Boxster S - A great great car !

Author's Rating:

Pros: Superb acceleration and handling
Great looks
Great driving experience

Cons: Some engine noise with top up
Plastic rear window
Interior design could be better

Handling And Control:

The Bottom Line: 
Get it !

Author's Review
I just recently picked up my 2001 Boxster S with 23,000 miles on it and have been driving it for a week or so, so thought I'd post my views on this forum.



Let's start with the exterior. I got the silver/black/black, nicely cleaned and waxed from the dealer. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon when I picked my car up from the dealer, so my wife and I put the top down and started our drive back home. Almost every car that pulled up next to us at a stop light would look at the car and admire it's beauty. Similarly, pedestrians walking by would gaze at the car as it drove by them in admiration. I'm not trying to say that I like showing off, but it's always nice to see other people admire something you own, and it's a great feeling to see people truly appreciate the beauty of the Boxster S as it passes by them.



On the inside, the car sits low and close to the ground. The best thing about this car, besides the speed and acceleration, is the sound of the engine. Put the key in the ignition and start the car and hear the lion roar ! The sound is pure music to my ears ! It is a mid-engine car, and with the top up, yes, the sound of the engine is definitely more pronounced as you drive around town or on the freeway, and some owners find that to be an annoyance. So far, it has not bothered my wife or me. We are either typically conversing or listening to music and the constant sound of the engine is not a bother. Sometimes, on the contrary, its nice to hear the engine roaring as you are driving around, reminding you of the perfection that lives underneath you, obeying your every command.



Storage on the outside is veru sufficient with the Boxster having 2 trunks, one in the front and one in the back. The back is the one I end up using most often. The back is wide and shallow whereas the front is narrow and deep. There is enough storage for 2 small suitcases in the back and a laptop case in the front, making it a perfectly fine means of transportation for the weekend getaway. If you need to pick up someone at the airport who has 3 large suitcases, bring the SUV.




Is the inside the nicest ? No. Could it be better ? Sure. I mean, it's a $53,000 car, so yes, it could be made nicer, more luxurious. Yes, Lexus does a really nice job of that in its SC430 and the Boxster S could definitely use some of that (the newer models have the aluminum finish). But the all black interior is fine with me. I do not seem to mind the interior as much as some of the other reviewers. It's not the most functional interior either (cup holders placed somewhat awkwardly, the radio is hard to operate with small buttons until you get used to the button placement and functionality, etc), but overall, with the top down, the black interior still gives it a very nice sleek look.



Which brings me to the other gripe that a lot of owners have - the plastic rear window. Yes, I do expect more from such an expensive car. A glass window would be nice (again, this is provided in the newer models). Sitting inside, with the top up, there are huge blind spots on the left and right sides. Looking out through the plastic window is very hard, and since I'm very careful when it comes to changing lanes, I have to lean out to the front quite a bit to look in the left and right glass windows while changing lanes to make sure I cover my blind spots.



But enough about looks on the outside and inside. Let's talk about driving. The Boxster S is just pure fun ! Off the line, acceleration is more than adequate. Is it super fast, not really. But it's fast enough for day-to-day needs and then some ! After all, it's 250hp, and with my tiptronic, it shaves off about half a second of the manual, so it's not the fastest car, but believe me, this thing flies when you step on that pedal ! I got the tiptronic partly because of my wife and partly because, personally, the whole "I drive only manual cars" is all fine and dandy, but from a practicality perspective, with me living in a high traffic suburb, I for one, do not like constantly having to engage/disengage the cluth and change gears all the time. Even then, the tiptronic, in my opinion, takes very little off the driving experience (I've driven the stick version as well before) for the "common" folk (professional Edmund car reviewers ofcourse will say otherwise).



So coming back to what I was saying, the acceleration is plenty, and if flying off at the green signal is your thing, this car will leave everything behind 8 out of 10 times at a traffic light. I've yet to try racing an M3 or a 'vette, but Pontiac Grand Ams, Z3s and Audis have pulled up next to me at traffic lights and tried taking off and were all left behind. The thing with the Boxster S tiptronic is that it starts off in 2nd gear, so that is not the most ideal, and so, it takes a few seconds when you're starting to race someone at the light for the power to kick in, during which time, they might be neck and neck with you, but by the 4th or 5th second, you've left them behind and zoomed away.



Braking is just as good as the acceleration, with the car stopping on a dime when you push hard on the brakes.



The other favorite thing about this car is the handling. It's extraordinary. On dry pavements, this thing sticks to the road as if you were driving it on tracks. Sharp turns can be taken much more confidently because the car just does not swerve or make you feel like you need to slow down a whole lot. A lot of times, you can do a turn at 40mph even when the signs say 20 or 15. I'm ofcourse not condoning dangerous driving, but trying to stress the fact that this car is a superb handler, and it really shines compared to some other cars when it comes to feeling one with the road. Last night, it happened to rain on the way back when my wife and I were headed back from a party. There was virtually no difference in the drive on a wet pavement vs a dry one. The car did not once seem to slide. It stuck to the road like glue and acceleration and stopping was just fantastic.



With the top down, it's just a great feeling to drive this car on the freeway or cruise in suburbian streets. It cruises when you want it to, and then just bursts in high gear in an instant. As I mentioned before with the racing, so far, I've only intentionally tried to race one car at a traffic light. The other races were all initiated by other drivers. It's almost as if others see you in the S and have something to prove ! :-)



With this car, you get the admiration of onlookers, a great driving experience, and a fantastic all around sports car. There are others that are cheaper and others that are more expensive. I've driven (not owned) the Z3, the SL (older version) and the S2000. They are all very nice cars. But after having driven the Porsche, there is just something about this car that speaks to me. It begs to be driven and it drives just great. For good or bad, it does have a status associated with the Porsche name. And the 'S' has a fast car image (something that is not associated with the base Boxster model)



On a side note, yes, its not cheap to own a Porsche when it comes to maintenance and repairs. My advice would be to find a reputable Porsche service center that can do all the work a dealer can for somewhat cheaper. But make sure you trust this service center before taking your car there. Otherwise you will be paying $200 for an oil change and $600 for regular scheduled maintenance !



One last note, gas mileage so far is not too bad - about 23mpg, so I'm not complaining. There are better and worse out there, but this is not to bad.



I hope this review is helpful to anyone that is looking ot buy a Boxster S. I scanned every post online on many forums before I decided to go ahead with my purchase. Find a reputable dealer, pull a carfax on the car, check the car inside and out before buying it and then just enjoy the experience ! You will not be disappointed ! (unless worrying about small things like cupholders and lesser than appropriate interior luxury is your thing.