Early Boxster - DIY service, budget running, etc

[snotrag]

Hi all.

Currently been looking at
- S2000s (potential bills, high intial cost for a non scabby one, and so/so handling putting me off)
- MX-5 Turbo's etc (Already had 2, maybe bit TOO raw and old school)
- Mk3 MX5 - Sloooow and safe/dull)

Amongst other. Daily driver, roof MUST come down. Rear drive. Sound good, go well enough. Short daily commute. Doesn't have to be comfy, or safe. Can be bit juicy. MUST NOT need megabucks servicing, or need to be returned to dealers for anything. You get the idea.

Whatever I get will be run on a budget. It will be a project. It will get modified. It WONT go to the dealers, it WILL be something to tinker with on a Sunday, DIY service, fit uprated parts to, etc etc.

I'd not really thought a Boxster was an option - they must be a nightmare to work on, ££££ parts, just a posh birds convertible, not a proper drivers plaything type car for fiddling and hooning.

But - am I wrong? I'm hearing that parts might actually not be that dear, less than Honda. Are they 'lively? An early one, smallest wheels, least grip, will it actually be engaging at 50/60/70 mph?

And are they, as I might actually be finding out, actually the kind of car you CAN fix in your garage, play with, fit suspension and noisy exhaust too relatively cheaply etc?

The purpose of my next car (all my cars) is FUN. Fun building it, fun owning it, fun driving it.

Am I wrong to discount the Boxster?

Edited by snotrag on Saturday 2nd March 16:00

[sandman77]

Yes you are wrong.

[edc]

Have a look on boxa net. There are plenty of people diying it. Look at the pelican parts website for guides too.

Parts aren't horrific. £220 for front pads, discs, shims and sensors. £68 for TRW wishbone. Filters and basics are the same sort of price as any other car.

[Euphonic]

I also used to own mx-5s and was active on the mx5nutz forum. I now drive a 2.7 boxster.
Its a cracking car always puts a smile on my face, and always service it myself etc, parts are resonably cheap
And they are good fun to work on lol!
Check out boxa.net its a great forum for all info, its where i started out

[LeighB]

Go for it Simon, you know you want to!

I'd say an early car will be just up your street, right price and yes, you can work on these cars.

Just read the bought some poverty pork thread to convince yourself

[Roberty]

snotrag said:

just a posh birds convertible, not a proper drivers plaything type car for fiddling and hooning.

Seem's a bit rich when you state youv'e had umpteen MX-5's and are also considering an S2000!

Yes your wrong about the Boxster it is very definetly a proper drivers car, it suffers for it's poor mans Porsche image although it's still better than most other cars.

That said if your looking at a cheap early car then your probably looking at the 2.5, with just 204bhp it won't set the world alight but is a sweet handling car.

You can service it yourself once you know how to access the engine, the Pelican Parts book 101 projects for your Boxster is a must, £15 on Amazon.

Genuine parts aren't cheap but there are many pattern parts available at more reasonable rates, check out Design911 and Porscheshop websites to get an idea of costs.

They also both offer numerous upgraded parts for modifying your Porsche.

[b2hbm]

Without wanting to go too far off topic, is the same true for the Cayman ?

I'm not interesting in doing mods, but I've always done the service/maintenance on our cars in the past simply because I have the time, space & inclination. We've been looking at the market for a few months now, and the only reservation is the thought of long treks to dealers for basic servicing or minor niggles.

Brian

(edit to add - I'm fully aware that a "home service history" will devalue the car in some eyes. I don't really care, in practice it's never been a problem when selling.)

Edited by b2hbm on Sunday 3rd March 07:28

Edited by b2hbm on Sunday 3rd March 07:28

[DRH986]

A Cayman shouldn't be any more of a challenge to maintain than a Boxster, other than possibly being a bit more difficult to get access to the top of the engine. If you're handy mechanically you should certainly give it a go. I'm on my first Cayman after two Boxsters, two 968s and three 944s. I haven't had to touch the Cayman yet but have maintained the others, along with numerous other bikes and cars over the years. If you're reasonably handy, there is nothing magical or unusual other than the layout. I'd recommend getting a Durametric cable (about £300ish for the Enthusiast version) which is invaluable for fault diagnosis.

As for the service history, some buyers may be put off by DIY maintenance though I've never had a problem selling cars or bikes that I've maintained. I document everything I do to a pretty obsessive level of detail, provide receipts showing use of good quality parts, have decent facilities/tools/equipment and hopefully come across to potential buyers as competent, credible and honest. I'd certainly prefer to buy a car privately with this type of history compared with just a service book full of stamps.

[b2hbm]

Thanks for the info DRH986, that's encouraging. I don't mind spending on tools or manuals, the wife's TT is my first foray into "modern" cars and I'm quite taken with plugging it into a laptop to find out what's caused the lights to come on. I didn't realize that there were enthusiast kits available for the Cayman, so I would certainly get one, that is a really big plus.

Thanks again, I appreciate the comments.

Brian

[GC8]

snotrag said:

Stuff

Are you in Leeds Simon? I can recommend a first rate indy East of Barnsley who will be able to tackle any job that you cant manage. Their labour rate is well under £50 per hour and theyre both factory trained.

[GDEvans]

Roberty said:

You can service it yourself once you know how to access the engine, the Pelican Parts book 101 projects for your Boxster is a must, £15 on Amazon.

I don't know whether this book has gone out of print, but they are currently priced at £61 on Amazon...

[GDEvans]

Looks like Amazon and Play are out of stock of the 101 Projects book.

But it is available here:
http://www.jazmin-books.co.uk/index.php?main_page=...

[Roberty]

GDEvans said:

Roberty said:

You can service it yourself once you know how to access the engine, the Pelican Parts book 101 projects for your Boxster is a must, £15 on Amazon.

I don't know whether this book has gone out of print, but they are currently priced at £61 on Amazon...

All the articles from the book are available for free on Pelican Parts own website.

It's handy having the book and I'm glad I got mine when I did, £61 Strewth!

[GDEvans]

I got sick of searching through everything on the website with the pop up pictures! Figured for £15 it was worth it while stocks last - £61 was just crazy!!!

[spikeyhead]

The book is a bit cheaper here.

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?bt...