richy_uk Posted June 6, 2005 Report Share Posted June 6, 2005 Well, what can I say, after a couple of lame test drives, and a Test Drive Plus, I was still wondering what it's like to 'own' a boxster for real and do the day to day things like driving around for the sake of it, going shopping, going to the golf club. The car I had for the weekend was a 987 2.7, Basalt, full leather grey interior, PCM, 19" Carerra S wheels and that was about it ! After adjusting the incorrect front tyre pressures (shall we club together and buy the OPC's tyre pressure guages for Xmas) I started my drive home. Having a nice little toddle off home, I came off the motorway to drive the more 'interesting' way back. Then some To$$er in a Peugot 407 decides to have a pop. My heart sinks and I start to think "what is it with some people". Anyway, wasted him, then hit some traffic and he catches up and tailgates me. I turn off onto another road and he decides to follow, so I waste him again. Starts flashing his lights then I think, hang on, what if I come across a speed camera while this prat is hassling me. So I slow down and luckily he turns off down a side road. I start thinking is it a mistake buying a Boxter if this is the type of crap you have to put up with. Get home and Mrs Rich_y comes for a look. To my suprise, she is really excited about it and loves the car. What a bonus and I start to cheer up. We go for a spin to the shops to buy some....erm... milk (easiest excuse to hand). Roof down, off the shops, various neighbors reactions (pretending not to look, some mouth wide open) but the funniest was from a paticular neightbor that thinks he's so cool as he and his Mrs have matching 307CC's. As we drive off, he's gawping so much he walks into the wing mirror of his car. Mental note, must move out of middle class suburbia to somewhere more discrete. After coming home with some milk, I then find any excuse to go out for a drive. Mrs Rich_y didn't mind as she knew I wanted to test the car on roads I know. I think it goes without saying that to me, the car is superb in handling terms. Plenty enough power for me, but I suppose a Boxster S will be on the cards in a couple of years once I get used to the power. The ride was a little harsh but not uncomfortably so, and is more a reflection on the last few cars I've had. If it's slightly softer on 18" wheels, I'll be happy. Had a couple of prats trying to have a go, then I realise a suprising trend. All the idiots trying to have a go were in their 30-40s driving rep mobiles. Saw quite a few lads in Corsa's and Saxo's and all gave a thumbs up. I can only deduce early mid life crisis for the repmobile boys. So next comes golf on Sunday morning. Oh dear oh dear. I could get my bag and clubs in the rear boot, but couldn't get my powered trolley in the front boot. Bugger. So, the final solution was to have the clubs riding shotgun on the front passenger seat and the trolley in the rear boot. Not the most elegant solution, but got them in. Off to the golf club and I get swarmed by my playing partners (is that your new car....no...mine is late, blah, blah, they've just lent it to me for the wekend). Thumbs up all round there too. So all in all, the question I had was what is life like day to day with the Boxster. Well, the driving experience is wihout question, but the admiration (or jealousy if your a middle aged rep boy), practicality and sheer enjoyment make the whole owning experience worth while. Roll on delivery date. I can't wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UBM Posted June 6, 2005 Report Share Posted June 6, 2005 Nice review - especially the practicality tests! I know what you mean about repmobiles - they're always the same - usually in Ford mundane TDCI's or the like... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorburn Posted June 6, 2005 Report Share Posted June 6, 2005 V. nice review, bet you can't wait now! UBM, them or 'Irshwhatever' Vauxhall Vectra's with weird exhausts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Dan Posted June 6, 2005 Report Share Posted June 6, 2005 I never get any hassle in the cab at all. The TT, howevee, is a different ball game all together. I find MPV drivers happily doing 55-60 in Lane 2 on the motorway (lane 1 being empty for a mile or so ...) are the worst offenders. I pass in Lane 3 and then 2 miles or so later, MPV bloke comes past at 90-95. And then slows down again to his previous cruising speed ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richy_uk Posted June 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2005 [ QUOTE ] V. nice review, bet you can't wait now! [/ QUOTE ] I had mixed feelings about getting a demo car for the weekend. Would it make me even more impatient (heart) or would it really confirm it is a good purchase (head). Well, it was both and now that I know the practical things are OK, that the ride would not kill my back and that the manual with clutch was OK (only ever test drove tiptronics up to that point), it's making the waiting even worse. In fact it's worse than the first A4 cab I was waiting for and that was pretty bad. I had to drop the car back to the OPC this morning and I really didn't want to let it go. Haven't felt like that over a car for some time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmmlmmam Posted June 6, 2005 Report Share Posted June 6, 2005 Glad to hear the first real life taster went well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari Posted June 7, 2005 Report Share Posted June 7, 2005 Sounds all good Richy! Are you going to have your Boxster in time for the Cab Meet? [ QUOTE ] The car I had for the weekend was a 987 2.7, Basalt, full leather grey interior, PCM, 19" Carerra S wheels and that was about it ! [/ QUOTE ] This is interesting, it sounds like my theory about getting a completely basic Boxster and it being OK would actually work then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian_m Posted June 7, 2005 Report Share Posted June 7, 2005 Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmmlmmam Posted June 7, 2005 Report Share Posted June 7, 2005 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] The car I had for the weekend was a 987 2.7, Basalt, full leather grey interior, PCM, 19" Carerra S wheels and that was about it ! [/ QUOTE ] This is interesting, it sounds like my theory about getting a completely basic Boxster and it being OK would actually work then? [/ QUOTE ] That list of options bumps up the price significantly. I think virtually everyone is going to want/need to add a few options to a basic Boxster and unfortunately due to the options being even more expensive than Audi you are almost sure to add at least a couple of k to the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmmlmmam Posted June 7, 2005 Report Share Posted June 7, 2005 [ QUOTE ] Mrs Rich_y didn't mind as she knew I wanted to test the car on roads I know. [/ QUOTE ] Did Mrs Richy have a drive? What did she make of it? I was very concerned that Mrs CM may not be prepared to drive it & due to the ridiculous test drive routine I didn't see how I could get her a drive in one without buying. (I wouldn't even ask her to go out for a demo with the stealer sat by her side). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richy_uk Posted June 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2005 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] Mrs Rich_y didn't mind as she knew I wanted to test the car on roads I know. [/ QUOTE ] Did Mrs Richy have a drive? What did she make of it? I was very concerned that Mrs CM may not be prepared to drive it & due to the ridiculous test drive routine I didn't see how I could get her a drive in one without buying. (I wouldn't even ask her to go out for a demo with the stealer sat by her side). [/ QUOTE ] She didn't get to drive it but came out for a spin a couple of times and really liked it. Normally she's quite particular and picky and can find something to complain about, but with the Boxster, only thing she mentioned was firm ride but understandable considering what it is. She also admitted this is an unfair comparison as her trusted transport is a C class mobile sofa with a slush box auto. But really, she is looking forward to me getting it as she's promised to go out with one of her mates pretending to be a couple of rich bird's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richy_uk Posted June 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2005 [ QUOTE ] Sounds all good Richy! Are you going to have your Boxster in time for the Cab Meet? [ QUOTE ] The car I had for the weekend was a 987 2.7, Basalt, full leather grey interior, PCM, 19" Carerra S wheels and that was about it ! [/ QUOTE ] This is interesting, it sounds like my theory about getting a completely basic Boxster and it being OK would actually work then? [/ QUOTE ] The way things are going, on pain of OPC death, I'm pretty certain the Boxster will be here in time for the meet, but I doubt the 1,200 mile running in below 4,000 rpm will have passed. So only 90mph down the M5 (don't tell your mates AudiSmitten). As for a basic Boxster, I really don't see the issue in doing this. Options lose stacks of value and are trinkets to help resell the car later. I started thinking again about this and thought about my own options selected. Partial leather vs leather / alcantara Full climate vs auto air con Auto dim mirrors 18" vs 17 " wheels Coloured centre caps (hmmm...£107) 320w Bose with 11 speakers vs std 4 speaker system Wind deflector Heated seats Silver metallic paint vs red (my personal choice but Porsche seem to be pushing quite a few demo's in this colour now and they look great) I honestly could do without the lot and still recover a decent amount come trade in. But there's a fly in the ointment. Boxtser prices are going up in September !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian_C Posted June 11, 2005 Report Share Posted June 11, 2005 Very wise. I'd take the 18s, wind delflector and met paint and just leave the rest. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a4tdi130 Posted June 11, 2005 Report Share Posted June 11, 2005 You need heated seats with a convertible, but things like full climate vs auto air con are probably not worth it, likewise the bose stereo if the audi one is anything to go by (get an aftermarket one, half the price twice as good . To be honest though, if you're spending that sort of money on a new car, what's a few extra grand on options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richy_uk Posted June 13, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2005 The standard Boxster audio is pants - just 4 tinny speakers sqeaking a bit of sound out. To make matters worse, they use something called MOST which I believe is a fibre optic connection making upgrades difficult. You'd probably have to strip the whole system out and start from scratch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHA Posted June 16, 2005 Report Share Posted June 16, 2005 BOSE was good in my old Boxster S. I think that as its a small cabin the sound doesnt get lost as much as it does in a larger car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richy_uk Posted June 16, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2005 [ QUOTE ] BOSE was good in my old Boxster S. I think that as its a small cabin the sound doesnt get lost as much as it does in a larger car. [/ QUOTE ] That's why I ordered it. I listened to the standard one and it was terrible. Next was the next Porsche Sound Package Plus and I wasn't impressed by that either. It distorted badly when cranked up. So finally came BOSE and it was no contest. 11 Speakers including an active subwoofer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari Posted June 16, 2005 Report Share Posted June 16, 2005 [ QUOTE ] So finally came BOSE and it was no contest. 11 Speakers including an active subwoofer. [/ QUOTE ] want want want want want want want Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richy_uk Posted June 16, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2005 As mentioned, because it's such a small space, when it's cranked up,it's verging on making your ear drums bleed. The next week is going to be hell waiting to pick it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari Posted June 16, 2005 Report Share Posted June 16, 2005 I have Bose in the Cabrio which I'm very impressed with, but when I was last at the motorshow I was on the Bose stand, and they had a Bose equipped 911 for sound demos. I couldn't believe just how much better than mine it sounded! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richy_uk Posted June 17, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2005 Ari, must admit, I grabbed a CD to listen to the various systems and after finishing with the BOSE in the Boxster, jumped back into my old A4 cab which also had BOSE, used the same CD and it was a little lacking especially lower down the frequency range. Thing is, you don't really get the full benefit in a Boxster as the engine makes so much noise. But what a great noise it is !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari Posted June 18, 2005 Report Share Posted June 18, 2005 [ QUOTE ] Thing is, you don't really get the full benefit in a Boxster as the engine makes so much noise. But what a great noise it is !! [/ QUOTE ] Best of both worlds...!! You'll have to give me a listen at the meet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabster Posted July 13, 2005 Report Share Posted July 13, 2005 THe weather we have had this week its so Boxster weather, best thing I have ever bought the old 986. Luverly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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