I've had a second car for sometime now,originally a Caterham 7 and more recently several MX5s.

I find it more pleasurable to drive a modest daily for the commute and running kids around etc, for which the 1.6TDI Fabia MonteCarlo Tech does an admirable job,and a second fun car for the weekends and the odd commute.

I've always liked Porsches although as yet never owned one. I've driven plenty as in particular my brother has had, at last count, 7 911's culminating in a 997 Turbo. A very fast car by any measure.

I now fancy a change to the fun car and I've begun thinking about a Porsche. Budget would be 5/6k max so we are not talking about 911's obviously but it seems this sort of money could put a Boxter,924,944 etc in the garage.

What are people's thoughts and even better experiences?

For that money I'd be trying for a Boxter S.

 

It's well established that Porsches are well built, So I wouldn't be put off by a higher millage but well looked after car with history.

Forgot to mention that performance is not the overriding factor. I can enjoy a back road drive at modest speeds so for example the relatively low performance of a 2.0 924 is not an issue. I am looking for something that will not break the bank with running costs primarily.

Honda S2000 as an alternative to the Boxter?

 

Have friends that covet theirs and older ones are cheap as chips and reliable.

 

Well jel you had a caterham 7, it's on my motoring bucket list.

Edited 24 February, 201511 yr by Aspman

Honda S2000 as an alternative to the Boxter?

Have friends that covet theirs and older ones are cheap as chips and reliable.

Well jel you had a caterham 7, it's on my motoring bucket list.

I agree. Id have an S2k any day of the week! Nice cars n honda reliability. Apparent the back ends abit lively though from what I've heard.

Caterham would be on my list too if i couldnt have motorbikes

Funnily enough I had considered an S2000 seeing it as a logical step up from the MX5 but I really have a hankering for a Porsche!

I'm not looking at too complex a car which to me rules out 928s and maybe even a Boxter so probably looking more at a 924S (the 2.5 Porsche engine) or a 944. I'd like a 968 but they are slightly out of budget.

I did the whole Porsche thing a few years ago when I owned a W reg Boxster S.

 

Reliability when I had mine was a big worry, even before I picked it up the garage (Porsche Specialist) noted that the VVT was not working which delayed me collecting the car by 2 weeks. Apparently I would not have noticed, but as they sold loads of these they did.

 

I never had any problems with the one I had, but the 3.2 engine was known for issues with Cylinder linings, and the gearbox output seal (RMS) was a known weakness.

 

The car was fantastic, it went well and was reasonably economical. However the lingering reliability issues led to me selling the car, the biggie being the cylinder liners.

I've had a couple of 2.0 924 's. They're not fast, not even close, but they handle really well and are fun to drive. Yep, you'll always get people saying "It's not a real Porsche, Richard Hammond say's it's got a VW van engine in", and to be fair, it isn't, but they've probably got a Saxo or an Insignia or something equally soulless, so what do they know?

 

Parts are mostly cheap, most of them came out of the VW parts bin, so they're no worse to work on than a Golf. Avoid anything rusty (normally early cars and accident damaged ones) and check the electrics over. K-Jet's odd, but have a good read and you'll get your head round it in a day, there's not much to it.

 

My diesel Ibiza's faster than one, but that's not the point, it's about the looks, the badge and the fun. I'd have another one tomorrow.

As mannyo points out the cylinder liners especially can give massive trouble. This place has even seen one with this problem as low as 14,000 miles, but as it was used as a sunny day toy it was out of warranty by then and Porsche didn't want to know, so this place sorted it:

 

http://www.hartech.org/porsche_996_997_Boxster_engine_failure_repair_common_faults.html

 

The various sections on their website have some good info on there. Quite often Porsche cars advertised privately mention them as having a Hartech engine rebuild to make them more appealing to potential buyers, Porsche dealers even take out of warranty cars to them to be fixed.

 

Be very wary when purchasing a 1997 to 2008 model.

I did the whole Porsche thing a few years ago when I owned a W reg Boxster S.

Reliability when I had mine was a big worry, even before I picked it up the garage (Porsche Specialist) noted that the VVT was not working which delayed me collecting the car by 2 weeks. Apparently I would not have noticed, but as they sold loads of these they did.

I never had any problems with the one I had, but the 3.2 engine was known for issues with Cylinder linings, and the gearbox output seal (RMS) was a known weakness.

The car was fantastic, it went well and was reasonably economical. However the lingering reliability issues led to me selling the car, the biggie being the cylinder liners.

VVT? Variable valve timing?

On a porsche?

Didnt know that!

For that money I'd be trying for a Boxter S.

It's well established that Porsches are well built, So I wouldn't be put off by a higher millage but well looked after car with history.

Yeah boxster s

But if reliability is a worry an s2k is a fantastic car aswell

If you're looking at a 944 watch out for rust (especially in the sills), that the belts have been done and adjusted recently, and for leaks around the sunroof and boot.  Also check the sunroof and boot all open and close properly.  The trip counter can be easily broken and the clocks tend to fail, but these are small issues.  We looked at getting a 944 a couple of years ago but the cheap ones are cheap for a reason.  We came to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a cheap Porsche - they may be cheap to buy, but they are not cheap to maintain.

 

Honda S2000s are a nice looking car, but you need to work them hard (to get the VTEC to do its thing) to get the performance from them.  Early ones have a reputation for tricky handling - apparently later ones are better.

 

Mazda MX-5s are great, but again watch out for rust.  In particular, the facelift mk2 (or mk2.5 as it's sometimes known) seem particularly bad for sills, rear arches and front chassis legs.  Even the mk3s can be susceptible to rust.  You probably know this already as you say you've had a few already.

Wasn't there a thread on here about a 924 or 944 being repaired/restored/renovated ? Red IIRC.

One of Jason's?

Probably.

Honda S2000s are a nice looking car, but you need to work them hard (to get the VTEC to do its thing) to get the performance from them. Early ones have a reputation for tricky handling - apparently later ones are better.

Surely thats the fun of the s2000 and why you would buy one

Early ones didnt have traction control (option 06-07 then came standard 08 onwards which may be a good or bad thing whichever way you look at it

Mates just trundle in theirs and no reported dramas. I think an MX-5 is probably trickier in day to day driving (wet roundabouts etc).

Having had mk1 & mk3 mx5 I just prefer them to s2000's.

I accept that the Honda is a good deal quicker in a straight line I don't think the steering feel is anything like as good as any of the Mx's I've owned or driven. Although for steering feel the Caterham was better than just about anything I've driven.