Amen...
I believe that Porsche lowered the bar with the M96 series engine hoping for a re-emergence in the sports car profitability stakes (which they did) but what the Bean Counter accountants didn't account for was the fact that lowering the price (& the quality of previous models) the product attracted a whole new demographic of buyers - people who had no great idea of car savvy, mechanical sympathy or brand requirements.
I cannot believe how many Boxster & 996 owners worry about bloody cup holders, ipods connections and heated mirrors not working, or (shock) how do you disconnect a battery correctly......?
Did you read the Porsche handbook? - err, no, why - do I need to???
Enthusiastic owners of earlier 911 Carreras / 944 cars would not have found these problems(?) any more challenging than changing their own air filter.....
The natural progression of this is that routine maintenance and driving habits that were common during the pre 986 / 996 era have been left behind - basically because the majority of post 1996 owners have little aptitude or desire of how to maintain their vehicle correctly.
Things have changed in the P car world over the last few years, not always for the best.
I must be getting old and cranky but basically the Boxster is an brilliant car which, if looked after correctly, more than justifies its existance in the Porsche lineup.....
