EDITORIAL EMINENCE

Enjoying the Boxster - Am I nuts?
Posted by KB on Wednesday, 5 November 1997, at 12:08 a.m.

After only a couple of weeks experience driving my Boxster I may learn the hard way in the future to be more serious about all the many problems that we seem to worry about and talk about over and over here. But for now I am so happy to wake up everyday, hop in, put the lid down and drive off that I have never cared whether there is a puff of smoke, the speedometer is off, the company/dealer doesn't/didn't know what they are talking about, full or partial leather, automatic or stick, chipping paint, cup holder, Boxster logo breaking and on and on and on. The awesome look, sounds, performance and many fans who show their appreciation of a car most will never own has been plenty for me. Wish everyone well and fully understand I must be crazy/stupid to have this attitude, but I plan to try and enjoy the car, drive it and not leave it parked in the garage where it will remain always beautiful but unused. Thanks for reading - hope I didn't waste your time. P.S - have learned a heck of a lot from all of you and appreciate it.

Reply by Harry

No, KB I don't think that you're nuts or stupid. Maybe just a lower set of expectations. That's not a bad thing. However,loving something and being aware of its faults are not mutually exclusive. As I said the Boxster is the best of the Porsches that I've owned. It doesn't sit in the garage, my wife and I fight over the keys just about every day.

We've bought a car that sells itself as being in the highest level of performance cars and built to the most exacting engineering standards. When my cupholder broke I glued it together and went back to having fun. Paint chips come with the territory of driving any car and that's what touchup paint is for. But oil leaks, highly inaccurate instruments and misoperating tops are another class of problems. As the buyer of a $50,000 automobile and a Porsche at that, I think you have the right to expect that the company will deal with these kinds of problems.

Reply by Michael

I agree with Harry and Mark--the Boxster is a tremendous car and lots of fun to drive, but it is supposed to be a Porsche and I expected more in terms of quality. The flimsy cupholders, the flimsy clips on the visor mirror covers, the thin sheet metal on the deck lids that dents easily, the tops that won't stay in their proper channels, etc.--these are annoyances that should not be happening. The oil leaks, wiring problems, replaced engines, and other mechanical problems are worrisome, in the extreme. It appears that Porsche rushed the car to market and may have tried to save money by buying inferior parts. I really do like my Boxster, but wonder how well it will hold up and whether I will experience what others have written about here as I rack up more miles (only at 1700 since delivery on August 28).

I have owned two BMWs (still have one) and the quality of these cars was never an issue--absolutely top notch. Had a SAAB 900 for 11 years-- again, no problems with quality and durability. The only other car where quality was an issue was a 1976 VW Rabbit--bought it new and had oil seal problems, catalytic converter back pressure problems, broken brake cables, etc. Sure thought Porsche was head and shoulders above VW on quality, but now I wonder.

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