Costs owning a 2.5 Boxster?
Discussion
I'm really tempted to buy one of the original 2.5s.
I'd only be doing around 4K miles pa. Anyone got one and give approx running costs?
Obviously a lot would depend on the condition of the car purchased but my question relates more to normal running costs pa.
PS if anyone knows a cracking example for sale let me know.
Thanks
I'd only be doing around 4K miles pa. Anyone got one and give approx running costs?
Obviously a lot would depend on the condition of the car purchased but my question relates more to normal running costs pa.
PS if anyone knows a cracking example for sale let me know.
Thanks
You are very unlikely to get away with under £1500-£2000 per year as they are 20 years old and there are loads of parts that wear out with time & mileage. Radiators, air con condensors, steering rack, springs, bushes, all the suspension bits really in fact, brakes, tires, the rear screen and the hood mechanism, etc. Nice car especially if you can do some work but just as they're £4k to buy, doesn't make them cheap to run as I found out
I bought a '97 2.5 last year which had done 39k miles. It had oil changes annually but the rest of the servicing was done by mileage, i.e. not much of it (was in amazing condition so I bought it anyway). Most of the work was me paying someone else to do it. It needed:
Discs/pads front and rear = £600
Minor service (aux belt, oil change, inspection) = £150
Alignment = £40
New coolant cap = £20
New tyres = £500
Assorted non important trim pieces = £40
I decided to move it on after a few months as I didn't really take to it, but I would also have been replacing the rear window or roof (£200/£650) and door membrane (£60) imminently if I had decided to keep it. The specialist that did the service said that the coffin arms needed doing, but no other specialist did, and there was never an advisory on the MOTs so I am not convinced there (watch out for specialists).
As you can see, most of my costs were due to the previous owner not spending what they should have over the years, but the asking price reflected that. As above, numerous weak points in the original 986 (coolant bottles, roof mechanisms etc) were waiting to break at some point also.
Discs/pads front and rear = £600
Minor service (aux belt, oil change, inspection) = £150
Alignment = £40
New coolant cap = £20
New tyres = £500
Assorted non important trim pieces = £40
I decided to move it on after a few months as I didn't really take to it, but I would also have been replacing the rear window or roof (£200/£650) and door membrane (£60) imminently if I had decided to keep it. The specialist that did the service said that the coffin arms needed doing, but no other specialist did, and there was never an advisory on the MOTs so I am not convinced there (watch out for specialists).
As you can see, most of my costs were due to the previous owner not spending what they should have over the years, but the asking price reflected that. As above, numerous weak points in the original 986 (coolant bottles, roof mechanisms etc) were waiting to break at some point also.
Porsche911R said:
The uk speed limit off a motor way is only 60mph lol fast cars can be a frustration and that then = dull.
Yes, 200 Bhp enough for me on the tight country roads around here. I had a Elise which didn't have much performance but the car didn't need it to be a great drive.I've heard the original 2.5 Boxster is also one of the best handling of all Boxsters. I am definitely not one for big speeds. I am also now preferring the classic original Boxsters with the amber lights as opposed to later models. Budget is also a factor, a 987 is too expensive for me.
I owned a 2.5 Boxster, it turned out that the past owner didn't take the best care of it and told a few porkies, however if you are happy to work on the car yourself it doesn't cost much to fix things.
For example:
Air Con condensors rotten (very common), Porsche wanted £800, I bought the parts myself for £100, fitted in less than a hour and a local garage gassed it up for £30.
Front disks and pads needed replaced, did these myself in a hour, about £150 in parts.
Drop links needed replaced all round, about £20 each, simple to replace.
Car was running a bit sluggish, replaced the MAF sensor with a proper Bosch one for £170, took 5 minutes.
Once I'd ironed these out and got the tracking done it was a fantastic car to own, the handling was fantastic. Being a early 2.5 it's the lightest version with a cable throttle so you really get to enjoy it at lower speeds. I owned a 996 Carrera previously and the Boxster was much more fun to drive.
For example:
Air Con condensors rotten (very common), Porsche wanted £800, I bought the parts myself for £100, fitted in less than a hour and a local garage gassed it up for £30.
Front disks and pads needed replaced, did these myself in a hour, about £150 in parts.
Drop links needed replaced all round, about £20 each, simple to replace.
Car was running a bit sluggish, replaced the MAF sensor with a proper Bosch one for £170, took 5 minutes.
Once I'd ironed these out and got the tracking done it was a fantastic car to own, the handling was fantastic. Being a early 2.5 it's the lightest version with a cable throttle so you really get to enjoy it at lower speeds. I owned a 996 Carrera previously and the Boxster was much more fun to drive.
The 2.5 Boxster is like the original 996 - pure and unadulterated, as it has the lowest power engine, very few driver aids and is rather analogue feeling. As said, they spin up to revs very sweetly and display the usual Porsche engine traits of a nice tractable engine with a wide power range and they sound glorious at revs.
The 2.7 is worth a look too, I had one, extremely sweet engine and very revvy - the only 'downside' is that it runs eGas rather than a mechanically actuated throttle; but it's not too intrusive and well 'mapped'.
Really good little cars, if I had the space I'd get one again to accompany my 996.
The 2.7 is worth a look too, I had one, extremely sweet engine and very revvy - the only 'downside' is that it runs eGas rather than a mechanically actuated throttle; but it's not too intrusive and well 'mapped'.
Really good little cars, if I had the space I'd get one again to accompany my 996.
pattyg said:
I'm really tempted to buy one of the original 2.5s.
I'd only be doing around 4K miles pa. Anyone got one and give approx running costs?
I had 2.7 for nearly 6 years and recently sold it. This all depends on the condition really, I bought it from the first owner at 60k miles so my first 4 years, it only needed annual minor service (oil change) + consumables (tires mainly, due to driving around crappy Tower Hamlets).I'd only be doing around 4K miles pa. Anyone got one and give approx running costs?
After 4 years it started to need serious service items from engine department to cooling area or even exhaust... There are things like power steering pump, MAF, AOS, and o2 sensors that might fail at some point. Even if you do the work, the parts are not that cheap. Cooling is not perfect, radiators, fans and tank definitely need a massive refresh after 10 years.
I had a non A.C. car, selling it was hard but during my ownership it did not need any servicing in terms of A.C. or condensers so that gives you a bit of financial relief from the maintenance. Never had a roof mechanism issue. Suspension was alright but again I've never tracked the car.
If you can find a clean unmolested one, 2.5 is a much more solid and special car, they have been built at Stuttgart unlike the later 986s at Finland.
Certainly a lot of opinions here. I'll add a few of mine.
Owned both a Stuttgart and a Finland built Boxster, never saw any difference.
Any car over 15 years old will have parts that aged and parts that wore. Can't expect a new parts car for the price these have fallen to.
Buy one with records and a lot of maintenance done to things like suspension, plastic parts, window mechanisms, roof/hood, etc. Good tires and brake thickness (pads and rotors). Buy one where you understand the owner's motivation for selling. Get a PPI from the most experienced Porsche mechanic you can find. Expect to pay for it but also to learn a lot about the future maintenance needs of the car.
Can it be expensive to maintain even if you get the right one? Sure. Every used car is a crap shoot. I was the third owner of each of mine and the maintenance for each was less that comparable era Hondas with the same miles. Lots less expensive and never let me down. Some of that was maintenance at the beginning of my ownership, some to luck. Loved em.
Owned both a Stuttgart and a Finland built Boxster, never saw any difference.
Any car over 15 years old will have parts that aged and parts that wore. Can't expect a new parts car for the price these have fallen to.
Buy one with records and a lot of maintenance done to things like suspension, plastic parts, window mechanisms, roof/hood, etc. Good tires and brake thickness (pads and rotors). Buy one where you understand the owner's motivation for selling. Get a PPI from the most experienced Porsche mechanic you can find. Expect to pay for it but also to learn a lot about the future maintenance needs of the car.
Can it be expensive to maintain even if you get the right one? Sure. Every used car is a crap shoot. I was the third owner of each of mine and the maintenance for each was less that comparable era Hondas with the same miles. Lots less expensive and never let me down. Some of that was maintenance at the beginning of my ownership, some to luck. Loved em.
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