Grantcos

Firstly I have read posts about them here in the past - so thats why I ask here.
Secondly This would not be a permenent car for me, just something to have some fun in for a few months that I have been offered - so no hairdresser jokes etc

It is a 2000 3.2S, I dont know if its manual or not.

Basically my questions are -

How good a car are they?
Is the 3.2 a good engine?
Any problems to look out for?
What does the S add?
How easy are they to sell on?

Thanks guys, really appreciated

Shings

First off the S is the bigger engine - hence more ponies!

It's Czech Mate

I love them, handle really well and great fun. Great cars

cjwood555

Make sure it's got a wind deflector. Also most seats are good but one variant is really uncomfortable - can't remember which, sorry!

They're generally good cars, and running costs relatively low - brakes for example are a less than an FRS!

Grantcos

Is the wind deflector, like mesh inside each roll hoop or should it be something between the driver and passenger hoops also.
Yeah ive read alot of posts on here just now and saw the parts are quite well priced, so thats reassuring.

I would preferably have a 996 - 911, but nobody wants to swap for the Escos. I was offered this car however and got me thinking.

Retro Al

iTrader: (1)

They are nice if you have a minge or if you are 40+ fat and bald

RichardPON

Probably one of the top ten driver's cars of the decade....

Oranoco

I used to slate them and thought they were for people that couldn't afford a 911. Then I drove one. They ARE a superb drive!!!

boothy

iTrader: (14)

yep very good mate

Rick

amazing

collierm

My Dad had a Boxster, 2002, not an S, so the slower 2.7. He said it handled well, but he hated the interior and wasn't impressed with the build quality of it either. He may just have been a fussy get though as he swapped it for an A4 cabby that he then loved.

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Agreed, I used to make the assumption they were rubbish until I drove one, in fact Ive yet to speak to anyone who has driven one and still thinks they are shite, its just people who havent ever seen how well they handle that slag them off.

Mike C

iTrader: (1)

1. Very, in my opinion. Cheap to buy, peanuts to run, and for me the 986 is the original and best. Much purer than later ones, and better looking in my opinion. Less daft little bits of trinketry stuck on. Depends what you like in a car though. You're not going to get out and out thrills from the pefrormance of the think, but if you exploit its chassis on a B-road then you'll know what it's about.

2. Yes it's pretty solid. In my opinion the less powerful 2.5 is no less good. Whilst the chassis can take the extra power of the 3.2 (and a whole lot more), the car is never going to be about power. Sounds a bit pony though, and as it sits right behind your ears, you may want to do something about that.

3. Nothing overly common. Just look out for normal convertible faults with the hood. Access to the engine is a pain in the arse, but they're pretty tough.

4.An extra 500 or 700cc and 40 or 50bhp over the other models

5. There's loooooooooads of them about, so not that easy to make yours stand out from the crowd unless it's a peach of an example

Hope this helps.

PeterRST

iTrader: (1)

I think they quite regularly suffer from leaking crank seals which are apparently a pain to fix.

Maria.

The wind deflector is a Glass partition between the two hoops! The hoops should have the fabric mesh in though.

If it has wind deflector on the spec, make sure you get it, as it makes a massive difference when it comes to now being blown around in the cabin!

The rear main is very common on a car over 6 years old. The seal itself costs about £9 to replace, but because the engine and gearbox both have to come out, the job itself can cost £700+ so make sure there is no damp oil underneath when you go to see it!

Also, check for corrosion on the wheels.

stishy

hahaha

Rs(555)

iTrader: (8)

I've just bought 2.5 boxter auto for my wife
it needs a few jobs doing and the hood is one problem
i can hear the motor working when pressing switch !but the roof does not come down !

Mike C

iTrader: (1)

I'd say it would be very rare to leak enough to cause any real concern though as long as you keep an eye on the oil level.

If it's had a new clutch in its life, I would hope that it would have been changed at the same time for the sake of a price of the new seal while the gearbox is out. If it has a minor leak I'd live with it 'til the time comes for a new clutch (or any other job the warrants the hassle and/or expense of dropping the engine/'box)

IMO

timb551

Just realised that your looking for an older model so some of this might not be relevant. This is the info my mate gave me when my missus was looking for one a few months ago.




Boxster's are reliable, although if you google them you'll come across a few forums with owners complaining of RMS failure - this the rear mail seal that can leak (oil), if left unattended it could lead to the Intermediate Shaft failing which blows the engine into a number of expensive pieces. It's not as common a problem as the Internet makes it out to be and the vast majority, over 90%, of failures can be traced back to owners who have skimped on servicing, it's even rarer on later cars.

Ideally you should be looking for a 2007 model year car onwards (they went on-sale August 1 2006 and the model code remained 987 if you see this in an add) when they got new engine software (more power and torque, more efficient). The 2.7 cars came with a five-speed gearbox as standard with a six-speed 'box a cost option. 17 inch wheels were standard but a full leather interior wasn't - the seats have a alcantara trim and the dashboards were plastic - but many specced leather as an option.

The sat-nav isn't worth paying the extra for and the fully automatic climate is better than the standard air-con.

This generation of Boxster came with a two year manufacturer warranty so unless it is a late 2008 car or the owner has extended the warranty with Porsche I would avoid buying private.

Don't discount the main dealers, they are remarkably competitive at the moment, but also look at cars from Paragon (www.paragon.gb.com)
911 Virgin (www.911virgin.com), JZ Machtech (www.jzmachtech.com) and RSJ Sportscar (www.rsjsportscars.com). They are all independent Porsche specialists and will be able to find what you are looking for if they don't have it in stock, and offer the very best after sales service.

Hope this helps.

twoblacklines

Like many i thought they were a bit of a poor mans 911 untill i drove one.

Porkie

iTrader: (1)

Plastic mesh

Maria.

alright smartarse!

Grantcos

Wow

Thank you all so much for taking the time to write those great replys. I really appreciate it

Its great to have you knowledge rather than going on a biased porsche forum.

It has a full porsche service history and has done 65k so "should" be good enough, but I will definatly be looking for oil underneath.
There dosent seem to be a screen between the hoops, just the mesh in the hoops.
I have that image of them as well being poor mans 911, mid life crises car, a car for somebody with a minge lol But as everybody has said they are a great car.

I'm away to give it some thought now after reading the replys. Thank you all once again

focus 4x4

As stated by maria , leaky rear main oil seals are common , but this fault is usually only found on the early Boxters.

cfoster

I had a 3.2S on V plate in black. Was great to drive but found it very claustrophic inside in comparison to MR2's, S2000's etc that i've had in the past. Good fun, rear window is plastic so at that age be prepared to change it (later ones had glass window). Loads of extras available so check your spec, i was fortunate enough to get a fully loaded one, obviously helps in resale. Mine had suffered from the crank oil seal about a year before buying it and it cost the previous owner £4500 to repair. Perhaps could be worth finding a slightly high mileage one that has had the work done already?