Porsche Boxster: PH Carpool
The £4K Boxster with 120,000 miles must be a disaster story, right? Don't be so sure...
Car: 2002 Porsche Boxster - so it's a quite rare pre-facelift 2.7, five-speed manual, originally 217hp.
Owned since: April 2016
Previously owned: Jaguar X-Type 3.0 (current daily), Mazda MX-5 x3 including a fast turbocharged one, Honda Civic VTi, Mk2 Toyota MR2, Peugeot 306 GTI-6, Audi 80, Ford Escort.
The next logical step from an MX-5...
"After owning three MX-5s I am a dedicated member of the 'life is better with the roof down' club. I loved the cars and had an early Mk1 that I'd completely rebuilt, resprayed and turbocharged - it was a complete hooligan. However it didn't get used much and while I loved it, there were so many more things I wanted to try. I also really wanted a car with a 'special' engine, preferably six or eight cylinders. The Honda S2000, BMW Z4, a TVR 'S' or even a Mk3 MX-5 were on the list but the more I researched the Boxster the more it became clear that it was the car for me and - just my luck - criminally undervalued!"
What I wish I'd known:
"Not much really - I did so much research before buying that my eyes were pretty wide open. There is masses of content online from all over the world to guide you and, just like most fun other cars, plenty of enthusiastic forums, clubs and owners to advise. What I would say is to take all the information in and be pragmatic about potential problems - I'm talking about you, IMS bearing failure! My advice would be to read the facts and make your own mind up. And remember that all those companies that are keen to sell you various 'solutions' are doing just that - selling something. I'm not saying it's not a problem, but it shouldn't be a hurdle to buying a car you otherwise want.
"I bought mine privately at 123K miles from a fellow engineer and enthusiast who had owned the car a good few years; his wife had used it daily and lots of big jobs had been done including the water pump, radiators, clutch and so on. Many 'younger' cars simply seemed to be overdue most of these items and there didn't appear much benefit mechanically in paying significantly more for a car with slightly fewer miles.
"It also took a while before I realised that a clutch requiring the thigh of Chris Hoy is NOT what a Boxster should feel like - but every car I looked at with its original clutch felt that way until I found the one I bought.
"I also realised that there were bigger differences between most good ones and bad ones, than there was between 2.5, 2.7 and 3.2 S models. Each obviously gets you more power but I would have been happy with any - particularly at the budget end of the Boxster market."
Don't be put off high miles, says Simon
"Despite being mid-engined, it is a lovely car for the DIY mechanic. Everything is very well engineered and, although parts are obviously more expensive than your average hatchback, I've actually been pleasantly surprised - there lots of specialists and breakers out there, and the usual internet retailers sell all the normal service type items.
"It can't really drop much in value (if at all) from the piffling £4,200 I paid for the car, which somewhere negates the parts and running cost.
"The colour is a rare 'Orient Red' - I've yet to see any other Porsche in person in the same tone - and I actually quite like that the car is very low spec - no air conditioning, no leather seats, no Bose speakers, that sort of thing. I think the connoisseurs call that a 'club sport' spec!
"The engine is very much the centre piece, literally and figuratively. Its torquey, very smooth, and great sounding even if a bit quiet as standard. Moreover, even on my aging example the car has masses of steering feel and is very well balanced.
"Despite being just about the cheapest Porsche you can buy, people do still look at it, and it raises a little feel good smile every time you drop into the car.
"Finally, compared to some of my previous cars, it's so joyful to own a car where corrosion and rust is simply not a worry!"
Even the service costs aren't too bad!
"Not much to hate really - the remote locking and the various door and roof switches and sensors have been a bit finicky, requiring some diagnosis and fiddling.
"The 2.7 also has taller gearing than the 2.5 - it has the power to pull them and makes for a relaxed cruise but a shorter ratio gearbox would improve the drive on track and windy roads. A swap to a box from a 2.5 would be a cheap and easy DIY job, but I'm not sure if it's worth it. The gearshift in general is the worst bit of the drive, being a slightly wobbly shifter joined by two long cables to a gearbox out of a Passat! I have been spoilt by the Japanese cars here.
"I really wanted Guards Red, but they are pretty rare. Although mine is a lovely colour the bodywork on is showing its miles, with plenty of stone chips and parking wounds. And the driver's seat is looking a bit baggy now..."
Costs:
"The car is curiously good on fuel when being driven carefully, an easy 30+ mpg - not the reason to buy one, but useful. Service parts don't seem too bad and are readily available, although I got a shock when I found I needed to buy nine litres of oil! I've replaced a few suspension components and done a full brake overhaul with Brembo sport pads and discs, which was a bit pricey but should last a good while. Insurance is similar to my old turbo MX-5, but the biggest hit I've had so far was a full set of Yokohama Advans at around £450 - still not too bad in the grand scheme of things.
"The only 'failures' I've had so far are a knocking track rod end - both sides replaced for about £25 each, and the leaking coolant cap - another £15.
"Obviously it helps that I do all the work myself, but the car does lend itself to that - it's new enough to be reliable, well-engineered and corrosion free, but old enough to be quite simple still - unlike later cars with PASM which apparently need plugging into a computer to bleed the brakes, for instance."
Plenty more driving on the agenda soon!
"Nothing too far yet - ongoing DIY projects at home and a recent new job mean it's limited to weekend drives, commuting when the weather is nice and just the one track day so far - however part of the appeal is that it works as just a normal car, as well as a toy. I've put about 7,000 miles on it in the first year.
What next?
"I tend not to keep cars that long - however I have had no thoughts about changing this one! More than likely is that I need a cheap to run, reliable estate car for commuting, to free up time and money to spend on the Porsche. The MoT comes up quite soon, although I don't expect any issues. The next job is to start collecting parts for a thorough and full suspension refresh, to get the handling back to as-new and sort out a few of the rattles and bangs. This won't be cheap of course but I'll be doing the work myself so not bank-breaking.
"Long term, if I keep the car a few years, I'll invest in a respray and take some inspiration from the air-cooled world in personalising the car and improving/tweaking it. For now though I plan to book some more track days, do some longer road trips, keep up with the DIY maintenance and just enjoy it!"
I went shopping for a winter car in October to use as a daily driver and ended up buying a 2001 2.7 Boxster... I live in East Anglia and the winter weather isn't that bad - well, that's what I told SWMBO when I pulled up on the driveway in this instead of an X5.
Like yours, mine is a "club sport" spec with no aircon, traction control or Bose but it does have full leather and the nicer 3 spoke steering wheel.
I paid under £4k but the roof was not functioning properly and the interior lights stayed on when the passenger door was closed. A new handbrake switch fixed the roof for £10 and about an hours work and a replacement passenger door latch for about £50 from a breakers plus 2 hours work fixed the passenger door issue.
Running it all winter I have only replaced a failed coil pack (£16) and enjoyed many roof down drives. The summer will bring a full service and the MOT is due in July. It feels tight to drive but I'm prepared it may need suspension parts as these seem a common issue on the forums.
An absolute must is the 101 Projects For Your Porsche Boxster book as it gives detailed instructions and images of all the jobs you may need to do and Pelican Parts website has lots of advice and help.
Surely these early Boxsters can't get any cheaper than they are now, however I can't see myself selling it.
3 MX5s over the years here - 2 x Mk1 1.6 and 1 x Mk3 2.0 - so I'm also a fan of roof-down. I must own a 911 but, as things stand, a budget Boxster will be bought long before then.
As said in the article, S2000, Z4 etc are all reasonable choices but aren't going to cut it as I've been Porsche-obsessed seemingly as long as I've been car-obsessed. So about 35+ years now!
Very reassuring stuff OP, many thanks.
The comment on the gearing brings home the idea that the 3.2S is the one to have if you want it to feel fast. I'm fairly sure the 2.5L gearbox is different to the 2.7 / 3.2.
These are a complete BARGAIN at the moment, especially when you compare to 996 prices and the similar engineering. DIY servicing as stated isn't unrealistic and plenty parts availability. Good time to buy before prices rise for summer.
Brought the car to work today, so nice to see this article up!
Coincidentally, it was MOT time on Saturday - passed, but with advisory for rear arms.
Cost of rear arms delivered complete with bushes and balljoints after a bit of googling - £54ea, Shock, horror, this car will ruin you, etc.
That's Meyle parts too, not even the chinese rubbish you can get even cheaper. So I've bought all 4 and i'll change the lot.
Edit to add -
The 3.2 uses a Boxster specific 6 speed box, with larger driveshafts, different hubs, brakes etc. They are faster, but this also contributes to them being more expensive to run in terms of consumables etc.
I never 'got' the roof down thing until I had a MK1 MX5 a few years ago and have wanted something similar since. All the MX5s seem to be rusty so I finally managed to get into a Porsche, after wanting one for years.
Poverty spec is great - mine has leather and aircon, but that's about it!
Its actually more fun to drive than the turbo, yes the turbo was far far quicker, but the fun in this car is the handling not the speed - though it does ok.
One thing i would have loved would have been a 6 speed box in the 2.7, but all in, its a great car!
Loving it so far, just finishing tidying it up in readiness for giving it to the wife for her 50th at the weekend
Admittedly it's not the nicest place to sit on a wet, dark motorway in winter, but drive it on some twisties on a summers day with the roof down and it's fantastic fun, and I can't see us ever getting rid of it.
Gratuitous pic of the box and its big brother:
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