Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Anyone made the switch from 944s2 to the boxster 3.2 s ? My mate just bought a nice anniversary 2003 model manual goes pretty well and sound lovely through new sports exhaust drives nice .making me think! . Only thing putting me off is the insurance as I've got the S2 on limited policy £95 and I have 2 full no claims on 2 separate vehicles he's in the same boat and it cost him around £600 because he can't use NCD as already in use on other vehicles . decisions decisions

I went from 944S to Boxster S at the beginning of the year and have no regrets whatsoever. The Boxster for me is just a much better car in pretty much all departments - obviously this is just my opinion. My issue with the 944 is was that it would always at some point need major spends on the bodywork and there were always little annoyances with things breaking, being intermittent etc. I've no worries at all with that on the Boxster. The flat six sound with an exhaust bypass mod sounds awesome. Its not difficult to work on, couple a months ago I did a clutch change all by myself on the drive on axle stands. All the other regular mechanical work is just as simple as the 944.

I too had my 944 insured for under £100. I have my Boxster insured with LV for under £300, my full NCB is used on my daily driver.

Untitled by richhill_9

They are just so different, and 20 years apart in design to compare,

I went from owning (3) 944's to a 3.2 Boxster then had (2) 944's (1_ 968 in between them after and now a 924S !

The boxster is much more refined, smoother on the controls, easier to drive has a good handling chassis, a very pointy
from end due to the lack of weight, and a solid rear which is ok most of the time apart from if the wheels are 18" and
also the tyres fitted are Ching Chung Ciao! (Which is shockingly common) hence the rear will break away and is not that easy to catch no matter how good a driver you are.

The Motor pulls well, the brakes are great, and if your into Convertibles it has one!

Going back to a 44 felt like all 4 wheels were just running on the rims with no tyres! Everything was harsh, road noise
the controls are heavy in comparison and everything just feels agricultural.........But

After an hour of driving a 44 after selling the Boxster it all starts coming back just how communicative the chassis is, how
actually the noise you get used to as the stiff controls and it's a drivers car that's fun to drive and not just sit in and operate the controls like some cars.

If you want both Refinement, Torque and easier controls and a more modern look the Boxster could be for you.

I drove one again when I had a 968 and it didn't do it for me at that time.


R

A few years ago it used to be "Shall I change my 993 for a Boxter or a 996" any that did soon regretted it. With the 944 it's difficult they are so different. Persomally I wouldn't, I'd miss the carrying capacity, it's eye catching looks, rareness, involvement and relative tinker friendliness.

I've had both at the same time..

Two great cars, quite different I guess. The 3.2S is the bargain Porsche right now IMO. £5-6k should get you a decent one.

Boxster (3.2S) - Wonderful noise (better than the 996 that replaced it) and a bit quicker than a standard S2. The flat 6 is a lovely engine with bags of mid range & very happy to rev. Bodywork should be rust free but there are plenty of weak points to address. Boxa.net is a good source of info & good cars for sale. Handling is excellent when set up properly, it doesn't bite (I was wary as it was the first mid-engined car I had driven). It's a very precise car. If you really want it to feel like a sports car, fit bucket seats and it makes a huge difference. The standard sports seats give very little lateral support and are useless for trackdays.

You can tell it's a generation of Porsches on from the 944 - whether that's a good thing is up to you. Still a mechanical, analogue car though. I'd go for an early one with dual row IMS, no PSM & pre-facelift design.

Long journeys are no problem in a Boxster, although the cabin can be a bit claustrophobic with the roof up. headroom is limited if you are tall. I'm 5'10" and had the seat pretty much all the way back and down. There is plenty of luggage space in the boot and frunk, but obviously not quite a practical as the 944.

DIY is not too bad on a Boxster as long as you are comfortable working underneath a car. Some jobs are fiddly - changing the coolant expansion tank is a pain for example. getting a driveshaft off to replace a split boot took ages, partly because you have to take apart half the rear hub/suspension to get the driveshaft off, but mainly because if a camber bolt seizes, (and they do, regularly) it can take hours to remove. The 944 isn't without its awkward / expensive jobs though..