Hi all,

I keep thinking about buying a Boxster and choppping the Scoob in. Reckoning on doing it Spring time.

Havent got truck loads of money, probably up to 25K which should buy a RHD car with say 40k miles maybe less.....

Anyway - whats it like on costs? if anyone can give me any idea of service costs, intervals, tyre costs then I would much appreciate it.

In all honesty I cant see it being much more than the scoob - just paid 400 quid on a service and nearly the same on tyres, not exactly cheap to run a scoob!

cheers

Andy

I've never run a Boxster, but I know for a fact that a 911 will run for less than a MY99, as will a modded 944 Turbo.

Anyhow the income from salon you'll have to open when you get it will help with the costs.

Fen

Porsche fan but not Boxster (or Cayenne) fan.

I owned a Boxster about 2 years ago before I decided to cut my own hair ;)
Running costs are certainly no more than a Scoob - assuming you use a specialist dealer to do the servicing. Tyres are certainly no more money than the Scoob.
Just a word of warning - the 2.5's which you would be buying really arent that quick & you may be disappointed after coming away from the scoob.
Reliability is excellent - nothing really goes wrong with them - but some of the 97-98 cars suffered from porous piston barrels - which is EXPENSIVE to fix if it wasnt done under a warranty.

Gastro

Im quite happy with the hairdresser image, infact Im only buying it cos Ive had enuff of boy racer rally rockets and have to decided to go for a tarts car.............no doubt in a years time I ll be back to 4X4 turbod monsters

For 25k you could buy a brand new Honda S2000, and have a fast tarts car with a screaming 9k engine, ok so it ain't a porsche but it still looks the dogs danglies and there aren't that many seen on the road. It would keep up with the 3.2S in a straight 100 mph dash

The 2.5 feels unpleasantly twitchy on bad roads (test drove one before buying the Scoob, mainly due to driving them both on the same road). A contact in Porsche servicing tells that it's to do with the passive rear-steer, which was retuned to great effect in the 2.7s.

Gastro wrote about the Boxster

Quote:

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Reliability is excellent - nothing really goes wrong with them -

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Not the experience of several owners I'm acquainted with. Plus, have a look at this:

http://www2.mgcars.org.uk/cgi-bin/gen5?runprog=mgbbs&access=&mode=threadm&subject=2& thread=2002112412172612513&source=L&anc=2002-11-2417:28:06#2002-11-2417:28:06

Makes interesting reading.

Ive got a Boxster car cover for sale, brand new (used twice)

Email me for more details

wish1672@hotmail.com

Im not planning on getting the car till May, so Ill pass on the cover thanks ;)

Honda S2000 idea is a good one, and Im thinking of importing one, reckon I can get one on my drive for 20K


Andy

I ran a 2001 model (2.7) for about 8 months. Had a few problems with the stereo (supposed to be B&O but it kept going wrong) and the drivers seat used to rub against the roll hoop and I'm just under 6' so that was a bit toss. I was working away once and the alarm drained the battery in the garage, it's a real ball ache to jump start it as the bonnet opens with the key fob, so no power no bonnet open! You have to trip it from the fuse box etc etc anyway it's a faff. I was basically disappointed with it, it didn't feel quick or handle very well in the wet (expected this though). Also the back window was hardwork to keep clean. It was reliable though.

"(supposed to be B&O but it kept going wrong) "

No supprises there then.... B&O made by B&Q

To answer your questions....

jzmachtech.com located North of London have fixed price servicing. I have not used them but I like the no-nonsense style of their advertising.

Clutch £427.00
12,000 Service £147.00
24,000 Service £314.00
Discs & pads front £306.00
Discs & pads rear £311.00
Pads front £98.00
Pads rear £114.00
Gearbox rebuild Tiptronic £1427.00
Brake fluid £59.00
Gearbox service manual £38.00
Gearbox service Tiptronic £139.00
48,000 Service £365.00
96,000 Service £415.00
96,000 Service Tiptronic £495.00

Porsche reccomend that you fit specially homologated tyres. These can be indetified by the codes N0, N1, N2 etc. In simple terms the first time a tyre is approved it wins the N0 rating and the if the design is updated at a later point, they will be re-certified and given the N1 rating etc.

You may find that these homologated tyres are more expensive than the equivalent tyre (same make, same dimensions) but I don't have any figures to hand.

A couple of other points...Quite a few Boxsters have the 030 'sports chassis' option. This lowers the car by 10mm and stiffens it up. A lot of people think that it spoils the ride on all but the smoothest surfaces but it's up to you. Best to try a few to see what you think. You should be able to see the complete list of options fitted to a car by looking at the sticker under the front 'bonnet'.

PSM (Porsche Stability Management) is an interesting option especially if you intend to drive the car throughout the year (ie. in the wet). It is a very effective way of taming the car and it is pretty unobtrusive and does allow up to 7degrees of drift before it steps in :)

Some/most 18" wheels are actually heavier than the 17's and they can also be detrimental to ride quality in addition to increasing your tyre bills. However the latest Carrera 18" alloys are very light and look great.

There are increasing reports of porous engine blocks and dodgy rear main seals (between the crank and the clutch bell housing). Anyway a FPSH is pretty much essential and if you are buying privately, your local OPC should be able to do a full inspection and even provide an extended warranty (for a fee).

P.S. I appreciate it may not be possible for you to buy in winter but wating until spiing might not be a great idea as I'd imagine that prices will be at least 10% higher!

PPS. the OEM ICE is Becker and not B&O AFAIK, IIRC etc. !!! ;)

http://www.becker.de/beckerCC21/www_...37_320x100.jpg

[Edited by Stephen Read - 11/25/2002 12:25:53 PM]

Cheers Stephen, it looks cheaper to run than a scooby!Point very much taken on the when to buy front, Im hoping to maybe push it forward to the end of winter say March, hopefully just b4 the sun comes out!

Did over 200miles in my 2.7 last night, mainly motorway stuff at 80-85mph and the trip computer told me 34.9mpg!

I have seen 32mpg on 500mile motorway blasts but my average consumption is probably 25mpg+ on 98 octane.