news3

Welcome to Newsletter number 3 where I will address the 2nd most submitted question lately: "Should I buy a new Boxster today?". My answer to this is 3 numbers: 9 8 7. Don't get me wrong I love the current Boxster I just think that the new Boxster will bring so much more that is well worth the wait. The current 986 Boxster has been running for a while now and is built on early 90's technology. The upcoming 987 Boxster not only will bring new technology but will also address issues from the current Boxster.

But the fact that I recommend to wait for a 987 does not mean that the Boxster 986 is a bad car, not at all, as a matter fact is a great car, a great Porsche. The Boxster 986 is superbly built, it was a benchmark of technology for Porsche and it satisfied all the needs of entry level Porsche customers as well as purists of the brand. A very complete, great handling, Porsche.

Porsche did a great job creating and building the Boxster 986, lets take a closer look at the current Boxster.

The Start

In the late 80's Mazda brought the Miata/MX5 reviving the old British roadster spirit. The Miata/MX5 was a great succes due to its intricacies, a very light, well handling roadster that brought all the fun in driving and left your wallet fat. German manufacturers catched up quickly to the revived concept and the Z3, Boxster and SLK were born.

The Porsche Boxster was born as a concept by Porsche Chief Designer, Harm Lagaay in 1993. Bringing the old roadster concept with a futuristic form and Porsche legacy it was a sure winner.

As you can see from the picture many of the proposed items never made it into production such as the front and side air scoops. Nonetheless the shape and form of the headlights made it almost intact to the production model, forging a new and future way to make headlights adopted by many manufacturers. The interior almost made as well, and I have to add that Porsche did a magnificent job in the Boxster's interior, ergonomic, funtional, well built are some of the attributes among others.

NOTE: On my never ending Porsche wheel complaint, how come the Boxster 50th didn't come with the wheel of the original concept, a Turbo 3.6 multipiece wheel in special finish. Instead Porsche opted for a C A R R E R A wheel, me no understand. Porsche, please, pay attention to your heritage, the wheels that should have come in the Boxster 550 were on the Boxster Concept.

In late 1996 the Boxster made into production as a 1997 model year. The introduction model carried a 2.5L 204hp WATERCOOLED Boxer engine. This engine is a very important step for Porsche as they knew that the only way to lower emissions was to get a cooler engine and H2O was the answer to this and a benchmark for future Boxer engines. Purist could not complaint they got their Boxer engine pushing the car. In 2000 the engine capacity grew to 2.7 and 220hp and the 3.2 250hp "S" model appeared. Later engine tweeks brought hp to 227 and 258 respectively.

This photo concludes the Boxster strenght, superbly built I might say. Mid engine configuration for excellent handling but also brought a lot of trunk space in the back as well as the front. The cabin is more than spacious enough for two and the Boxster passes and exceeds all safety requirements. Indeed a very safe car, drives excellently and in the end is functional enough for two to travel. The most fun out of the Boxster is behind the wheel where you get to enjoy its balanced handling.

Purists acknowledged. LeMans ignition to the left ala 911, flat six pushing. Entry Level Porsche Customers appointed. Affordable price for a Porsche that carries full flare and flavor of Porsche cars from the purist point of view.

Plastic Window. I really hope Porsche does not leave us down on this one giving 1997-2002 Boxster owners enough spare parts. We well know that sooner or later the plastic window will go and hopefully Porsche will back owners back with spare tops (window alone cannot be replaced) at a reasonable price. I am pretty sure the aftermarket industry will come in on this one but is good to have the choice of oem always.

Side Skirts. Since the scoops in the lower part of the Boxster concept never made into the production Boxster, it always lacked side skirts in my own taste. Check the graphic on how the shape of the bumper (1) is not continuous with the side of the car. Tequipment offered side skirts as an option, the side skirts typ1 were very good with the Aerokit 1 but not so much as a stand alone item. The side skirts typ2 were a shorter version of the GT3 MK1 and also worked well with the Aerokit II front bumper which was a GT3 Mk1 copy but not so much as a stand alone. Why Porsche never offered a decent side skirt that would give the Boxster a continuous line, I don't know, maybe they were too busy trying to answer why they never added a 3.4L 300hp engine to the Boxster.

Seats. Some pleople including myself doubted the Porsche seat shape, nonetheless I have to say that after driving several Porsche cars, 944, 964, 968 and 993 you will find the oddly shaped seats a marvelous piece of art. Unfortunately on the 986/996 they became too narrow and less supportive.

The Stereo System. Customers in Mexico largely complained about this issue. I have to agree with them too. Customers complained that for the price of the car the stereo system was not up to par, I agree. But I think it goes beyond the price of the car. Even if it is not a priority for Porsche I think they should look into it a bit more and bring little details like this up to par with the product and customer level. It is very frustrating and dissapointing renting a $19.99 a day Chrysler car that has a better stereo than your Boxster at home. Porsche did source from BOSE in 2003 for a premium sound system, your best bet. The headunit is another complaint, it is supposed to be very good, is a very expensive Becker unit. The one I got is little functional with its downward face to insert cd's and the knobs slip and skip functions. Replacement is very expensive, aftermarket a hassle. All I have to say is thanks Porsche, great product, market and customer research.

Last words...

Looking at a Porsche Boxster it is hard to find a bad angle, it doesn't have one, its beautiful. Probably the best part of the Boxster is driving it. Drive one and you will know what I am talking about. To get a car that is beautiful, drives great, is functional and reliable is not an easy feat, the Porsche Boxster is all that and more.

I am going to cut this one short despite knowing many Boxster owners would like me to continue on the nitpicking with issues such as RMS (btw, knock on wood, seriously) and why they have to pay for Xenon when a cars half as much as the Boxster (Renault Clio Sport) has is standard. But I will leave all those for our used car report once the 987 comes out. As for now if you got a Boxster already, drive it, enjoy it. If you are looking into the roadster market, look no further, the Porsche Boxster is the best out there, trust me.

That's all for now, I'll see you on the road.

Frissen

Porsche Specialist