I've been slowly trying to sell the idea of a fun weekend car to may partner for a while now. We live in the Denver area and really enjoy going up into the mountains on the weekend for a hike. I've always loved Porsches and have a test drive of a boxster tomorrow, but one of the biggest hurdles I need to overcome is "safety."
I have looked high and low and cannot find any crash test ratings for the 986 boxster, or even most other P cars in general. Does anyone have any insight into why that is the case?
I am confident that in order to be able to pull the trigger on boxster I will need to be able to answer the question of how safe the car is. Does anyone have any non-anecdotal information they can share?
All cars sold in the US have to meet federal crash test ratings, try the NHTSA.
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“Anything really new is invented only in one’s youth. Later, one becomes more experienced, more famous – and more stupid.” - Albert Einstein
I can't quote any safety ratings but I do have a lot of experience with wrecked 986 and 996 porsches. I've bought over a hundred of them and have looked at hundreds if not thousands of them. They hold up very well to wrecks and even rollovers. Only two cars even stick out in my memory of being a death car. One was from sliding sideways into a tree or pole and the other was when a group of teenagers in a borrowed 996 vert got T-boned doing 140mph by a dump truck. Three kids dyed in that one. I've also witnessed many collisions on the track. These cars really hold up well.
It's no less safe then your Ford. If you are expecting to find some kind of consumer reports type of crash report...doubt you will find out. As JFP said...all cars have to meet minimum federal requirements, but that doesn't mean they have to actually put cars through crashes, they just have to be designed with certain aspects...and for that specific model year.
What does this actually mean? Means it has to have brakes, seatbelts, airbags & roll over protection, fuel shutoff, etc. to name a few things. crumple zones didnt come along until later I think.
It's no less safe then your Ford. If you are expecting to find some kind of consumer reports type of crash report...doubt you will find out. As JFP said...all cars have to meet minimum federal requirements, but that doesn't mean they have to actually put cars through crashes, they just have to be designed with certain aspects...and for that specific model year.
What does this actually mean? Means it has to have brakes, seatbelts, airbags & roll over protection, fuel shutoff, etc. to name a few things. crumple zones didnt come along until later I think.
That is not correct, to pass the Fed requirements, they have to crash multiple test cars, video the tests, and submit the data to NHTSA.
These requirements are exactly why many European makes disappeared from the US market for years until the EU instituted similar requirements.
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“Anything really new is invented only in one’s youth. Later, one becomes more experienced, more famous – and more stupid.” - Albert Einstein
Honestly, I have never seen any official crash test ratings anywhere although I know it had to be performed to meet both US and EU safety standards for highway vehicles. It must meet these safety standards to be sold in the US.
Unofficially I know they have both frontal and side airbags, heavy bars in the door to protect against side impact, crumple zones front and rear to absorb energy and reduce passenger G forces, hardened steel passenger compartment and roll bar assy to protect passengers.
In 17 years of Porsche motorsport I have witnessed quite a few Boxster crashes including side impact, head on collision with a barrier wall, and a multiple rollover in excess of 100 mph. Most of these cars had additional racing seats and harnesses but in every case of a big hit, the driver was shaken up but got out and walked away. Lots of Japanese race car drivers have not been so lucky. This is purely observational evidence, not government sled testing but proved the point that in the real world, occupants are highly protected in these cars even in a very high G impact.
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2009 Cayman 2.9L PDK (with a few tweaks)
PCA-GPX Chief Driving Instructor-Ret.
I've also witnessed many collisions on the track. These cars really hold up well.
+ 1! this is the picture of my 987CS after being t-boned in front of my office between 50-60 (speed limit is 60 mph), according to the police they were surprised how well the car held up during the accident , as the woman that run the red light didn't even applied the brakes as she was looking at her daughter on the rear seat.. and I ended having neck pain for several months
Totaled my '99 against a big pick-up's rear. I can attest to the front crumple zone working as designed. I had no lingering effects. The repair estimate stopped being assembled when it reached $27k .. in 2005's money. Someone in a Kia sedan slid into the rear of my '01 because she couldn't see the stop light over the 18 wheeler in front of me. Her front end crumpled. My bumper bar and cover was an easy repair. 2 anecdotes. Mean nothing. It all depends on what you hit and what hits you.
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Prior '70 914, '99 986 Boxster, '01 Boxster S
Lil Red
2009 Porsche Cayman 2.9L
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