The 5-6k Boxster - good/bad idea?

[anonymous-user]

PlayersNo6 said:

snorkel sucker said:

There is already a brilliant thread running here

And a not so brilliant one here :

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

I've also been considering for the last 12 months but not yet taken the plunge.

cmoose appears to be the expert on early Boxsters here.

I think an early Boxster is superb value for money but this must be one of the main reasons why they are cheap in the first place. OP, i'd look for one that has had a proper rebuild.

[edc]

Not quite at £5k but I bought my early 3.2S this week. Happy days so far :-)

[g3org3y]

Many thanks for the helpful replies. They are ruddy tempting aren't they?

Admittedly, one of my main issues which would put me off from buying the car is the image. Not so much the 'poor man's Porsche' but I think most people wouldn't be able to see past the badge.

I've got the E30 cabrio and like to drive it with the roof down as much as possible and that includes a lot of inner city driving. I have never once experienced any 'cabrio/flash car jealousy' for want of a better phrase i.e. no coffee beans, no drinks thrown, no comments at the traffic lights etc. Always positive comments from randomers and people still let you out at junctions. There just doesn't seem to be any hate for classic cabrios. I fear the experience might be somewhat different in a Boxster.

I know it sound like a potentially trivial thing, but I can tolerate being called a wker on a day to day basis at work, but in the car with the roof down it would get tiresome.

The other thing that's giving me second thoughts is this in something E36 coupe shaped:


More practical, more pace and in a sober colour far more subtle (though I am partial to Estoril blue).

Decisions decisions!

[VolvoT5]

g3org3y said:

More practical, more pace and in a sober colour far more subtle (though I am partial to Estoril blue).

Decisions decisions!

If you are worried about the running costs of a boxster, why the hell would you be considering an M3 as an alternative?

[Rollcage]

The problem with this price bracket is sorting the wheat from the chaff. There are more sub 5k Boxsters than you can shake a stick at on eBay, but most seem to be suffering in one form or another.

The right ones are out there - just takes time to find them

[Megaflow]

St John Smythe said:

ThunderSpook said:

Megaflow said:

This...

The early 2.5 have got some serious and well know engine faults. I'd steer well clear.

Just to confirm, this is rubbish.

No, it isn't. Early Boxsters are well known for engine problems the same as 996s.

Edited to add - I see you owned one. Yours may have been ok but this article explains the long list of things that have the possibility of going wrong http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Boxster_T...

Edited by St John Smythe on Saturday 10th March 22:32

Thanks, saves me looking for what I'd read. It isn't rubbish, everything buying guide says the 2.5 has issues, when my Dad was buying his retirement toy we looked into all of this and decided it wasn't worth the risk a he bought a really nice 987 2.7. Which IMO is a much better car.

Edit: OP, don't worry about the poor man 911 issue, the only reason it is even remotely a poor 911 is because Porsche won't let it get anywhere near their beloved 911 in terms of power. Convertibles don't do much for me, unless it is a Se7en without a screen at all, so for me a Cayman is the pick of the Porsche range.

Edited by Megaflow on Sunday 11th March 09:55

[Funkstar De Luxe]

g3org3y said:

I know it sound like a potentially trivial thing, but I can tolerate being called a wker on a day to day basis at work, but in the car with the roof down it would get tiresome.

I've got to say, this has never happened to me. I live in a fairly poor area in the west of scotland, and drive with the hood down all the time, but no one really cares. Really, Porsches are so popular now (read: common) that no one bats an eye lid. I'd imagine the wker status has shifted toward BMW drivers more than anything.

But I certainly wouldn't let that worry you. Besides, everyone knows the Boxster is a girls car!

[5678]

I'm having this exact same debate. At 5 or 6 grand, even with the running/servicing/parts costs, these seem a real bargain. The IMS failures is a concern, as the bill it would bring effectively writes the car off! I need to do some research and have a look at a few cars.

[V8Triumph]

I had a Boxster S in 2007, then it wasn't a cheap car and it ended up costing me a lot of money Parts prices are horrendous. Not saying don't try one but I wouldn't have a Boxster as something I kept long term.

[5678]

V8Triumph said:

I had a Boxster S in 2007, then it wasn't a cheap car and it ended up costing me a lot of money Parts prices are horrendous. Not saying don't try one but I wouldn't have a Boxster as something I kept long term.

Any more info than that?

[V8Triumph]

5678 said:

V8Triumph said:

I had a Boxster S in 2007, then it wasn't a cheap car and it ended up costing me a lot of money Parts prices are horrendous. Not saying don't try one but I wouldn't have a Boxster as something I kept long term.

Any more info than that?

What would you like to know?

[5678]

V8Triumph said:

What would you like to know?

What constitutes horrendous parts prices? What were the bills that put you off?

[TOENHEEL]

Ims failure affects Boxsters and normal carrera 911's right up to 987 and 997 cars. If your concerned have the cheese like bearing replaced with an uprated one and you shouldn't have any bother at all. Gearbox out job, engine can stay in place. I ran a 986 for a couple of years without a problem. Old mans 987 went pop however. Seems hit and miss what cars are affected so for peace of mind I would have the bearing replaced from the off. Early Boxsters and 911's also had the issue with ovaling of the cylinders but as others say if an engines been maintained and has decent amounts of miles on the clock your unlikely to have a problem.

I have to be honest though with a low budget I probably wouldn't go Boxster, your money would buy you a newer and better Z4 or S2000.

[V8Triumph]

5678 said:

V8Triumph said:

What would you like to know?

What constitutes horrendous parts prices? What were the bills that put you off?

It was mainly silly stuff like a new hood being over £1000, centre caps over £100. Trim prices were shocking. Then there was general servicing it cost over £200 for just a minor service, as a comparison, I can do that for under £25 on my MG. I found it was far too expensive to run for what it was.

The other major issue was the car was rather quick but didn't come alive until well after speed limits had been reached and for me, it felt like a licence losing car.

[TOENHEEL]

Parts aren't cheap but the majority of 7 year old and older Boxsters will need bits and pieces doing to them just like any car. As for servicing they aren't any different to a normal car same principle. If your buying one to keep either service it yourself or at a "normal" garage.

[RESSE]

ThunderSpook said:

Megaflow said:

This...

The early 2.5 have got some serious and well know engine faults. I'd steer well clear.

Just to confirm, this is rubbish.

Also confirmed, utter rubbish - our 1999 2.5 Tiptronic is a great car and only needs routine services (1,000 mile per month commute/car showing 62,000 miles).

[anonymous-user]

RESSE said:

ThunderSpook said:

Megaflow said:

This...

The early 2.5 have got some serious and well know engine faults. I'd steer well clear.

Just to confirm, this is rubbish.

Also confirmed, utter rubbish - our 1999 2.5 Tiptronic is a great car and only needs routine services (1,000 mile per month commute/car showing 62,000 miles).

Your Boxster is ok but what about all the other ones out there that have had engine problems? It's a bit of a risk buying one hence why the second hand values are low.

[ThunderSpook]

Once they are over 50-60k, which pretty much all of the 2.5's should be by now, then they should be past any problems. Pretty much all of the catastrophic engine failures happened before 25k.

[zombies]

I went to look at a few Boxsters, many were tatty.
One was at a dealer and I couldnt take it for a spin or even start it as they were waiting on parts.
I went back 4 weeks later and I thought they had sold it but it was in the workshop, I went in for a look and seen a mechanic struggling so I asked what the problem was and he said he was taking the plugs out!

that's when I decided against a boxster.

[5678]

I've moved onto looking at 3.0 Z4s now, IMS issues (slim chance it may be...) put me off.