It laughs at curves!
Retractable roof is slow to close. I bought it that way though.
Acceleration is brisk, handling is sharp and the auto tiptronic transmission is a blast to drive. Curves are what this car eats for breakfast.
A Boxster with an active maintenance is crucial before you buy one.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 1st October, 2017
My personal Miami Vice
At 115 000 km, the convertible top's rear plastic window suffered a 15cm cut. Hint: be very careful, and help to fold the window with your hands when lowering the convertible top. Do not trust the automatic mechanism 100%, especially when the plastic window is old and fragile. There aren't too many places or options to repair plastic windows or whole convertible tops in Finland; costs a lot of money either way you take care of it, but amazingly I managed to patch the cut with strong and transparent packaging tape, from both sides. Endures rain, opening and closing the top, and winter. Some might say the cut is blasphemy, but it doesn't bother me at all, and it can hardly be seen from a small distance. And besides, you cannot see it at all when the top is down.
At 118 000 km, some sort of small iron sound absorber around the exhaust pipe became loose, and made a rattle. Very easy to locate and tighten.
The small black plastic base of the ignition lock cylinder broke down at 120 000 km, and the key was stuck inside for a couple of days. Malfunctioned the central locking, too. You could still start, stop and drive the car though, and lock the doors manually. Very annoying, but fortunately the part was the same as in old German cars like Audi and VW. The part said "Made In West Germany", so similar parts have been around for a while, haha. Cost only 16 eur (the base part) + 1-2 hours work. After the repair, the central locking was OK again.
The summer in Finland can be very warm and beautiful. Had a chance to drive it with the top open almost every day, at least most times of the day.
It's early December now that I'm writing this. I didn't really know what to expect for the Porsche vs the winter in Finland. I had a block heater + interior heater plug installed just recently, which made the driving in the winter just amazing. The car is already warm, both the engine and from the inside, when you start up. The car handles very well in the snow, the traction is good, since the weight of the middle engine is mostly on top of the rear drive wheels, and the wheels/rims are very wide.
Mirror heaters are a bit slow for the winter in Finland, but they work, and that's luxury for me at least.
This Boxster is just fantastic for a 13 year old car. Well of course, the mileage is quite low, it helps. The technics and quality beat all of my previous used cars 10-0. So far, I haven't seen any wear whatsoever. The engine works, the electrics work, everything works. But, you have to study and follow the maintenance program, it's worth it. Take care, and listen to your Porsche.
The best part is the sound of the engine when accelerating, even just a bit, I just love it, everybody seems to.
Dear reader, if you are considering of buying an oldish Boxster, please do not hesitate to ask anything from me. I read carsurvey.org every now and then, let's say, once or twice a month. I'm not an expert on technics, but I have had a lot of used cars in my lifetime.
What more can I say... I drive a Porsche to work every day, the others don't.
No regrets.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 5th December, 2013
26th Feb 2015, 07:56
Hi, it's me again, the Finnish dude, one year and two months later. 136 000 km, now a 15 year old car, still an amazing ride, both summer and winter. Some faults have appeared, but nothing major:
* The red brake disk & pad warning light appears 5-10 times a year. Happens only when it rains or the weather is very humid (the sensor goes nuts).
* Minor oil leak. This was due to cylinder head cover seals. Replaced. Now OK.
* Read about the IMS bearing failure horror stories in some Porsches. Thought about the issue by myself for a couple of months and finally decided to have it replaced. The IMS kit + work cost a lot of money, but now it's done, and I'm happy.
* The air mass meter broke down. How can you tell? The revs go up and down by themselves, and pressing the accelerator pedal only makes the revs go way down, like the car has a bad flu, and nothing comes out. The car had to be towed to garage. Scares the s**t out of you at first, but not a big deal in the end.
* Replaced battery & charger.
* The oil meter stick snapped in half. Cost only a couple of euros.
* The convertible top right side safety cable wire snapped in half. Cost like ten euros or so.
* The driver side (left) door lock broke down. Replaced with an average cost.
* The other key malfunctions every now and then, launches the immobilizer (the car won't even try to start, but the electricity is OK). The chip inside the key is loose / busted, I guess. The car starts perfectly with the other key.