718 Boxster GTS 4.0
Discussion
At the ripe, old-man age of 36, I was feeling down about the future of cars. Fast but dull, big and heavy, full of nanny electronics and just not fun. When I bought my E90 M3 it was my only car so I needed something to be both practical and fun, and it was absolutely fantastic at that. I since bought an E46 325i as a runaround to keep the M3 for weekends and holidays. But I decided I wanted a special, new-ish 2 seater sports car.
Criteria were pretty strict..... Under 3-4 years old, still available with a warranty, at least as fast as the M3 in a straight line (I don't need much faster, for a B road blast it's more than enough), naturally aspirated, at least 6 cylinders, fun to drive but still tolerable for long road trips (where I can do 2.5k miles in 10 days) with a budget of about £60k. There weren't many options!
So..... I looked at 718s. I was happy with either a Cayman or a Boxster, I'd have preferred a Boxster because, by all reviews, on the road they drive identically, and even on track it's hard to tell the difference. Boxsters are typically a few £k more expensive, so I'd settled for a Cayman.
I tested a Cayman to see if it was what I wanted, and had to have one. A lovely Boxster was up for sale which I'd saved on my list on the Approved Used Porsche website but it was £67k. I kept my eye out. I looked again 1.5 weeks ago and on the Thursday it'd dropped to £64k. f
k it.
I phoned the dealer, put down a deposit, having never driven a Boxster
Over the next few days I kept paying off chunks and I paid the final amount Thursday just gone and collected it Friday. It was in Sheffield. I live in Portsmouth! Slept sod all, got a stupidly early train (left home at 0445!), the dealer collected me in a 992 911 GTS hybrid thing. Very fast, but confirmed that I'd definitely prefer the Boxster.
I did a slight detour to meet a fellow PHer, did a brief blast up on a few roads around the Peak District before heading home. 250 miles, I did the first 90mins with the roof down, and the final hour. What a car. I am chuffed.
The spec is fairly low but I am more into the driving experience so I preferred a lower spec Boxster to a higher spec Cayman. It was registered November 2022 and had 17480 miles on collection. It has the stuff I really wanted..... A 4.0 flat 6 in the middle. After testing a PDK I wanted that (amazing gearbox!). Apart from that it's got a few other bits like the full extended leather etc. Base audio but I'm not too fussed on that.
I love the colour, and it's the only one I've seen that has this interior combo. I love it.
Only plans for now are to fit some zunsport grilles - one issue they can occasionally suffer is road debris taking out the somewhat exposed radiators. These help protect them. I'll get those over the next month or two. Other than that it's just enjoy it!
Criteria were pretty strict..... Under 3-4 years old, still available with a warranty, at least as fast as the M3 in a straight line (I don't need much faster, for a B road blast it's more than enough), naturally aspirated, at least 6 cylinders, fun to drive but still tolerable for long road trips (where I can do 2.5k miles in 10 days) with a budget of about £60k. There weren't many options!
So..... I looked at 718s. I was happy with either a Cayman or a Boxster, I'd have preferred a Boxster because, by all reviews, on the road they drive identically, and even on track it's hard to tell the difference. Boxsters are typically a few £k more expensive, so I'd settled for a Cayman.
I tested a Cayman to see if it was what I wanted, and had to have one. A lovely Boxster was up for sale which I'd saved on my list on the Approved Used Porsche website but it was £67k. I kept my eye out. I looked again 1.5 weeks ago and on the Thursday it'd dropped to £64k. f
k it.I phoned the dealer, put down a deposit, having never driven a Boxster
Over the next few days I kept paying off chunks and I paid the final amount Thursday just gone and collected it Friday. It was in Sheffield. I live in Portsmouth! Slept sod all, got a stupidly early train (left home at 0445!), the dealer collected me in a 992 911 GTS hybrid thing. Very fast, but confirmed that I'd definitely prefer the Boxster.
I did a slight detour to meet a fellow PHer, did a brief blast up on a few roads around the Peak District before heading home. 250 miles, I did the first 90mins with the roof down, and the final hour. What a car. I am chuffed.
The spec is fairly low but I am more into the driving experience so I preferred a lower spec Boxster to a higher spec Cayman. It was registered November 2022 and had 17480 miles on collection. It has the stuff I really wanted..... A 4.0 flat 6 in the middle. After testing a PDK I wanted that (amazing gearbox!). Apart from that it's got a few other bits like the full extended leather etc. Base audio but I'm not too fussed on that.
I love the colour, and it's the only one I've seen that has this interior combo. I love it.
Only plans for now are to fit some zunsport grilles - one issue they can occasionally suffer is road debris taking out the somewhat exposed radiators. These help protect them. I'll get those over the next month or two. Other than that it's just enjoy it!
E90_M3Ross said:
danb79 said:
Wow! Never saw that coming Ross...
Looks a superb car and a gorgeous colour
You commented on the M3 Cutters for sale page and I think I mentioned I was after a Porsche? Looks a superb car and a gorgeous colour
It's a very, very good steer!
Mr Tidy said:
Having never driven one that was a brave buy!
So I'm glad you are chuffed. Lovely colour combo too. Enjoy.
In fairness all reviews basically say "on the road, you simply can't tell the difference between Boxster and Cayman" so I knew I wasn't going to be too disappointed. Having driven the Cayman GTS 4.0, I can say that neither can I. Even with the roof down the Boxster just feels so good to throw around. So I'm glad you are chuffed. Lovely colour combo too. Enjoy.
E90_M3Ross said:
In fairness all reviews basically say "on the road, you simply can't tell the difference between Boxster and Cayman" so I knew I wasn't going to be too disappointed. Having driven the Cayman GTS 4.0, I can say that neither can I. Even with the roof down the Boxster just feels so good to throw around.
OK, so you weren't going into it completely blind then! Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff