Tuesday 29th January 2013

You Know You Want To: Porsche Boxster Spyder

Would you pay a premium for a Boxster with a leaky roof? Chris Harris says you should!

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It rained so hard on Saturday night that five inches of snow disappeared. How depressing. One assumes it will now rain until December, whereupon it will snow and the UK will close for business. But, and I use the word 'but' in a way that introduces the most fanciful reaches of the conditional tense, were we to have a hot, balmy summer, I have decided that I would like to be driving a Boxster Spyder.

Lots of lovely trimmings despite weight saving

I keep looking at these. For a limited run machine which happens to be one of the best drivers' cars the company has made in the past decade, they look good value to me.

Essentially a Boxster with a crud roof, a Cayman R engine, and a 90kg weight reduction over a standard S the Spyder is one of those rare machines which creates a driving experience much more special than its meagre list of modifications would suggest.

I first drove one in the UK when it was raining and thought that despite feeling more alert than the standard car, I couldn't see the point of the silly roof and extra cost.

Then I drive one in the hills around LA a while back and completely fell for it. There's a strong argument for saying it's the sweetest road car Porsche has made in a while: small enough to be threadable, fast enough to not infuriate.

Focused, faster and a faff but super with it

These are now lurking around in the early £30K range as retail cars, which means they're changing hands on the other side of the fence for high 20s. Making a judgment on driving experience versus cost, that must make the Boxster Spyder one of the best value used cars out there.

I would like a red one with silver wheels, but no such car is currently for sale. So of the available stock, I think this black one looks jolly appealing.

 

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PORSCHE BOXSTER SPYDER
Price: £35,950
Why you should: One of the best Porsche driving experiences of recent years for a vaguely sensible price
Why you shouldn't: Misplaced 'it's not a proper Porsche if it's not a 911' snobbery, roof's 'novelty' value may wear thin

See the original advert here.

[WCZ]

the quoted 90kg weight saving is for a car that doesn't have either air conditioning or the satnav/radio specified, right?

[itiejim]

Lighter, sharper, more exclusive. Looks like a good call. I guess that longer term residuals should be better than standard Boxters too - definitely not a bad thing...

[mattyc69]

I have got a lot of love for these.

[Froomee]

Sat in one at Goodwood and having seen a few on the road i have to say i am impressed.

Shame the roof isn't a bit more practical although it goes on quick enough...

[pagani1]

If i lived on the Cote D'Azur then yes, but Britain in the past twelve months then no!
I am sure it's a keeper and will eventually attain classic status- for me I would talk to fabricators about a carbon fibre hardtop, then yes would be the answer.

[Oddball RS]

Then I drive one in the hills around LA a while back and completely fell for it. There's a strong argument for saying it's the sweetest road car Porsche has made in a while: small enough to be threadable, fast enough to not infuriate.

Bit daft, you fell in love with it where you don't need a decent roof and say its a great idea over in Blighty...................

[stew-S160]

I actually saw one in Cambridge a few weeks ago. In white. The roof does look stupid, far worse than an S1 Elise, but on the whole, the car looked pretty good. I'd not turn one down.

[DMC2]

GREAT drivers car, bloody annoying roof. The noise at 70 on the motorway is terrible. But during the summer when you never need to put the roof up the car is a peach.

[kambites]

Don't really see the point. It removes a large chunk of one of the best bits about the Boxster (its usability) without solving the biggest flaw in its dynamics (the steering). Strange thing to pay such a premium for...

[jaxyest]

Spyder with a hardtop. Looks quite ugly.



http://www.autogespot.nl/porsche-boxster-spyder/20...

[dasinna]

I've owned one for 15 months and it was an absolute joy. Possibly one of the best sports cars I've ever owned. Perfect size and more than fast enough for road and track. The balance of the car is something to behold. Unfortunately, the interior was just too tight for my 6'2" frame, and I had to let it go.

Also, it attracted a lot more (positive) attention than my red 997.2 GT3! For something so unique, it's incredible value for money.

PS. The roof is also a lot less leaky than I expected.

[Captain Muppet]

How does the roof compare to an S1 Elise in terms of fitting hassle and leakiness?

[dasinna]

I drove my Spyder last year on very wet Welsh roads (torrential rain for 4 days straight) and the interior stayed completely dry. Car washes are a bit of an issue though.

[Davey S2]

Nothing to add on the car but well done for using the word 'jolly'

[kambites]

Captain Muppet said:

How does the roof compare to an S1 Elise in terms of fitting hassle and leakiness?

Looks similar in terms of time taken to fit and remove. No idea on the waterproofing.

[Tuvra]

At this price level, would something like this not be the more enjoyable car and arguably the better investment?:

[The Hypno-Toad]

One of the best cars I have ever driven. I would buy one in heartbeat.

But I fear that will never be...

[exceed]

Furious!

I was looking at these for the wife, I will not be happy if the values now go up!!

[will_]

Tuvra said:

At this price level, would something like this not be the more enjoyable car and arguably the better investment?:

Depends if your chosen poison is depreciation or running costs I suppose.

Having said that, with a very decent chunk of deprecation already have occurred on the Spyder, and only 200 or so in the UK, the mid-term residuals should be pretty good. Prices have been fairly firm recently and quite a few cars have sold, which is curious given the weather.

Also a GT3 is not great for those who fancy the wind in their hair!

[V8RX7]

A friend recently bought one of these.

He was bored of his much modified VX220 Turbo and wanted something, nice, fun, good looking and convertible that was easier to live with then the VX.

He (like me) thinks the standard Boxster looks terrible and what else is there ?

The even uglier Z4 or 350Z

I originally thought he'd made a mistake but having seen it and been driven in it I think it's a great choice and I don't think he'll lose much in depreciation either.