2000 Porsche Boxster from North America - Comments

6/21/01

Right rear anti-lock equipped brake locked up on a braking right turn on a mountain road and almost killed me.

Car rear slid out and I went off a 50' embankment and was fortunately caught in some tall pines, where I fell to the ground upright.

No airbags deployed. The pickup truck behind me made the turn, and braked to a stop. The Porsche is in the canyon, the pickup is parked next to my crash site, what's wrong with this picture?

My $50,000 Porsche is sitting is a wreckers yard in NC. waiting for the adjuster. I'm real curious about the rear wheel lock and no bags.

I'm going to do 6 weeks off work for this broken rib. I'm not a happy camper.

Slamming on the brakes in a turn is inadvisable in any car.

I find it highly unlikely that the events described can be attributed to a faulty ABS system. In the first place, the Boxster ABS works on wheel pairs (it is incapable of braking the wheels individually). Porsche does have a system called Porsche Stability Management (PSM) that can modulate brakes on individual wheels. This system is available on later (2001 on) Boxsters as an option. PSM generally activates when it detects a situation where incipient loss of control exists - the beginnings of a skid, for example, and it acts to counteract the problem by individually braking the appropriate wheel (s) and by momentarily reducing engine power (irrespective of throttle position). I've driven PSM equipped cars on the track at high speeds, and generally never noticed it. It only activates if the driver does something WRONG (like trying to take a corner at a speed higher than the frictional forces at the tires can accommodate). When it does activate, you can detect it by the momentary power loss and the fact that your car stayed on the road instead of sliding off the track. As good as it is, PSM cannot overcome the basic laws of physics - someone who is going much faster than they should be in a curve can still slide off the road - it is just more difficult. Having owned and driven a Boxster for the past 3 years and 40,000 miles, and having driven the new Porsche models on the track, I find it much more likely that this gentleman was driving faster than his skills would allow, and the car slid off the road.

Hmmmm, I was going to buy a used 1998 or 1999 Porsche Boxster in a few months, but after reading all these reviews I dunno if I'm going to be buying a lemon. I like to drive very fast and if this thing has some major flaws like the ones people have described I don't wanna end up dead by the time I'm 20... (I'm 18 this week). Anyhow, thanks for the reviews people...

Also believe above driver was at fault.

Having driven my 2000 Boxster nearly 25000 miles, many of these over different mountain roads from Vermont to North Carolina, and often at maximum speed for the terrain, this wonderful car has been truly faultless in road-holding.

Well balanced, ideal power to weight, beautifully engineered suspension and steering that is sensitive, but tough.

However, entering a corner at excessive speed on loose dirt, and then trying to brake your way out of it, is not very smart.

Suggest you get some advanced driver training before you really hurt yourself.

Jon.

I don't suppose the car's owner will agree, but it does sound like driver error. Maybe compounded by gravel on the road, but driver error just the same. The fact that the pickup driver made the turn, and indeed stopped should tell us something, namely that he didn't brake hard and lock a wheel. I agree the ABS would not have locked the wheel up and it is highly unlikely that any mechanical problem would have done. Still, there is a simple test. Was the offending wheel locked after the crash? If not then I would say there was never a problem in the first place. The airbags I assume just didn't get a deceleration signal to set them off, maybe because the deceleration was mostly vertical?

Just curious... What did the eye-witness in the Truck say?

I TOTALLY agree. I don't understand the point about the pick up being "able" to stop. Were you racing? or did you just finish cutting him off?

Why would you even EXPECT the airbags to go off? You didn't hit anything head on!!! Airbags are just an excuse for people who don't wear seatbelts anyways. Besides, you DID survive, don't blame Porsche just because you can't drive.

Den.

I also own a 2000 Boxster and have been extremely pleased with the handling. I have almost to a fault been unable to get it to skid or slide out of control and I drive at extreme speeds in mountain terrain. Awesome car, and I would have to say look at driver before blaming the car in any case.

R.

Sounds like the guy should learn to drive (and wear his seatbelt).

This sounds too much like a story I read about Bill's 944, where he was driving around a corner in a moutainous region and slid off the road. His 944 got hung up in trees and he slid out onto the ground. This just sounds way too familiar. This incident probably never really happened. Porsches are performance cars right out of the box, and has the mechanics to compensate for such maneuvers. Anyone who drives in performance events knows it's a no-no to brake in a turn.