Likes
- Sublime driving experience
- Most have been cared for
- Excellent reputation for reliability
- Genuinely comfortable for a performance car
Used Porsche Boxster review
2012 - 2016
Dislikes
- Expensive part and labour costs
- Cost of consumables can quickly add up
- Not the most aggressive image
- Many hot hatches are simply faster
Stuff you should know
With the Boxster representing the entry level for Porsche Sports cars, unfortunately, and no matter how critically acclaimed it may be, many consider a used Boxster to be the Porsche you buy when you can’t afford a “real” Porsche.
However, with how dynamically superb a Boxster is with its compact dimensions housing two perfectly positioned seats, combined with the drop top roof, glorious flat six engine mounted in the middle providing incredible balance and offering a choice of engines and transmissions sending power exclusively to the rear wheels, not to mention Porsches excellent reputation when it comes to reliability, it begs the question, the Boxster’s issues seem to revolve around certain consumers preconceived opinions rather than any inherent problem with the car itself.
If your strength of character can easily rise above the ridiculous and unfounded image discrepancies, it’s important to know that the Boxster has been available across four generations and in this cheat sheet, we’re going to be focussing on the third generation 981 available from 2012 to 2016.
Also the Boxster is ostensibly the soft top version of the Porsche Cayman and while much of what we’ll cover in this cheat sheet will also relate to the Cayman, the Cayman deserves its very own cheat sheet.
In terms of Boxster models, here in Australia, and excluding a special edition or two, you can have your 981 Boxster in primarily three flavours, the base spec 2.7-litre Boxster, the 3.4-litre Boxster S and the option laden Boxster S based GTS.
While the special editions here consisted of the purely aesthetically enhanced Black Edition and the utterly sublime lightweight high performance Spyder.
The Spyder features the 3.8-litre flat six from the 911 Carrera S and is so thoroughly drenched in bespoke and re-engineered go-fast bits, it pushes the notion that it even is a Boxster at all.
The Spyder features the 3.8-litre flat six from the 911 Carrera S and is so thoroughly drenched in bespoke and re-engineered go-fast bits, it pushes the notion that it even is a Boxster at all.
“
What goes wrong
Exterior:
There are a few reports of faulty sensors and switches on the roof mechanism, resulting in the roof not working properly and a few 2013 models suffered from corrosion in the rear left wheel housing however, this was sorted under warranty and the roof issues are an easy fix.
Interior:
There are some reports of failed condensers in the air conditioning unit which causes the gas to leak out faster than usual.
Some owners have complained that an incorrect “Electric Parking Brake fault” message will appear on the dash display even when there is no issue.
Also, some early 981’s had issues with the infotainment display glitching out of failing completely however, all these should have been resolved under warranty.
Mechanically:
The overall reliability of the engines is good with no one serious problem causing common catastrophic failures.
The 2.7-litre and 3.4-litre units do not suffer from the IMS (intermediate shaft) bearing issues seen in previous generations that have caused engine failures.
They do suffer from some oil leaks & coolant leaks like all modern high performance European cars, however no worse than the others.
Transmission wise, the manuals are tough with the clutch being the most common problem. That can often be attributed to operator technique and the PDK transmissions are….okay.
They are not as reliable as the manual though and occasionally there can be internal position sensor glitches, hydraulic complications, dual mass flywheel and clutch failures.
Typically though, all PDK issues are expensive to fix. Some owners only complain about harsh shifting and shuddering, which in most cases can be improved by servicing or software updates.
Servicing and repair costs are significantly more expensive than most other cars and not just because parts are more expensive it’s also because everything is hard to access.
For example, you don’t just lift the bonnet and there is everything you need. There are complicated roof service position procedures so you can then remove the carpet & trim. This allows you to unbolt the cover to access the top of the engine. However, if you need to change an alternator or belt tensioner, there’s also a separate front engine cover. Even then, if you want to access the air filters you’ll need to remove all of the carpet and covers from within the rear boot. Overall, packaging can result in long labour times which will therefore, cost money.
Also the brakes do wear quickly, especially if you drive the Boxster in the way it was designed to be driven and suspension components, like lower control arm bushes for example, will all need replacing every 40,000kms to 60,000kms.
If you hear a terrible squeaky rubbing sound coming from under the front of
Exterior:
There are a few reports of faulty sensors and switches on the roof mechanism, resulting in the roof not working properly and a few 2013 models suffered from corrosion in the rear left wheel housing however, this was sorted under warranty and the roof issues are an easy fix.
Interior:
There are some reports of failed condensers in the air conditioning unit which causes the gas to leak out faster than usual.
Some owners have complained that an incorrect “Electric Parking Brake fault” message will appear on the dash display even when there is no issue.
Also, some early 981’s had issues with the infotainment display glitching out of failing completely however, all these should have been resolved under warranty.
Mechanically:
The overall reliability of the engines is good with no one serious problem causing common catastrophic failures.
The 2.7-litre and 3.4-litre units do not suffer from the IMS (intermediate shaft) bearing issues seen in previous generations that have caused engine failures.
They do suffer from some oil leaks & coolant leaks like all modern high performance European cars, however no worse than the others.
Transmission wise, the manuals are tough with the clutch being the most common problem. That can often be attributed to operator technique and the PDK transmissions are….okay.
They are not as reliable as the manual though and occasionally there can be internal position sensor glitches, hydraulic complications, dual mass flywheel and clutch failures.
Typically though, all PDK issues are expensive to fix. Some owners only complain about harsh shifting and shuddering, which in most cases can be improved by servicing or software updates.
Servicing and repair costs are significantly more expensive than most other cars and not just because parts are more expensive it’s also because everything is hard to access.
For example, you don’t just lift the bonnet and there is everything you need. There are complicated roof service position procedures so you can then remove the carpet & trim. This allows you to unbolt the cover to access the top of the engine. However, if you need to change an alternator or belt tensioner, there’s also a separate front engine cover. Even then, if you want to access the air filters you’ll need to remove all of the carpet and covers from within the rear boot. Overall, packaging can result in long labour times which will therefore, cost money.
Also the brakes do wear quickly, especially if you drive the Boxster in the way it was designed to be driven and suspension components, like lower control arm bushes for example, will all need replacing every 40,000kms to 60,000kms.
If you hear a terrible squeaky rubbing sound coming from under the front of the car somewhere and you can’t find where its coming from, have your mechanic check the foam insulation on the top of the fuel tank.
Recalls:
- 2 October 2019 – An airbag control unit with an out of specification capacitor for maintaining power supply may have been installed on the affected vehicles. This affected 348 vehicles across the Panamera, 911, Boxster and Cayman.
- 29 September – Because of a manufacturing defect, the rear suspension may fail in extreme driving situations. This affected 311 vehicles across the Boxster and Cayman, built from 2012 to 2014.
Exterior:
There are a few reports of faulty sensors and switches on the roof mechanism, resulting in the roof not working properly and a few 2013 models suffered from corrosion in the rear left wheel housing however, this was sorted under warranty and the roof issues are an easy fix.
Interior:
There are some reports of failed condensers in the air conditioning unit which causes the gas to leak out faster than usual.
Some owners have complained that an incorrect “Electric Parking Brake fault” message will appear on the dash display even when there is no issue.
Also, some early 981’s had issues with the infotainment display glitching out of failing completely however, all these should have been resolved under warranty.
Mechanically:
The overall reliability of the engines is good with no one serious problem causing common catastrophic failures.
The 2.7-litre and 3.4-litre units do not suffer from the IMS (intermediate shaft) bearing issues seen in previous generations that have caused engine failures.
They do suffer from some oil leaks & coolant leaks like all modern high performance European cars, however no worse than the others.
Transmission wise, the manuals are tough with the clutch being the most common problem. That can often be attributed to operator technique and the PDK transmissions are….okay.
They are not as reliable as the manual though and occasionally there can be internal position sensor glitches, hydraulic complications, dual mass flywheel and clutch failures.
Typically though, all PDK issues are expensive to fix. Some owners only complain about harsh shifting and shuddering, which in most cases can be improved by servicing or software updates.
Servicing and repair costs are significantly more expensive than most other cars and not just because parts are more expensive it’s also because everything is hard to access.
For example, you don’t just lift the bonnet and there is everything you need. There are complicated roof service position procedures so you can then remove the carpet & trim. This allows you to unbolt the cover to access the top of the engine. However, if you need to change an alternator or belt tensioner, there’s also a separate front engine cover. Even then, if you want to access the air filters you’ll need to remove all of the carpet and covers from within the rear boot. Overall, packaging can result in long labour times which will therefore, cost money.
Also the brakes do wear quickly, especially if you drive the Boxster in the way it was designed to be driven and suspension components, like lower control arm bushes for example, will all need replacing every 40,000kms to 60,000kms.
If you hear a terrible squeaky rubbing sound coming from under the front of the car somewhere and you can’t find where its coming from, have your mechanic check the foam insulation on the top of the fuel tank.
Recalls:
- 2 October 2019 – An airbag control unit with an out of specification capacitor for maintaining power supply may have been installed on the affected vehicles. This affected 348 vehicles across the Panamera, 911, Boxster and Cayman.
- 29 September – Because of a manufacturing defect, the rear suspension may fail in extreme driving situations. This affected 311 vehicles across the Boxster and Cayman, built from 2012 to 2014.
Should you buy it?
Simply, yes, yes you should.
Obviously avoid any abused examples and it is absolutely critical you have a pre-purchase inspection carried out but about the only reason you wouldn’t buy a Boxster is if you cannot afford the upkeep and running costs or simply don’t have the self esteem to rise above the Boxster’s image issues.
Besides that, an excellent condition 981 Boxster, in any trim spec, is still a truly spectacular car.
Some may argue that a BMW Z4 or even Audi TT provide a similar set of skills for less money or a Mazda MX-5 Miata could save you tens of thousands of dollars but, as excellent as those cars are, the Boxster is in a whole other league.
Simply, yes, yes you should.
Obviously avoid any abused examples and it is absolutely critical you have a pre-purchase inspection carried out but about the only reason you wouldn’t buy a Boxster is if you cannot afford the upkeep and running costs or simply don’t have the self esteem to rise above the Boxster’s image issues.
Besides that, an excellent condition 981 Boxster, in any trim spec, is still a truly spectacular car.
Some may argue that a BMW Z4 or even Audi TT provide a similar set of skills for less money or a Mazda MX-5 Miata could save you tens of thousands of dollars but, as excellent as those cars are, the Boxster is in a whole other league.
Should you buy it?
Simply, yes, yes you should.
Obviously avoid any abused examples and it is absolutely critical you have a pre-purchase inspection carried out but about the only reason you wouldn’t buy a Boxster is if you cannot afford the upkeep and running costs or simply don’t have the self esteem to rise above the Boxster’s image issues.
Besides that, an excellent condition 981 Boxster, in any trim spec, is still a truly spectacular car.
Some may argue that a BMW Z4 or even Audi TT provide a similar set of skills for less money or a Mazda MX-5 Miata could save you tens of thousands of dollars but, as excellent as those cars are, the Boxster is in a whole other league.
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Models, pricing & features
Tech specs
Body style:
2-door convertible
Engines:
- 2.7 litre flat-six engine (Boxster, Black Edition)
- 3.4 litre flat-six engine (S, GTS)
- 3.8 litre flat-six engine (Spyder)
Power:
- 195kW – 2.7 litre flat-six engine (Boxster, Black Edition)
- 232kW – 3.4 litre flat-six engine (S)
- 243kW – 3.4 litre flat-six engine (GTS)
- 276kW – 3.8 litre flat-six engine (Spyder)
Torque:
- 280Nm – 2.7 litre flat-six engine (Boxster, Black Edition)
- 360Nm – 3.4 litre flat-six engine (S)
- 370Nm – 3.4 litre flat-six engine (GTS)
- 420Nm – 3.8 litre flat-six engine (Spyder)
Transmission & drivetrains:
- 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive (RWD) – (Boxster, Black Edition, S, GTS, Spyder)
- 7-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT), rear-wheel drive – Boxster, Black Edition, S, GTS
Fuel consumption:
7.9-9.9L/100km
Length:
4374-4414mm
Width:
1801mm
Height:
1262-1282mm
Kerb weight:
1315-1330kg
Body style:
2-door convertible
Engines:
- 2.7 litre flat-six engine (Boxster, Black Edition)
- 3.4 litre flat-six engine (S, GTS)
- 3.8 litre flat-six engine (Spyder)
Power:
- 195kW – 2.7 litre flat-six engine (Boxster, Black Edition)
- 232kW – 3.4 litre flat-six engine (S)
- 243kW – 3.4 litre flat-six engine (GTS)
- 276kW – 3.8 litre flat-six engine (Spyder)
Torque:
- 280Nm – 2.7 litre flat-six engine (Boxster, Black Edition)
- 360Nm – 3.4 litre flat-six engine (S)
- 370Nm – 3.4 litre flat-six engine (GTS)
- 420Nm – 3.8 litre flat-six engine (Spyder)
Transmission & drivetrains:
- 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive (RWD) – (Boxster, Black Edition, S, GTS, Spyder)
- 7-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT), rear-wheel drive – Boxster, Black Edition, S, GTS
Fuel consumption:
7.9-9.9L/100km
Length:
4374-4414mm
Width:
1801mm
Height:
1262-1282mm
Kerb weight:
1315-1330kg
Body style:
2-door convertible
Engines:
- 2.7 litre flat-six engine (Boxster, Black Edition)
- 3.4 litre flat-six engine (S, GTS)
- 3.8 litre flat-six engine (Spyder)
Power:
- 195kW – 2.7 litre flat-six engine (Boxster, Black Edition)
- 232kW – 3.4 litre flat-six engine (S)
- 243kW – 3.4 litre flat-six engine (GTS)
- 276kW – 3.8 litre flat-six engine (Spyder)
Torque:
- 280Nm – 2.7 litre flat-six engine (Boxster, Black Edition)
- 360Nm – 3.4 litre flat-six engine (S)
- 370Nm – 3.4 litre flat-six engine (GTS)
- 420Nm – 3.8 litre flat-six engine (Spyder)
Transmission & drivetrains:
- 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive (RWD) – (Boxster, Black Edition, S, GTS, Spyder)
- 7-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT), rear-wheel drive – Boxster, Black Edition, S, GTS
Fuel consumption:
7.9-9.9L/100km
Length:
4374-4414mm
Width:
1801mm
Height:
1262-1282mm
Kerb weight:
1315-1330kg
Warranty & servicing
Warranty:
3 years/unlimited kms
Servicing:
12 months/15,000kms
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Disclaimer
Please note that pricing information is subject to fluctuations in the automotive market.
Information correct as of November 18, 2022.
The advice provided on this website is general advice only. It has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on this advice, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to your own objectives, financial situation and needs.
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