 for a minor service and £550 for a major (every other year). Its the other bits and bobs that'll add up..

tyres £500 a set ofr 17", £650 for 18"s
wheel refurbs £40 a corner
air con conensors £300 a side
clutch £600
shock absorbers £130 a piece

with your mileage you'll need to use a battery maintainer (£12-50) to prevent premature battery failure (£100 for a non Porsche item)


and then the risk of engine failure - will it?, won't it ? who knows ! if it does go budget £4500 for a replacement.

There are plenty of lower priced cars around - if you can find one thats had engine issues rectified then you might be in a more secure position longer term.


Hate to say it, but a Honda S2000 would be a lot newer, and a lot more reliable for your budget - doesn't drive the same of course, but its a lot more peace of mind

 

[Laurence Gibbs]

That seems a fairly downbeat acessment. I'd suggest given your mileage your likely to want new tyres every couple of years, maybe more depending on your driving style. A service once a year and your good to go. Keep a buget for the invariable faults that will crop up. All car makes have them and Porsche is no exception. Some of the prices mentioned above can be halved by careful shopping around.
If engine issues give you sleepless nights, then perhaps consider buying at well below your budget and keeping a chunk to cover the unexpected. Good 2.5 's can be had at very reasonable prices. These cars have been around a while now and have probably had many of thier minor ailments fixed by now. They are generally cheaper than the 2.7 and will give you a piece of mind fund. After all in three years or so time you may have enjoyed your 2.5 so much that you want to trade up to the 2.7 and by then they will have reduced in price too with the newer models coming down the pipe line.

 

[Ian Mills]

I've been running Boxsters, as my every day car, now for 7 years. I started with a '99 2.5 which I ran for 2 years (10k miles) with no problems other than tyres after about 15k miles. I changed the 2.5 for a '01 3.2S which I ran for 3 years, the S had a greater appetite for tyres but otherwise only required servicing and normal wear and tear parts. I sold this car to my brother who has now run it for 2 years and it has just passed 50k. Only unplanned expense being a new hood with a glass window, his fault it was needed, this significantly improved the car. His view is that it is a massively nicer car than his previous Honda S2000. I have now completed 14k miles in my '07 3.4S, failures to date being 2 brake light bulbs.
I would say buy a Boxster, it is the best 2 seater convertible sports car available. Be very careful what you buy and where from and make sure you keep a few quid for inevitable problems on a car of the age you are considering. Remember if the car cost £40k new the spares will be priced accordingly!
I have always thought that the "problem centric" nature of this Forum could easily put off potential new owners and in my experience in no way reflects the reliability of the car.

 

[Timbo2]

Ditto the above, just completed my first year of Boxster ownership, only issues being replacement of discs and pads all round which I did myself at very reasonable cost. Local Indy charges £40 an hour and is very help full. Parts can be pricey but you just have to shop around. Go for it...... you ought to be able to get something decent for 9k in todays markets. A year later and I still look forward to driving to and from work.

 

[Black80XSA]

Downbeat ? - yes it probably was. I had no issues in 12k miles with my 2.7 (other than the dealer), and ditto in 22k miles on my 987S (ditto the dealer !).

Trouble is, when stuff goes wrong its not Mondeo money to rectify - £9k buys you a £40k+ sports car thats at a point in its life where things are going to need replacing. Tempting as prices are, the real running costs are often beyond what buyers with £6-10k to spend have in their slush funds.

As Mark says there are plenty of nice cars with no issues around, internet forums bring out all the issues and perhaps exaggerate them, but truth of the matter is the Boxster M96 engine has design flaws that aren't cheap to fix IF you are unlucky, and you should be aware of this before jumping in - just my opinion.

We all know how great a car the Boxster is

 

[dougster]

Buy one, I did.

Everything that has been posted above is true, but it is the same for any weekend toy you will buy.

The driving experience is a cut above anything else for that money and if you do low miles there is less chance of things wearing out.

Look for all the obvious things - service history, loads of receipts and private sales tend to be better looked after (but not always!).

With any second had car there is always a risk and only you can make the decision if it is worth it but Porsches are some of the best built cars out there and very reliable. As someone said above, people tend to post with problems or questions, very rarely does anyone post "car running fine, nothing to report"

P.S. Car running fine, nothing to report.

 

[Timbo2]

Just to add, the Boxster sailed through its MOT with no advisories, not bad for a 9 year old car. Yes things do go wrong and can be expensive, but, touch wood, these catastrophic failures are rare when compared to total ownership numbers. Go on any other forum and you'll see that each make has issues.

 

[jamiemacp]

Thanks for all the replies.
My take on all your opinions is the car is worth it, but things can and do go wrong and will not be the cheapest to fix if they do.
Can I ask though, is it the 2.7 which is most prone to problems? and secondly, as my first porsche, am I going to regret getting a 2.5 when there are 2.7s and 3.2 available for not much more and sometimes the same amount of money?
I could go out and get a TT or a S2000, but they are not boxsters and that is the great appeal to me.
Thanks again for all your advice.

 

[sbloxxy]

A 2.7 or 3.2 would be preferable to a 2.5 BUT I still think buying on condition is the key. In other words, buy the best condition car you can. I had the same thougts as you when I bought, I could afford a 2.5 no problem but always felt I'd regret it everytime I saw a 3.2. So I stretched and bought a 3.2S and love it.
I've kept track of my repair and servicing costs: over two years and approx 18000 miles, its cost me around £2600 but that includes new clear headlights (£450), an unexpected and over the top bill for brake pipes for £500 and a full set of tyres. However I've carried out the last two services myself whch helps tremendously.

 

[rajagger]

I've never once regretted Porsche ownership.

I've had my 2.7L 1999 Boxster for nearly 2 years now and I still get as much of a buzz, now, as I did then! I bought privately and the car had good history, loads of receipts etc. It was a bit stone chipped at the front (and still is!), but I wanted a car that I could drive without getting stressed about every little chip! The money I paid reflected the external condition, but I was happy that mechanically all seemed ok.

I find that the 2.7L is more than adequate for the type of driving I enjoy. The noise, oh the noise - beautiful !

The only one thing that I do regret is .........not getting one sooner!

 

[Steve Brookes]

I'm with Black80OXA regarding the running costs for an older boxster. My 4 years of ownership have included at least 2 tyres per year, new radiators, aircon servicing, MAF, oxygen sensors, exhaust clamps, brake discs and pads, coil packs, air/oil separator and of course routine servicing. I've now got a rear window to replace and am expecting shocks and suspension bushes to need replacing.

Even by using an idependent Porsche specialist and doing stuff myself the annual maintenace bill is £1,500 to £2,000 a year. Personally, I'm fine with that as I've always worked on the basis that annual maintenance costs (when out of warranty) should be around 5% of the new purchase price of the car.

Worth the chance....yes....but only if your eyes are wide open about potential costs. If you're happy with these then the car will reward you enormously for looking after it. []

 

[dougster]

When I bought mine it had to be the 3.2. I drove a 2.7 and the 3.2 within a couple of days of each other and the 3.2 is a different beast entirely.

I don't know what you drive at the moment but my previous car was an M3 and I don't think I could have lived with the 2.7 as it was noticably down on power compared the M3. There is not much to choose between the 3.2 and the M3.

That said if this will be the first powerful rear drive car you have had, the 2.7 would be a bit more manageable.

(No disrespect to the 2.7 by the way!)

 

[jamiemacp]

Hi all,
Thanks again for all the posts and opinions. It sound slike afew others have been in same boat as me and bought an older car rather than something straight off the forecourt.
Decision is pretty much made and I have started doing the necessary research. Hoping to purchase around about July.
Got a few quotes for insurance as well and was surprisingly cheap, even for the 3.2! £366 fully comp for myself and the wife. I must be getting old in the eyes of these companies (39).
I now have another subject for posting, so look out for for me requesting info on a long weekend in Germany. Or to put it another way, a road trip to the ring for my 40th.

 

[jdpef356]

ORIGINAL: jamiemacp

Hi all,
Thanks again for all the posts and opinions. It sound slike afew others have been in same boat as me and bought an older car rather than something straight off the forecourt.
Decision is pretty much made and I have started doing the necessary research. Hoping to purchase around about July.
Got a few quotes for insurance as well and was surprisingly cheap, even for the 3.2! £366 fully comp for myself and the wife. I must be getting old in the eyes of these companies (39).
I now have another subject for posting, so look out for for me requesting info on a long weekend in Germany. Or to put it another way, a road trip to the ring for my 40th.

So you have decided to make the your first Porsche investment - now if you have not already make the next best investment following
your purchase - join the club and enjoy all the benefits that the second biggest Porsche Club in th e world can bring you.

Enjoy your purchase and the club and its members[]