I am thinking of buying a Boxter
Discussion
I am looking at a 2002 Boxster 3.2S this week with a view to buying a car my wife can drive. Bearing in mind my current toy is a Griff 500,the Boxster will be differant animal altogether!! What are the good and bad points of the Boxter? Thanks (oops! yes! I know the heading should read BOXSTER!)
Edited by silv on Monday 30th October 10:30
Good. Generally reliable although not perfect. Electric roof. Sublime handling. Excellent boot practicality. Enough power (if an 'S') although could use more.
Bad. If you thought TVRs were expensive to maintain... Check for recent pads and discs, if they need changing its £1K. Consider a warranty: Currently £725 per year but rising to £900 ish. This insures against the worst. If looking at a 2002 car check to see which month. If *after* August it will be a MY03 car with a glass rear screen. If before it will have a plastic rear screen - which may be milky or split. I'd hold out for one a with a glass rear window myself. If the car suffers from RMS (an oil leak onto the clutch plate) this will be fixed under warranty - or fairly expensively otherwise.
Bad. If you thought TVRs were expensive to maintain... Check for recent pads and discs, if they need changing its £1K. Consider a warranty: Currently £725 per year but rising to £900 ish. This insures against the worst. If looking at a 2002 car check to see which month. If *after* August it will be a MY03 car with a glass rear screen. If before it will have a plastic rear screen - which may be milky or split. I'd hold out for one a with a glass rear window myself. If the car suffers from RMS (an oil leak onto the clutch plate) this will be fixed under warranty - or fairly expensively otherwise.
Don said:
Bad. If you thought TVRs were expensive to maintain... Check for recent pads and discs, if they need changing its £1K.
Really? My services were around the £500 mark v my firends TVR which were never less than £1k. Obviously apply common sense when parts like discs need replacing and go to a specialist not an OPC and save 50%.
Agree with all your other comments
Hi Silv,
We have just bought a 02 S and this forum gave me lots of good information... usual stuff really MUST have full history either full Porsche or good indi..
Look for scuffed wheels.. sign of bad driver which normally equals lack of tlc
My rms was done along with a new clutch 5 months ago however they can leak again...
Check for loads of meat on all brakes... I have the multi spoke wheels on mine so I could see through the spokes when we viewed it... as said allow for 1000 for all replacement
Check that the aircon is cold.. the front rads are very expensive and can corrode.
check for operation of roof...a good owner will crease the rear screen with their arm when putting hood down to allow for extended life... again mine (plastic screen) has been replaced due to misting etc at a cost of 250 quid..
Otherwise usual check all toys and general bodywork lines for sign of accident... get it hpi'd.. there is a link on here, cant remember where for 19.95..
and finally enjoy......
Greg
We have just bought a 02 S and this forum gave me lots of good information... usual stuff really MUST have full history either full Porsche or good indi..
Look for scuffed wheels.. sign of bad driver which normally equals lack of tlc
My rms was done along with a new clutch 5 months ago however they can leak again...
Check for loads of meat on all brakes... I have the multi spoke wheels on mine so I could see through the spokes when we viewed it... as said allow for 1000 for all replacement
Check that the aircon is cold.. the front rads are very expensive and can corrode.
check for operation of roof...a good owner will crease the rear screen with their arm when putting hood down to allow for extended life... again mine (plastic screen) has been replaced due to misting etc at a cost of 250 quid..
Otherwise usual check all toys and general bodywork lines for sign of accident... get it hpi'd.. there is a link on here, cant remember where for 19.95..
and finally enjoy......
Greg
Great car (forgive me for being biased on this one...). Check the hood for damage, as opening it when still damp can lead to nasty creases and even damage.
Go for a model with glass rear. If not, check the plastic carefully. When opened at too cold weather it gets streaks and can eventually break. If it needs replacement it gets VERY costly.
Check under the front skirts if there are scratches from speed bumps etc. The longish front overhang does not go well with this PC stupidity...
Check the tank is full and that you go for a hoon asap!
Go for a model with glass rear. If not, check the plastic carefully. When opened at too cold weather it gets streaks and can eventually break. If it needs replacement it gets VERY costly.
Check under the front skirts if there are scratches from speed bumps etc. The longish front overhang does not go well with this PC stupidity...
Check the tank is full and that you go for a hoon asap!
Brakes are an absolute doddle to do yourself.Boxsters are disturbingly practical cars for a fun machine, having gobs of boot space front and back, handle like a dream and appear to be fairly reliable.
Engine is hidden however, but as the starter and alternater are not mounted directly behind glowing exhaust pipes you do not have to replace them once a month either
Get one with PSM (Anti-spin) fitted if you want it to be fool proof, and with parking sensors if the driver will not instincively 'know' where the edges are without being able to see them.
Engine is hidden however, but as the starter and alternater are not mounted directly behind glowing exhaust pipes you do not have to replace them once a month either
Get one with PSM (Anti-spin) fitted if you want it to be fool proof, and with parking sensors if the driver will not instincively 'know' where the edges are without being able to see them.
Many thanks Guys. I now have a few more questions I can ask. The RMS bothers me a bit! Was it a common fault that is rectified with a modification? The car I am considering is one owner with full OPC history. Do you know if I can get a print out of its service history and any other work done from the OPC?
silv said:
Many thanks Guys. I now have a few more questions I can ask. The RMS bothers me a bit! Was it a common fault that is rectified with a modification? The car I am considering is one owner with full OPC history. Do you know if I can get a print out of its service history and any other work done from the OPC?
RMS is a known fault. One should not worry unduly. The vast majority of cars do not suffer. A proportion have however. When you test drive the vehicle you are looking for clutch judder.
silv said:
I bought it!! 
black with black interior, it looks and drives like a dream. Also managed move the Griff to a good home. so its 
to the TVR forum and hello to you guys 
black with black interior, it looks and drives like a dream. Also managed move the Griff to a good home. so its to the TVR forum and hello to you guys Edited by silv on Monday 13th November 15:32
Nice! Enjoy the car! Join the PCGB and come along to one of our track days! (Start next April or so...)
Good luck with the car. I have a 2001 3.2S which has given me no problems, even the plastic rear screen. The advice I was given was never to drop the hood when it was wet or below 10 deg C. It can be a little bit of a pain to keep clean though! The car benefits in my opinion from being run on as high octane as you can get. I think Shell V Power is current best. It also runs better if it gets a really good blast every so often. The higher the mileage the better it has run. I go to Germany a lot. I dont think that you ll miss the stability control particularly coming from a TVR, but you might consider a sports exhaust?
Enjoy it!
Enjoy it!
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