2008 Boxster S

[scootr]

I've got my eye on a low miles Guards Red 06 Boxster S with 280 bhp and 6 spd manual. The Porsche inch needs scratching before I go to my grave. I thought this might be an inexpensive way to put my toe in the water. It looks a treat. What say you all?

[blunderthumbs]

Not as sexy as a Z4 tho is it ?

[Zed Baron]

I had a loan of a Boxster for a couple of months, great car.

IMG_3215 2.jpg (493.98 KiB) Viewed 1526 times

[PDJ]

If you think BMW have a degree in invoicing Porsche have a phd

If you can afford it go enjoy it but do it with your eyes wide open

[scootr]

I had a loan of a Boxster for a couple of months, great car. IMG_3215 2.jpg

As some one who has had the chance to drive both cars back to back I would love to hear more of your comparisons. Everybody says if you want comfort drive the BMW and want driving take the Porsche.
On paper it should be a bit more capable than my 3l E89
The Boxster S is 145 kg lighter with 22 hp more. The mid engine car layout intrigues me.

https://youtu.be/Pe9tYS9qaK4

[Wyldie85]

Guards Red is always a winner. Has this been lowered? Looks a little snug in those arches.
I’m a big fan of the Boxsfer in this shape (2005 onwards).

If you’re able and if it’s an itch that needs scratching then why not.

[griffnut]

Yes, absolutely scratch that itch, you are only hear once. But pick carefully, to avoid open wallet surgery!

[Smartbear]

Ims bearings
Rob

[mr wilks]

Ims bearings
Rob

Uprated bearings were fitted from 2006 that virtually eliminated the flaw , its possible to check before buying via engine number .
As far as 14-15 yr old Porsche & " possible inexpensive toe in the water " goes not normally the first thought that would enter a Porsche buyers mind no matter the model good luck with it if you do buy , there is something special about Porsche ownership ive had 3 x 911 & the flat 6 behind you experience from a noise & drive perspective is certainly memorable .
Id be making sure it had been getting lots of oil changes & had zero smoke both cold & warm plus give it a very good listen to at start / tickover , they don't all sound the same & to the uninitiated can sound broken when they aren't but one that isnt right should be pretty easy to spot , you don't want to be buying into one with borescore

[MACK]

I had a loan of a Boxster for a couple of months, great car. IMG_3215 2.jpg

As some one who has had the chance to drive both cars back to back I would love to hear more of your comparisons. Everybody says if you want comfort drive the BMW and want driving take the Porsche.
On paper it should be a bit more capable than my 3l E89
The Boxster S is 145 kg lighter with 22 hp more. The mid engine car layout intrigues me.

https://youtu.be/Pe9tYS9qaK4

Had two in the past, the Boxster will definitely out handle your E89 and is much more nimble on its feet, but Z4 is a much better cruiser. The Boxster is a joy to drive though making the E89 feel a little ordinary in comparison. The engines sound great, especially the PSE with the exhaust valve bypassed but they are quite low on torque relative to their BHP and the competitions engines. It's one thing I noticed when I bought my E85 3.0i, the low down grunt (especially after I did the vanos seals) was much more pronounced that in the Boxster's despite my second one have over 70BHP more. To get similar low down grunt I think you need to be looking at 997's instead of 987's. That said they're a great engine, with great throttle response but one that really needs to be rev'd and they do like to be rev'd! They do seem to eat consumables more than a BMW too, clutches etc seem to wear more quickly but that could just be the way they're driven.

As Rob/Andy have alluded to the engines are definitely more fragile than the BMW ones and when they go wrong it's usually catastrophic and horrendously expensive. That said the internet does its usual job of over playing this and the specialists will tell you the failure rates even in the worst model years for IMS bearings is less than 10%, but that's still unacceptably high in my opinion. Other issues include rear main seals, PCV and bore scoring, although the later is much less prevalent on the 3.2/3.4 engines. It's more of an issue on the 3.6 and 3.8 911's, but again not every car is affected. Other things I replaced in my ownership that you wouldn't really expect to fail on cars with no more than 50k on them when I got rid where front and rear suspension arms, track rods, knocking shocks that didn't leak and leaking shocks that didn't knock! I even had a few buttons falling of the stereo unit! The last one I was probably just unlucky with, but the other failures are quite common.

All that said my old Boxster RS60 is the only car I ever regret selling. Honestly though I don't know how much of that is now rose tinted glasses and at the time when I sold it I wasn't directly replacing it as the money was going into a business venture. If I'd been replacing it at the time with say a 911S for example, I may well have a different recollection.

[john-e89]

Pick carefully and go for it....100%...!! The looks of the 986/7 are almost comical by today’s standards especially next to a Zed but once inside and moving any of those thoughts are quickly lost, as in any guise these cars are more than worthy of their long held reputation in terms of driving involvement. As much as a Zed is probably a better everyday car there isn’t a stock Zed made yet that can better any Boxster for driving dynamics I suppose is the word.

All imho of course.

[scootr]

Thank you all for the feedback on this crazy idea. I do like the idea. I was looking at Porsche before I got the Zed last year and as lovely as the Zed is ... the Porsche itch won't go away.
Here are a few questions I'd like your thoughts on ...
Cayman S vs Boxster S
Gen 1 vs Gen 2
Sport seats

[BeeEmm]

Cayman S vs Boxster S
Gen 1 vs Gen 2
Sport seats

Cayman S, Generation 2, Bucket seats - all day long! I drove all combinations of Cayman/Boxster at Porsche Experience Centre and this was by far the best combination.

[kinger]

I had a Boxster S 3.2 and also the 3.4 S Gen 2
The earlier car is a much more raw fun experience, on a 2006 it should at least have the slightly better IMS
does look a little low though, worth checking the roadsprings, they go for a pastime on that model
Watch out for waterpumps playing up, and the manifold to exhaust studs going out of shape...you can hear a slight blow before they decide to stop playing fairly.
Discs and pads are another good check.
Service History, Dealer or Specialist is a must.
Original Moll Batteries die after about 8 or 9 years, worth checking its been replaced with a good name.
I'd take my manual 6 sp 987 S over the PDK Gen 2 Car.....much more fun

[kinger]

Boxster everytime for the road, its a convertible and the sound of the flat 6 at 5500rpm is magical, the cayman maybe a fraction of a second faster round a track in the hands of a racing driver...its not going to make your commute as pleasurable as a million miles of sunshine.
The Sports seats area nice option, but the standard seats arent a hardship..