New buyer questions

[stew]

Hi all, I've looked at a couple of early boxsters today and have some questions.

Firstly there is dampness behind the seats, where could this be coming from? What damage can it cause?

Both cars were earlyish 2.5 litre cars one had 57k on the clock, the other 65k, the performance of both was a little underwelming as neither seemed any quicker than my old BMW E36 2.8 convertible, does this seem right.

One seemed a little vague on the handling front. No knocks or rattles, just not a crisp as I was expecting, could this be suspension bushes?

Thanks.

 

[Boxstercol]

Steer clear of any water ingress on a Boxster. There are ECU's under the passenger seat which if get wet cause a whole load of expensive pain.

Water ingress usually a result of blocked drains & / or failed door card membranes. If the door membrane has perished then the carpet at the bottom of the door will be wet.

 

[stew]

Thanks Boxstercol

 

[David Marsh]

I had a damp patch on my 1999 Boxster. Just damp, so I sent it in and had it checked out. Drains were just fine and one of the door membranes was suspect. I had two new membranes fitted, one on each door, no damp and no damage.
I think if the damp issue is treated with respect there is little to worry about, but having said that were one to view a car with damp issues it could well have been suffering for a longer time and could well suffer issues with the ECU.

 

[BrianJ]

My early Boxster tests were also on a 2.5. I also found it a little underwhelming, particularly with Tiptronic. The 3.2S of similar vintage is much better if you can find one in the condition you want at your price point.