Porsche Boxster 2.5 > Reviews (11)

I'm not going to blind you with science. I'm going to give you down to earth view of the Boxster (manual).

I bought the Boxster on impulse. I was captured by:

• its drop dead gorgeous good looks
• brilliant handling (although I would not give it full marks StevieGuy as I have managed to oversteer it and that was after owning it for over 2 years - admittedly the road was wet but lesson learned the hard way - do not throw it into a tightish corner of a small wet country road at 45mph. Lucky no one was coming the other way.)
  I wanted a car with real guts

Other reasons included:

• no one else that I know had one (nor has one yet) and I'm still the envy of them all
• I wasn't taken with the cars available on the Company Car list
• it would give me great kudos with the sales guys - it did, still does and they are all very envious
• I have yet to be beaten at the lights (I laugh when they try!)
• no one else was stupid enough to part with £40000 that they didn't have (this was September 1998 - extras included leather sport seats, wind deflector, CD autochanger, Porsche coloured crests on wheels)

Tracker or not?
My insurance company did not specify that I obtain a tracker, AFN said it would not be necessary and I can see why. When I broke my ankle earlier this year and was unable to drive my Boxster not only sent itself to sleep but when those nice breakdown people (swearing their heads off)managed to get it started it took a very long time to do so. In order to get the ignition going, the battery had to be charged. The battery is under the bonnet which is accessed by an electrically operated lever which refused to work as the car had shut down. The breakdown people know how to get round this but it can't be done quickly and easily. They claimed that this was a design fault of the car. Personally, I looked on (as did the rest of the street) in sheer amusement and was actually quite relieved that it was so difficult to get into. I am frequently told that the immobiliser and alarm are sufficient and that short of being picked up by a large vehicle with something resembling a clamping unit - it is very difficult to nick. I have a tendency to believe this!

Comfort:
I would rate this more highly as the leather bucket sport seats make for a smooth ride, the seats are fully adjustable - the steering wheel is adjustable, the car is easier to get in and out of than you would expect. But fortunately I can fit into the bucket seats and do not feel confined unlike a 6ft5 friend of mine who would love to buy one but can't justify the aches and pains to his cramped legs. I've pointed this out to the Porsche dealer who suggested buying a 911 instead!!!!??? Now that's serious money!

Regrets:

• I was advised to take the air-con as an extra - I wish I had - it can get stuffy under that hood and with the (so far few) days of scorching windless heat it would be nice to get some freshish air circulating
• should have got a better stereo - 2 speakers as standard are not enough (actually I'm surprised that Porsche don't insist on better quality as standard)
• should have extended the warranty after 2 years - a number of things have gone wrong which I would not expect from a prestigious marque

Conclusion:
Anyway despite a few mishaps I'm still smitten by its style, speed and sexiness. The problem is, once you driven and owned a Boxster it's hard to settle for anything less. So that's why I've ordered the Boxster S.

Hum, now then, Tiptronic or Manual?