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Post by alf on Apr 7, 2021 11:28:59 GMT
The Boxster has landed - pics below (very hurried phone pics with it encased in frozen water droplets, lovely weather out there for a convertible!). Its been a few days before it was ready as I pounced on it as soon as Brookspeed collected it, they had not run it through their checks and it needed a new coolant pipe, air con pipe, and air con compressor (which won't have been cheap) which vindicates buying from a specialist as that was all in the pre agreed price. It's not ALF-prepped (the door surrounds not feeling sufficiently waxed for example) but cosmetically looks great and is incredibly clean inside, looking barely used - especially the seats which are weak in 986's - and the hood looks almost new as well (some water marks in the shot below). It's Silver with dark grey leather interior, a grey hood, and the basic 18" Boxster S wheels - a nice combo in my eyes, silver seems to keep the 987 looking young. The tyres (Potenza rears and Pilot Sport - not mk2 - fronts) have loads on tread on them, the brakes look like they are absolutely new, the receipts all back up the impression it has had money spend on it - mostly Porsche Specialists doing the work but the most recent owner spent a fair bit on things like retro fitting the actual Porsche parking sensors and cruise control, and I thought it had Xenons for a moment from the colour but he fitted some fancy (expensive!) bulbs from a specialist too. Every time there was an advisory (one of the horns not working for example) there was a receipt for the same work done soon after, the oil and brake fluid changes were all done on time with top end stuff, all looks good. It has allegedly always been parked inside and has the Porsche cover (the indoor one I think, I have only briefly opened the bag its in, but its cloth). Its outdoors now but it will get more regular use. Inside it's quite old school compared even to the 1st gen 1 series cab we had, with manual intervention needed to release and secure the hood, and a simple yet easily worked air con and radio - which sounds decent with Bose. The front boot is surprisingly large and would fit some big soft bags for a decent trip away. But that is not what a Porsche is for - to drive, it's a wonderfully analogue thing, with such a mechanical feel to it that the hairdresser image is very wide of the mark - I've driven TT's and so on that just feel like a modern hatch (i.e. over assisted and remote) with the roof lopped off, here the brakes need a serious push (which immediately means I can heel/toe again for the first time in ages, borderline impossible with over-assisted brakes). The gearchange is solid and yet rapid, feeling so similar to the Caterham's that I'm straight into muscle memory in a way I never have been in any other manual car. The steering yells feedback constantly and while my brain is still driving a bigger car, it has a lot more potential to enjoy on our roads when I can work out how big it really is. I took a winding route home along an old commute in places, with the hood down much of the time (when it was not a blizzard out there), and while it takes me some time to get used to cars and get into the real handling dynamics, it feels incredibly secure and stable, and very grippy despite the tyres not being cutting edge. It pulls really well from very low revs, you can sort of drive away in any gear from walking pace in a way reminiscent - yet more so - of the 156GTA, my last manual big-engined car. The gearing is very low - all I read about with modern Porsches is how overly tall the gearing is for emissions reasons - that's a real shame as this one is again very Caterham-like. And the noise..... I have had very little Porsche exposure and I can't quite believe how lively it sounds when revved out, it's quite gravelly and burbles noisily and a bit lumpily at idle, is loudish but not OTT in normal driving, then when you rev it the character changes totally and it just screams - smooth, metallic, quite race-car in its intensity - and bloody loud! On that note I think I need a coffee.... In Wantage....     |
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Post by Tim on Apr 7, 2021 11:37:09 GMT
That looks very smart.
I think the wheels suit it perfectly.
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Post by Eff One on Apr 7, 2021 12:18:24 GMT
Very nice indeed.
Am very envious.
Am looking at Caymans now...
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Post by franki68 on Apr 7, 2021 12:31:54 GMT
good colour choice,perfect fun car ,and too right about the gear ratios ,although I think they do it on purpose on the newer cars to not corrupt their boxster being slower than 911 formula.
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Post by Roadrunner on Apr 7, 2021 12:53:06 GMT
Excellent and perfect for its intended purpose.
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Post by racingteatray on Apr 7, 2021 13:09:45 GMT
Looks very nice!
Does it not have Xenons? I always thought the presence of those little headlight washers on Boxsters indicated they had the Litronic lights fitted?
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Post by Big Blue on Apr 7, 2021 13:18:45 GMT
Look, I can tell you’ve been sold a pup there. I’m willing to take it off your hands for a few hundred quid to ease the pain.
Very nice.
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Post by Martin on Apr 7, 2021 14:16:33 GMT
Looks very nice! Does it not have Xenons? I always thought the presence of those little headlight washers on Boxsters indicated they had the Litronic lights fitted? That’s what I thought as well and I don’t think you could order headlight washers as an option on their own. We had the facelift car, which had xenon dipped beam and a supplementary halogen main beam bulb, which meant it was pretty bright on main beam. It does look very nice and how you describe the way it feels to drive and the engine sound building to a scream sounds very familiar. I really miss our Boxster and should have kept it, but having moved from a PCP to buying the 750 outright I’d have had to dip into savings.
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Post by alf on Apr 7, 2021 16:32:36 GMT
Looks very nice! Does it not have Xenons? I always thought the presence of those little headlight washers on Boxsters indicated they had the Litronic lights fitted? Interesting - the reflection of the headlights looked very Xenon on the drive back, but the main beam units have old fashioned bulbs in them - the dip beam I can't see clearly through the glass so they could be. Xenons I was not bothered about (on this car, on a daily driver they'd be essential) but maybe it has them anyway. I did try various of the "check your spec from the VIN" links but all of the ones I could find - even from obscure US forums - were now click-bait for paid services around history checks and told me nothing. I did buy on Ebay a 2006 MY Boxster UK price list booklet, but even that was not hugely helpful - it lists electric seats for example, but says nothing about memory seats when surely that would be extra cost? Unless all the electric ones had memory but didn't mention it? Obviously it has memory seats, and they work, I'm just intrigued about the price originally. Another one is the exhaust... Mine was listed as having "sports exhaust" by Brookspeed which is on very few of the cars I have seen listed on there with it. It sounded pretty loud from outside and inside on the test drive so I didn't question it - it sounds great - but it has no switch on the dash, only the PASM one. The manual (which shows all the optional switches) has no PSE one either and when I google it its impossible to get a definitive answer but it looks like switcheable PSE came out after the 987.1 cars - so its either standard or has a non-switcheable sports exhaust like the 986 cars had as an option. Another oddity on price list is that PASM is listed at £1030, but further down there is "Sports Package (six speed manual transmission & PASM)" for £1426. Does that mean you had to pay the second price for PASM and a manual? There is no cost option for manual gearbox otherwise. Does that mean there is a 5 speed manual and mine has an optional 6 speed? Weird. Wikipedia mentions a "new" 6 speed on the 2008 .2 cars but nothing about 5 or 6 speed on earlier ones, I assumed all "S" had a 6 speed but what is this price list item for if so?? None of it hugely matters - I'd have bought the low-spec one they are struggling to sell if this one did not come up, I wanted a mechanically tidy and cared for manual S without too many miles in a colour I liked, and I wanted to get one and get driving it rather than spend ages fretting about it - but it shows how tricky this can be before you achieve spotter status on that brand... And also how you could drive yourself mad if you "needed" a particular spec! |
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Post by alf on Apr 7, 2021 16:46:17 GMT
Ignore the gearbox bit - solved that, the non-S had 5 speed but if you wanted PASM and manual you needed to pay more for the 6 speed, which was standard on the S.
Obviously!
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Post by Martin on Apr 7, 2021 17:30:17 GMT
As I said in my earlier reply, the xenons have halogen main beam. Which seems a bit odd at first, but imo it’s better than a bi-xenon headlight as that blanks off part of the beam to achieve dipped then opens up for main beam. This solution gives you all the xenon bulb on dipped then adds a bright halogen for main beam. You should easily be able to tell by looking at the bulb.
As for the exhaust, it’s not easy to identify if it doesn’t have an exhaust button on the older cars, as you might have been able to order sports exhaust trims as well as the full sport exhaust so they would look the same. What do the pipes look like? The standard exhaust with std tips is easy to identify.
Finding the right spec is almost impossible so you have to decide what you’ll compromise on. We lucked in with ours and I think you did as well.
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Post by Martin on Apr 7, 2021 17:57:22 GMT
I’m fairly sure you said it had 17” wheels, but they look like 18” to me?
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Post by LandieMark on Apr 7, 2021 18:11:36 GMT
As I said in my earlier reply, the xenons have halogen main beam. Which seems a bit odd at first, but imo it’s better than a bi-xenon headlight as that blanks off part of the beam to achieve dipped then opens up for main beam. This solution gives you all the xenon bulb on dipped then adds a bright halogen for main beam. That makes sense and explains my marginal disappointment in the main beam on the truck (dipped is superb but there isn't a lot of difference between dipped and main). The Legacy had Bi-Xenons with a supplemental main beam halogen and was a lot better. Car looks ace. Is the roof grey or black? If the latter I would be looking at a Renovo kit to bring it back. |
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Post by garry on Apr 7, 2021 18:13:48 GMT
Lovely. The description of your drive home is giving me withdrawal symptoms.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2021 18:25:59 GMT
And the noise..... I have had very little Porsche exposure and I can't quite believe how lively it sounds when revved out, it's quite gravelly and burbles noisily and a bit lumpily at idle, is loudish but not OTT in normal driving, then when you rev it the character changes totally and it just screams - smooth, metallic, quite race-car in its intensity - and bloody loud! On that note I think I need a coffee.... In Wantage.... Always a good start to a new or new to you car. Bloody marvelous. |
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Post by Eff One on Apr 7, 2021 21:43:22 GMT
I’m fairly sure you said it had 17” wheels, but they look like 18” to me? They are, 18s were standard on the 987 S. Are those Cayman S wheels? |
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Post by Stuntman on Apr 7, 2021 21:59:59 GMT
They are indeed 987.1 Cayman S wheels. In fact exactly the same type as fitted to my own silver Cayman, right down to the optional coloured wheel centre crests! The headlight washers suggest that you do indeed have Xenons. They should do the self-levelling thing when you turn them on when the car is stationary. In other news - you are very lucky having the B4494 on your doorstep, the Newbury to Wantage road. I actually drove it last Sunday for the first time in several years when I was returning to Cheltenham in the M3 after visiting my Mum and her partner down in Lymington. It just made me want to drive it again, but this time in the GTS. Definitely up for a mini-meet and a coffee sometime  |
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Post by alf on Apr 8, 2021 9:49:28 GMT
Yes when they said it had standard wheels I assumed 17's but the S indeed comes with 18's, 235 front 265 rear which seems about right without being OTT. The lights I'll check out later (work crazy presently) but the dip beam covers are difficult to see through, Xenon dip beam would be fine as old type bulbs work comparatively better for main beam anyway. My last XFR had Bi Xenons and also traditional bulb assist for main beam and was shockingly bright... I like the crests on the wheels, its just a shame the seats are not embossed as well as I like that!
I live really near where the B4494 meets Donnington, near Newbury, and while the north end of it is a great road it has some narrow twisty bits on the southern end where people drive like twonks sometimes - I cycle it (and even tried running along a short bit of it once) and it can be terrifying. There are regular convoys of sports cars blatting along, I saw some when cycling at the weekend, I do fear it must be known to the speed camera crew. Great fun at the Wantage end though. Some of the other B roads that go north/south to the west of it are better - and the Boxster is perfect for enjoying them in a way the XFR was not ideal for, I'll be there soon enough...
PS the hood is grey, the interior dark grey - I like it!
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Post by PetrolEd on Apr 8, 2021 10:24:18 GMT
So you'll have the A4 at your disposal as well. Every time I head west I use the A4 not the M4, its a magic bit of road if your on it early enough. Last time I had a track day at Castle Coombe I used the A4 and it was almost as much fun as the track itself.
Good shout on the B4494, I'll have to use that on my next trip to Prescott.
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Post by PG on Apr 8, 2021 13:02:47 GMT
I suspect the quickest check to see if it has Xenons is does it have a headlight height adjustment knob on the dash or not? Xenons would have to be self adjusting, so no adjustment knob.
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Post by LandieMark on Apr 8, 2021 13:10:20 GMT
I suspect the quickest check to see if it has Xenons is does it have a headlight height adjustment knob on the dash or not? Xenons would have to be self adjusting, so no adjustment knob. They don't have to self adjust, they just need to be adjustable. |
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Post by Martin on Apr 8, 2021 13:22:31 GMT
As Dan said, if they do a dance when you switch them on that will confirm it, as will checking if the beam moves side-side when you turn the steering wheel. It looks like xenon/halogen light units are the same unit? (based on a quick look). This is a standard light  This is with xenons  |
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Post by johnc on Apr 8, 2021 13:58:42 GMT
Lovely car James. Like many others there is a tinge of jealousy. Enjoy.
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Post by alf on Apr 8, 2021 15:06:06 GMT
I still haven't worked out if it has Xenons. The colour would suggest so but there is the receipt for the white-light bulbs and yet the main beams look very normal when on. The lens is impossible to see through.
However I have - purely for the benefit of forum members knowledge obviously - taken it for a lunchtime loop of A and B roads west of here on the lanes I cycle on, up the A338 to Wantage, then back on the B4494. It's only really the northern bit near Wantage that is really good, the rest is pleasant but not ideal for blatting along - indeed the whole thing in a car this capable is in the "enjoyable but not really trying" bracket. The A338 from the M4 to Wantage is also good fun, I think possibly better...A bit south of here the roads between Kingsclere and Overton, or Kingsclere and Whitchurch, are much better.
It was a decent loop anyway and warm and dry, so I had a chance to use the loud pedal some more, though a lot of other people were also staying local so there was a lot of slow progress too, where I had a chance to asses it all and felt the ride better than I had previously suggested - and when you press on on lumpy B roads it is quite magic and never gets lumpy or lets the car be diverted from its course. Impressive and far more natural feeling than a bigger car on these roads.
It revs out really nicely at the top end with an acceleration rush that matches the change of sound, the big NA engine/small car formula makes it feel very effortless at low speed, in the middle it is notably slower than the XFR on dry roads - that still gives me a feeling I'm just hanging onto it when I floor it. Of course an auto often kicks down a couple of gears which makes it hard to compare. Very glad I bought the S as I think for me, 6 years into driving the Jaguar 5.0SC, the 2.7 would feel thin.
The grip is astonishing - a couple of times I tensed up a little as the corner was tighter than expected - no problem, its a hackneyed phrase but "cornering as if on rails" is right. I think I've probably ensured the brake discs are in no danger of corroding as well... The biggest surprise is still the gearchange to me, no fan of manual daily drivers - its just a ridiculously light and fast flick of the wrist, or even just the fingertips - I'm changing gear really fast and yet really smoothly, and also doing heel/toe, just telepathically. I can't quite describe it but I either had a Porsche in a previous life or its tapped into the muscle memory of what was a lot of fast miles (up to 6k track miles a year for 3 years) in the Caterham, in which my leg position and the stick location were very similar.
The Caterham - no Caterham I've driven - particularly wanted to turn in to corners laser fast like this though, they needed coaxing into corners which is why I developed a very "trail braking" style (which also makes typical road cars pay attention on corner entry). The Boxster just scythes in and I probably need to be careful not to trail brake much until I really understand what's going on with the engine behind me.
Lastly I love how old school it feels and sounds, it smells of trackdays to me, at low speed you get a bit of petrol and brake and clutch smell in the cabin which to me is like the best perfume.
Staying local is already a lot more fun than it was, mission accomplished!
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Post by Stuntman on Apr 8, 2021 19:01:20 GMT
The induction noise at high revs (5500 and above) iw what I remember being intoxicating from my silver Cayman. The new one is quieter but the power delivery is even more intoxicating (it's noticeably faster than my M3, which was noticeably faster than the silver Cayman, and it's also faster than the GT4) and the chassis retains the Cayman magic. Once I'm happy with the tyres and the alignment...
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Post by bryan on Apr 8, 2021 20:27:50 GMT
Looks like a cracking motor and having recently been down to Laverstoke to pick up the 928, you have some very nice roads around Newbury to Whitchurch to enjoy it on 👍
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Post by Martin on Apr 8, 2021 20:30:48 GMT
Looks like a cracking motor and having recently been down to Laverstoke to pick up the 928, you have some very nice roads around Newbury to Whitchurch to enjoy it on 👍 928? Is that another new addition? |
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Post by Roadsterstu on Apr 9, 2021 8:34:09 GMT
As I said in my earlier reply, the xenons have halogen main beam. Which seems a bit odd at first, but imo it’s better than a bi-xenon headlight as that blanks off part of the beam to achieve dipped then opens up for main beam. This solution gives you all the xenon bulb on dipped then adds a bright halogen for main beam. That makes sense and explains my marginal disappointment in the main beam on the truck (dipped is superb but there isn't a lot of difference between dipped and main). The legacy had Bi-Xenons with a supplemental main beam halogen and was a lot better. Car looks ace. Is the roof grey or black? If the latter I would be looking at a Renovo kit to bring it back. Time for a massive LED light bar! The V60 had bi xenon (so dipped and main) supplemented by halogen high beams, given awesome light output that the bi xenon only of the VRS, whilst still good, can't match. If the halogen high beams are a bit crap some upgraded, decent Osram bulbs will sort it. |
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Post by Roadsterstu on Apr 9, 2021 8:37:48 GMT
I still haven't worked out if it has Xenons. The colour would suggest so but there is the receipt for the white-light bulbs and yet the main beams look very normal when on. The lens is impossible to see through. However I have - purely for the benefit of forum members knowledge obviously - taken it for a lunchtime loop of A and B roads west of here on the lanes I cycle on, up the A338 to Wantage, then back on the B4494. It's only really the northern bit near Wantage that is really good, the rest is pleasant but not ideal for blatting along - indeed the whole thing in a car this capable is in the "enjoyable but not really trying" bracket. The A338 from the M4 to Wantage is also good fun, I think possibly better...A bit south of here the roads between Kingsclere and Overton, or Kingsclere and Whitchurch, are much better. It was a decent loop anyway and warm and dry, so I had a chance to use the loud pedal some more, though a lot of other people were also staying local so there was a lot of slow progress too, where I had a chance to asses it all and felt the ride better than I had previously suggested - and when you press on on lumpy B roads it is quite magic and never gets lumpy or lets the car be diverted from its course. Impressive and far more natural feeling than a bigger car on these roads. It revs out really nicely at the top end with an acceleration rush that matches the change of sound, the big NA engine/small car formula makes it feel very effortless at low speed, in the middle it is notably slower than the XFR on dry roads - that still gives me a feeling I'm just hanging onto it when I floor it. Of course an auto often kicks down a couple of gears which makes it hard to compare. Very glad I bought the S as I think for me, 6 years into driving the Jaguar 5.0SC, the 2.7 would feel thin. The grip is astonishing - a couple of times I tensed up a little as the corner was tighter than expected - no problem, its a hackneyed phrase but "cornering as if on rails" is right. I think I've probably ensured the brake discs are in no danger of corroding as well... The biggest surprise is still the gearchange to me, no fan of manual daily drivers - its just a ridiculously light and fast flick of the wrist, or even just the fingertips - I'm changing gear really fast and yet really smoothly, and also doing heel/toe, just telepathically. I can't quite describe it but I either had a Porsche in a previous life or its tapped into the muscle memory of what was a lot of fast miles (up to 6k track miles a year for 3 years) in the Caterham, in which my leg position and the stick location were very similar. The Caterham - no Caterham I've driven - particularly wanted to turn in to corners laser fast like this though, they needed coaxing into corners which is why I developed a very "trail braking" style (which also makes typical road cars pay attention on corner entry). The Boxster just scythes in and I probably need to be careful not to trail brake much until I really understand what's going on with the engine behind me. Lastly I love how old school it feels and sounds, it smells of trackdays to me, at low speed you get a bit of petrol and brake and clutch smell in the cabin which to me is like the best perfume. Staying local is already a lot more fun than it was, mission accomplished! Alf, if you look inside at the headlight unit there out to be yellow warning stickers for high voltage if it has xenons. The way the lights switch on should also be a giveaway, with an instant bright burst into life and the lights then doing a levelling self test (although my ZT260 still did that with manual levelling and halogen projectors). In addition, if you have a manual levelling dial on the dash it won't have xenons as they had to be self levelling. |
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Post by alf on Apr 9, 2021 8:45:26 GMT
When the weather is better (and I'm over this manflu!) I'll take it out in the dark some time and will find out pretty quickly then. Driving with the top down in the dark, on rural roads, is always good fun - I used to take the Caterham out like this in winter and it was a hoot, it had shift lights on it, and the carbon metallic brake pads I ran used to spark like a Catherine Wheel under heavy braking...
If I can find a place to put them, a bank of shift lights would not be a terrible idea on the Boxster - the engine revs very enthusiastically and I love being able to know the revs precisely only from peripheral vision...
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