what does it take to be a satisfied porsche owner?
 

Have been thinking a lot over the last week or so, as I continue to drive my car with a worsening vibration (new tires due in next week - unfortunately will be out of town for 2 weeks, so the new tires won't be put on until late May :( ), as to whether or not I’m a satisfied Porsche owner or if my expectations are too high, thus impeding my achievement of satisfaction. Let me give a brief account of my experience so far and then you guys can give me your thoughts...

First, I’ve had this car in for warranty issues more than any other car I’ve ever owned (Honda, vw, Subaru, Toyota) and I’ve only owned the box for 3 months. Between things falling off on the inside, things coming loose on the outside and my continued vibrations, I find myself sometimes choosing to drive the beetle (yeah, still have it) over the Porsche!

Second, it seems like this forum is filled with, ‘things gone wrong with my boxster’ threads. Of course, this could be the nature of such a venue – one is more prone to post the bad things about a car –seeking direction or guidance – rather than celebrating consecutive ‘problem-free’ driving days. At any rate, the constant influx of ‘problem’ threads pushes me to wonder if the boxster can really be considered a low-maintenance, reliable, daily driver, in addition to the “sports car among roadsters!”

Before I bought my boxster I heard many tales of Porsche owner’s whose cars were constantly in the shop for one thing or another. Naturally this concerned me, knowing I’d be buying a car that would have to be my everyday driver. However, I felt I conducted a fair amount of research into the reliability of the 986 and 987’s prior to making my investment.

There’s a part of me that wants to believe that any car over $30k should be both incredible and impeccable. I also want to believe that if Honda can make a car for less than $20k that provides years of hassle-free reliability, then Porsche should no doubt exceed that feat. However, my inner voice warns of making comparisons across great divides.

I guess this is my question – does owning a Porsche mean endeavoring to have the constant wonder of, ‘what is that rattle’ or ‘will it start today’ or ‘if I put the top down, will it come back up’ or ‘do I have an extra $1000 to replace this part, etc?’ To be a satisfied Porsche owner, does one have to surrender the idea that paying a lot of money for the car to begin with automatically implies a higher level of reliability? Is it better to view Porsche ownership more as a slightly tumultuous relationship between car, pocket book and piece of mind? Is Porsche the hot, but high maintenance blond trophy wife who needs a 3 hour massage and $250 makeover just to get the mail, whereas the Toyota/Honda or their luxury divisions are (or can be) the attractive, no make-up, natural beauty wife whose happy whether it’s a night at the movies or front row tix to Miss Saigon and a night cap atop the John Hancock overlooking Lake Michigan at sunset? Am I asking to have my cake and eat it too? Should I divorce the high end broad and wait to re-kindle the affair when I can afford to have a weekend mistress with her own little bank account, all the while my ‘mail-order’ Asian bride covers my entire weekday needs?

Mach-
I can sense your frustration. All I can say is you have to be very persistent with the dealership. Keep all your records! Don't give up! Did you speak directly with the service manager?
Do you have a lemon law? Could this be a case? The car is warranty.

Once this get rectified that LOVING feeling getting into your car will come back :D


As for the forum being filled with ‘things gone wrong with my boxster’ . I've learned so.........much reading those forums.

The way you just described your Boxster is the same way most people describe VW's and in particular the MK4 line up like your Beetle is. My Jetta VR6 has been in for maf sensors, coil packs, window regulators, the window glass falling inside the door all kinds of crap. People think I'm nuts owning two high maintance European cars that are notorius for problematic years of ownership.

Guess what, I just love the cars and could care a less about the problems. I just deal with them as they come. The Jetta now has been a charm to own in the last 2 years as it's been really reliable after all the bugs were worked out. I have it slightly modified and the dealer has no problems with that.

I think you may just be expecting more quality for your money, what your paying for is Porsche's racing team, your a sponsor by buying a 20k car for 30k my friend. That the enjoyment we get of owning a Boxster lol...

I own a '05 VW Touareg and my '05 Boxster S, both cars are not known for reliability and they were also both expensive. I was willing to take the risk at the point of purchase b/c I feel the driving experience is so much better than the other cars I looked at.

I am happy to report I haven't had any problems with either car :dance: So now I get the great driving experience without the hassle.

I do expect my luck will run out at some point but I'm OK with getting the car fixed under warranty since I'm so happy about owning them.

So my thought is that most people who buy a Porsche know in advance that maintenance and problems could be an issue, but are willing to make that sacrifice for the other benefits the car can offer.

If you really want to drive a car that isn't going to go to the shop, follow Consumer Reports advice and get a Japanese car, but try not to fall asleep at the wheel from the boredom.

Hi,

Jeez... it's only a Car. You're at that in-between stage which can be frustrating, and maybe you're just venting. But, wait until the Tires come in before deciding that you have a perennial issue with your Car and condemning it out-of-hand.

Not that it will make you feel any better, but I've not had any of the issues you describe with my Used '99 w/ 25k mi. now on it. I suspect that once the Tire issue is dealt with on your Car you'll be in the same boat. Did mine have teething pains? Maybe, who knows? But as the second owner, I was spared that pain and inconvenience as the PO either got it right, or kept it right.

The Boxster has become the new Standard against which all other comers are measured. I just read an article the other day which held the M3 Roadster up against the Boxster, and others comparing it against the S2000, the Solstace, MR2, even the RS4, and the Boxster came out on Top against them all. And not just in performance, but in style, Fit & Finish, Feel and Bang for the Buck!

And, of course Forums like this are essentially What's Wrong with this Car Forums, that's their inherrent nature. Personally, I don't see anyone studying these Forums and concluding that this is the Car they should buy. For all the horror stories, I'd expect to see the majority of them RUN, and perhaps that actually occurs without our knowing it.

Your analogy comparing the Boxster to High/Low Maintenance women is less appropriate than comparing a Draught Horse and a Thoroughbred. Give the Draught Horse a bale of hay, keep it outside and it'll pull a wagon all day for years whereas the Thoroughbred requires a specialty diet, receives more Healthcare than the average Kindergarten Class annually, and must be housed indoors lest it succumb to Colds, Arthritis, or Colitis. But the Thoroughbred is more highly refined than any Draught Horse and needs that extra care.

If you truly studied this and other Forums, Magazines, and the like, you had to be aware that the Boxster was no Toyota Cambry on the reliability scale. Yet, you still chose to buy it, whether for the Performance, the Bling Factor or some combination thereof. Unfortunately, a lot of people are unrealistic when it comes to Cars and often buy the wrong one for them, a Boxster isn't for everyone.

For it to fit into my needs, I had to be able to maintain my Car myself, no extra $$ for Dealers or Mechanics as I own 3 other classics which all draw down my resources. Once I was certain I could perform all but the most Major of chores myself, I decided to go ahead, but by a thin margin actually. But, I have 35 years experience with Classic or Performance cars and had a much better idea of what it took to be a long-term owner of a Boxster than some people.

I suspect that a lot of disastisfied owners never saw beyond the Car's very strong allure before taking the plunge and now they are the Poster Children for Buyer's Remorse.

My advice? Wear the pants off the Warranty and get it sorted out. Then make the choice if in fact this is the right Car for you. Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

That happened to me in my Jetta on Christmas Eve in a ridiculous blizzard with my parents in the car driving home from visiting my grandmother in the hospital.

Talk about crappy timing...

To my knowledge, there is no German car out today that would receive high marks from its owner for reliability or value.

I love the way certain German cars look, drive and perform. However, I HATE the way they have become flat out unreliable.

Mercedes is perhaps the most obvious example of this but IMO, they all have fallen prey to this.

I frequent a BMW board and it is the same litany of complaints.

In contrast, I frequent a C5 board where the issues of MUCH less prevelant.

And I don't see any indication that ANY of the German makers are listening and improving their products on the reliability front. The defect rates at Porsche would be a reason for mass suicide at Lexus.

If I were on the Board of a German car company, I would be ALL over the CEO of that company. Sadly, the way these companies are structured, I would likely be a labor rep and of course, would not TOUCH the issue of reliability at all.

And so it goes.

BTW- I have bought and sold about 30 Porsches over the past several years so I have a pretty decent sample size to chat about defect rates.

this is all good - keep it coming!

for porsche, it's all about driving. The cars provide such a wonderful experience behind the wheel that most owners just accept the idiosyncrasies that come with the purchase.

if you want to feel better about the quality of your car, take it to a track. not an autocross course, a road race course. at the end of the day when:

-- the ricers have melted
-- the US cars are out of brakes, overheated and burning oil
-- the british cars never made it to the event (they broke on the way over)

you will ponder.

you look around and you will see the porsches: porsches sitting there, just smiling, eager to run just one more session. it is then that you will finally appreciate what these cars are all about.

on another note, consider you purchased the first iteration of the 987. it will have some kinks that will need to be worked out since it is, in essence, a new model. overall, these cars are pretty reliable. most quality gripes online appear because people are far more likely to seek out a forum in which to ******************** about problems than they are a place to rave about the absence of problems.

i have a '99 986 with 95,000 miles on it. i drive the HELL out of it. i've had a few problems, but nothing major considering the age and mileage. i take it to the track ALL THE TIME. the majority of money spent on the car is for consumables: tires, brakes, fuel, etc. (i spend a lot of money on extra 'stuff' and on track time as well).

sure, some things have broken. here's a quick run-down:

- coolant reservoir
- wheel bearing
- convertible top
- window regulator
- mass air flow sensor
- water pump
- shock tower bearing mount
- microswitch (for conv. top)


for a car that's now almost seven years old with 100K on the odometer, that's a pretty short list of problems. it’s remarkable if you consider how the car is driven. my gut tells me that the people who constantly ******************** about the little things are the people who didn't buy the car to drive it so much as to be seen in it; they're used to lexus. i'll take a car with some hiccups and a SOUL over a zero defect vehicle that's lifeless.

finally, i’m not excusing any repetetive quality issues porsche may exhibit. considering the per vehicle profit margins porsche ag currently realizes, they have created a very strong perceived value in their product lines. porsche must aspire to become that perception or they will surely lose market share in the long run.

enough of the rambling……take care!

i think it's a safe to assume that the cause of all your problems are the faux-yellow calipers....never mess with karma, my friend.

i'm reading this thread with great interest as i question my own tolerance for unreliability. Having driven a MB e320 for the last 5 years and an Infiniti prior to that -- I have become accustom to reliable autos (BL--- i had no major issues with my benz) in addition, i have also been spoiled by both dealerships--treated very well with great service, loaners and washes,etc,etc.....

We pay a premium for our Boxsters and i have to say the smile on my face as i drive to work is the the reward for that premium. However;.if i have to constantly drive to the dealer as opposed to my office-- not sure how long i'd be smiling....

Good thing is my calipers are Boxster S RED-- and i am not tempting the fates! So, i should be fine........

RD

Open the door, sit down, start and drive. :cool:

what does it take to be a satisfied porsche owner?
 

So far, our '06 Boxster has been flawless! We've had it three months with nary a hitch in the git-a-long!

:cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

Of all the cars I have had in my 30 years of driving NONE have given me as much sheer joy as my various Porsche's. For me that's what makes a happy customer.

BTW, all of my Porsches have been reliable. In fact, they only became marginal after I decided to park them and drive something else every day :eek:

I didn't read everyone else's replies so my apologies if I'm being redundant.

Every car I've ever seen has had its share of quirks. In this case though you're dealing with a sports car, and the requirements for a sports car are much different than your average Accord. Rattles, squeaks, etc.--a lot of that comes with the territory.

Not only that but you've bought a Porsche. That's a luxury car and you're going to pay luxury prices for everything. Not that that means you shouldn't expect the best!

I've had my car in for a bazillion little things but it doesn't bother me because the dealer works on the car and tries its best to resolve the issues. This doesn't diminish my enjoyment of the car at all because of the things that it does SO well. :)

At first I was a bit annoyed, but once the car got to a state where most of the little annoyances were taken care of, all was well. Now I'm hacking away at them about the stereo issues and hopefully something good will happen there!

It takes two Porsches....
 

that would satisfy me! And of course "doing two chicks at the same time." What movie is that from?

Office Space. :)

But more on topic, I drove a 2001 Honda Prelude before this. It was a sporty car: 5-speed, 200hp from a 2.2L DOHC 4-cylinder. And when I traded it in with 53k miles, (a few weeks ago I might add) it had had only 1 problem: I had to replace the tires once. That's it. But was I satisfied? Not really. The styling was a bit strange, interior was a bit spartan (no automatic A/C, no digital guages, pretty basic radio, no power seats). And it drove...well like a 4-cylinder Honda.

Now I have a 2002 Boxster S. I'm getting an extended warranty that covers EVERYTHING, so at least if something breaks I won't go bankrupt trying to fix it, plus it offers great peace of mind. And I love it. I take very good care of my cars, always use the best parts and fluids, never drive them hard or push them past their limits. My dad was the same way and we've had many cars with many reliability ratings (from great to terrible) but never had any major problems. Except for our 68 Chevelle. That's had problems with the power disc braks, the transmission, the Alpine stereo, you name it. But we love that car way more than our Preludes (my dad has a 96 Prelude), even though neither one has ever so much as hiccuped.

I'm sensing a pay to play mentality here. I also notice that almost all of you own 2005+ model cars. I'd like to hear from the guys like me who own older models(1997-2000). I just got my Boxster 3 months and All I can say Is "Where's the horses!" And no I'm currently not driving a Ferrari or Benz. My current drive is a 1998 jeep grand cherokee 5.2 v8 230 HP. Just a newbies opion that's open for debate.

i think you could of bought any car and problems would arise. its not to say that you have to be satisfied with being a porsche owner. you could of bought a mini convertible and faced the exact same problems. i too have had minor irritations with my boxster, and some major issues. i just figure with any car this is common.

i am satisfied with the car, it is suppose to be the best handling convertible car on the market. the looks are gorgeous. rear mid engine is very cool. i get my hockey bag in the front trunk. my goalie pads in the rear trunk. you couldnt ask for more in a sports car today.

very simple car with out all the bells n whistles interior compared to todays cars on the market. i would expect that with the technology in new cars today that they will have greater problems and more visits to the shop.

i think we have it easy driving a boxster.

"Where's the horses!"
 

"Where's the horses!"

well i own a 2002 boxster, and i don't think that i really need more horse power. i am however only a night n weekend driver. driving within the city 500hp i have no use for. wheres the horses is only a concern if you plan to put the car in races. n really the boxster is limited in h.p, n there are a number of cars with far more horse power n made for race. i'm not sure how many convertibles are made for racing! i know my first choice wouldnt be a boxster to race anyone. id probably take a subaru or a honda........

just my opinion.

my brother's 98 Z3 piece of junkity junk, 2002 while stylisticly better still a piece of junk.....and lets not even talk about all the 5 series loaner cars that had issues with the heaters...I used to love the Z3 but would not even consider BMW when it came time to get my car...

Overall the boxster has had some minor quirks, I've avoided taking it in because then I wouldn't be able to drive it....I will drop it off this weekend because I had a hard time getting out of reverse yesterday, heard a crack and now no problem getting out of reverse...not sure what it was but I guess I'll find out....

all I can say is I feel great in it.....people love it....and when its all said and done would you rather fix a porsche or some average car like my old Blazer, Cherokee and the list goes on....want to talk garbage? Talk Chevy Blazer :)

Well, not to be glib but the horses on these cars are not there, nor is the torque.

But the car looks and handles great.

PS-if you drive a 2000 and up S model, it def. has more punch!

well the 987 is a new model that still in development.

Buying the "all new" version comes with its problems.
That's why people say its best to avoid the 1st and 2nd years of a redesign.
By the 3 and 4th year the car should be hassle free.

I can only say that after driving my BoxsterS for almost 20,000 trouble free miles
that owning a Porsche is WAY more than all the hype promised.

There are sports car DRIVERS and there are sports car owners.
If you enjoy partaking in driving events and high performance driving instruction
you'll quickly learn why Porsche has the eye brow raising brand name.
They may not be as good as Honda at reliability but those are just cars.

as for power, people who complain abou the Boxster not having enough power spend too much time driving in a straight line. They're better off in a Mustang GT or Merc 500 SL.

so let's say that with the 987's, we have to chalk up "issues" to the 'new model effect' - whether it's porsche, honda or god forbid one of the subpar domestics, that's a common hook to blame "issues" upon. furthermore, if that's the easy way out (when arguing satisfaction), then one might expect that the dealer and ALL of the people who represent the dealer, are well aware of the 'new model effect' and thus much more receptive to entertaining/understanding/investigating the returning owner's complaints with the new model. if that assumption can be considered valid and true, now dismiss the mediocre experience that one should expect from a domestic brand, and rather, consider the superior experience (call it the pay to play, if you will) that one purchases along with the vehicle when investing in Porsche (or MB, Bentley, Mazerati, etc). in other words, it's not wrong to expect that the service advisor is familiar with the car (maybe even drives one), that the technician didn't just quit his/her job at ford and is driving an el torino (the person who fixes your high end car should be just as much an afficianado as you - and should drive the car!), that when you walk into the dealership there is a level of respect (it's not arrogance - it's arrogant to expect to walk into Target and have everyone think you're hotsh%$, but when you walk onto the 'holy ground' that represents your vehicle, its a kind of - you're one of them thing, you've arrived or i'm a member - without the hideous member's only jackets from the 70's - who knows maybe Old Navy will bring them back!!! :barf: )

i think what seems to be a an ongoing theme with these issues of quality and/or satisfaction is the lack pride and commitment to value and everyday satisfaction that one should able to count on from porsche, just isn't there. in another one of my famous, 'make an everyday situation into a doctor analogy' rants,:
a patient shows up to his or her physician, they know the doc is human and thus fallible, but don't expect nor want a mistake. the doctor understands this as well, and (a good one) strives to provide error free care. studies have shown that doctor's who have made mistakes (mild medication errors or grave diagnostic/treatment errors) and communicate with their patients, show (and have) concern and empathy are far more likely to retain patient trust and avoid litigation, whereas doctors who are more callous to their patients and treat them less as an individual and more as a number have less likelihood of acquiring patient trust and more likelihood of litigation. maybe porsche should take a few courses at their local medical school on caring, compassion and commitment. :)

I was driving home the other day when I passed a guy in a black MB 500SL (new). A few lights later he pulls up next to me and asks if I like my Porsche. I tell him, "Yes thank you". To which he replies, "I'm Todd, the service manager at Murray Motors (Where I bought my Porsche. They aren't Porsche dealer so I've never had a reason to go back) and I remember you had some early problems (which they took care of and paid for). But it's running good for your now?" We chatted a bit before the light turned green....

That's service - a year later the guy sees me on the road and asks how the car is. Wish that place was a Porsche dealer instead of MB and BMW!!!

MS,
have you dealt with more than one Porsche service center in your area?
or have all of your experiecnes to date come from the same outfit?

There are two here in my area and although their labor rates are very very similar the experience in visiting them is not all the same.

Also Porsche is justifiably getting a rap for being arrogant. They sold allot of cars and have made allot of profits. The big head factor is dangerous and common.
But I have begun to see some changes recently that seem to be a direct result of customers wanting this and that. The Cayman is the best example. People were demmanding it for years and finally they relented. Now my service manager tell me the new Boxster will have a CaymanS engine option. As sales start to slip further they will be listening.

My advice is to write to Porsche, write to Porsche North America, the Porsche Club and tell them the Porsche hype has not lived up to your expectations and that you are very close to not recomending this brand to your wealthy friends who have money dying to be spent. Well assuming you havent already done so.

What does it take to be satisied?

Well, Porsche get's a lot of things right! I do have my Boxster for sale on this board because of the new addition to my family. However, in all my test driving of the other makes so oftenly mentioned in the "grass is greener" posts on this board, I have gained a great deal of respect for Porsche's engineering. I am so unimpressed by anything less than $44k. $50k+(back to the orginal MSRP for my Boxster) is what it takes to get the equivalant smile on my face.

I also have never gotten so many "I love your car"'s from such a diverse group of people. I remember how many people said that to me in the Lexus(1), Ford(0), and Honda(0)

I am so satisfied that I am not trying very hard to sell my Boxster.

i believe that goes both ways...alot of times porsche owners will walk in like they own the place. only because they own a porsche. so i can see how some dealers may think very high of themselves....try a new dealer.

i noticed that at the downtown location. they act like they all drive gt3. go to the suburbs and the dealer is great.

i also realized that with my first problem i felt like you. but as i got to know my dealer they became very welcoming and easier to talk to.

it might be you, n not them!!!!

n with my experience working at bmw, first year cars were terrible with lots of problems, so every car manufacture is like this. you already bought the car, you need them now. n in most case's cities, porsche dealership are limited. we have two dealers in toronto. compared to honda who has 1 dealer in every town every corner. i can name you 4 honda dealers within 15 mins of my house if not more.

i've dealt with two of the many local southern California porsche dealers - hoehn in carlsbad, where i bought the car (85 mile one way drive for me) and walter's in riverside (10 miles one way drive for me) which is where i've been dealing with service/warranty issues. the next closest dealer is probably desert imports in rancho mirage - about 70 miles. so, certainly, one of the underlying issues in my case may be my initial experiences with the riverside dealer and recognizing that unless i wish to drive 100+ miles everytime i need something done, i'm bound to use walter's. i think anyone on this forum would agree - that if you have the option to drive 10 mile versus 80 miles, you'd prefer the convenience and satisfaction of the 10 mile option.

of course, also consider that this past weekend i was on the verge of letting the box (and my vw) go for a 330ci performance pkg. although i was gonna take a hit on the vw, their trade in offer was pretty good. furthermore, offering me kbb on the boxster was not only a good trade-in value, but versus what i paid for the car, translated into VERY VERY mild depreciation, had i closed the deal. thus, i'm not completely dissatisfied - just a little underjoyed - but that may rub off.

on a side note, i called a friend's local porsche mechanic to inquire his cost to install my schnell short shifter - although i could do it, just seems like something to put in the hands of an expert (maybe if my boxster was an older one and/or a second car, i'd be more apt to dive in my self). anyway, the mechanic must be a bit of a purist, here's what our conversation went like:

me: - hey, met you bout a month ago, you do a lot of work on my friend's cars. i've got a schnell short shifter and an 05 987 - can you install it and if so, how much?

mech: why would you want to do that?

me: it really cleans up the shifting with out making it too notchy

mech: no it doesn't

me: well, from what other owner's who have installed it have stated, it makes for a nice solid shifting experience.

mech: don't you think if that were true, then porsche would have thought about that and made the shifter like that to begin with

me: (laughing in my head, thinking about things like windstops that don't rattle, radios that have ipod adaptors or satellite radio, locking doors at > 5mph, the overly expensive porsche short shifter) - believe it or not, i have many missed shifts going from 2nd into 3rd, i really think this will help and think there are actually some things that porsche has overlooked! :eek:

Funny I only just noticed this topic; I'd just blogged a short article about my love-hate relationship with my '99 Boxster (it's at http://ghoonk.blogs.friendster.com/my_blog/2006/05/the_boxster.html) and just a couple of hours ago had a chat with a very close friend of mine about the Boxster vs the S200 (yes, it's come to that again).

I'd been bugged out about my creaky clutch and that weird clattering from the engine that's loud when cold, and a tad quieter when warmed up (yeah, the one that sounds like a 911 -- only while talking about it did I realise that the Boxster's engine was the same as the 996's, just detuned in some way), and only just realised through BruceLee that the clatter is normal (leaving me to sort out the creaky clutch next).

But the more I reflected upon it, the more I realised that the S2000 was more the wife, and the Boxster the illicit lust affair.

The S2000, like a good wife, is reliable, understanding in spending my money on oil changes and replacement brake pads every now and then, and, well, downright sensible -- my wallet and watch say I should settle down with her, but I can't help feeling that something will be missing somewhere down the line.

My '99 Boxster, on the other hand, is like an expensive mistress, throwing funny tantrums every now and then (the experts in this forums are akin to her best friends, advising me on what I need to do when she's acting up), needs more time and attention -- I know she's just bad bad bad for me and my pocketbook, but I can't help this twisted love affair. Once the tantrums are over, she just sings when I put my foot down. I wouldn't complain about another 40 bhp, but I guess that's not in the cards for now. And like a twisted love affair, I just keep coming back after every drive.

I think I need a shrink..... :(

LOL

your curt mechanic may be right. The 911 owners love ths short shift,
Boxster opinions are mixed.

I've been on the fence but I find the stock set up to be to nothchy already.

I have a similar take on most things expensive. I expect it to be top notch right out of the box and they better not give me one iota of slack cuz I could have simply gone elsewhere with my dinero. Unfortunately Porsche know their owners emotions about their cars let them get away with mistakes and they don't need to bend over backwards for their clients. Annoying for sure but Germans do have a rap for arrogance.

But a recent trip to the mazda parts desk where a chain smoking truck cap wearing toothless angry parts guy made me wait 10 minutes just to tell they didn't have what I wanted made me realize how cushy the Porsche experience is.

by the way you didn't actually say you were thinking of giving up the Porsche for the "ultimate tanning machine"? That's a nice nice car but NOT a sports car.
M3 Cabriolet ok, a sports car albeit a structurally compromised one...


If its any consolation my Boxster is ready and I have nice $700 bill waiting for
me at service pick up tonight. I hope that includes the two day rental car. :(

i ve been driving boxes for the last 4 years now and i can't believe the amount of problems some guys have with their cars on this forum, first had a 97 2.5 tip and frankly all the problems encounter by the guys on this forum i had, maf. rear window whitening and broken waterpump which snap the belt but otherwise 3 pairs of rear tyres for one pair of front in 3 years ownership, have the S since last year and had no problem whatesoever, drive around 15000 km per year on mainly ****************e wet roads, i still can't believe the amount of problems some guys have on this forum with their cars, if i had the same i would buy japanese build cars but hey i am driving my second Porsche and frankly i can say safely that my next car will be......a Porsche!

[QUOTE=ghoonk]Funny I only just noticed this topic; I'd just blogged a short article about my love-hate relationship with my '99 Boxster (it's at http://ghoonk.blogs.friendster.com/my_blog/2006/05/the_boxster.html) and just a couple of hours ago had a chat with a very close friend of mine about the Boxster vs the S200 (yes, it's come to that again).

just read your blog - funny and accurate. man, if the box had the s2000's shifter and an rpm range of 9000 - holy f$%K!!!!!! asian women are hot and nasty, but there's something about these german wenches!!!

Well.......... I would say that I am a satisfied Porsche owner, for the most part.
My '98 box has 40k on it. I did buy it used. It was a 4k mile a year garage queen before I bought it. The only thing wrong with it is the stupid airbag light is on, which I simply ignore. Other than that, I've not had any problems in 16,000 miles. Although I'm not one who cares to draw attention to myself, the "NICE CAR!" comments and wolf whistles are always nice. I don't get those in my jeep for some reason.....


Still, I love my Jeep Cherokee. She's a 1991, with 175,000 absolutely trouble-free miles on it. I finally had to do my VERY first non-routine-maintenance repair on her last week. I replaced the power steering hoses because they were starting to leak. And if you think I baby her, you couldn't be more wrong. She gets driven hard (on and off road) and put away wet, and thrives on it. (she does get oil changes every 3k like clockwork, though)

I suggest you NOT ignore "that stupid airbag light." Checking it out may just save your life!

[QUOTE=mach schnell] Seems my German wench has rims that are out of shape. And the clutch needs to be replaced. Brake pads and rotors are due for replacement in the next 2000 km. And another minor service due in 4000 km.

Total cost? I've just been told to stand by at least $3,000 for parts and labour, and goodness knows if anything else needs to be changed. And that still doesn't include the rims (tyres are fine, though)

For that pincely sum, I could switch over to the 2004 Honda S2000 with the improved chassis but using the original F20 engine (yeah, the one that revs to 9000 rpm), and with only 12,500 km on the odometer, a year remaining on the original warranty, and an option to extend it by another 3 years when it expires sometime next year.

I'm toying with the idea of downgrading to the S2000 for a couple of years and then saving to get a 987 Boxster S - preferably new, or not more than 2 years old.

It's been a heart-wrenching 6 months for me -- I bought my Evo IX last July and having moved to Dubai, I'd just sold it; and now less than 2 months after I pick up my 99 Boxster, I may be hard-pressed by budget constraints and a 'black box' issue on repairs and replacements that may be required over the next 12 months on a 7 year old car. And one thing I've learnt is that repairs and parts in Dubai cost more than what I'd originally budgeted for based on Internet pricing with a 20% margin :(

My appointment with the dealer will decide the next steps tomorrow. Unless someone's planning to unload a Boxster S for a really good price, it looks like I may be out of the game for awhile :(

That said, if you guys are going to be in Dubai any time, drop me a PM so we can catch up for a drink (or the nearest equivalent -- there's a zero tolerance policy here on drink and drive)

this sounds good the rest of the world should follow suit, here it is a bank holiday week end and as it stands and you have to consider that it is not saturday yet we already have seven dead people on the road and the carnage rolls on, i realise that this sounds like nothing to the US where this is probably a minute rating but here it is a lot.
otherwise it seams that this is a very high amount of repair for your boxster was this car badly looked after before you bought it?

Well, unfortunately, the nearest Porsche service center is over 70 miles away, in a direction I rarely travel. Perhaps "ignore" wasn't the most accurate term, but it isn't in the top 10 on the priority list of things to do. :)

take bruce's advice, drive down on a lovely sunny day and get it check woman!!
we do no want to loose such a special lady if the worst was to happen, this has to be to the top of your priority now, the saying is :accidents only happens to others!
wrong...

As we used to say in the ghetto, dead is forever!

Please get your airbag light checked out.

Good luck!

Oh, and wear your seat harness too!

:cheers: