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8 Year Review of Porsche Boxster S - Original Owner
Hi guys –
I don’t normally hang out in this subforum but wanted to provide you with an 8 year long term review of my 981 Boxster S including heavily documented maintenance costs etc attached. I have 64k miles on the car and just completed the 8 year scheduled maintenance at a Porsche dealership. It’s one of three cars that I own now so not really a daily driver but I drive it all the time. I picked it up in Stuttgart and completed a European Delivery in 2013. The first four years, I serviced the car at an Indy. The last four has been at a Porsche dealership. Frequency of brake replacement, tires, cost of maintenance etc are all documented in the attached.
Clutch. Still feels as good and as tight as it did the day I drove off of the factory floor. I feel no slippage at all. I know how to drive a manual though. I also always use rev matching for the down shifts too.
Mods: Only mods I installed were a smart top so that I wouldn’t have to hold the button down and I can use the remote to put the top down. I also put in clear side markers. Nothing else because it doesn’t need IMHO.
Soft top. It’s fine. Normal wear but nothing I would consider significant. I usually leave the car parked in the garage with the top down. I have estimated I operated the top 4000 to 5000 times.
Problems:
Front end suspension spacer was left in after European Delivery. Dealer should have removed them after a PDI before they gave the car back over to me. Surprisingly, I didn’t notice it until a year later during an oil change. It damaged the seals on the shocks which had to be replaced under warranty.
Two windshields replaced. One “OEM” by dealership and the other safelite for half the price. I didn’t notice the difference frankly.
Parking brake intermittent electric failure. Just needed an adjustment for $179 at a Porsche dealership.
Very slight delamination of top of doors. I don’t notice it.
There are two strings on each side of the top operating mechanism that failed. These are designed to keep the top folded properly during opening. I think they only really mattered until the top became formed to the proper shape after a while. I cut them off a couple of years ago and no issue at all.
Finish. It’s garage kept. It looks great. A lot of rock chips on it but nothing that I can’t live with. No ppf installed. I use a car wash about 18 times/year. It’s a car, not a museum piece. I hand wax it once a year.
Leather. It is perfect to me. I have a few scratches (one time a deer actually jumped in my car while I was driving and kicked me in the head and the driver door trying to get out). I’m not kidding. I polish it twice a year with normal leather cleaner from Walmart. It’s held up very well. Dash, doors and thread still look great.
Carpet. It’s beige and a pain to keep clean especially behind the seats at the top. I clean the carpet once a year. It still has held up well.
Battery. I proactively replaced the battery at the 6 year point. No issue with the old one but I didn’t want to chance it. I used a non-OEM battery and did it myself for 20% of the cost at a dealership. No issue with electronics in the car at all.
Other things. I replaced the key fob battery at the six year point. Still running on the original TPMSs. Wow!
I still get looks and attention with this thing all the time. It’s constant. Maybe because it is red and everyone thinks it is a Ferrari or maybe its because I am so handsome. I am not sure which. It’s the best car I have ever owned. The most fun by a long shot. I also own a 2018 C4 which is good but not nearly as fun to drive as my Boxster. I have a 992 GT3 inbound in October and I strongly suspect, I will continue to choose the Boxster to drive on public roads over the other two 911s.
This car has provided me with so much joy and fantastic life experiences and I am grateful to have had the chance to own one. I am going to be buried in it. Not kiddin’
Last edited by subshooter; 07-16-2021 at 02:01 PM.
Great review!. I can echo the same. I had a base 2013 that I put 60k miles on as my daily with no troubles at all, not one. Original clutch, top in great shape. No deer jumped in and kicked me in the head (wow!) but I barely missed a pair that bolted in front of me on a spirited drive. Saw the whites of their eyes and logged an all-time high on the G meter. In March I bought a 2015 S with 10K miles on it. When I bought the '13 I test drove an S at and at the time felt the base had plenty of power. But having driven the S for the last few months I can honesty say I've changed my mind. PSE and Sport Chrono on both and with the 15 I get rev matching, too. I think we may have the same interior combo. Pics:
No, plain ol' white. Not a blemish anywhere. Interior is Black/Luxor Beige leather, which I think is less prone to warping (?). At the end of March when I bought it I paid top dollar, but based on the market since then, especially with the sport chrono thing, glad I grabbed it when I did. Love these cars!
Nice review, 2013 BS owner here and can't find a reason to sell. Although I am driving the 356 more these days, it's just because it looks awesome and it's so different and basic compared to the modern cars, also have put a lot of work, heart,soul and of course money into it. But...... the Boxster is amazing. hasn't needed much beyond tires, filters, plugs, oil changes and brake bleeds which I do. A sensor or 2 were replaced on the dealers dime. Still on the original pads and rotors cause brakes just slow you down, but the fronts are almost due at 36,000 miles. Mine is Agate / Black, 14 way seats, 6 speed manual with sport chrono, sport exhaust (which I almost always turn off) PASM, sport steering wheel, F and R parking sensors, seat heating and cooling, Nav (which I rarely use) Bi-Xenons, Bose which I think is good enough for an open car. Clear side markers, GTS rear diffuser, and intake screens which should have come from the factory. Most of all the car is so capable in so many situations.
Okay I just realized that I put all this down to convince myself that this car is a keeper.
Exactly... you could sell at a premium right now, but what are you going to buy?
I'm in the same place with my '14 CS. 45K miles and it's been bulletproof. Love driving it the same today as the day I bought it. As a car guy I've always been looking for the next great car I must have, but just can't see what would give me more driving satisfaction within a reasonable spend. Have thought somewhat seriously about the GTS 4.0, but that would be $100K as I'd want to spec it, so probably $60K or so out of my pocket if I swapped my '14. Would I get $60K worth of bang out of the 4.0? Doubtful. Guess I'm getting too practical in my old age
Nice review, 2013 BS owner here and can't find a reason to sell. Although I am driving the 356 more these days, it's just because it looks awesome and it's so different and basic compared to the modern cars, also have put a lot of work, heart,soul and of course money into it. But...... the Boxster is amazing. hasn't needed much beyond tires, filters, plugs, oil changes and brake bleeds which I do. A sensor or 2 were replaced on the dealers dime. Still on the original pads and rotors cause brakes just slow you down, but the fronts are almost due at 36,000 miles. Mine is Agate / Black, 14 way seats, 6 speed manual with sport chrono, sport exhaust (which I almost always turn off) PASM, sport steering wheel, F and R parking sensors, seat heating and cooling, Nav (which I rarely use) Bi-Xenons, Bose which I think is good enough for an open car. Clear side markers, GTS rear diffuser, and intake screens which should have come from the factory. Most of all the car is so capable in so many situations.
Okay I just realized that I put all this down to convince myself that this car is a keeper.
Same here. I have a 2013 981 BS and it has been flawless. The sticker was a tad under $70K and I paid a little over $65K. A month ago I had my car in for servicing and a salesman told me that he'd give me $46K for my car. My car was always serviced there and they had a buyer lined up. I had no intention of selling the car, but the price was so great that I told them I'd think it over. So I went to check out new cars and there were almost none within 75 miles of where I live, and the couple of available cars that interested me had significant ADMs. So it was an easy decision to keep my car. The newer cars I considered had a lot more HP, but it was going to cost me nearly $100K plus my car. No doubt the new car would give me more pleasure, but not $100K more pleasure.
Thanks for posting your ownership experience. I find your report very relevant while I am looking for a 981 to buy. It really helps to see a detailed look at your maintenance and corrective steps you have taken.
I love the red color. My 986 is guard’s red with the Savannah beige interior, and I love the combo. I actually do not see many red 981s for sale. Can you comment on the cost of maintenance? How close has the cost been to what you expected? It seems reasonable to me.
Was there a specific reason why you switched from using an Indy for your maintenance to using the dealer?
Thanks and thank you for sharing about your beautiful car!
Have thought somewhat seriously about the GTS 4.0, but that would be $100K as I'd want to spec it, so probably $60K or so out of my pocket if I swapped my '14. Would I get $60K worth of bang out of the 4.0? Doubtful. Guess I'm getting too practical in my old age
I don’t normally hang out in this subforum but wanted to provide you with an 8 year long term review of my 981 Boxster S including heavily documented maintenance costs etc attached. I have 64k miles on the car and just completed the 8 year scheduled maintenance at a Porsche dealership. It’s one of three cars that I own now so not really a daily driver but I drive it all the time. I picked it up in Stuttgart and completed a European Delivery in 2013. The first four years, I serviced the car at an Indy. The last four has been at a Porsche dealership. Frequency of brake replacement, tires, cost of maintenance etc are all documented in the attached.
Clutch. Still feels as good and as tight as it did the day I drove off of the factory floor. I feel no slippage at all. I know how to drive a manual though. I also always use rev matching for the down shifts too.
Mods: Only mods I installed were a smart top so that I wouldn’t have to hold the button down and I can use the remote to put the top down. I also put in clear side markers. Nothing else because it doesn’t need IMHO.
Soft top. It’s fine. Normal wear but nothing I would consider significant. I usually leave the car parked in the garage with the top down. I have estimated I operated the top 4000 to 5000 times.
Problems:
Front end suspension spacer was left in after European Delivery. Dealer should have removed them after a PDI before they gave the car back over to me. Surprisingly, I didn’t notice it until a year later during an oil change. It damaged the seals on the shocks which had to be replaced under warranty.
Two windshields replaced. One “OEM” by dealership and the other safelite for half the price. I didn’t notice the difference frankly.
Parking brake intermittent electric failure. Just needed an adjustment for $179 at a Porsche dealership.
Very slight delamination of top of doors. I don’t notice it.
There are two strings on each side of the top operating mechanism that failed. These are designed to keep the top folded properly during opening. I think they only really mattered until the top became formed to the proper shape after a while. I cut them off a couple of years ago and no issue at all.
Finish. It’s garage kept. It looks great. A lot of rock chips on it but nothing that I can’t live with. No ppf installed. I use a car wash about 18 times/year. It’s a car, not a museum piece. I hand wax it once a year.
Leather. It is perfect to me. I have a few scratches (one time a deer actually jumped in my car while I was driving and kicked me in the head and the driver door trying to get out). I’m not kidding. I polish it twice a year with normal leather cleaner from Walmart. It’s held up very well. Dash, doors and thread still look great.
Carpet. It’s beige and a pain to keep clean especially behind the seats at the top. I clean the carpet once a year. It still has held up well.
Battery. I proactively replaced the battery at the 6 year point. No issue with the old one but I didn’t want to chance it. I used a non-OEM battery and did it myself for 20% of the cost at a dealership. No issue with electronics in the car at all.
Other things. I replaced the key fob battery at the six year point. Still running on the original TPMSs. Wow!
I still get looks and attention with this thing all the time. It’s constant. Maybe because it is red and everyone thinks it is a Ferrari or maybe its because I am so handsome. I am not sure which. It’s the best car I have ever owned. The most fun by a long shot. I also own a 2018 C4 which is good but not nearly as fun to drive as my Boxster. I have a 992 GT3 inbound in October and I strongly suspect, I will continue to choose the Boxster to drive on public roads over the other two 911s.
This car has provided me with so much joy and fantastic life experiences and I am grateful to have had the chance to own one. I am going to be buried in it. Not kiddin’
Thanks for posting your ownership experience. I find your report very relevant while I am looking for a 981 to buy. It really helps to see a detailed look at your maintenance and corrective steps you have taken.
I love the red color. My 986 is guard’s red with the Savannah beige interior, and I love the combo. I actually do not see many red 981s for sale. Can you comment on the cost of maintenance? How close has the cost been to what you expected? It seems reasonable to me.
Was there a specific reason why you switched from using an Indy for your maintenance to using the dealer?
Thanks and thank you for sharing about your beautiful car!
I think the cost of ownership has been very reasonable. Initially I went with an Indy during my warranty period and then switched to a Porsche dealership which seems backwards. It just happened that way and wasn't intentional. I moved from Delaware where I had a very reliable Porsche expert do the maintenance and I felt comfortable with him. When I moved to NOLA, i didn't trust anyone down here so I started taking it to a dealership. I am starting to do all the maintenance myself now though. In addition to the Boxster, I have a 2018 C4 and a 992 GT3 inbound in October. The maintenance and insurance is going to be crazy so I am going to start doing the maintenance myself with OEM parts from Suncoast.
07-16-2021, 01:57 PM
8 Year Review of Porsche Boxster S - Original Owner
