Still a 911 Guy… But Curious
I try not to be a 911 snob, but like most long-time Porsche owners, the rear engine, air-cooled 911 is – and always has been – “Top of the Pops” for me. Other makes and models invariably come up short. Certainly, the car has its faults: confusing ergonomic controls on the early models, a tendency to swap ends at the worst possible moment, oil leaks, bump steer, and a few other minor and not-so-minor issues. However, when compared to the rest of the motoring world, the 911 stands supreme in my mind: rock solid, engineered to last, a storied race history, and one of the finest mills of all time. The best of the best.
Or is it?
Recently, with the value of all air-cooled models skyrocketing (my 993’s being no exception), I resolved to acquire something I’d be more comfortable using as a nice-day driver. My wish list included solid performance, a unique color (preferably a shade of green), and a reasonable price tag. Oh, and a convertible top. I figured a 986 Boxster S, if well maintained, might fit the bill. Why a “water boiling” Boxster? Simply put, for two decades it’s been impossible to ignore all the gushing press lavished on the car. From Road and Track to the pages of Excellence and Panorama, the praises of the mid-engine drop-top Boxster have been nothing if not consistent in their plaudits for the design and its on-the-road manners.
Finding the One
I found a promising candidate on BaT in August: a 2002 “S” in Rainforest Green metallic located near Denver. The car was presented as well-maintained. It had 40K miles on the clock, service records, and even came with the original window sticker. As a bonus, the owner replaced the IMS bearing (as a precautionary measure) and clutch. My bid of $26K secured the car. A bargain? Ship to Seattle?
Maybe…
After a bit of back and forth, my girlfriend Ann and I decided to fly to Denver on Labor Day weekend and drive the car home. Just a short hop of 1400 miles in a sports car I’d not PPI’d, on a weekend when just about everything was closed, and through two states—Wyoming and Montana—where Porsche mechanics are as rare as rocking-horse poop. No big deal, right? After all, if we get stuck in Sheridan, Wyoming, we can always take the Greyhound…
First Impressions and Open Roads
Alaska Air got us to Denver by 2:30 Friday afternoon, and the seller graciously met us at the airport. An hour later, after a quick review of the service receipts, some pleasantries, and a look at the car (love that metallic green!), all was set. A turn of the key and the Boxster’s 3.2 eagerly jumped to life. Nice. We’re off. The six-speed box had a familiar feel that was similar to my 993’s. The clutch was smooth and progressive. The 3.2, while giving up a bit of low-end grunt to the 993’s bigger displacement motor, still felt strong, eager to rev, and wholly appropriate for the weight and size of the car.
The seller advised that HWY 25, which heads directly north through Wyoming to I-90 West in Montana, would be jammed with holiday weekend flow. Traffic was actually relatively light (Who wants to go to Casper on holiday when you have Aspen and Vail?), and while not as empty as a Bed Bath and Beyond parking lot, it was nothing compared to a holiday weekend on I-90 east of Seattle.
Our first stop was for gas just across the state line in Wyoming. At $4/gallon I note it’s a dollar cheaper than in Washington. While I pumped, a local wandered over and said how much he admired the “Pooorsh” and its color. After filling up with 91 Octane and grabbing some “genuine” Buffalo Jerky, we left. Wyoming’s HWY 25 was posted at 80 mph, but most of the traffic was doing the thick end of 90.
This is going to be a fun drive…
We stayed at a local travel hotel in Casper that night and hit the road early the next morning. The plan was to follow Hwy 25 to Billings and stop there for lunch. About 5 miles north of town, a white Ford F150 with a well-known oil services company logo on the side (Can you say VP Cheney!) roared by at 105 mph. We followed it for over 125 miles, rarely dipping under triple digits. At one point we passed a Wyoming Highway Patrol at close to 100 mph and he didn’t budge. Appreciate that, dear officer! Are we on America’s Autobahn? Sure feels like it…
Speed, Scenery, and a Porsche That Shines
Most of the north of Wyoming was fast driving, open roads, sweeping curves, and sports car heaven. Big pickups and leather-clad Harley riders were our on-the-road companions. Slow-moving white Teslas, minivans, and BMW i3s were as rare as AOC stickers at a biker bar.
We fueled up again in Sheridan and arrived at Billings around noon, having traveled roughly 280 miles in 3 hours. Brother, that’s fast! Lunch was a buffalo burger (what else!) and then it was back on the road. I-90 Montana is posted at 80 mph and, as with Wyoming, average speeds were well into the high 90s. The plan was to stop in Missoula for the night. However, the Boxster was such a pleasure to drive that after a quick dinner (Biga Pizza – highly recommended), we drove on.
Arriving Coeur d’Alene, Idaho about 10 p.m., we’d covered roughly 800 miles in one day and a bit over 9 hours of drive time on some of America’s best open highways. However, as nice as the roads were, it was the Boxster that truly shined. It never missed a beat, eagerly cruised along at or near triple digits for hours, and had impeccable road manners.
Slowing Down into Seattle
We spent the night in Coeur d’Alene and drove the final 300-odd miles from just east of Spokane to Seattle on the relatively crowded and slow 70 mph (posted) WA section of I-90.
Conclusion: A Boxster Believer (Almost)
In conclusion, I’m still a 911 guy at heart. However, the 20-year-old Boxster S is the ultimate drop-top sports car value: smooth, fast, attractive, dynamically balanced, and well-built. It’s a superb driving machine even by today’s exacting standards.
I went from my ‘99 996 for 23 years to a nicely speced ‘13 Boxster S a year ago and while I miss my manual 911 I really do love driving the Boxster particularly in our beautiful Northwestern spring weather.
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They’re great cars and a big value.
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Doesn’t that engine spec 93 octane?
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I use 92 octane. works fine.
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That’s not what I was asking.
FWIW, most (if not all) modern engines use a knock sensor and will retard timing if detonation is detected. Although that protects the engine from damage, it also affects performance (whether or not you notice it).
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About this article…
I think that significantly more information comparing the Boxster and 911 (driving dynamics, driver and passenger comfort, NVH, ride, storage, etc.) would have been helpful. Instead, there is a lot about driving at speed, which isn’t really informative, as many cars can do that.
And, an aside:
We all know about the IMS issues with some Boxster model years. It’s been noted that engines in cars used hard (e.g., for racing, etc.) seem to have lower failure-rates than gently used cars. It’s been speculated that the reason is that raced-cars are usually operated at higher RPMs (i.e., don’t lug, keep RPMs over 3K, etc.). I wonder, however, if the difference is ‘coasting in gear’, which is quite common in road cars (going down hills, etc.), but rare in racing. Has that been considered/examined in any kind of detail?
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The article wasn’t intended to be a comparison to the 911 (I’ve owned over a dozen 911’s and have 2 993’s now). Rather it was written as a piece that highlights the Boxsters overall build quality, affordability and drivability. In short it was quite a pleasure to drive through the wide open west.
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Thanks, Greg, for your reply. That said, I’d really appreciate a head-to-head comparison of the 911 and 986. IMHO, the Boxster is Porsche’s ‘dirty little secret’ — that is, for 99% of drivers under 99% sets of circumstances, it’s more fun, easier, faster, safer, etc.
And, as I noted in my previous comment, I’d also really appreciate a deep-dive on the Boxster’s IMS issues. In particular, how to monitor it, when to replace it, which is more problematic low-RPMs or ‘coasting in gear’, which model years are affected, which repair kit/s is/are best, etc. There’s so much contradictory information out there, I think a ‘definitive’ analysis would be a great service to the community.
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I thought the article was great!
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MESSAGE TO STUTTCARS:
The thumbs-up and thumbs-down buttons on the comments seem to be non-functional.
And, I’m trying to send you a message via your ‘contact us’ page, but the ‘submit’ button on that page is also broken.
I’m using Chrome Version 135.0.7049.96 (Official Build) (64-bit)
Thanks,
Phil
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Phil, getting into the IMS is above my paygrade. I’m aware of the problem and bought the example in the article because it had the IMS replaced when the previous owner did a clutch job. That gave me a good sense of security knowing i was going to drive it 1400 miles from Denver to Seattle. Yea, they’re great cars and my guess is they’d give a 964 (Same HP) a good run for the money on a track. And at 1/4 the price!
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