00 Box S-22K Winter Beater?
 

So I don't want to daily drive my Lotus Elise. Had a LS460 that sat around and didn't drive it much after buying the Lotus, thus had sold it.

With so much rain lately, need a winter car. Went to the Lexus dealer to pick up a 03 LX470, and they had just gotten a 01 Boxster S on a trade in. Car has 43K miles, 1 owner.

Silver color. I have read up on it as much as I can, and have owned miatas/s2000s before as well.

I have stayed away from the Boxster previously because of the RMS issue and my neighbors own non S motor blowup.

This car is being offered at 22K$. What are your thoughts on the price?

No way to prevent RMS, I imagine (since I can't stay at dealer and check for drips every night), and no way to know about engine blow up.

Thoughts? I am really missing having a convertible (I leave the HT on the Lotus), and the SUV isn't going to make me happy.

What say you?

I don't know where you'r from, but here in Quebec you woudln't want to trash a porsche in 12 inch of snow.. as winter beater :P specially with that 5 inch ground clearance and those FAT tires :)

You went to look at an LX470 and now are thinking of a box.

I think you need some thinking time to figure out what you really want.

When you decide, we will be happy to help.

:)

Subaru WRX, Audi Quattro or BMW 3-series with AWD are much better winter beater than a Box??? :confused:

Go for it.. with the right tires they can be great cars in bad weather.

Last year with record snowfall here in Toronto, I only drove my WRX one day. The Boxster with good snow tires was driven the rest of the winter, was great in the worst snow, and never let me down... unlike many of my friends who were stuck in their SUV's.

Buy a $10K 97 to 99 2.5 Boxster and lift it by 2". Then buy some 7" rims for rear and put some skinny snow tires all the way around. Would make a great winter car and would be much cheaper than a 00 S. :rolleyes:

Not sure why the hostility, but I don't believe in climate controlled garages and not driving my cars. I don't live in Novia Scotia (though there is 2 NSX owners there that drive their cars year round).

Around here, we don't need snow tires at all. Some slush/rain is all.

Bruce-the LX is overkill for me, and I don't need a SUV. I just need a sports car easier to park (no fiberglass damage to Lotus). Miata/S2000 out, since I owned them already. Z4 is too ugly. Z3 M roadster impossible to find.

Thus Boxster is my only option. Thus trying to figure out a fair price to offer for the car.

I paid $21,500 for my '00 S with 38,000mi close to two years ago so I would say that price is just right to slightly high.

I don't think anyone is showing hostility (at least not on purpose), just questioning your logic on getting a convertible Porsche as a winter "beater."
:cheers:

The TT is cheaper, AWD and can be had with either a convertible or coupe.

The price is high for today's mkt, especially with fall already here and winter not far down the road. Some serious negotiating should result in $2-3K discount.

I put snow tires on my Box and drive it year-round, but when the snow gets above 5-6" I stay home. You haven't exactly pin-pointed your location in NA or an idea of what your "winter" entails. You mention rain and your handle may be a clue as to where you live and what your winters are like. If you live in an area where winters are rainy, the Box will make an excellent winter driver. Regardless of where you live, be sure you have the proper tires on it - snow tires or rain tires, whichever applies and you should be fine.

Good luck with your purchase.

I have an '00 S that blew an engine -- we're pulling it now to determine exact failure but previous owners Porsche dealership claimed it was a cracked cylinder sleeve, so don't assume an S is free of issues.

M

Boxster without snow tires is a no go if you get any snow at all. I keep a set of Pirelli snows in the garage and come November I switch over. I was thinking of mounting them to a set of replica carreras. With an impact gun and race jack it can be done in 10 minutes.

Porsches are VERY expensive to repair should there be an accident.
Without snows the car is useless in anything near an inch, the rear wheel drive doesn't help. I learned this lesson the hard way one night when rain turned into a heavy snow in a blink. I was doing douhgnuts on the highway just struggling to get it off the next exit. Missed an 18 wheeler by maybe a foot.

p.s.
Boxsters where not made to be winter beaters. Get an old 996 C4, Carreras are going for peanuts.

I'm with you man. I've been looking at dumping my DD Honduh for something nicer. I've considered a base Boxster and put a hardtop on it as I don't get snow where I live in the winter, just lots of rain. But the Audi TT really appeals to me. I can get a 225 Hp coupe with a turbo engine, AWD, and ~40,000 miles on the clock for about $15,000. Maybe it's not the best performer in the twisties, but I still have a Boxster S for that. I think for the money it's a great deal. So the TT is still on my wish list. I'm just waiting for my Honduh to die. :p

Kirk

I actually would never choose any German car for a daily driver, maintenance is too high and parts are too expensive compared to the alternatives. The indy that worked on my Acura charged half the labor rate of the Porsche indy that I use, and I rarely ever needed to bring it in anyway. But I think the TT would make a better "beater" than a Boxster.

Personally, for a winter beater, I'd buy an Impreza again if I had the choice. It's the most dependable car I've ever owned, and it's plenty of fun too.

I had and Audi A4 and as good as it was in the snow it was in the shop all the time. It was such an unreliable car. My boxster with Pirelli all seasons outhandled my friends BMWs rear wheel drives when it snowed here. When the weather got really bad I had blizzaks put on and the car was fantastic in the snow. The cars balance and weight with the correct tires made it a breeze to drive. I was picking up my friends and they coudn't believe I was driving the porsche. Not only was it easy to drive it was also really fun. Granted I don't drive it in the snow anymore as i have since lowered it and there just isn't enough clearance on non plowed side streets.