New Boxster Fan - Boxster Safety and Reliability
 

I am in the process of buying a Boxster S. I would like to know how the safety and reliability of a Boxster is.

Safety:
I am coming from a Miata and was going to purchase a 350Z. I understand that sports car may not be the safest things on the road. So how well does the Boxster do in crashes. Is it a death trap or does it fair pretty well in terms of protecting occupants? One thing that is different in the Boxster is that the engine is not in the front. I don't know if that gives front engine cars an advantage in frontal collisions or not.

Reliability:
I have always driven Japanese cars and have had very little problems. This will be my first German car. I haven't heard good things about some other brands such as Audi/VW, Mercedes and even BMW. I think of those the BMWs are better but I hear that they are not good high mileage cars. They need work and it's expensive.

I really haven't heard a whole lot about Porsche Boxsters as far as relibility.
How is the reliability on the Boxster particularly the S? Is there any particular year that had problems that I should stay away from. Are there a lot of Boxsters out there with high miles and still running strong with not too many problems? Is maintenance a big issue as this is a Porsche and being hard to access mid-engine can make repairs even more expensive. Any information here would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for all your help,

Kan-O-Z

The Germans put much more into safety than the Japanese. My b-in-law is a lawyer who sues car companies all the time. He's done a ton of research for his cases and says the German cars have the best safety ratings in the passenger car category. That, and you can avoid the accident much easier in the Boxster than you can in an SUV or mini-van (so why do they pull us over first when we can avoid the accident caused by the speeding SUV that was next to us?)

The 2000 Boxster does very well in reliability according to Consumer Reports magazine, and it's rated a best buy. I've had less problems with the Boxster than with any other car I have owned so far.

Enjoy the Boxster! :cheers:

I owned a Miata before buying a 1995 BMW325i convertible. I now own a Boxster S. My experience is that German cars are very dependable and stable; aside from replacing the plastic rear window, my BMW required only standard service and replacement of worn parts during the eight years I owned it. I typically got 22.6 MPG on the medium-grade fuel. While I've only had the Boxster a few months now, I expect it too will hold up well, as long as I tend to it.

I'll also echo Deli's posit that a car you can avoid accidents in is better than a five ton barge. Think of the Titanic and that iceberg. On my way to work this morning, I was easily able to avoid a sheet of plywood that flew off a truck ahead of me and danced around the lanes. If I'd tried the same maneuver in an SUV, I would have flipped over. The car behind me had a lumber breakfast.

And, oh yes, do get the S without further hesitation. You wil have no regrets, I garontee! :)

Slogans7 just reminded me, we had a teen fatality in our county this week. It was the 17th this year and almost all have been in SUVs from over correcting and loosing control. In a smaller car, they would have had a much better chance of regaining control. Something to consider when worrying about how a car will stand up.

I work at a Maserati dealership that frequently has Porsches, as well as owning my own Boxster. I would say that in my experience, the only common problems that Boxsters have, as well as most German cars, is annoying electrical problems, such as power windows not working or air conditioning control units dying. The engines are extremely solid, as well as the transmissions and suspension components.

I would highly recommend looking into an extended warranty of some kind. Primus is a good warranty company who seems to be solid. It can pay off in minor but expensive repairs in the future.

Boxsters are extremely good cars that I would highly recommend. You won't be disappointed!

On safety, when I got my Box and called for insurance, I was a little surprised at how low the rate was. The agent commented that the Boxster is in the hishest safety category they have.
On reliability - time will tell.

Porsche spent alot effort in making the Boxster safe. Read the 3rd volume of Excellence Was Expected.

Highlights on the Boxster
- Boron Steel reinforced windshield header/frame
- Roll hoops
- Designed to be a convertible (no chassis weakness from making it a conv.)
- side impact airbags
- Driver and Passanger frontal airbags
- large front and rear crumple zones (the trunks)
- Reinforced door gaurds
- ABS, PSM, traction control
and the Boxster greatest safety feature is it's braking and handling. A much better chance of avoiding the accident completely.

Boxster reliability