My first boxster experience - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

jasonc32amg · 02-08-2005, 10:14 AM

Hello people,

I got my first boxster experience this weekend, an '03 Tip(2.7) with the optional 18's. I was prepared to be underwhelmed, my daily driver is a RennTeched C32amg and my play/weekend cars have been everything from a Z06, to several Evo's and an '03 Cobra. The Boxster is going to replace my girl's '98 sl500. Anyway, I was very impressed by the Boxster, from the quality feel, to the sweet intake/exhaust noise, to the absolutely balanced handling. I also thought the car felt extremely well biult. The 2.7 tip is not as doggy as I thought it would be. While it is soft off the line, once under way it's very peppy and should be a good daily driver for her. We thought about an "S", but given that the car is going to be a commuter I figured it's really not worth it plus this base car is alot of fun. The Boxster is a very nice car indeed, I have to admit I enjoyed driving it more than the 911's I've sampled.

Ronzi · 02-08-2005, 10:26 AM

Tips feel doggy off the line because in auto mode they start in 2nd gear. If you want 1st you either have to shift to Manual and click down to 1st, or floorboard the throttle in auto, at which point it will jump down to 1st.
An undocumented feature of the Tip is that in auto mode if you jab the throttle to the floor and quickly release while braking for a turn, it will jump down to whatever gear is appropriate in the turn (jump from 4th to 2nd, for example). It won't do this in Manual, requiring you to sequentially downshift through each gear.

Perfectlap · 02-08-2005, 01:29 PM

tiptronic tranny cuts some power between shifts. Not the case with the manual shifter.
The resale value/easier sell on the S model is worth the ivestment.
But for a commuter car that was going to be driven more than 10 miles a day
the extra 50 horses will eat into your gas budget. But I really don't care bout gas
mileage because We have it good here in America.

jasonc32amg · 02-08-2005, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

tiptronic tranny cuts some power between shifts. Not the case with the manual shifter.
The resale value/easier sell on the S model is worth the ivestment.
But for a commuter car that was going to be driven more than 10 miles a day
the extra 50 horses will eat into your gas budget. But I really don't care bout gas
mileage because We have it good here in America.

I'd agree if the car were for me, but she's not really going to take advantage of the S features and the car will see 100 miles a day in bumper to bumper traffic

Perfectlap · 02-08-2005, 02:39 PM

give her the Merc and Get yourself a Boxster.
Believe me your life will change in a big way.

Perfectlap

jasonc32amg · 02-08-2005, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

give her the Merc and Get yourself a Boxster.
Believe me your life will change in a big way.

Perfectlap

lol, no...I like my C32

I may look at an S for a weekend car though, I really like the way they feel.

Richard Truss · 02-08-2005, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasonc32amg

lol, no...I like my C32

I may look at an S for a weekend car though, I really like the way they feel.

I love my S. as someone who first looked at 2.5's, the S was a MAJOR leap. Yeah it eats gas and my last brake job cost $1200, but I didn't get it because it was practical.

as someone who also owns a bmw coupe (which I have just sold because I never ever drive it), the S would be a nice addition to any stable.

Perfectlap · 02-09-2005, 08:15 AM

$1200?
I hope it wasn't mostly labor for just the pads. From what I have heard this car has probably the easiest pads to replace of any sports car.

Richard Truss · 02-09-2005, 11:10 AM

yeah i have heard the same about the pads. no unfortunately i needed rotors all the way around as well. and of course, that ate up most of it. truth be told, it was $1700, but i also needed a new MAF with install. the problem being is there are only 2 choices for porsche mechanics in Las Vegas, one being the dealer (and I used the other one in this case).

I dont know what else to do....

Perfectlap · 02-09-2005, 11:24 AM

I noticed there's a guy from LasVegas on the Renntech.org forum.
Not sure if he has a 986 or 996 but I'd drop him PM. I think his username was LVDell. Perhaps he can refer you somewhere for maintenace.

with regards to unexpected repairs given your limited options in the desert over there I would look into an extended service warranty. I also have a 2000 S and just ordered a contract with CWS for bumbper to bumper 6 years 60,000 miles. It covers everything but the usual maintenance (clutch,fluids,tires,paint,glass,softop fabric,brake rotors and pads). I paid $2100 in 30 installments. I read the contract last night and it seems worth it since the work can be done at the certified place of my choosing. I'm sure the parts and labor on two items such as softop motor, air conditioning can exceed $2000. And let's not even think about the engine. there are different levels you can insure just the engine or everything as I did. Also you can transfer the policy to the new owner if you do it within 30 days of title transfer. I'm sure you can use that as a bargaining chip to get back some of the policy cost.