Is Your Boxster Comfortable?
 

I drove a few cars and they were not objectionable, but I drove a 2001 base car that I am interested in and could not find a comfortable seat position. The rear control moved the seat back angle but the lever in front of that one did nothing. What should that lever do?

I am 6' 1" and 190 pounds with long legs. Shouldn't I fit okay?

The front lever should allow you to manually raise/lower the seat base. You might have to lift your weight up off the seat a bit to get it to move upwards or sit down forcefully to get it to move downward. You will find that moving the seat downward also moves it slightly rearward (to increase leg room).

I'm 6-0 and 250 lbs. I'm actually comfortable in my 2002 Boxster S.

I was surprised when I went for a test drive at much room is in this car, compared to a 2000S or a

Z4

I'm comfortable too. Just 6' 220 lbs but gettig slimmer - :)

I did find that the shape of the car can prevent the back from moving if the seat is pushed fully to the rear. Just move it a bit forward and you can adjust the rear angle more.

There's a trick to getting the seat all the way back, or all the way down. I don't remember what it is, but if you do a search, I'm sure you'll find it.

I found the seats in my Boxster were just uncomfortable. They killed my back. I put in a race seat and it fixed the problem.

Boxster seats are great. It's more of an inseam issue than a height issue. I'm 5'11" 185lbs with a 32" inseam. I have the seat all the way back most of the time...

Seat hurts my back after a drive of 30 minutes or more. I believe the PO broke the lumbar support so it is stuck in an odd position. Note I am a young guy still in college to give you a perspective! Going to add bucket racing seats to remedy the problem- besides, stock power/heat seats are over 50 pounds each!

Feels great.Seats are super.5-10 and 170.Sometimes wish for 911 interior as having the engine right behind me is almost too confining.

If you think about it,these cars absolutely don't need a console due to the engine placement.Think of how it would open up the room!The 981 is worse in that regard.

I'm 6'2" 240#, 34" length for jeans, and it is a good fit for me, once I figured out how to lower the seat. The seat feels good on my back. I don't have power seats, heated, lumbar or any of that.

6' 2"
215
4.6 40

Very comfortable.

A 987 has slightly more leg room vs a 986 for long legged drivers.

6-1, 180, 34inseam and it's a bit tight for me.... The manual height adjuster can be a bit balky, you may have to get out of the seat to get it to work. And it only has 2 positions. You'll want the lower one if over 6 ft. I did the GT3 console delete and it helped some. (I now have GT3 buckets on lower B-K mounts but may go to floor mounting.)

6'2+
250

Seats are OK, I've done several multi day 8+ hour/day trips.

I had to remove the center console to get some room for my right knee to move to the side.

2003 S

Power recliner/heated seats

6' 1" 215lbs 34 inch inseam and i believe I'm about as big a person that can comfortably fit in the 986. I wish the seat could move back another inch or so, but it's comfortable enough for a long road trip.

6'3" - 280-ish - 40yo

I'm great for spirited driving around town. No problems at all other than the occasional head injury from getting in and out when the top is up.

Long distances - Much pain. I had to pull over in Lawton OK on the way from Chicago to Dallas because I was almost crying from pain. Legs, back, neck. After I got a room, I suddenly became hungry. Decided to go to Whataburger. (Mmmmm...Whataburger. Don't judge. I'm 280-ish for a reason). I walked to the car and could not talk myself into getting into it. Ended up walking. Next day everything was all good.

On the way home, I made several stops to walk around and made the trip back home with minimal discomfort.

Of course I didn't learn my lesson as I will be making this trip again in a couple months. I'll have to check for more sightseeing stuff on the way before I make plans.

Thanks very much for the useful replies. My test drive was cut short when I got a call saying my mom was being taken to the hospital and the car is two hours away.

Adding to my original description, I have a 34 inch inseam, but legroom isn't what was bothering me. I think the seat bottom may have been damaged. Now that I know more about the height adjustment, I can try something further. I am trying to get a PPI. If that comes up clean, I will see about the seat.

Thanks again.

6'1" 265lbs. (working on it) 34" inseam and the car is comfy for me. Granted I did swap out the console storage bins for the GT3 delete option (knee room), I have no issues staying pleased on long drives.

the rear seating area is just too cramped for me:p
when I first got my car I didn't know that the seat could adjust upwards and was driving around, barely able to see over the window edge- damn that mirror creates a HUGE blindspot!!!--5' 5" over 100lbs.

For me it is one of the most uncomfortable car seats. It's not wide enough and my upper legs hit the steering. As for my other car a BMW .... It's the most comfortable ever.

5'11.5" w/ 32" inseam, 165 lbs: very comfortable in stock seats, even on 5-10 hr trips.

I'll also say I have done several NC to FL trips non stop except for 1 quick gas stop and it is very comfortable.

I find the ride very comfortable. Of course my daily drive is a F150 4x4 with over sized tires that has a very hard ride. But I was pleasantly surprised how good the ride was in my area that has bad roads, I was expecting a lot worse. I guess keeping the original 17s helps also.

6'1" 150lb. It's not bad. Mostly just noisy.

Definitely not as comfortable as my Audi Q5. But certainly must faster :D

I've owned very many Porsche cars and the answer to your question (not to annoy this model specific forum) is.... NO, its not a comfortable car.... relatively speaking! Even speaking in Porsche terms my 928 is like driving a suite of the most comfortable furniture ever made. My old Cayenne is pretty comfortable with an upright seating position.

A few days after I bought mine I travelled on a 500 mile round trip and when about an hour from home I got really tired so I pulled into a motorway service lay by, parked up and grabbed the seat control to put the seat back and have a few ZZzzzzzz..... the rest you can figure out! :mad:

It's not an S class merc or a 7 series BMW though and offers a different skill set entirely to what these cars offer a buyer! The 'long lads' here have said they are comfortable in theirs so I'd listen to them but I'd urge any prospective buyer to drive any car on their list for a good while before they put their money down... i.e. make your own mind up man!

I think I that I need to clarify my question.

My question should have been, "is your boxster SEAT and seating position comfortable?" I apologize for not being more clear and I thank everyone for the replies.

I have a few other vehicles for other purposes that are very comfortable for long trips and such. This car will be for a 21 mile commute each way to work. This commute is over winding, hilly, VERY sparsely traveled farm road. The kind of road that city dwelling sports car drivers sometimes spend their Saturday driving away from the city in search of.

A car such as the Boxster can make this commute lots of fun, but if the seat or its position are annoying, it will take some of the fun out of it. Our test drive was interrupted on Saturday preventing me from investigating the seat further. Hopefully when I go back with the info I received from you guys I can adjust the seat.

Thanks again for all the great replies. I tend to believe that there is something broken about that seat.

Doc

My OEM's were literally a pain in the arse. But this has been the case with each Porsche I have owned. I am 6'2" and 170 so weight is not an issue but rather back comfort. I have been using JDM Racing seats for a few years and can go hours in the car with no back issues. Instead of using the seat rail bracket I fabbed my own set and have been able to drop the seats 1 1/2" from stock height and gained 3" more leg room as the seat fits better against the engine wall yet still can remove them as needed.

I don't know if it's in the budget, but you should also try a 987. There is a bit more room, and better seats. My '06 was very comfortable for an 11 Hour drive from NC to NJ, with only 1 stop.

I am not super tall (30" inseam) and even I have to do the squat & rotate to get in and out of the Box (both my 986, and 987), but once I'm in it's like a glove.

I find most car seats are uncomfortable for long periods such as 2+ hours. The Boxster seat does not give me enough legroom - I am 5'10" and 174 lbs. This thread forces me to play with the manual controls to make it more comfortable. :)Definitely a good thread....

drove to vegas and back to san diego for a flight and it was not the business. seats were comfy for the first hour then they got tired and it felt like i was sitting on a bean bag made of cement... albeit, i usually have that problem with long drives. did a mountain run with the local miata club and those seats were the business, comfy all day, even after having to slow down at the pass where a miata flew off the side of the mountain.
5'11", 270lbs, 34" inseam, 36" waist.

In the Porsche performance driving school and subsequent Autocross races I learned that when driving hard a more close in seat position is actually less strain
and more comfortable over longer periods that my usual laid back, arms length position.

You sit closer and more upright with your elbows bent at the 3 and 9 positions and its surprisingly more comfortable when you are driving the twisty's.

I have become accustomed to it now and drive that way on the daily commute as well.

At 5'11" and 220lbs the seat fits like a glove and I feel one with the car.

I am 6 feet 200 lbs with 33 inch inseam. I have settled on a very comfortable seat position. In virtually every other car I start to get pain in the back of my right thigh after about 2 hrs of driving facilitating the need to stop and stretch my leg on long drives.
I have found that does not happen with the Box. It might be the seat position or the lack of resistance on the accelerator pedal who knows. I had the problem with my 330i Mini Cooper,Audi A4, SAAB and even my wife's R series Benz. So for me the Boxster is one of the most comfortable cars that I have owned!

Josh

Damn, there are some B I G dudes on this board!

I'm 5'11" (I've shrunk a good inch due to herniated discs and the ravages of time), 168 lbs and yes, I find it comfortable. The seats are a bit tight in the area of the upper body, but that contributes to them holding you in place in hard cornering. This is not a GT (grand touring) car, it is a sports car and it is obviously not going to be as comfortable on long trips. To accomplish that they would have had to soften up the suspension, install more sound insulation (with more weight!) and install wider seats with adjustable lumbar (and again, with more weight), all of which would have detracted from its primary intended use.

Brad

ROTFLMAO...........

Plus a lot of left side strut replacements, right?

Just sayin'...........

I switched out my 986 seats for some 987, it helped me a lot. I'm small enough 5'7 165 that seat cushion was a little tired and the metal bar at the very bottom of the seat near my tail bone actually bothered me. I think my rear end was just a little skinny for it. The 987 Sport Plus seat is awesome, I couldn't find any but that's what I was looking for a replacement. The 987 seats were like new though so they are working out well.

Ha ha ha ha!