User Reviews

996 2.7 Tiptronic

bubba

Overall Rating

Combination of a great chassis and mid-engine makes for one of the best drives I've experienced... but all comes at a cost. Not as reliable as expected and very costly to service and maintain. Steering bearing kept going (twice in 2 years) which was very expensive to fix and warranty is also very expensive too. Given how costly the car was, I was too scared not to be covered by extended warranty given the poor reliability. Mid-engine is great for performance but makes the engine inaccessible adding to labour cost. I also went for the tiptronic since I'm lazy and drive in town a lot but its not efficient enough as an everyday car. It just made the car slow and thirsty.

Boxster S

Diane Finlayson

Overall Rating

I have had ny Boxster S for almost 18 months and I love it so much, I cant find anything else I like driving. (Well, maybe a 911!). I have a company Vauxhall, which I'm getting rid of because after my 3 hour drive to work weekly, it gives me terrible backache but the Boxster doesnt. Mind you, I am a 5 foot 6 woman, not a 6 foot chap like the other reviewee. I find the Boxster S gives me loads of speed fun (no TCS so a little gentle on the right foot in the wet, on bends - the last owner had an argument with an oak tree in it...) but it goes to the supermarket as well, no problems with space. I do make excuses to go for a drive in it and its not just that the top speed is fast, its more about the acceleration and fantastic brakes, that get you out of trouble when needed. Its not caused me any problems in 18 months. Yes, servicing is expensive if you go to a main dealer (I go to a local independent Porsche specialist, who sold me this car) but mpg? About 27mpg - up to 32mpg on a steady run. This car just makes you feel good - and people are nice about it. I'm surprised how many people come up to me in car parks and say nicew things about it. Maybe that makes me a shallow person. Who cares?

3.2S

Nick Tagg

Overall Rating

I've had the Boxter S for 1 month and therefore these comments should be read in that context. Before buying I test drove both the Boxter and the Boxter S. The Boxter left me hugely underwhelmed and there was no way I could justify spending £36k on a car that felt about as fast as the golf I had owned previously. On my second visit to the dealership I drove the Boxter S and was pretty much blown away. The car is excellent fun, although seemed a little slower for the first 1500 miles compared to my memory of the test car - although it does seem noticably quicker now that the engine has been run in. The engine note is excellent, and builds steadily as you work through the rev range, and the car easily adapts to whatever driving mood I'm in. It's effortless to drive sedately, but has enough go to match my 'billy racer' moments. The (2) boot spaces are pretty good too and so it is reasonably practical when looking to go away on holiday. In terms of the cabin, it is a lovely place to be - whether with the top up or down. Although I have noticed over long drives it does feel a bit cramped, with the trade off between leg space and seat incline taking it's toll on my back after a couple of hours. As a 6 footer I would have thought I should have ample room. I was pleasantly suprised by the lack of wind noise with the roof up, and it didn't feel that different to a hard top to me - although rear three-quarter visability is pretty crap with the roof up. In terms of fuel economy (if you care) I am averaging 25.2MPG using super unleaded fuel. Other negative points are that the stereo buttons are quite small and there are no steering controls (which seems pretty backward by today's standards), and the lockable compartment between the seats seems to have a mind of it's own and therefore I quite often get 'called back' to the car to lock it when I set the alarm (which I still haven't figured out how to do!). In terms of the dealership, I bought the car from Cardiff, and the guy I dealt with was excellent. He spent 2+ hours with me on two seperate occassions and didn't give me the 'hard sell' at all. Overall I would say that the car strikes just the right balance between sports and practicality. I use the car as an every day car and whilst I'm not finding excuses to go out and drive it, I am pretty glad when I get into it each morning. The best thing about this car is it's flexability, which enables it to match whatever mood your in - so one minute it can be a pretty effective laxative, and the next just an efficient tool to unobtrusively take you from point A to B