Advise please

[lindsayhbrown]

Finally talked my sister into selling her BMW 1 series cabbie and buying a Porsche, so today went to look at an 06 plate 2.7 5 speed with 46k on the clock and up at £20k with 12 months warranty, seemed ok, silver with black interior so fairly safe colours and well spec'd wth phone/sat nav etc, having 2 services first by OPC, second by Porscheshop she drove it away and I drove it back, seemed very responsive compared with my 911, only issue I had was a slight pull to the kerb when the wheel released, there were a few stone chips to the front which would point to no paint correction, can anyone give me any more pointers many thanks

[Lee 944]

I think you should get the geometry set up, it's due on my 928. OPC will charge >£200, but if it is under warranty!!!!!! Straight back on Monday.


edited due to typing while drinking Stella!! Ignore posts after 20:00 hrs please, they will contain spelling mistakes.

[JW590]

I hope you haven't really 'talked her into it' Lindsay, because she'll never be 100% happy with a car that she was 'talked into' rather than chose herself. I speak from experience when I persuaded my wife that a brand new Mazda MX5 was a good replacement for the ageing BMW Z3 we'd had for seven years. She likes the car, but has never been completely happy with it and is about to sell it - this time I'm not getting involved.

Then there is the colour - she's a girl / woman... get her something nice and bright, or black - anything but silver. My next but one neighbour had a silver with black interior Boxster. It was horrible, looked awful, looked cheap, and in the end even he didn't like it and got rid, replacing it with a BMW 135 coupé.

Only two services in 46000 miles doesn't sound enough to me - not that I know how many it should have had, but my 944S2 would have had nine oil changes in that mileage. It's probably due a service now, so the expense of that will follow soon after purchase.

Don't rush the decision, £20000 is a lot of money and there are a lot of nicer looking and better convertible cars out there than a Boxster. For example (and we're all allowed our own opinion) - Honda S2000, Audi TT, BMW Z4, Jaguar XK, Nissan 350Z, Mercedes SL, Citroen C3 Pluriel , and of course every girl's favourite... the Nissan Figaro - just to mention a few(threw the last two in for a laugh).

You did ask, and I'm just mentioning general stuff, somebody else will be along soon and tell you all the technical stuff, but I think the first line that I started with is an important one.

Good luck with it anyway, glad it's not me - been there once and never heard the last of it!

[lindsayhbrown]

Haven't bought the car yet, still looking, but I don't know that much about the newer Porsches hence the advise required, I haven't really talked her into a Boxster, she found it and asked me to look at it with her. She had an XR2i an Astra Sri, an MR2 then a SLK which she had for 6 years, and now this BMW 120 cabbie which she's only had for 6 months but in her own words "isn't a proper sports car" . The garage also have a 55 plate S with tip, its £2k cheaper but has 10k more miles and looks better in lapis blue. The servcing is 24k or 2 years on the newer Porsches so its about right.

[Lee 944]

If your sister has had a test drive and likes it????? I don't see a problem. As John said, everyone is entiled to their own opinion and you can't argue with that. However if her opinion is that she would like a Boxster, then that's the car to get. If it could get the geometry set up and the stone chips sorted, I can't see any thing wrong with the car you've described. I'm sure you know a local specialist for servicing and repairs, and she can join the forum for advice. Has it has a PPI?

[JW590]

You're dead right Lee, if she's chosen it and likes it then let her get on with it, and Lindsay's quite right and sensible to ask for advice. It's just that the initial posting inferred a bit of 'persuasion' - which Lindsay has now explained (had he done so at the start I wouldn't have posted what I did and wouldn't now be trying to justify it), and I was honest enough to say that my experience of 'persuading' was that it's not a good idea. My wife Stefany didn't stop me buying either of my cars, even though she wouldn't buy either of them herself (I doubt any of our wives would buy what we have) - one because they're too old, and secondly because she doesn't really like them. That's why it's 'each to his own' and I'll let Stefany choose her own car with no input off me this time.

It's hard to offer advice here because there are a few cars I particularly don't like -

BMW 1 series (any of them) - even though my daughter has just bought one .

Porsche Cayenne - horrible things, just a status symbol for insecure short people with little willies and an inferiority complex who want to say "You may be taller than me but look how much money I've got" (but not as much as an Audi Q7 driver wants to say it). It's not jealousy, we can afford one of these but choose not to, and anyway I don't fit any of the criteria.

And then unfortunately there's the Boxster - which I know I should like but just can't make my mind up about, sometimes I like them, sometimes I don't , there's something not quite right, and it must be the back-end because I love the Cayman.... a car that is on Stef's shopping list by the way..... but I'm not getting involved.

Moving on... 24000 mile servicing is amazing, I wonder how or why they manage it? Back in 1995 my pal bought a brand new 'P' reg Renault Laguna, I liked it so bought a one year old one, exactly the same but for the colour. His service intervals were 10000 miles, mine were 6000. I asked everywhere for a reason but to no avail. I eventually contacted Renault UK's head office, where a nice bloke was honest enough to tell me that the reason the service interval had increased from 6000 to 10000 was because, quote - "The fleet buyers wanted to reduce running costs". It just shows what a money spinning rip-off the servicing is at main dealers. By Porsche increasing the servicing interval to 24000 they reduce running costs and can appeal to a wider market.

Note - The only reason my oil gets changed every 5000 miles is because Stewart (the mechanic) said that I should start doing it now the mileage is so high. Seeing as I get 'mates rates' he's hardly advising it to make himself money. I've only had it done once at a 5000 interval so far, but my statement "my 944S2 would have had nine oil changes in that mileage" is a fact.

Anyway, can't spend all day doing this, things to do, wife says I've got to pack my bags......... we're going away for a few days on Tuesday, and as everybody knows - the older you get, the longer before the departure date you have to have your bags ready.

Lindsay - my pal Serge (now 71 years old) was a top salesman at an insurance company. His favourite closing line was "Go-on, have it". Just use it on your sister, tell her "Go-on, have it, buy the car and sort the problems out as they arise" (I doubt there'll be any).

[lindsayhbrown]

Thanks to both John and Lee for the comments, my sister has now got an insurance quote which she's happy with altho' she still hasn't made her mind up about this particular car I think she has set her mind on a Boxster, I was really after advise on what particular issues the Boxster has, I know about tapping engines leading to intermediate shaft failure, RMS seals weaping/leaking and creaking coffin arms, but after that i'm a bit stuck

[Boxster-Al]

I know about tapping engines leading to intermediate shaft failure, RMS seals weaping/leaking and creaking coffin arms, but after that i'm a bit stuck

Not sure what you mean about tapping when referring to intermediate shaft failure. It is very rare to get any warning of imminent IMS failure and pure luck if you do. They generally fail catastrophically with no warning, as i know to my cost! IMS failure is uncommon probably no greater than ~1% of Boxsters. You can reduce the likelihood of it happening to you by buying later cars which had improvements to the IMS design that significantly reduce the failure rate, but not eliminate it altogether. Engines built after around mid 2005 are much less likely to fail than engines built before then. Some people have postulated that regular hard use helps too, but my car had that and failed. Baz at Hartech (a Porsche Inde) is one of the leading experts on IMS failures and fixes, who posts on Pistonheads, is promising to post up some advice on how to reduce the likelihood of IMS failure.

The other major problem to look out for is 2nd gear engagement. This initially shows up as a reluctance to engage when cold and will gradually get worse until 2nd gear refuses to stay engaged when lifting off. It is due to a design flaw in the gearbox (usually 6 speed box) which is present in both the 986 and 987. It is fixable on the 986 for around from £1500 at a few Porsche Independents that know how, but on the 987 it requires a new gearbox since replacement parts are not available! A good test to detect any weakness in the gearbox before purchase is, when the engine is cold, gently accelerate from standstill in 1st gear and very lightly change into 2nd. If 2nd gear does not engage properly, e.g. no drive and/or grating noise, then this is a sign that there is a problem, which will only get worse. Another test is to accelerate in 2nd gear up to high rpm and suddenly lift off the throttle pedal. It it pops out of gear walk away. This is a less sensitive test than the first one and will not pick up the early signs of impending 2nd gear issues.