driving impressions of my new used boxster
 

well, my new friends, as many of you know i got a used 02 basic boxster a couple of weeks ago. ive driven so many different cars, whew! when you reach my age (almost 65) you have a lot of experiences. well, here we go: first of all, its a great feeling (duh) to actually be in one. surprising to me is how isolated from the road it feels. that is im used to feeling rocks pebbles etc. the acceleration is so so until you get revs way up. the sound is very muted. i also find that i can get boxy to hop sideways or twitch fairly easily. may be the good year eagles. the lack of noise with the top up is a very good surprise. so, im actually loving it very much. you know its sadly funny that im still worried about the engine suddenly just going boom. it is so smoothe though that i keep my fingers crossed it does not. ive attached my scan guge 2 to it. this a great instrument that can measure every thing form revs to water temp as well as gas mileage. seems to be pretty easy to hit 29 mpg. hoping to hit 30 soon. the driving positon is good for me and it is very easy to drive in the very old sportscar style of almost straight arm . so comfy. how do others feel? thanks fred from nashville

Glad to hear that you like it and thanks for the review.

You mentioned that the car feels insulated. I'm going to guess that you have experience with much older, lighter sports cars. Although Boxsters are always praised for their feedback, I tend to agree with you. There are ways to bring back some of that sensation, the car responds well to the sport suspension and smaller/stiffer tire sidewalls. But it's a larger tire'd, heavy car compared to sports cars of yesteryear and it will never feel like an MGB, old 911 or a 240Z (or even a Miata). It's not always a bad thing, I suppose.

"z"
 

what a great reply. its funny you mentoin the fabulous 240z. many many years ago when i lived in daytona i bought a brand new 71 z off the showroom floor. at the time they were VERY rare. they were so far ahead of the other foreign affordable (($3600 with "mag"wheels) sportscars that although id looked at an mgbgt there was no compaison. yes i felt every thing through the suspension and the non powersteering wheel. great car. one of my major favorites of all times.

I have had alot of very nice cars over the years and the one thing that impresses me about the Boxster is I am not bored with the car and I still get a thrill driving it. Just drove about 400 miles on my 2000 base Boxster yesterday and had fun. I actually think the car is a little loud (I'm used to hardtops), but not annoying and I love the sound of the car. I think it is very comfortable for long trips. And I still love the look at the car when I park it. This is my first car I have not gotten bored with. I know alot of people will disagree with me, but I like the Boxster much better than the 911.

So, enjoy your car and don't worry about problems. It should give you many, many miles of fun.

+ 1 on E Kaplans statement. I had a 83 911 SC coupe which I went nuts on lightening up the body, i.e. tore out the AC, back seat squibbs, light exhaust etc. Got the car light in weight and it went pretty well. Every seam in the road was transmitted through the column to the wheel and to my hands. Wife did not like it anymore and then after about two years of minor in the shop work we decided to sell it. We then bought a '02 2.7 Boxster with TIP. I Totally love the car as the handling is the best I have ever experienced and she loves to drive it too. I am 68 so I have had a few cars under me over the years. The Boxster is the best drivers car of the lot. It does ride rough over anything but a smooth road and that is with stock, non S suspension (except for larger sway bars). Now we are waiting for our section of the North East globe to warm so we can get back to driving it again. Lots of luck with your car and stay in touch with this group, one of the best on the net.

AKL :cheers:

One of the wonderful things about the Box is that it is a delight to drive pretty much the way it comes out of the factory. Make sure your tires and alignment are in good shape and I think the smile will stay on your face.

We have not had a lot of happy posters who started messing with the car. Usually, they regret it.

and it just feels good....

I totally agree with this statement, and would like to add that I don't plan on upgrading a car with aftermarket goodies that as of now, I'm not capable of driving to it's potential.

a neat little way to get a little louder??????

Search for "Pedro Sport Exhaust"

Like the above poster mentioned, an inexpensive way to get it louder would be the "Pedro sport exhaust", which is a bypass addition modification to the stock muffler...

Alternately, you could go with an aftermarket sport/performance exhaust system, cat bypass pipes, intake or headers...

I've got a brand new Gemballa performance exhaust setup if you're interested, feel free to PM Me...

Another free mod you can do for more sound is the "Desnorkle" Sounds a bit louder and sportier, and gets you a few more HP (dyno backed), and of course, is free..

Fred: Glad you are enjoying it and I concur with your comments being a relatively new Boxster owner myself (Oct 08). It is an incredibly fun car to go fast or slow in! Bob - Colorado

2001 Boxster S

I'm glad you're enjoying it. I had a Miata years ago and I was very impressed when I got in the boxster and realized how much nicer the top was. HUGE difference. You must do a lot of highway driving. I get about 14 mpg, but I'm 90% city driving, lots of sitting in traffic, stop/go/stop/go, etc.