Boxster as a high mileage daily driver?

[Rayn325]

First off, I'm frugal and am habitually rushing to get somewhere. My BMW is getting upthere in mileage and I'm thinking about getting a somewhat low mileage used one (2000 or so) and putting about 20k a year on it.

While searching online in my area, I'm finding low mileage Boxsters at about the same price as the BMW's I'm looking at. Though it would be nice with a back seat like a 3-series convertible, I do plan on keeping my BMW sedan.

My questions is, what have your experiences been with driving a boxster all over the place on any given day, many days of the week? The BMW has/is still great (modded - 5 speed) repairs have been rare and fair priced.

Basically I'm looking for something to drive till it it has 150,000 plus miles on it, enjoy every mile, and not concern myself so much with dings and dents; all with little worry of what could go wrong next (I had the unreliable sports car before!)

Thanks for reading, looking forward to your honest opinions.

[KevinH1990]

I kept my 96 Infiniti G20 when I bought my 2000 Boxster. I drive my Boxster about 10k per year, and keep the G20 for backup or when I need to take more than one person with. My experience is similar to what you are planning, and I think you have a workable plan.

First, check this web site:

http://www.iwantaporsche.net/

Second, check this web site:

http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/mikesporscheboxsterwebpages

They will tell you about the common quirks and expenses of a Boxster.

I don't drive my Boxster in snow, but we don't get as much as you do in New York. I'm told that a good set of snow tires works wonders.

If you can find a good independent Porsche specialist, the Boxster is an affordable (but by no stretch of the imagination cheap) daily driver. I believe, and my mechanic agrees, that regularly driven Boxsters have fewer problems per mile than garage queens. However, it seems like most Boxsters have more problems than Asian imports and they are more expensive to repair. I'm not sure how they compare to BMW's but I guess they will be more costly on average. If you buy a 2000 as you are planning, the cost should be in the $20,000 range and that should leave you plenty of money for repairs - unless you have a catastrophic engine failure.

Good luck.

[9eighty6]

Welcome to the Forum -

I was in the exact same boat you're in not too long ago. I was pricing out several different options but always had my heart set on the Boxster. I managed to find a low-mileage one which, for the year I've had it has seen 20k. It is my daily driver every day of the year. You'll notice that I live in Toronto, where the climate is not at all unilke that in NY. If you don't need the back seat and can deal with the abundance of trunk space (compared to something like a BMW Z3 or Z4 then I'm sure you'd be happy with a Boxster.

I suppose what it all comes down to is what you consider "fair priced" repairs. I have had nothing but scheduled maintenance, which has been wonderful (albeit rather pricey in my own opinion). That said, I haven't had any other problems at all, and would highly reccomend it any day of the week, regardless of snow/rain/sun (basically any weather condition). My reccomendation would be to find a low mileage post-model year 2000 since it seems that previous years experienced more "kinks". Also, a base Boxster is just as much fun as a Boxster S and it can save you a good deal of money when buying one. Oh, one more thing, the hardtop comes in handy in the winter thanks to the defrosting glass window.

I always say where there's a will, there's a way!

Good luck with your search!

[rick3000]

My Boxster is a Daily Driver, it does great in rain, snow and ice with proper tires. I enjoy ever moment I drive it and it makes a great DD. It sounds like it would fit your criteria, and probably costs about the same to maintain as a BMW. If you frequently drive in snow I might consider something else, but as regular all around car it is the ultimate daily driver with two relatively large trunks, and about as practical as you can get in a convertible.

[Stunin_Stud]

My boxster used to be my daily driver until I started to commute really long distances. now its a garage queen as someone mentioned, my alternative car is a 99 passat with 165K miles. It is true that the less you drive it the more problems you get. I havent had a problem yet but I have seen those who have. BMW's are great cars but the boxster is a different kind of car. it should be respected, which means maintained accordingly. I have been smart about my maintenance and repairs, doing with a porsche specialist or myself.

I have had my car for 2 years now and here are my costs

0il change $135 (porsche mechanic)

Tires $500 ( tirerack sumitumos)

30K maintenance+ oil change $196( did it myself with a lift and a friends with a dealer account)


If you get a low milage check it out for problems first. I have an RMS it sucks but its not that bad, make sure you check if yours has it. also wash you car and clear bra it if you drive freeways.

[HB986]

I drive 85 miles round trip 4 days a week on LA freeways (405 / 110). My '02 had 35k when purchased in late July. Just rolled 43k with 2 oil changes. Get a 6-speed and install a short shift kit straight away. You won't regret a Boxster S.

[mchi5]

Originally Posted by HB986

I drive 85 miles round trip 4 days a week on LA freeways (405 / 110). My '02 had 35k when purchased in late July. Just rolled 43k with 2 oil changes. Get a 6-speed and install a short shift kit straight away. You won't regret a Boxster S.

got a 2000 boxster S, bought it with 50K miles on it, and is my daily driver. have driven it in snow and rain in chicago traffic, and love it every moment. With the proper tires, it works as well as any FWD car. and yes i agree with HB986, gonna install my short shift kit in a couple of days! :dance:

[Soetekouw]

I drive my 2007 boxster S daily and have put on 12000 miles in 8 months (will have 16000 miles at 1 year). The car is made to be driven. No problems. Sometimes, it amazes me when I read replies on how people drive their Porsche only on weekends, or it is 'garaged' most of the time. These, IMHO, are people who own a Porsche just to tell someone that they own a Porsche. Of course, there may be weather situations that excuses their behavior, but the Boxster CAN be driven most days of the year. So, if you do decide to buy one, drive it. It is not an investment, just a car - but a NICE car. I do worry about the dents and scratches, though.

I do agree that the maintenance of the car is more expensive than others (i.e., oil change), but I don't think any more so than any other high performance roadster. You can do some of the work to cut down on the cost. My experience with the Boxster has been one oil change at 10000 miles ($225) and I will buy my first set of tires at 16000 miles (which will probably be around $1300). Of course I'll have my 20k service done when I get there (that'll probably be $500).

So, if your heart is set on a Boxster, you shouldn't have any more problems as compared to other cars. Drive it as much as you can, have the proper services performed, and enjoy the car.

[orange260z]

I've had my 2001 Boxster for about a year and a half now. I bought it 5 years old, but with only 11,000 miles on it. The car had NO visible wear & tear inside, but lots of little dots on the front bumper & mirrors, some on the hood, and specks on the windshield. This is consistent with a lot of highway use, but very little city use.

In the summer of 2006, I used it pretty much as a daily driver in the city. I was driving about 70-80kms a day, mainly highway speeds. In addition, my wife and I took a couple of longer road trips. I found that it was quite practical and enjoyable for this type of use, and I put about 9,000 miles on it by the late fall when I put it away for the winter. Only maintenance was an oil change at the end of the year which cost me about $100 for the oil & filter (did the swap myself)

In the summer of 2007, it was used very little as a daily driver as I had moved to a different city and my downtown parking was kind of sketchy. Almost all of the mileage was accumulated in one LONG road trip at the end of the summer, from Regina, SK to Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, up PCH1 to Monterey, San Francisco, then back through Reno, and Montana. Although this was a long road trip, we were getting in and out of the car quite frequently at times for photos, scenic views, coffee & washroom breaks, etc. In total I put about 6000 miles on the car this year, and costs incurred were oil & filter, air filters for a total of about $200 (doing the swap myself). In addition, my tires (which were new when I bought the car) finished part way through the trip and had to be replaced. The best bang for your tire buck seems to be the Bridgestone RE050A PP, at about $800/set in the US (about $1500-1600/set here in Canada!!!).

So, in total I spent about $1100 in maintenance over 15,000 miles. Brake pads have lots of life left, but I should flush the fluid this spring, so should actually add another $150 parts & labour to the total. Overall, less than $0.10/mile doesn't seem too bad for a car of this type.

What I have found, however, is that the car's finishes are not that resistant to the wear & tear of every day driving. Much of the matte black painted finish (such as on the consoles, door sills, etc) is very easily scratched and is showing lots of wear for a car with only 43,000kms. The seats, especially the driver's side bolster, are also showing a lot of wear. I have the tan interior, and despite regular cleaning the seats are getting wrinkles/cracks in the leather that show up darker colour.

All of this wear has been under my ownership.... but I have had many cars, including convertibles, many cars with leather interiors... and I have never seen this kind of wear before. My 944's interior showed less wear after 200,000kms! My Lexus IS300, which I just sold this summer with 70,000kms and saw much the same use as the Boxster, had a pretty immaculate interior.

In addition to the interior, the exterior of the car seems to also lack resistance to scratching. My car is Lapis Blue, and the exterior seems to pick up rock chips, as well as scratches, quite easily. The scratching seems to be consistent with other dark-coloured cars I've owned, but the rock chipping is (to me) excessive. The windshield is so badly pitted (all very miniscule) that I'm considering replacement (getting tough to see through the glare when the sun hits it just right). I've never seen a windshield get so rough so quickly, either. Maybe I'm being picky, and most people wouldn't notice such things, but my observations are in comparison to other cars I've owned.

All that to say, I've LOVED every minute of driving my car over the last 18 months, and and wouldn't have any hesitation in using it as a DD... but you have to accept that it may wear faster than other cars, at least cosmetically.

Just my $0.02 Cdn, which is again worth a little less than American cents (or is it sense?)

[djomlas]

wouldnt have it any other way.
just take care of it and it will take care of you.

[rdancd816]

I bought a 1997 two years ago November. I drive it every day rain, snow and sun. I's been a blast and is OK in snow (Blizzaks). Car had only 9,700 miles on it when purchased and now is pushing 25,000. Most driving is freeway and I am very careful to warm it up before pushing past 4,000 RPM. I've replaced tires, radiator cap. and roof cable assembly. No complaints at all...I'll buy another one...but it will be an "S" version!

[Perfectlap]

I wouldn't use my BoxsterS as a high mileage daily driver. It's not fair to the BoxsterS.

Otherwises I would highly recommend a second hand 2004 or newer S2000.
High Performance bullet proof and low maintenance.

[xxxalexxxx]

The boxster is a great DD, runs fine in rain, snow ice whatever (as long as u have good tires) but i'd say that goes for any car. Its just a car, drive it on a daily basis if u enjoy it. I dont see the point in "garage queens", then you may as well hang a picture of car on your garage wall. Boxsters are reliable, I haven't had to make any repairs to mine yet so its definitely a good DD. I would suggest a hardtop for the winter maybe (even though its not nessecary) just keeps the cabinet a little warmer during the cold months :-)

good luck

[lapis986]

I bought my 02 in February of this year with 37K miles from the original owner and have 57K now. I expect to drive about 24-25K annually, as I did with my Acura TL 3.2. I drive my 986 everyday, rain or shine (live in Florida so I do get wet alot). My typical commute to work is almost 70 miles RT, about 1.5 hours total drive time, mostly highway and heavy traffic or through construction zones. I deal with flying debris on a daily basis, bumpy roads, lots of 1st and 2nd gear shifting and clutchwork on the highway in rush hour. Although I always appreciate the opportunity to drive a car like this daily, there are costs to it.
I expect to replace back tires every year, fronts about every 18 months. I do oil changes at 15 K at a cost of about $300 at a local speed shop (dealer too expensive for me for the same work). Coming up on the 60 K service in a few weeks which will cost me about $600. Just put fresh rubber on(Michelin Pilot Sport ZR N2's) at $257 each at Costco.
I got lucky and found this nicely broken in car with a 2 year warranty which covers everything including tire hazards. I drive it safely and open it up when I have the chance. I take it on weekend trips with my wife and find it has just the right amount of space for our luggage and all my camera gear. I just added an iPod connector thanks to the great info on this site.
I think about all the people who have these great cars tucked away in the garages and talk about driving them on occasion- not why I bought mine. I expect to have more seat time at speed in my car this year than many will have for the duration of time they own them. I could not be happier with this choice. When it wears out I will get another porsche. Comparatively, they are not that expensive to buy, a bit more than normal to maintain, and with average reliability they are an absolute blast to pilot.
If you are seriously thinking of a 150K vehicle you will need to consider replacing the engine, or at least be ready to. The lightweight block is not particularly known for a very long lifespan, and retail sales figures drop considerably as the mileage goes up on the 986. I'd keep the Bimmer and use both cars.

I spend about an hour every other weekend to clean her up. I have a Lapis metallic with Metropol Blue top. Dark colors do show more imperfections and oh my does it shine when it's cleaned up. I just wash and dry it, and wax it about every 3 months. The car looks great, drives great and has some "age" on the front nose. I plan to pull it and repaint it when it starts to make me embarrassed.
In closing, buy one, drive it as you like, drop the top whenever you can and live your dreams

[Gary in BR]

Well my 99 Boxster has over 154,000 miles on her.

My repairs...alternator, water pump, and water reservoir.

I change the oil every 10k miles and run her to near the redline everyday.

I love my Boxster.

[Paul]

Originally Posted by Gary in BR

Well my 99 Boxster has over 154,000 miles on her.

My repairs...alternator, water pump, and water reservoir.

I change the oil every 10k miles and run her to near the redline everyday.

I love my Boxster.

Wait, is this possible???

A 1999 Boxster that has 154,000 miles and is shifted near redline!!!

Surely 10K oil changes must have hurt something by now!!!

Surely the motor should be worn out by now!!! Or have a leaking RMS, or an IMS failure???

Could it be the original clutch????

More "evidence" that driving these cars hard is not going to kill them!!!

[Gary in BR]

Sarcasm Love it!!!!!

I am on my second clutch the 1st only lasted 100k or so.
And I am on my second set of seats...

[saaber]

Originally Posted by Rayn325

with little worry of what could go wrong next (I had the unreliable sports car before!)

I suggest looking at known problem areas (every car has chronic problem areas) and evaluate how likely you are to experience that problem before 150k miles. My experience has been similar to others here as my 2000 S is a daily driver. I have had rms leak, coolant tank, and and one wheel bearing replaced so far at 75k or so. In my opinion this car is drastically different than the BMWs I have owned. The BMWs I have had have been incredibly complex electronically and several electrical items have went out. The boxster is much more simple n terms of elctronic gizmos IMO. I do not get the feeling from the boxster that something is going to go wrong in the near future like I did with the BMWs.

I think if you compare this car to most other well built cars (ultra-reliable toyotas and lexus excluded), repair cost/frequency are similar. f.e. subarus run forever but you may have a head gasket failure (chronic problem with subaru 96-99 2.5l). Similarly the boxster has known problem areas.

Here is my wild ass guess for "% likely to fail" in 150k miles and I am sure others will have drastically different opinions than me which is fine (you asked for honest opinion ha ha) I did not include wear items like tires, brake pads:

RMS leak 15% (cost $800 dealer)
Coolant reservoir replaced 90% (cost $175 DIY, $700 dealer) (spray out radiators regularly to reduce the peaks in the heat cycle)
Wheel bearing 15% ($350 with alignment?)
Alternator 15% (cost?)
O2 sensor(s) 20% (cost?)
Water pump 35% (cost? change coolant regularly to reduce wear and drastically lower this "% likely to fail" Do not use Porsche's recommended "never change" standard, it is BS)
Mass air flow sensor 15%??? (cost ?) (Cleaning this and throttle body regularly helps, not part of Porsche maintenance I don't think)

Intermittent shaft failure - rare overall I would say (depends on year of engine, if you have a single bearing int. shaft the chances are much higher than the double bearing as I understand it, tool pants would know)
Slipped cylinder sleeve - very rare overall I would say
Cracked head, head gasket, or block - rare (head gasket failure frequency probably influenced by coolant change frequency)

I would love to hear from people like tool pants who have more experience than I on these guesstimates for "% likely to fail"

Note that alternator, water pump,MAF, O2 sensor failure rate is probably true with any car. Ac compressors seem to go out in other cars before 150k but haven't heard much about that with boxster. Of course climate and driving style have effects on these items.

[Chills]

I'm really glad to hear so many good things about putting the miles on our cars.

I've had mine just over a year and I've been worried about putting too many miles on her. I don't think I'll worry as much now. Besides, I just found out the warranty I bought covers my Boxster up through 94k miles.