1997 Porsche Boxster from North America

Summary:

Quick, slick, and balanced

Faults:

Nothing. Nothing whatsoever.

Fuel economy is good if you don't rev high... which is hard to do trust me. Not even a wobble like the 944.

General Comments:

Sick. Quick. Amazing. This car is awesome. They say that one only buys a Boxster because they can't afford a 911, and yes in a lot of cases it's true. A $40 000 Boxster vs a $70 000 911? Sure, but the performance is still phenomenal. For $30 000 less than a 911 you get a better balanced car than the Mercedes SL55, Chrysler Crossfire, or any car within the price range. Truly awesome.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th September, 2007

1997 Porsche Boxster from North America

Summary:

Outstanding bargain!

Faults:

Convertible top stopped working at 10,000 miles, fixed under warranty.

Leaves clogged the intake at 14,000 miles.

Don't bother getting the hardtop, it is hard to remove and replace, and it rattles.

General Comments:

Awesome car, easy to live with, lots of room in front and rear trunks.

Very comfortable for tall drivers.

The best handling car you can buy!

Get the sport package.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th December, 2006

1997 Porsche Boxster from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Death trap

Faults:

After overheating when idling on the driveway the radiator expansion bottle exploded. This sent a 15 feet cloud of boiling water into the air, bent the car boot lid, destroyed the hinges and almost maimed or killed me.

Porsche claim that it is normal operation for this to occur should the radiator be unable to cool the car, leaving me with a £2000 repair bill.

Both the dealer and Porsche had no interest and offered no assistance other than relieving me of my cash despite the fact I could have been very severely injured.

General Comments:

Car handles and goes great. Appalling service and no customer service from Porsche or any of it's dealers.

Depreciation has been from £38000 to £20000 (offered by Porsche Dealer) in 18 months.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 1st December, 2000

15th Dec 2000, 22:15

Must be a fluke! I know a Boxster owner, and to my knowledge, nothing has ever gone wrong with it. If I were you I'd buy a few of them and see if they aren't any better.

14th Apr 2001, 15:07

Buy a few more? Once is enough. A ain't never been dead yet, but I don't want to try it out to see if I like it.

Seriously; Granted Porsche has a mystique about it that probably isn't actually warranted. I have owned four of them, repaired dozens. Once one gets past the engine and transmission (which are quite difficult to service on the later models), the subsystems are terrible and lack the quality one would expect. There are those who will say "If you can't afford to maintain it, you shouldn't own it". This is factory twaddle. Dealers, for the most part, overcharge for parts and service, leaving the owner to fend for him or her self. The Porsche family laughs all the way to the bank. Why then, do you ask, do Porsches last so long? If a car spends most of its life either at a service provider or in the garage for the winter, it will last longer than a daily driver. A Porsche is less reliable for daily use than a Chevy or a Ford.

If the quality of upholstery materials and electrical components were upgraded then we might be tempted to think of Porsche as a truly reliable automobile. As for me, I go nowhere without a cellular phone, a set of cables and a paid up membership in the Automobile Association.

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