Porsche Boxster (1996 - 2004) 2.7 (228bhp) 2d Tiptronic Owner Review

My first foray into the world of Porsche Ownership. I have always liked and wanted the Boxster, love the look and wanted a fun roadster (rather than a full on sports car like the 911) which was capable and quick but that was not going to cost a fortune to own and run. That's why i went for the 2.7l Boxster rather than the 3.2S or the later 987 model, insurance is very reasonable, and Road tax is £225pa. The car is just great, the sound of the flat 6 is amazing, it's surprisingly quick, comfortable and both my wife and i love driving it. It makes us smile. My car has the tiptronic gear box, which i personally love, it's cleaver. it learns from my current driving, so pootling round town it changes up quickly, and doesn't change down till absolutely needed. but more spirited driving out of town it holds the gears longer and lets the engine rev, and down changes quicker to give manual like down changes - plus of course it does have a manual mode for rapid overtakes/driving when wanted - however many aficionados prefer the manual box. on the down side the gear box is a little high geared, so 70 is a shade under 3k rpm in 5th... it could do with a 6th - but that's a manual or later car. MPG struggles to get to 30mpg, but it is so easy to be heavy on the throttle... the car loves it! But then you dont buy these for good MPG. So far I have had a couple of issues - mostly what you would expect from a 18 year old car, the exhaust needed replacing, an O2 sensor as well, and I've had the (dreaded) IMS and RMS bearings replaced because they were weeping. Parts and working on a Porsche can be expensive because of the fact it's a mid-engined car with very little access to the engine and components - and its Porsche. but there are many specialists out there that work at more reasonable cost than Porsche Dealers. Equally a major service is around £300, so not excessive. The key things would be - don't think this will be a cheap car to run - Many 986's and 20ish years old... exhausts, brake lines, disks, suspension, water pumps, plastics, paintwork and so on will be wearing out and need replacing over time. It seems like an intimidating list. Join a Facebook group (986 owners in my case) and you will see there are people who will inspect your potential purchase and give you a frank and honest view of the car before you buy, especially if you are not mechanically experienced. There is a great cameradery around owning a Porsche, clubs and meetings, and so on. I love my little Porsche, and it makes me smile every single time I drive it!