You are here: Forums Coupes & Convertibles Porsche Boxster & Boxster-S Porsche Boxster and Boxster S

Porsche Boxster and Boxster S

887 messages,  Last post on Nov 23, 2009 at 9:26 AM

You are in the Porsche Boxster & Boxster-S Forum. Your Host is claires

What is this discussion about? Porsche Boxster

Messages Page 5 of 89 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ... 89 Prev Next Last

Go To Msg # Search This Discussion

#41 of 887 Boxster's radio by mbbuyer123 Nov 20, 2003 (11:52 am)
Replying to: ek01 (Nov 04, 2003 12:46 pm) The radio in my '03 Boxster has bad reception. Is this a common phenomenon with Boxsters?
#42 of 887 Boxster S in Winter? by sailnfast Nov 28, 2003 (8:33 pm)
I'm looking at purchasing a '01 Boxster S for year round driving in the Midwest and was curious if there was anyone out there with experience driving in the snow/rain w/ or w/o snow tires and if so which snow tires you'd recommend. Thx.
#43 of 887 Winter/Rain Driving by speeds2much Nov 30, 2003 (7:32 pm)
sailnfast - The Boxster is excellent in the rain on standard factory tires. I can attest to that from my own experience.   As for winter driving...first I have to ask...do you have an alternative vehicle to use? Second, if you want to take the S out in the snow, you MUST have winter tires. Summer performance tires will not get any traction in the snow or slush.   An excellent choice, in my opinion, is the Dunlop SP Winter Sport M2. It's highly rated in Consumer Reports, and the TireRack.com states that it's not only 100% Porsche-approved, but also recommended by Audi, MB and others. I've owned Dunlops before and think they make fine tires.   A long-standing choice for Porsches is the Bridgestone Blizzak (LM-22 would the the top model for a Boxster, I think, but I'd check that out).   Another thing to consider is buying a set of steel wheels for the winter. Saves on rebalancing costs and you won't damage your nice wheels with winter salt, etc. You might want to get a hardtop, if you don't have one already. They look sharp on the Boxster, too, imo.
#44 of 887 loving my '03 boxster s by ds2k1 Jan 06, 2004 (4:08 pm)
just picked up my brand new '03 boxster s on 12/31. because it was end of year, and dealerships are trying hard to get rid of '03s, got an amazing deal. got a $56k sticker car for $45k even. couldn't possibly turn that deal down, especially since there's no change from '03 to '04. the car is an absolute pleasure to drive, and i've already driven it in both rain and clear weather, top up and top down. man, porsche has really got this car thing figured out. can't imagine ever going back. but i still have the 911 to look forward to down the road (knocking on wood as i type this!).
#45 of 887 ds2k1 by speeds2much Jan 06, 2004 (5:05 pm)
Congratulations! In case you didn't know, you're the second person on these boards who just got a sweet deal on an S (designman is the other).   As for the 911 longings, it might help to know that I've been trolling rennlist boards lately and there's a lot of griping about 996 quality control, including replaced engines. So, as they say, be careful what you wish for...and enjoy that Boxster!
#46 of 887 Speeds2much, ds2k1 by designman Jan 07, 2004 (6:43 am)
Speeds2much, had the top down on New Years Day… 40 degrees… no scarf due to IDS (Isadora Duncan Syndrome). Had a some initial guilt for not getting the 993 but it quickly passed.   Love this car… everything I expected and more. Lots to talk about but I’ll probably bore you with newbie stuff. The toughest thing is getting used to the 6-speed, especially downshifting. Gotta get to the point where I know it by rote. One time I went from 6 to 4 and hit 2 instead… get your act together boy!   Did some serious twistin’ on Connecticut country roads over the weekend. Also love the boogaloo in daily commuter traffic, you know, bobbin’ and weavin’ like a point guard. I’m really anxious to get past the break-in period so I can get on the tach and the brakes. The manual says 4.2K rpm for the first 2K miles with civilized braking. Gotta be careful though… getting nailed would take the wind out of my sails bigtime! Would like to hear some perspective on this, and your handle suggests you have a LOT of perspective.   ds2k1, congrats! Guess we’re twins… got mine on New Year’s Eve also. “…porsche has really got this car thing figured out.” Amen brother!!
#47 of 887 designman & speeds2much by ds2k1 Jan 07, 2004 (1:14 pm)
couldn't believe how busy the dealership was on 12/31. apparently, because of some weird tax break, a bunch of people were buying cayennes. not sure about the cayenne, but if you have to drive an suv, you could do worse i imagine. anyway, designman, what kind of deal were you able to squeeze out of them?   as to the break-in period, my salesman told me that's really a bunch of hogwash. the engine's already been put through the ringer at the factory, and it IS a porsche after all. it's not meant to be treated with kid's gloves. his advice to me was to avoid redlining it for too long in the first 800 miles, but don't worry too much. his exact words were, "have fun with it, it's a porsche." i plan on following his sage advice.   and though i live in california, it's actually been pretty cold here lately. nevertheless, on 1/1, with temps in the high 40s, had the top down all day and had a friggin' blast. clear, crisp skies made for a fabulous driving experience. i ask you, is there a finer sound than the boxer engine? without getting pornographic, i can't think of any. i do, however, recommend bringing some gloves along for those long drives on clear winter days.   speeds2much - thanks for the soothing words re the 996, but i'm not sure i'll shake the jones fully. now don't get me wrong, the boxster's doing a helluva job making me forget all about the 911, but childhood dreams die hard my friend. first things first, however. i intend to make the boxster beg for mercy before moving on. my guess is that this might take awhile.   cheers! Replies to this message: sudkan (Aug 27, 2004 3:21 pm)
#48 of 887 by speeds2much Jan 07, 2004 (2:21 pm)
designman - Sounds fantastic! As for advice on speeding, I have a clean driving record, due to a combination of luck and more importantly, driving in context, always aware of my surroundings. That means keeping a safe distance from other cars and driving with the pack, hitting sprints when there's open road ahead, looking out for hills and trees that are ideal for speed traps, keeping in the right lane as much as possible, obeying speed limits in towns and cities...basically, being the fox. ;o)   ds2k1...Whenever I don't have exactly what I really want, I always look at it as hey, is this current thing I wish I had the ultimate, or is there something even better to shoot for? There always is. For you, I say that's the 997 or 998. I think it was Motor Trend that wrote about a possible retractable hardtop for the cab. It's a certainty that there will be a much better interior and more horsepower, as well as traditional round headlights. Porsche also needs to work on its quality control for the 9-series.
#49 of 887 "quality control" by jwilson1 Jan 07, 2004 (5:45 pm)
Congratulations to both of you. There's nothing better than a new (sports) car! As I type this, it is 14 degrees in central Mass and predicted for single numbers tonight, so I trust the tops are up!   Quality control at Porsche stopped, at least in the sense a "purist" means it, in the early 90s. In that recession, the elves were dismissed and slunk off into the dark, norther European forests. Porsche was struggling and so they brought in some Japanese advisors to teach them how to adopt their techniques. So what do you get when you cross a German idea and a Japanese technique? Not an ethnic joke (at least not this time) but a 993 and then a 996, and in between a Boxster.   Not bad at all, hunh? But the "quality control" that had every engine obsessed over by its individual craftsman has been highly, ummmm, "modified" so that now there is lots of plastic and the Cayenne and talk of a V-6 and steel roadster tops. (On dark nights the elves can be heard muttering curses.)   But some traditions have remained: the Porsche problems. Remember this, for those who are new, all Porsche engines, ALL OF THEM, are bulletproof. Nothing ever breaks. The maintenance is, admittedly, a bit (cough)expensive(cough), but there is nothing really wrong because it is, after all, a Porsche.   Two of the things some of the 'newbies' on the 996 board at Rennlist complain about are engine leaks and ceramic brake failures. What some fail to realize is that oil leaks are, in a P-car, a no-cost option! Those who own 964s and 993s consider a quart of oil lost each 600 miles within normal ranges. And if it gets to be a bad leak (i.e., having to step over the puddle each morning) the company provides a new engine -- sometimes even a bit beyond warranty, they say. (So don't quote this as fact.) And the $8000 ceramic brake option has had wear problems, in as little as a thousand miles (with considerable track use), and the owners who complain are often disregarded, not because the problem doesn't exist but because Porsche owners seem to traditionally be a part of the R&D process in bringing new, fast technology to the road. No, this ain't a Nissan, but because this is what Porsche seems to expect from owners, the company also has a reputation for returning the favor by upgrading and replacing the defective 'beta' versions.   I guess the Japanese didn't want to ruin all of the traditions (lol)! None of you bought a '97 Boxster did you? Good. Enjoy em if y'got'em. JW
#50 of 887 jwilson1 by ds2k1 Jan 07, 2004 (6:39 pm)
thanks for the insight. i've also reveled in the legend of the "bulletproof" porsche engine, and must admit that i allowed myself to fall prey to its charms when deciding upon my current brand of transportation (honda can't be THAT much more reliable than a porsche, right? - this is what I tell myself). with that said, i don't plan on owning the car past warranty, so i take some solace in knowing that big problems are the manufacturer's problems and that my dealer has a loaner with my name on it waiting for me if that becomes necessary.   also, although i've always admired porsche, i'm not very nostalgic for old cars. at least not to the point where i want to own them. i enjoy looking at them, and i enjoy them intellectually and philosophically, but i enjoy them from afar. i simply don't have the gear-head gene in my person. i have the driver's gene, but not the tweaky gear-head gene. with that said, i admire those who do. my dad is one of them and is about to rebuild a beautiful '61 alfa romeo sprint veloce for the second time. what a car.   so, while i freely admit that i expect my '03 boxster s to visit its prior home (the dealership and, more importantly, the service department) more often than an s2000 would have if i'd gone that direction (the other car i considered, and drove, but that's another story), the visceral pleasure i get from the porsche, and the hope that a car cannot be THAT bad its first 3 years, makes me think i made the right decision. actually, i have no doubt about it at all. this was the car for me.   but i appreciate knowing that anything short of a puddle of oil in my garage is not cause for alarm.

Messages Page 5 of 89 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ... 89 Prev Next Last

Go To Msg # Search This Discussion

You are here: Forums Coupes & Convertibles Porsche Boxster & Boxster-S Porsche Boxster and Boxster S