tiptronic???

[mrfredsporty]

well, my new dear friends, my quest for an older boxster is getting closer to reality. an acquaintence of mine has a 2000 in just perfect shape and has 39000 miles on it. im interviewing his mechanic later this week. the only drawback ( for me anyway) is that its an automatic. i know iknow no clutch to replace, but IS IT FUN??some folks love automatics since they just steer and brake. are their some of you that enjoy using the tiptronic gears??id love to get some feedback cuz aside from that trannie im pretty much liking this box. thanx as always
fred from nashville

[941MXVET]

We have a Tip. When we were shopping, a sales person who is also a Porsche enthuest said the biggest problem with the tip is getting over the macho idea that you are capable of shifting faster, or at the proper shift points better then the car can. BTW he then tried to sell us a manual! Shifting with your thumbs is pretty cool! Or tooling around in drive isn't bad either.

[favino1006]

Hello Fred,

I've got a tip as my daily driver (by choice) and I love it. I think they are every bit as fun as the standards. I of course have no plans for ax or otherwise. But, as the car that I drive day in and day out, I absolutely prefer tip. I however must confess, my car is never in auto mode.. Also worth mentioning, the tips have a handy safeguard that keeps you from lingering in the red.

Sounds like a great car. I say go for it.


-ian

[Boxtaboy]

I personally would not get the car with a tip because I feel the manual is more fun to drive. Also keep in mind that with the Tip, since it is not a true sequential shift transmission like the new PDK system is, it will be slower in acceleration than the manaul. My 2001 base with the manual is as fast as my friend's 2000 Boxster S with the tiptronic transmission because the TIP has a torque converter that saps some of the power away.

The other thing is that since you already said in your post that you think the only "drawback" about the car you are looking at is that it has the tiptronic tranny, if you end up buying that car, you might always get a feeling of regret when you see another Boxster with a manual...especially if you are the type that likes to drive manual transmissions.

What I would do if I were you is to drive a boxster with a manual and a tip, and then decide. I think you will find that you'll enjoy driving the manual more than the tip. JMHO.

[Jaxonalden]

I'm a Tip guy also and have nothing but praise for the transmission. In Auto the car drives off in 2nd gear and if you’re light on the throttle you'll be in 5th by 35 mph. If someone pulls up next to you and you need to downshift into a lower gear to get the RPM’s up, just flick the thumb levers and you’re there. The trans will revert back to Auto if you don’t manually shift in 5 sec.

If you want to get squirrely, hammer down and the trans will down shift into first and take off. Up shifts will happen at peak HP (6400rpm). If you don't want the car to do all the work just slap your stick (no pun intended ) into manual and shift the thumb levers.

For flying through the twistie’s or auto crossing I don’t think there’s a better trans to have. The shifts come and go at the right points the faster you go. Coming into turns and braking, when you’re getting on it, the down shifts come quicker also to help slow the car.

For me, all the guess work is taken out and full concentration can be given to driving the course and enjoying the ride. I do miss gear jamming sometimes but I personally like the Tip allot more.

[Topless]

I drive a 5spd but respect the Tip.

In zero to 60 or 1/4 mile a stick will usually be faster but that is not what our cars do best. In terms of lap times on a closed road course a Tip is often faster. 1st and 2nd year performance drivers usually progress faster with fewer mistakes. Less things to think about, better focus on the racing line. In the hands of a pro like Scott Pruett or Andy Lally a stick will be faster. For the rest of us Joes I am not so sure.

Pick out the car you like.

[cvhs18472]

I have a tip and love it. Ed

[gerrygug]

+1 on all the positive Tip comments above.
My wife drives her 2000S Tip at track days and recently ran some competitive laps against a new base Cayman. Her car has 95K and no problems with the Tip. How many clutches would you have gone through in 95K? Get an S model Tip and you will have about the same performance as a base Box.

[ekam]

Only 15% of all Boxsters sold is tiptronic. Nuff said.

[unklekraker]

My 99 box is a tip..and I LOVE IT!

It took awhile to get over that " not so macho car coz' it's a tip" but the many times in AX..get that feeling over in a heartbeat

heres some pix: sorry didn't get to resize it

[Perfectlap]

good for older drivers. But I definitely would need S power with a tip.

[Lil bastard]

Originally Posted by ekam

Only 15% of all Boxsters sold is tiptronic. Nuff said.

Not true. Boxster production has been mostly 50/50 Tip/manual since inception.

[Allen K. Littlefield]

We love our TIP. I have a nerve problem with my left leg and I would rather drive Porsche with a TIP than not drive one at all. That said, I would not switch to manual ever again and if I get another and it has the new PDK, all the better. Hit a traffic jam and you will love the tip. Comments on auto X and not having to worry about over revs on a track course are relevant. I believe Leonard Turner in PANO once said that you get it right 90% of the time with the TIP. How many get it right that many times with the Manual? Thing is if you enjoy shifting and that adds to the fun that is what you should get. If you enjoy the car and not having to shift then that is what you should get. Try the TIP out before you make your decision. 0-60 is not everything in these cars and once you are up to speed the TIP will not let you down.

AKL

[Sloan]

I was apprehensive about purchasing with the Tiptronic, but find that I love it. Of course I would prefer the new PDK for its faster response time, but given the option of the manual or Tiptronic, I would certainly select the Tiptronic again.

I will say that I almost always operate the Tiptronic in 'manual' mode - the only exception being very heavy traffic, where again I am thrilled to have the option.

(My prior cars were manual & I enjoyed shifting, but I don't miss it, and would not go back)

[blue2000s]

Everyone has different preferences, as has been said before, you have to evaluate what you're going to be doing with the car, what you like about driving the car, try it both ways, and decide what you like.

Personally, I yearn for a shifter and clutch whenever I get into an automatic car. I like the involvement and control that's provided by the manual. I like being able to control gear selection because it's such a large part of the car's dynamic behavior. I like the sensation of a well executed heal-and-toe downshift. Rowing gears is as much fun for me as turning the wheel. It's also another means of controlling the car's speed and control in slippery conditions, giving me an extra dimension of control. It all adds to the man/machine interaction for me, and that's why I'm driving a sports car in the first place. I'm personally not a fan of the clutchless manual transmissions either, I've driven the F1 on the Maserati Coupe and it's just a little less intimate than a traditional manual.

In the end, you have to decide what you like and what you can live with.

[ekam]

Originally Posted by Lil bastard

Not true. Boxster production has been mostly 50/50 Tip/manual since inception.

Okay, I guess the other 50% buyers consists of women. (and those with unfortunate left leg injuries.)

[Jaxonalden]

Originally Posted by ekam

Okay, I guess the other 50% buyers consists of women. (and those with unfortunate left leg injuries.)

That's a pretty sarcastic comment.

[unklekraker]

WOW! Ekam..you must feeling really ballsy and manly since you have a "stick" and get a chance to handle and play with it everyday

[ekam]

Originally Posted by Jaxonalden

That's a pretty sarcastic comment.

Just kidding! Lovebunny please don't trash my love letters.

[roadracer311]

One possible downside might be that the tip could be harder to sell when it's time for it to go.

When I was looking for my car (spent about 9 months looking), it seemed like only about 25% or less were tiptronics.