RE: Porsche 718 Boxster | PH Used Buying Guide
Discussion
Water Fairy said:
I do need to tick the Porsche thing off my list. Not long until I may be able to do it, but there are soo many other things I want to try too............
What is better: 987s or boggo 981?
I went through the same thought process recently with a Cayman and I don’t think there is a bad choice. More find the right spec car for you at the right price. I ended up with a base 981 (2.7) and don’t regret that choice so far at all. It has a more modern interior, Sounds and performs well and doesn’t seem to leave you needing more. What is better: 987s or boggo 981?
I really don’t like the way the tyres skip when turning at low speeds as mentioned in other posts, that’s about my only criticism.
Edited by NigelTVR on Sunday 19th March 22:41
JAMSXR said:
So much want, bloody children taking up space and ruining my driving dreams.
As a 29 year old no kids no wife it's still a daunting prospect for running a two seater as an only car/daily.Hence I'm the end I went for a coupe with two seats in the back despite all of my heart telling me to buy a 996 and mod it. There's been a lot of times my decision was vindicated and I know I did right but still I wonder what if....
NigelTVR said:
Water Fairy said:
I do need to tick the Porsche thing off my list. Not long until I may be able to do it, but there are soo many other things I want to try too............
What is better: 987s or boggo 981?
I went through the same thought process recently with a Cayman and I don’t think there is a bad choice. More find the right spec car for you at the right price. I ended up with a base 981 (2.7) and don’t regret that choice so far at all. It has a more modern interior, Sounds and performs well and doesn’t seem to leave you needing more. What is better: 987s or boggo 981?
I really don’t like the way the tyres skip when turning at low speeds as mentioned in other posts, that’s about my only criticism.
Edited by NigelTVR on Sunday 19th March 22:41
But, I agree that the 981 is a nicer place to sit, but that is because it IS a new design, whereas the 987.1/2 is basically a 986 boxster facelift.
I actually started my journey looking at 987.2’ S’s before upping my budget to test drive 981 S/GTS cars and then finally settling on a 718 car at double my originally intended budget. I appreciate that option isn’t open to everyone, but I drove quite a few cars.
I collected my 718 Boxster T two weeks ago and no regrets so far.
I'm a Brit living in Austria and couldnt bring our my VX220 as it was too modified so started to look for something local. The issue here is that there is a power tax added to your insurance and makes anything above 300 bhp really expensive. My check list was manual, ok luggage space for road trips and good aircon. This made the short list very short. M2's arent special enough to justify the extra power tax, used 911's or boxster spyders are not much cheaper then new ones and almost everything here is auto.
I ended up buying new and am glad I did. I've done around 1000 kms and managed a few mountain passes. The car handles really well, feels very lightweight once your pushing on and would easily keep up with my old supercharged VX220. The engine sounds good for a four cylinder, obviously not as good as a six cylinder but good non the less, and its fast. It doesnt feel as fast as it is because there isnt really a power band you hit, it just seems to pull linearly. Gear change is amazing, its has buttons for everything so I can press them with gloves on when the roof is down in the cold and having everything as an option means I could chose not to have anything annoying like lane keep assist.
Overall I'd say try one, you might be surprised.
I'm a Brit living in Austria and couldnt bring our my VX220 as it was too modified so started to look for something local. The issue here is that there is a power tax added to your insurance and makes anything above 300 bhp really expensive. My check list was manual, ok luggage space for road trips and good aircon. This made the short list very short. M2's arent special enough to justify the extra power tax, used 911's or boxster spyders are not much cheaper then new ones and almost everything here is auto.
I ended up buying new and am glad I did. I've done around 1000 kms and managed a few mountain passes. The car handles really well, feels very lightweight once your pushing on and would easily keep up with my old supercharged VX220. The engine sounds good for a four cylinder, obviously not as good as a six cylinder but good non the less, and its fast. It doesnt feel as fast as it is because there isnt really a power band you hit, it just seems to pull linearly. Gear change is amazing, its has buttons for everything so I can press them with gloves on when the roof is down in the cold and having everything as an option means I could chose not to have anything annoying like lane keep assist.
Overall I'd say try one, you might be surprised.
Boxster 718S PDK here. All this talk about the 4 cyl in the Boxster and the PDK box gets a bit wearing. Having owned the car for three years 14k miles all I can say is that it is phenomenal. Performance is blistering, ride and handling are superb. This car is a flying machine😀
Runs out with various ‘supercar’ clubs present no problems. The Boxster punches above its weight and certainly competes with more exotic machinery.
Just drive one and see.
Runs out with various ‘supercar’ clubs present no problems. The Boxster punches above its weight and certainly competes with more exotic machinery.
Just drive one and see.
It’s a lovely car but nothings perfect, apart from the GT4 obviously. Walter Röhl was famously captured in an unguarded moment having a hissy fit about the „dreadful“ engine, and he did go out and buy a 981 as he preferred the 6. But I think he got over himself as he is a big fan of turbos, here he is talking to a journalist, auf Englisch, getting a bit more animated towards the end when talking about the Ring. Bless
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qs-XcwJiUtw
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qs-XcwJiUtw
I have owned 3 Boxster's, so far, came to them late first one in 2019. Always liked them due to hours playing 'Porsche Challenge' in the 1990's (second best original PlayStation game after 'Wipeout 2097')
My first was a 981 Spyder for 18 months 2019 - 2020. Amazing touring car, we did massive euro tours in it. it had some negatives. Mostly the ride, far too hard for UK but tolerable in Europe, to such an extent in the UK my feet would bounce off the pedals. Secondly it felt BIG, don't know why but on the road it felt larger than both my McLaren's and therefore harder to place & hustle. And I didn't like the manufactured 'boy racer' exhaust popping and farting. I wanted the mechanical Porsche sound, not Halfords exhaust sound. But no denying it looks stunning and is a quality car.
So the 981 Spyder was sold and replaced with a Silver 986s which many would see as a downgrade but again we took it to Europe and did thousands of miles no issue. I didn't gel with it though, I think it was the colour, I'm not a fan of silver but could not fault it any other way,
So that was sold and I bought a gen 1 986s in rainforest green with amber lights on the smaller 17" wheels. What a difference the wheel size makes, the Boxster drives so much better on smaller wheels, better steering feel, more agile. I adore this particular car. its 22 years old and the cabin is like new, despite its 70k miles. Dispelling the criticism the 986/996 gets over low quality interiors. It really has stood the test of time. The 2 boots mean we were able to take it on the Route des Grande Alps to the Cote d'Azure for a whole month, 2 up touring with no problem and plenty of space and fun.
This got me wishing I had bought one new back in the day. So I began to look at the 718 4.0GTS. Can't be many 2 seater manual, NA, 2 seater convertibles left I thought, and I was right the MX5 & 718 and that's it (Morgan's & Caterham's aside but not for 4 week tours). I test drove a PDK 4.0 Cayman (as that's all the OPC had). It gave me an idea of the ride quality and cabin and handling and it was good, felt much smaller and more agile than the 981 Spyder. The PDK I found boring, almost too good. I then drove a mates 4.0 GTS Boxster Manual and I was smitten, I mean the car is actually faultless, sounds better than the 981 (more mechanical) definitely feels smaller and more agile and, unless my 3 year old memory is playing tricks on me the 4.0GTS felt a bit quicker. At 1,280 kilos (according to Harry's Garage) its proper light too and has an LSD. So I placed my deposit and now have a 12-18 month wait. There is an outside chance I will miss production but I am really hoping i manage to get one of the last NA. manual, 2 seater convertibles ever made. The Boxster, in all iterations, really is a sublime car. I think I can say, after a 20 year delay to proceedings, I am a fan.
My first was a 981 Spyder for 18 months 2019 - 2020. Amazing touring car, we did massive euro tours in it. it had some negatives. Mostly the ride, far too hard for UK but tolerable in Europe, to such an extent in the UK my feet would bounce off the pedals. Secondly it felt BIG, don't know why but on the road it felt larger than both my McLaren's and therefore harder to place & hustle. And I didn't like the manufactured 'boy racer' exhaust popping and farting. I wanted the mechanical Porsche sound, not Halfords exhaust sound. But no denying it looks stunning and is a quality car.
So the 981 Spyder was sold and replaced with a Silver 986s which many would see as a downgrade but again we took it to Europe and did thousands of miles no issue. I didn't gel with it though, I think it was the colour, I'm not a fan of silver but could not fault it any other way,
So that was sold and I bought a gen 1 986s in rainforest green with amber lights on the smaller 17" wheels. What a difference the wheel size makes, the Boxster drives so much better on smaller wheels, better steering feel, more agile. I adore this particular car. its 22 years old and the cabin is like new, despite its 70k miles. Dispelling the criticism the 986/996 gets over low quality interiors. It really has stood the test of time. The 2 boots mean we were able to take it on the Route des Grande Alps to the Cote d'Azure for a whole month, 2 up touring with no problem and plenty of space and fun.
This got me wishing I had bought one new back in the day. So I began to look at the 718 4.0GTS. Can't be many 2 seater manual, NA, 2 seater convertibles left I thought, and I was right the MX5 & 718 and that's it (Morgan's & Caterham's aside but not for 4 week tours). I test drove a PDK 4.0 Cayman (as that's all the OPC had). It gave me an idea of the ride quality and cabin and handling and it was good, felt much smaller and more agile than the 981 Spyder. The PDK I found boring, almost too good. I then drove a mates 4.0 GTS Boxster Manual and I was smitten, I mean the car is actually faultless, sounds better than the 981 (more mechanical) definitely feels smaller and more agile and, unless my 3 year old memory is playing tricks on me the 4.0GTS felt a bit quicker. At 1,280 kilos (according to Harry's Garage) its proper light too and has an LSD. So I placed my deposit and now have a 12-18 month wait. There is an outside chance I will miss production but I am really hoping i manage to get one of the last NA. manual, 2 seater convertibles ever made. The Boxster, in all iterations, really is a sublime car. I think I can say, after a 20 year delay to proceedings, I am a fan.
I took the plunge and purchased a 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 last year in Aventurine Green. I had an Emira on order, but cancelled due to lack of communication by Lotus. I have no regrets, especially now I'm hearing of all the horror stories Emira owners are experiencing with their new cars.
The 718 GTS 4.0 is amazing, I wanted a soft top for summer drives and it just feels so special when driving it. It never fails to put a smile on your face. The only issue is the the manual gearing is slightly too long, so you don't get to hear the amazing sound from the flat six as much as you would because of the speed you are going.
To be honest I don't know what I would swap it for, I don't think a 992 is a better car if I'm being honest with the turbo engine.
anyone in the market for one, don't hesitate as you won't be able to get one soon.
The 718 GTS 4.0 is amazing, I wanted a soft top for summer drives and it just feels so special when driving it. It never fails to put a smile on your face. The only issue is the the manual gearing is slightly too long, so you don't get to hear the amazing sound from the flat six as much as you would because of the speed you are going.
To be honest I don't know what I would swap it for, I don't think a 992 is a better car if I'm being honest with the turbo engine.
anyone in the market for one, don't hesitate as you won't be able to get one soon.
Hol said:
NigelTVR said:
Water Fairy said:
I do need to tick the Porsche thing off my list. Not long until I may be able to do it, but there are soo many other things I want to try too............
What is better: 987s or boggo 981?
I went through the same thought process recently with a Cayman and I don’t think there is a bad choice. More find the right spec car for you at the right price. I ended up with a base 981 (2.7) and don’t regret that choice so far at all. It has a more modern interior, Sounds and performs well and doesn’t seem to leave you needing more. What is better: 987s or boggo 981?
I really don’t like the way the tyres skip when turning at low speeds as mentioned in other posts, that’s about my only criticism.
Edited by NigelTVR on Sunday 19th March 22:41
But, I agree that the 981 is a nicer place to sit, but that is because it IS a new design, whereas the 987.1/2 is basically a 986 boxster facelift.
I actually started my journey looking at 987.2’ S’s before upping my budget to test drive 981 S/GTS cars and then finally settling on a 718 car at double my originally intended budget. I appreciate that option isn’t open to everyone, but I drove quite a few cars.
boozyjay said:
I took the plunge and purchased a 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 last year in Aventurine Green. I had an Emira on order, but cancelled due to lack of communication by Lotus. I have no regrets, especially now I'm hearing of all the horror stories Emira owners are experiencing with their new cars.
The 718 GTS 4.0 is amazing, I wanted a soft top for summer drives and it just feels so special when driving it. It never fails to put a smile on your face. The only issue is the the manual gearing is slightly too long, so you don't get to hear the amazing sound from the flat six as much as you would because of the speed you are going.
To be honest I don't know what I would swap it for, I don't think a 992 is a better car if I'm being honest with the turbo engine.
anyone in the market for one, don't hesitate as you won't be able to get one soon.
How's the Aventurine Green? That's my choice too? What other spec did you go for? Any spec tips? The 718 GTS 4.0 is amazing, I wanted a soft top for summer drives and it just feels so special when driving it. It never fails to put a smile on your face. The only issue is the the manual gearing is slightly too long, so you don't get to hear the amazing sound from the flat six as much as you would because of the speed you are going.
To be honest I don't know what I would swap it for, I don't think a 992 is a better car if I'm being honest with the turbo engine.
anyone in the market for one, don't hesitate as you won't be able to get one soon.
I actually quite like long gearing, too many cars zap through gears quickly now so you can't savour the rise and falling crescendo of sound. It makes the car very stable and predictable. It has enough torque and power to work around it and I think there has been too much negativity with the longer gearing without discussion of the positives.
Bispal said:
boozyjay said:
I took the plunge and purchased a 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 last year in Aventurine Green. I had an Emira on order, but cancelled due to lack of communication by Lotus. I have no regrets, especially now I'm hearing of all the horror stories Emira owners are experiencing with their new cars.
The 718 GTS 4.0 is amazing, I wanted a soft top for summer drives and it just feels so special when driving it. It never fails to put a smile on your face. The only issue is the the manual gearing is slightly too long, so you don't get to hear the amazing sound from the flat six as much as you would because of the speed you are going.
To be honest I don't know what I would swap it for, I don't think a 992 is a better car if I'm being honest with the turbo engine.
anyone in the market for one, don't hesitate as you won't be able to get one soon.
How's the Aventurine Green? That's my choice too? What other spec did you go for? Any spec tips? The 718 GTS 4.0 is amazing, I wanted a soft top for summer drives and it just feels so special when driving it. It never fails to put a smile on your face. The only issue is the the manual gearing is slightly too long, so you don't get to hear the amazing sound from the flat six as much as you would because of the speed you are going.
To be honest I don't know what I would swap it for, I don't think a 992 is a better car if I'm being honest with the turbo engine.
anyone in the market for one, don't hesitate as you won't be able to get one soon.
I actually quite like long gearing, too many cars zap through gears quickly now so you can't savour the rise and falling crescendo of sound. It makes the car very stable and predictable. It has enough torque and power to work around it and I think there has been too much negativity with the longer gearing without discussion of the positives.
Think I may be responsible for the absence of Boxster Ts for sale at the time of the article…
Found this gem locally with just 5k miles and collected it 2 weeks ago.
It does appear that some of the hysteria over the 4 pot turbo is a tad exaggerated. Mrs K’s new daily driver. It’s done 31mpg over 550 miles so far and I have to say that it drives very well indeed. More than happy so far.
Someone kindly spent £13k on options when it was new, including full T interior pack, retro pinstripe seats and leather dash, it’s a nice place to be. Performance is more than adequate on our camera infested roads but I’d love to give it a blast around Oulton Park…
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