Porsche Owners Thread - If you own one or just like or hate them! :)
- Thread starter Gibbo
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I've had my Boxster for a year and 5000 miles so thought I would do a quick take on my experiences so far, it being my first foray into Porsche ownership. Mine is a 2009 987 gen 2 with the 2.9 flat 6 and PDK gearbox. When looking for a Boxster I specifically went after a gen 2 car as I couldn't stomach the potential engine problems of the gen 1 cars. PDK was also a must for me and as this was only introduced with the gen 2 cars, a gen 1 was never really on the cards.
Performance wise it was always going to be slower than the E46 M3 I had previously, an equivalent 3.4 S was a good £5k more at the time which was more than I could afford, but truthfully, after a year the performance is enough. 255BHP is not loads but the ratios are short, the gearbox is fast and clever at reading your throttle inputs and in a point a squirt way, 0-100mph ~12seconds, it's quick enough. The engine is a gem, it sounds great but could be a little more raucous, it spins so smoothly and has a great howl up the range.
To focus on performance would be missing the point though. People seem to knob on endlessly about the steering in this era of Porsche but they do have a point, it's brilliant. Great weighting, very communicative and very accurate, if and when I move on to something else it will be an area I miss a lot. The handling is very neutral and balanced as you would expect, there is a lot grip but not in an inert way. Mine has the regular passive dampers rather than PASM and the ride is never harsh, it doesn't smash over bumps like an S Line Audi, and it only gets better as the speeds increase. It's really good fun to zing down a country road which is the whole point. I do miss the fun of the locking diff from the M3 so I would look to option one given the choice but it's not really a lairy car in that way. There is never any sense that it's going to snap and catch you out like my S2000 would do.
What's surprised me? It's very comfortable on long journeys, much less road noise than my M3 and you don't have to raise your voice to have a civilised conversation on the motorway like my S2000. It's very practical, as long as you don't have to transport anything too long (and even then you can take the roof down), it can swallow a lot of luggage. It's economical, it'll do 36mpg on a run and 450 miles on a tank so it's great for covering distance. It suits my usage (mostly weekends away) really well.
Running costs have been mixed. On one hand it has been faultless minus the original battery dying in a cold snap in Scotland. On the other hand it just had a major service done at Porsche (I didn't want to break the dealer service history), which was over £800 which is a bit mental given there's nothing that exotic about it. However, that's every two years and included plugs so would be £500 for a normal one every two years which is not too heinous.
What would I change? It would be nice to have the later sports PDK wheel with paddles rather than buttons but it's not worth £1k to me. Aesthetically it sits quite high but I fear I'd just bugger up the ride if I lowered it so that'll stay as is. Otherwise a proper diff and sports exhaust would give it a bit more attitude but as I'm not sure how long I'll keep it so I doubt I'll mess with it. Although given that prices of anything vaguely interesting are now mental, I can't see this going anywhere for the time being.
Tl;dr summary, brilliant thing, would recommend.
Being to Porsche Factory Leipzig today working with Porsche Design team, cannot say what but it's computer related but under NDA.
On the flip side I got to use their testing circuit and drive every variant of Carrera and Boxster/Cayman and feel how the different options effect car.
Was on my own so thrashed the hell out of them, one rule you can use sport plus but you do not turn PSM off otherwise you come in.
Epic fun and I want a 911 again but not these new Turbo versions, the NA is better full stop for me but these new ones steer and go very well.
On the flip side I got to use their testing circuit and drive every variant of Carrera and Boxster/Cayman and feel how the different options effect car.
Was on my own so thrashed the hell out of them, one rule you can use sport plus but you do not turn PSM off otherwise you come in.
Epic fun and I want a 911 again but not these new Turbo versions, the NA is better full stop for me but these new ones steer and go very well.
Nice write up olv, your car looks like a particularly nice example. The 987 boxster is a brilliant thing, I would seriously have considered one if I didn't have to scratch the 911 itch as they are a huge amount of performance for the cash.
I have learned however, that the 911 is a very practical car! A trip to mothercare has confirmed that an Oyster 2 pushchair will fit in the front boot and a Maxicosi cabriofix baby seat will fit behind the passenger seat and still leave room for a front seat passenger. Couldn't do that in the S2000! Also the convertible roof makes putting the child seat in relatively easy!
I have learned however, that the 911 is a very practical car! A trip to mothercare has confirmed that an Oyster 2 pushchair will fit in the front boot and a Maxicosi cabriofix baby seat will fit behind the passenger seat and still leave room for a front seat passenger. Couldn't do that in the S2000! Also the convertible roof makes putting the child seat in relatively easy!
Part of the reason I chose a 911 also, perfect for my 7 year old in the back
Came came (unknown to me until after having it a couple of weeks) with winter P Zeros, there in good nick so have just purchased a set of summer P Zeros to replace them with, fortunately got space at work to store the winter ones for use later in the year
Came came (unknown to me until after having it a couple of weeks) with winter P Zeros, there in good nick so have just purchased a set of summer P Zeros to replace them with, fortunately got space at work to store the winter ones for use later in the year
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Soldato
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Thats the beauty of a 911. Not many supercars that are family friendly. Ill be taking mine to newby hall in a couple of weeks so that should be fun with lots of cars.Part of the reason I chose a 911 also, perfect for my 7 year old in the back
Came came (unknown to me until after having it a couple of weeks) with winter P Zeros, there in good nick so have just purchased a set of summer P Zeros to replace them with, fortunately got space at work to store the winter ones for use later in the year
991.1 C2S and C4S are they around 60k now for decent spec?
Quite tempted after yesterday's driving of the range to get one of the last NA 911's
How are the values on 991.1 since the Turbo 991.2 was released is 991.1 going down or up in price since new generation announcement.
Don't get me wrong the new cars drove freaking awesome but the Turbo lag and sound track was upsetting though lag in 911's was barely noticeable, though it was an issue in the Boxster/Cayman but equally when they came on boost they had a old school feel and howl to them, still prefer NA though but saying that throttle balance mid corner was the best I've ever experienced for turbocharged motors, so smooth and progressive like NA.
A C4S with nice options is tempting I just worry would not have enough power and don't anyone say Turbo because they are just a bit boring, way way to easy!
Quite tempted after yesterday's driving of the range to get one of the last NA 911's
How are the values on 991.1 since the Turbo 991.2 was released is 991.1 going down or up in price since new generation announcement.
Don't get me wrong the new cars drove freaking awesome but the Turbo lag and sound track was upsetting though lag in 911's was barely noticeable, though it was an issue in the Boxster/Cayman but equally when they came on boost they had a old school feel and howl to them, still prefer NA though but saying that throttle balance mid corner was the best I've ever experienced for turbocharged motors, so smooth and progressive like NA.
A C4S with nice options is tempting I just worry would not have enough power and don't anyone say Turbo because they are just a bit boring, way way to easy!
The major bit of the service was £475, brake fluid change is also due every two years so that's another £95 and spark plugs are done every four years so that was another £215ish. That was at Mid Sussex Porsche who were excellent, I'd had a quote from West London Porsche and they were another £150 on top. If I still have it in 2 years time I will probably have it serviced by a specialist.
Soldato
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Do you have a trip computer image direct from the OBC?
Sadly not. I decant my fuel from the pump into a conical flask in 500ml batches so as to be certain of the amount of petrol going in and then I strap a measuring wheel to the back bumper as I don't trust the odometer's accuracy. I get roughly 623.4mpg using this method.
Soldato
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They do look massively more upto date than the 996 interior (its main weakness imo).
Gotcha, mine was last serviced in Novemeber and being a major service also, along with some other odds and sods so touch wood other than tyres nothing due till nov 18
mines had the last three services at a specialist so probably not much point me taking it to an OPC, however I am still debating on wether or not to go down the Porsche warranty route
nice mate, long time no hear.Picked my 997.2 up today, absolutely in love
Can't believe your kids seven
Part of the reason I chose a 911 also, perfect for my 7 year old in the back
Came came (unknown to me until after having it a couple of weeks) with winter P Zeros, there in good nick so have just purchased a set of summer P Zeros to replace them with, fortunately got space at work to store the winter ones for use later in the year
The coupe has a bit more room in the back than the convertible, although I can imagine doing my back trying to dig a car seat out of there!
The main problem with the 997 interior is that Porsche seriously upped their game with the 991 interior! I find the 997 interior very comfortable and pretty simple. The only thing that could do with freshening up is the AC panel and PCM, but the more I use PCM 2.1 the more I can see myself keeping it and spending the cash on a nice induction kit instead. It's been quite nice putting my CD collection to good use!