Is the 2.5 Boxster too risky and too slow a purchase?
Discussion
ok, I may have the opportunity of buying a "toy" in the next 6-12 months and I have to express a soft spot for the original Boxster. I think (and this sounds crazy) its partly due to playing that Porsche challenge game on the playstation when they came out, I was 27 when the released it and along with the original Elise, its the one sports car I always said I would buy one day. I also think the original 2.5 looks very dainty and pure on its small wheels and it has that zingy revvy engine. However, two things bother me. 1) all the buying guides go on about the intermediate shaft bearing and the original 2.5 Boxster was the first oil cooled flat 6, I believe and 2) are they simply too slow in 2015?
I should qualify that second statement by saying that I own a bog standard 2 litre Mazda 6 and fiesta ST mk1 (with my wife) so even a 2.5 Boxster will feel quicker and that I am not particularly bothered by straight line grunt, my favourite cars have usually been those that felt the nimblest and sweetest to steer, rather than the outright fastest.
..thoughts?
I should qualify that second statement by saying that I own a bog standard 2 litre Mazda 6 and fiesta ST mk1 (with my wife) so even a 2.5 Boxster will feel quicker and that I am not particularly bothered by straight line grunt, my favourite cars have usually been those that felt the nimblest and sweetest to steer, rather than the outright fastest.
..thoughts?
Thanks for the replies. I saw what looked like a nice one on Autotrader with 70,000 miles and 2 owners I think, for £5995 and thought "what a lovely car, that surely will not go down in value".....
Off topic...3.4 Cayman S is another car that interests me, not now, but in 3 years time when I come into a bit of money....are they generally reliable?
Off topic...3.4 Cayman S is another car that interests me, not now, but in 3 years time when I come into a bit of money....are they generally reliable?
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Interesting, did you see the 35,000 miler in London, for £6000? I'd probably rather spend a bit more to secure a low mileage example as it wont be driven every day, so its more likely to appreciate in value in the future. I suspect early 2.5s will become quite sought after in time, as they look the most classic and are probably the most "pure"...the more I look around the used car market, the more a Boxster makes sense. There are several sub 40,000 milers out there for £6K or less. You just cant pick up M3s, S2000s or Elise's (my other prospective purchases) for that money with those miles. In fact the Elise is right up for me, I have always wanted one, but even £10K doesn't seem to buy you anything with less than 70K on it.
Anyway, another question...is the 3.2 engined model one of the dodgy ones? My brother in law had a 987 3.2S between 2005-08 and I drove it and rated it very highly. Perhaps a bit too "smooth" for my tastes, but wanted to know if the 3.2 engine ( I assume its the same engine that is in the 986) is known for the aforementioned IMS or scoring problems.
Anyway, another question...is the 3.2 engined model one of the dodgy ones? My brother in law had a 987 3.2S between 2005-08 and I drove it and rated it very highly. Perhaps a bit too "smooth" for my tastes, but wanted to know if the 3.2 engine ( I assume its the same engine that is in the 986) is known for the aforementioned IMS or scoring problems.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Did a bit of research yesterday and the Honest John site says that bore scoring IS an issue on 986..in fact the list of potential problems is huge, much bigger than for the 987. Bit confused now! However, definitely all articles say the 3.4 engine has major issues!BTW, could I have your opinion on the 1999 17,000 mile Boxster 2.5 for sale on this site...its in blue and Hampshire, which is local to me, for £7500. Is a really, really low mileage one actually a good idea? Some commentators say that cars which aren't driven regularly can be worse than some that are!
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p...
Edited by GreenArrow on Sunday 14th June 13:26
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Fantastic! I am not actually ready to buy anything yet tbh...but I hope its a good 'un. I take on board your comments re the 986 and the Honest John site too....I must admit though, I am torn between Boxster/Elise and S2000. Had a business trip to Eastbourne yesterday, from my home near Bournemouth and saw several Boxsters and S2000s en route. Something very appealing about both those cars!It must be the Toyota engine. I remember hiring an original K Series Elise for a day in 1997 and they are not slow, I cleared 4 cars and a coach in one overtaking bound using third gear...speed accumulates slowly over 90 MPH but in the UK that surely isn't an issue?
Anyway just to clarify, I am buying a toy too...I have a Mazda 6 everyday runaround, so if I buy an Elise, Boxster or S2000, it wont be driven every day. I'm mainly attracted to the Honda because there are none of these engine worries that we have with a Boxster.
...so to backtrack, you guys recommend a 2.5 over a 2.7 or 3.2S as the least likely to give major trouble and the most "pure"? And yes, I reckon in time the cheap 2.5 Boxster will disappear, although I think I remember saying the same thing about the original 944 and they don't appear to have appreciated all that much....
Anyway just to clarify, I am buying a toy too...I have a Mazda 6 everyday runaround, so if I buy an Elise, Boxster or S2000, it wont be driven every day. I'm mainly attracted to the Honda because there are none of these engine worries that we have with a Boxster.
...so to backtrack, you guys recommend a 2.5 over a 2.7 or 3.2S as the least likely to give major trouble and the most "pure"? And yes, I reckon in time the cheap 2.5 Boxster will disappear, although I think I remember saying the same thing about the original 944 and they don't appear to have appreciated all that much....
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Nice, but another grand gets you this one, two miles down the road from me, with 47500 miles and two years newer.http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...
Did you look at that one in Hampshire, the low mileage one?
Boxster 2.5 isn't too fast...0-60 in 6.6 seconds and 0-100 in about 18, top speed about 140. A modern Fiesta ST offers similar performance from 180 BHP. That GT Porsche article interested me too. They sort of said "go for it"....and I think they may be right, but there is no smoke without fire and I guess they are cheap for a reason. Lotus Elise Mk1s are almost double the money, so I guess the 2.5 Boxster has an iffy reputation for giving trouble, hence people like me starting a thread like this asking the question "are they too risky..!"
anonymous said:
[redacted]
True and the image is a big factor. I think there seems to be a common conception that 2.5s are grossly under-powered and slow which perhaps puts many people off. I remember reading an article a year or two back, again in GT Porsche magazine, where they compared a 2.5 with the then new 981 2.7 Boxster and in terms of performance said there was very little in it at UK road speeds, due to the shorter gearing in the older car...Your old 2.5 looks lovely btw, a very lovely thing. I do miss the simple unadorned styling of the older Porsches.....
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...
Saw this one, 190,000 miles! 3.2S Wow, they really do rack up the miles.
Plenty about right now and cant see 2.5s getting any cheaper. Perhaps early next year might be a good time to buy, they usually say buy convertible cars in winter...
Saw this one, 190,000 miles! 3.2S Wow, they really do rack up the miles.
Plenty about right now and cant see 2.5s getting any cheaper. Perhaps early next year might be a good time to buy, they usually say buy convertible cars in winter...
Gassing Station | Boxster/Cayman | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff