Boxster Spyder test drive. - Page 2 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

Had a go in one of these today. Pdk equipped. I have to say I was mega excited to be having a go following on from all the glowing press reviews and positive comments on here from fellow owners. In short I was left totally disappointed. The Pdk meant you felt so detached from the driving experience and the brake pedal can only be described as wooden. I drove my friends carrera 2 gts from the same year a couple of weeks back and the brakes were super sharp and the Pdk felt like it enhanced the drive rather than took away from the enjoyment of it. I know that's a 911 and this is a boxster but apart from the power increase should the boxster feel that much worse. It's a bit of a shame as they are a thing of beauty but even going fast into corners it just left me with no emotions. The paddles did feel a bit loose compared to my friends which has a nice mechanical click when you change but I dont know if Ive driven one that's been used heavily. I want to look at another again but don't want to waste my time trying to perceive it to be something it's never going to be for me. Any advice much appreciated.

They are good cars but I would not eulogise about them like most owners seem to. Maybe you'd enjoy a manual more? But it's never going to compete with a good 911 in my view.

The Spyder and R are not PDK cars, I test drove a PDK GTS and felt the same as you did over the Spyder PDK, dull, was expecting so much more from the GTS. I can assure you if you drove my manual with a real 1250kg weight and PCCB you would love it., The Spyder is about the weight (lack off) and the manual feel of it all with a real LSD, real dampers, hydraulic steering Dont't see the point off a full fat one with PDK, may as well buy that boxster and save £15k. Come and vist me in leicester and you will want a Spyder and a R :-) I don't get the 911 thing at all, so you will get loads of answers.

Agree with MrD in parts. Spyder (R less so) is not IMHO a PDK car & the brakes (both steel and carbon) should be fantastic. 911GTS is another Porsche "greatest hit", but the spyder is (& should be) every bit as good. One thing you could possibly say is the platform is so well balanced that it's incredibly hard to get teg at to feel "alive" on the roads-on track they are sublime. Perhaps an excuse to try another example?

Anything that's hard to get to feel alive is surely a recipe for a snooze machine isn't it?

Dump the silly gearbox, add PCCBs and try again.

Mine feels alive even when just trundling around, let alone when I turn the wick up. Maybe the one you drove wasn't up to scratch. Or maybe it's just not your thing - horses for courses.

jayxx83 said: The Pdk meant you felt so detached from the driving experience... the Pdk felt like it enhanced the drive rather than took away from the enjoyment of it. Not sure how the two gearboxes could feel so different, but I've not driven a GTS. Love PDK in my Spyder, but it took a while to fall for its charms. Most negative views of PDK are from non-owners, make of that what you will.

After having test-driven three Spyders, two manuals (with and w/o shortshift) and one PDK, I can safely say that the PDK transmission ruins the fun for me personally. I would maybe prefer the PDK over the manual if the Spyder had a 450+ hp turbo engine like the M4 but that is not the case. Then again if you feel no emotions going fast into a corner in a Spyder, a different transmission probably won't help all that much.

anonymous said: [redacted] My point being that a short test drive is nothing compared to actually living with it. Get it?

Thanks for the responses guys. I have been driving for long enough to know that a 10 minute drive doesn't reveal all. However the 10 mins I had in my friends GTS was like the car was alive in your hands. The brakes, you could pick your spot knowing that you would scrub off enough speed to take the bend at your chosen speed feeling like you were totally in control. Bang down a couple of gears with the paddles and it was a true experience. With the spyder today, the brakes although stopped you, didn't communicate with you. With the GTS it was like you could feel the road through the pedal and what the tyre blocks were doing. i don't know, I'm still on the fence. had an appointment to drive a manual but missed it due to traffic. In all honesty an mx5 i had for a couple weeks as a courtesy car felt better than this example. Of course the speed was better, but not much else. Hopefully in the new year a few more come to market with news of the new replacement being announced. I think ideal spec would be CD player, Xenons, Manual, PSE. Not really bothered about much else.

mrdemon said: The Spyder and R are not PDK cars, I test drove a PDK GTS and felt the same as you did over the Spyder PDK, dull, was expecting so much more from the GTS. I can assure you if you drove my manual with a real 1250kg weight and PCCB you would love it., The Spyder is about the weight (lack off) and the manual feel of it all with a real LSD, real dampers, hydraulic steering Dont't see the point off a full fat one with PDK, may as well buy that boxster and save £15k. Come and vist me in leicester and you will want a Spyder and a R :-) I don't get the 911 thing at all, so you will get loads of answers. I may well take you up on that in the New Year. I guess the extra 3 g/km of C02 pushing it into the £485 tax bracket is worth every penny!

jayxx83 said: Thanks for the responses guys. I have been driving for long enough to know that a 10 minute drive doesn't reveal all. In all honesty an mx5 i had for a couple weeks as a courtesy car felt better than this example. Of course the speed was better, but not much else. Hopefully in the new year a few more come to market with news of the new replacement being announced. I think ideal spec would be CD player, Xenons, Manual, PSE. Not really bothered about much else. MX5s are great fun. I'd have another MK1 in a heartbeat. I have to agree about PDK in a Spyder. Manual is just so much more fun. Also with PDK in the Cayman R/Boxster Spyder I found myself doing silly speeds too easily. Interesting what you have said about the feeling round corners. I found both the Cayman R and Box Spyder great in terms of steering feel and cornering, and they felt lovely and light on their feet. I've never driven a 911 GTS though. Maybe I should!

jayxx83 said: I may well take you up on that in the New Year. I guess the extra 3 g/km of C02 pushing it into the £485 tax bracket is worth every penny! The manuals are still not in the high tax band.

mrdemon said: The manuals are still not in the high tax band. even better!

Don't waste your time driving other cars, just come up here for a brew and a drive You will be converted. Tyres , pads and a geo makes these cars go from good cars into one of today's best drivers cars this side of £100k (for UK road use) Just talk to all the Cayman R converts, only took 4 years for people to start loving them. :-)

jayxx83 said: Thanks for the responses guys. I have been driving for long enough to know that a 10 minute drive doesn't reveal all. However the 10 mins I had in my friends GTS was like the car was alive in your hands. The brakes, you could pick your spot knowing that you would scrub off enough speed to take the bend at your chosen speed feeling like you were totally in control. Bang down a couple of gears with the paddles and it was a true experience. With the spyder today, the brakes although stopped you, didn't communicate with you. With the GTS it was like you could feel the road through the pedal and what the tyre blocks were doing. i don't know, I'm still on the fence. had an appointment to drive a manual but missed it due to traffic. In all honesty an mx5 i had for a couple weeks as a courtesy car felt better than this example. Of course the speed was better, but not much else. Hopefully in the new year a few more come to market with news of the new replacement being announced. I think ideal spec would be CD player, Xenons, Manual, PSE. Not really bothered about much else. The Boxster has 4 pot brakes on the front so although it will stop you it is not as good as the 6 pots in a 911. Given how fast the Boxster can go the 4 pots have never given me complete confidence if I need to stop quickly, whereas I have no such worry in a GT3 RS or AMG. Also my Boxster has PASM which I am not a fan of as I prefer a passive setup so the communication is clear on the limit. The Spyder has a passive setup. I haven't driven the PDK Spyder but PDK wasn't as good as it is now, and the Manual in my 987 is sublime. Though my next Porsche will be PDK because there is no manual option! Perhaps drive another example? As Mr D says, Tyres, brakes and GEO are essential for a great driver's car Edited by LITRBL on Saturday 8th November 22:21

Bit like when I test drove a 997.2 c4s Pdk a 981 caymanS Pdk both left me cold compared to my manual spyder it is so positive and alive but I do agree on the brakes they were better in my 987.1 caymanS but that is more likely down to the pads than anything else! As said before get yourself in a manual !some owners of the 911 Gts have switched to caymanRs tells you something!

Interesting, I've owned both PDK and manual Spyders. The PDK is the faster car, but if you want a car that feels alive the manual is the one and that's what I currently drive. They really do feel like two different cars. The servo on the boxster is very different to the 911, it doesn't take long to recalibrate, but the steels do feel a bit long though. My PDK had steels. One thing I can tell you my Spyder with PCCBs stops better than my 997.2 GT3 did. Handling is simply superb, given a nice stretch of road today I'll pick the Spyder ( and it sits next to a 458 Speciale in my garage), for me it's about the whole package and the fun it delivers under every day driving. This is where the Spyder wins. Obviously it's nowhere near as fast as a Speciale, but that's not everything, a manual Spyder in 3rd gear is pure joy on a nice B road, and you don't need to be breaking the speed limit to enjoy it! The only dilemma for me is roof off or on!

Ferrari 458 Speciale Porsche Boxster Spyder Manual dream garage :-) "Spyder with PCCBs stops better than just about any other car on the road" Fixed that for you 350mm disks all round with 6 pots and 1250kg weight the cars well over braked, and I have never said that about a car, amazing. the Spyder with PCCB out stops any thing I have ever seen or been in. Edited by mrdemon on Sunday 9th November 13:22

Managed to get something sorted. Have placed a deposit on the Silver one in Edinburgh OPC. Sounds like they are giving it the once over according to the very helpful guys up there. Virtually 4mm tread on the tyres, major service carried out with new plugs, drive belts etc and their bodyshop giving it the once over and only 11,400 miles. Apparently only 10 revs in range one. I think thats pretty good but will check the report before I leave there. Cant wait to get back from my holidays to go and give it a blast. I would have thought with this mileage it should feel as new. It took 12k miles for my E class to feel like it was run in. Spec for me is perfect as the only weight addition is the stereo which is essential for me. Love my music and with the engine howling behind it should be heaven. As far as i can see spec is as follows; -454 Cruise Control - will be good for the motorways back from Scotland and if touring on the continent before the twists and turn reveal themselves -810 Floor Mats -639 Sport Chrono -XLF Porsche Sports Exhaust -498 Deletion of model designation (must save a few grams!) -695 CDR 30 -490 Sound Package Plus -870 universal audio interface -XTV leather door panel parts -Short Shifter (don't know how much difference this makes but do like a tight gear shift) The car looks immaculate in the pictures, but hopefully will be as good when I get up there at the beginning of Jan. Wouldn't have minded PCCB, but virtually none of them seem to have any. I guess decent pads could be order of the day if I need more going forward. Tried to wait until March, but I feel i got a good deal compared to the others on the market when factoring in mileage, OPC 2 year warranty, less is more spec etc. Link to ad here. http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p... Thanks for all the help on here. Will report back once I have picked it up!

jayxx83 said: Managed to get something sorted. Have placed a deposit on the Silver one in Edinburgh OPC. Sounds like they are giving it the once over according to the very helpful guys up there. Virtually 4mm tread on the tyres, major service carried out with new plugs, drive belts etc and their bodyshop giving it the once over and only 11,400 miles. Apparently only 10 revs in range one. I think thats pretty good but will check the report before I leave there. Cant wait to get back from my holidays to go and give it a blast. I would have thought with this mileage it should feel as new. It took 12k miles for my E class to feel like it was run in. Spec for me is perfect as the only weight addition is the stereo which is essential for me. Love my music and with the engine howling behind it should be heaven. As far as i can see spec is as follows; -454 Cruise Control - will be good for the motorways back from Scotland and if touring on the continent before the twists and turn reveal themselves -810 Floor Mats -639 Sport Chrono -XLF Porsche Sports Exhaust -498 Deletion of model designation (must save a few grams!) -695 CDR 30 -490 Sound Package Plus -870 universal audio interface -XTV leather door panel parts -Short Shifter (don't know how much difference this makes but do like a tight gear shift) The car looks immaculate in the pictures, but hopefully will be as good when I get up there at the beginning of Jan. Wouldn't have minded PCCB, but virtually none of them seem to have any. I guess decent pads could be order of the day if I need more going forward. Tried to wait until March, but I feel i got a good deal compared to the others on the market when factoring in mileage, OPC 2 year warranty, less is more spec etc. Link to ad here. http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p... Thanks for all the help on here. Will report back once I have picked it up! Near-perfect spec there! Congratulations on your purchase! Having driven one of these quite extensively, all I can say is that it's about as much fun as I've ever had behind the wheel. Sure, it could maybe do with an extra 50hp, but having said that, more than any car I've driven, it gives you the sensation that you're getting the best out of it on a country blast. FUN is the order of the day, served with a side of sweet induction sound. The short-shifter feels strange at first, but for blasting around B-roads with some 2-3-4-3-2 changes, it's feels awesome. It's a lovely car to heel-and-toe in, too.

jayxx83 said: Managed to get something sorted. Have placed a deposit on the Silver one in Edinburgh OPC. Sounds like they are giving it the once over according to the very helpful guys up there. Virtually 4mm tread on the tyres, major service carried out with new plugs, drive belts etc and their bodyshop giving it the once over and only 11,400 miles. Apparently only 10 revs in range one. I think thats pretty good but will check the report before I leave there. Cant wait to get back from my holidays to go and give it a blast. I would have thought with this mileage it should feel as new. It took 12k miles for my E class to feel like it was run in. Spec for me is perfect as the only weight addition is the stereo which is essential for me. Love my music and with the engine howling behind it should be heaven. As far as i can see spec is as follows; -454 Cruise Control - will be good for the motorways back from Scotland and if touring on the continent before the twists and turn reveal themselves -810 Floor Mats -639 Sport Chrono -XLF Porsche Sports Exhaust -498 Deletion of model designation (must save a few grams!) -695 CDR 30 -490 Sound Package Plus -870 universal audio interface -XTV leather door panel parts -Short Shifter (don't know how much difference this makes but do like a tight gear shift) The car looks immaculate in the pictures, but hopefully will be as good when I get up there at the beginning of Jan. Wouldn't have minded PCCB, but virtually none of them seem to have any. I guess decent pads could be order of the day if I need more going forward. Tried to wait until March, but I feel i got a good deal compared to the others on the market when factoring in mileage, OPC 2 year warranty, less is more spec etc. Link to ad here. http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p... Thanks for all the help on here. Will report back once I have picked it up! I'm the previous owner I don't think you'll be disappointed. It was a last minute decision to chop it in against the GT3. I'd have happily kept it, it's a brilliant car. 10 revs in range 1 is correct, they didn't happen in my ownership. I hope that you enjoy it.

993AL said: I'm the previous owner I don't think you'll be disappointed. It was a last minute decision to chop it in against the GT3. I'd have happily kept it, it's a brilliant car. 10 revs in range 1 is correct, they didn't happen in my ownership. I hope that you enjoy it. Thank you for chiming in buddy. Gives me added peace of mind it was enthusiast owned. She'll be down in London from now onwards but not going to let her near any speed bumps / pot holes. OCD is the order of the day with this beauty!

great car, you will love it, what did the OPC do about the tyres then if they were close at 4mm

For you, undoubtedly. Nice, sweeping generalisation though.

+ 1 OP. Great looking car and the best spec for you, congratulations.

Everything has been formalized now so pick up is 3rd jan but I have let them book the deal for December. Such a weird feeling. I'm off on holiday and have to wait until after my holiday to pick it up. I now have to look forward to my holiday ending as quickly as possible so I can collect! Will post up some pics once I have collected.

jayxx83 said: Everything has been formalized now so pick up is 3rd jan but I have let them book the deal for December. Such a weird feeling. I'm off on holiday and have to wait until after my holiday to pick it up. I now have to look forward to my holiday ending as quickly as possible so I can collect! Will post up some pics once I have collected. i had the same last year when i had to do the deal by the end of december when i bought my Spyder unseen. all sorted for me by Greaham Shepheard

Bought my Red one from OPC Edinburgh in March 2013 and they where good to deal with Macus the sales manager and Graeme Shephard nice guys .I also know the previous owner of your silver car and he is a good guy .The previous owner traded it in for a Mobile home from Border cars in Ayrshire I saw the car then and it was a nice looking car .Hope you enjoy it

woodysnr said: Bought my Red one from OPC Edinburgh in March 2013 and they where good to deal with Macus the sales manager and Graeme Shephard nice guys .I also know the previous owner of your silver car and he is a good guy .The previous owner traded it in for a Mobile home from Border cars in Ayrshire I saw the car then and it was a nice looking car .Hope you enjoy it Thank you for the info buddy. I have been dealing with Paul there and he has been exceptional as well as his colleague Allan. It certainly does seem like those who have owned it, treasured their experience. Got the geo and service print out today and it has had £1100 spent on it in the last month, plugs, belts, oil, filters etc and it's going off to the body shop to have a couple of chips in the bumper sorted out. It has been a great Experience so far. The negotiaing took around 2-3 weeks and since finding the middle ground has progressed so smoothly. Definatley the best dealer experience Ive ever had. Just hoping for no rain when I come back as I plan to drive with the roof down all the way home!!

mrdemon said: great car, you will love it, what did the OPC do about the tyres then if they were close at 4mm The insides of all the tyres are worn more than the outers which is strange given that the front has virtually no camber. It's marginal though and my mini with PSS was the same. Just have to drive harder to get the even wear I guess as its up to 4.5 mm on the middle and outer. Will get used to it first and then think about a geo setup. Would have thought a bit of toe in on the front and about 1.2-1.5 camber on the front would feel good. Not got any experience with a mid engined car so not having any weight on the front could mean more trail braking to keep the front loaded. What the general consensus on the fuel tank with it being at the front? Full tank or max half? I presume more is better as the weight of the car can be balanced out.

I run no toe in, but some times it's best to have a little if you cannot get heat into to tyres, the scrub effect makes heat.

jayxx83 said: The insides of all the tyres are worn more than the outers which is strange given that the front has virtually no camber. It's marginal though and my mini with PSS was the same. Just have to drive harder to get the even wear I guess as its up to 4.5 mm on the middle and outer. Will get used to it first and then think about a geo setup. Would have thought a bit of toe in on the front and about 1.2-1.5 camber on the front would feel good. Not got any experience with a mid engined car so not having any weight on the front could mean more trail braking to keep the front loaded. If you run toe out (dynamically) you will wear the inside of the tyres, if toe out the inside. On the road I'd be wary of running any toe for that reason. That said compression of suspension bushes can mean that a little static toe in (or even out in some cases) will result in parallel running dynamically. On a front wheel drive car static toe out may result in the wheels running parallel dynamically. But it all depends the exact location of suspension links and the softness of the bushes.