Boxster 2.5 running costs

Boxster 2.5 running costs

Author
Discussion

hughjayteens

Original Poster:

2,029 posts

281 months

Monday 6th January 2003
quotequote all
Still undecided what car to go for next but a Boxster seems to fit the bill perfectly and the finance offered at the OPC seems bloody good too, but what are the running costs like for servicing, tyres and fuel etc. The car I am looking at has 37k miles and I do about 10k per year.

I had a Chimaera before that drank like a fish and broke down rather too often for my liking, but after living with the automotive purgatory known as a Clio 1.2 for the last six months, I think a Boxster 2.5 will feel rather good.

Don

28,378 posts

297 months

Tuesday 7th January 2003
quotequote all
Yes it will feel good. A car with format of the Chimaera..practical..everyday..with an excellent roof that means you can catch every scrap of available roof down motoring. Great.

Not as fast, mind.

A few cost indicators:

Tyres: If you have 16/17 inch rims the tyres will cost a great deal less than 18" rims. I paid £180 at Micheldever for a rear 18" tyre recently. If you're not wearing them out at the track you should get 15K miles out of a set. Mine will last less than that because I use Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tyres ... errr... hard.

Servicing: On my Boxster S I paid under £200 for a first service. Its every 12K miles or annually. OPCs offer a reduced labour rate for the 2.5 Boxster - so although you may need more doing you should pay less for the work.

There are numbers of independent Porsche specialists with excellent reputations. e.g. JZ Machtech (sp?).

I suggest joining the Porsche Club PCGB for more info than you can use. Nic Doczi the PCGB Boxster Register secretary posts here occasionally and (once you are a member) you could get in touch for the experiences of a great many Boxster Register members.

There are a few Boxster owners on PH too who might be able to shed more light...anyone with a 2.5?

>> Edited by Don on Tuesday 7th January 08:59

GregE240

10,857 posts

280 months

Tuesday 7th January 2003
quotequote all

Don said: Tyres: If you have 16/17 inch rims the tyres will cost a great deal less than 18" rims. I paid £180 at Micheldever for a rear 18" tyre recently. If you're not wearing them out at the track you should get 15K miles out of a set. Mine will last less than that because I use Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tyres ... errr... hard.



Note to Emma: Must drive "harder" (16K and still loads of tread left. And here's me thinking she drove it quickly !)
Happy New Year, BTW Don ! Looking forward to meeting up with you & Mrs D soon.

hughjayteens

Original Poster:

2,029 posts

281 months

Tuesday 7th January 2003
quotequote all
Cheers guys - am gonna pop into AFN at the weekend and have a drive (still never driven one!).

Report back on Monday hopefully.

Don

28,378 posts

297 months

Wednesday 8th January 2003
quotequote all

hughjayteens said: Cheers guys - am gonna pop into AFN at the weekend and have a drive (still never driven one!).

Report back on Monday hopefully.


Excellent. Let us know how you get on.


And Happy New Year, Greg. Will certainly see you at some of this year's events.....

dcb

5,964 posts

278 months

Wednesday 8th January 2003
quotequote all

Still undecided what car to go for next but a Boxster seems to fit the bill perfectly



Top Gear magazine has running costs for a 2.7 at 53 p a mile.

Cheapest 911 is 92 p a mile.

MX5 at 37 p a mile.

Audi TT from 51-57p a mile.

Jaguar XJ8 is 80 p a mile, so I might be going for
something cheaper to run soon, like a Porsche !

Take your pick. Your mileage may vary.

Gallen

2,162 posts

268 months

Monday 13th January 2003
quotequote all
I've had a UK Boxster 2.5 for about 18 months now, and use it as an everyday car. Maybe I could give you an idea of "Real" running costs, as this was a big issue
when I bought.

I've done just over 20k in it so far, and it's never gone wrong (touch wood). I replaced 2 rear tyres 4 months after I bought it. At the time, this cost around £500 (Pirelli P-Zero). You can now pick up new 17" and 18" tyre sets from Porsche Specialists
for approx £395 and £495 respectively.

First OPC service I had done cost £300. Now waiting to book in for a big service, which is quoted at about £600.

Fuel costs are excellent (cheap) in my opinion.
It costs approx £35 for a full tank of fuel, from the fuel light coming on. This will last around 280-350 miles, maybe more, depending how hard it's driven, but I do tend to, err, drive fast ...now and again!

Fuel wise, It will seem like an electric car compared to a TVR!

Go for it, you will love it - and be pleasently suprised by costs I should think.



rodsmith

261 posts

274 months

Monday 13th January 2003
quotequote all
I'm sure Gallen will agree with me, make sure you’re car has more than the speakers in dash. It’s a nightmare to upgrade them.

Gallen

2,162 posts

268 months

Tuesday 14th January 2003
quotequote all
Hi Rod!
...certainly do agree!

NicD

3,281 posts

270 months

Wednesday 15th January 2003
quotequote all
I think you mean get one with speakers in the lower door panels - Hi Fi option. All Boxsters have speakers (though not particularly good ones) in the dashboard.


If anyone is concerned about unpredictable and high expenses on an older Boxster, we are not seeing many failures so far BUT there is always the risk. You can cut this to a managable size with a Porsche Cars GB Aftercare Plan - about £700pa. This covers mechanical failure (to £3000+VAT), MOT failure, and tyres.

Nic
PCGB Boxster Register Secretary

dcb

5,964 posts

278 months

Wednesday 15th January 2003
quotequote all


You can cut this to a managable size with a Porsche Cars GB Aftercare Plan - about £700pa. This covers mechanical failure (to £3000+VAT), MOT failure, and tyres.



So for £700 quid a year, I can protect against possibly
paying out up to £3,500.

I'm not sure that's a bargain - there has to be a greater
than 20% chance of something going wrong to make it worthwhile.

Isn't the marketplace wonderful ?

Don

28,378 posts

297 months

Thursday 16th January 2003
quotequote all
Doesn't that come with Porsche Assistance too, Nic? I seem to remember looking into it when I was considering keeping my last car....

So that's £160 quids worth of Europe-wide breakdown assistance (at RAC prices). Makes the £700 look slightly better as a deal.

I would agree its a bit pricey but how else can you guarantee that someone who knows Porsches inside and out will turn up if something goes wrong..take you to the best Porsche facility to fix your car and see that it is restored to its former glory.

All insurance looks expensive until you need it....

Gallen

2,162 posts

268 months

Monday 20th January 2003
quotequote all
Lancasters, Colchester offer an independent scheme for older cars. Yearly fee, and reduction on parts/labour etc. Worth it IMO, and I shal be signing up for this soon!

Maybe mor OPC's offer this sort of thing.