Possible Boxster 718 S secondhand purchase

[Dick Dastardly]

In the early stages of possible purchase of Boxster S for my wife(that’s my story anyway!). I notice many have 20inch alloys and wonder if they would be lumpy on UK roads without PASM ? I had a 718 Cayman S in 2016 which I specced from new with 20inch alloys and PASM which gave good ride comfort. In the intervening years UK roads have suffered further deterioration from potholes.
Now coming to buy secondhand this option is not common and many cars have 20inch alloys.
What experience have members had with the larger alloys on the standard dampers on our dreadful roads?
I was looking at a car at Smiths Sports and Performance in Melton Mowbray, have any members had any dealings with this company.?

Used 2017 Porsche 718 Boxster T S For Sale in Leicestershire (U55945) | Smiths Sports and Performance

Smiths Sports and Performance offer this 2017 Porsche 2.5T S Convertible 2dr Petrol PDK Euro 6 (s/s) (350 ps) with 16,000 Mls For Sale in Leicestershire. Contact us today to arrange a test drive!

smithssportsandperformance.co.uk

Any thoughts on this?

Will probably go and have a look at it to get a feel for the market as generally the more cars you inspect you get a better idea of what to expect at a given price.

Any issues that I should be aware of ? The operation of the hood and fabric would seem to be an obvious one along with service history and warranty.

 

[Scrounger]

Nothing really to note on that age of 718 to be honest however it’s worth getting a PPI done on it.

Water pumps can be an issue on all the 718 Gen engines (2.0, 2.5 and 4.0). Gearbox isn’t due a service until year 12. The 2.5 is a strong engine with VVT. No GPF so you’re out of the potential issues associated with that. On the Boxster, just make sure the roof drains are clear of detritus as this can cause water ingress into the cabin. Check the windscreen washer hose that leads from the bottle to the bonnet on the passenger side isn’t split. A cheap fix but is a weak point. Check the rear underside chassis braces for corrosion. Basically look at the engine underneath from the back. There shouldn’t be any sign of heavy corrosion. Rear wheel arches have a lip at the top where dirt and stones can accumulate. Run your fingers in the top of the wheel arch and you can feel it. Easy enough to clean out with a hose pipe but could be a starting point for corrosion if not cleaned regularly. If you do buy it I’d take the wheel arch liners out when you get home and clean all the crap out with a hose. You’ll be surprised how much is behind them. Unless it’s got PTV rear brakes should have plenty of meat on them, so too should the fronts. A good ‘Italian Tune up’ would dominate world of good along with a bottle of BG44k in the tank.

Looks a beauty.

Dan.

 

[Motorhead]

Some useful tips there from Dan. It looks to be a very nice example, but as always buy on condition and a bullet-proof service history … Porsche dealer or reputable Porsche Independent.

In case you’re not aware there’s been a very lengthy conversation on the Cayman forum relating to early 718 cars [Cayman and Boxster] fitted with the GPF, so it’s worth taking a look:

Cayman 718 GPF Failure

Hi Everyone, I have a 2019 Cayman 718, I have owned it for 13 months and purchased it from a Porsche Dealership as a Porsche Approved Pre-Owned Vehicle with 2 year warranty. I had an engine control fault come up on the dash, I contacted my local OPC and they informed me a long as the message is...

www.porscheclubgb.com

If it’s applicable, as a precaution it would be worth asking the seller to get a Porsche dealer to run the GPF oil ash check outlined in the post.

Jeff

 

[LesGTS]

Looks a lovely well specced car but check the front tyres aren’t the originals.
Is that a date code on each of them of 0217, therefore 8 years old?

 

[JurassicGTS]

Some useful tips there from Dan. It looks to be a very nice example, but as always buy on condition and a bullet-proof service history … Porsche dealer or reputable Porsche Independent.

In case you’re not aware there’s been a very lengthy conversation on the Cayman forum relating to early 718 cars [Cayman and Boxster] fitted with the GPF, so it’s worth taking a look:

Cayman 718 GPF Failure

Hi Everyone, I have a 2019 Cayman 718, I have owned it for 13 months and purchased it from a Porsche Dealership as a Porsche Approved Pre-Owned Vehicle with 2 year warranty. I had an engine control fault come up on the dash, I contacted my local OPC and they informed me a long as the message is...

www.porscheclubgb.com

If it’s applicable, as a precaution it would be worth asking the seller to get a Porsche dealer to run the GPF oil ash check outlined in the post.

Jeff

The early 718s did not have the GPF, it is the later cars this was installed in.

 

[Motorhead]

The early 718s did not have the GPF, it is the later cars this was installed in.

Yes I’m aware that’s the case, and now having checked I note that the GPF was introduced for MY2019, so from 1st September, 2018.

As a 2017 car the Boxster highlighted by the OP won’t be affected, but the info will be useful to him in his search should it not be suitable.

Jeff

 

[JurassicGTS]

Yes I’m aware that’s the case, and now having checked I note that the GPF was introduced for MY2019, so from 1st September, 2018.

As a 2017 car the Boxster highlighted by the OP won’t be affected, but the info will be useful to him in his search should it not be suitable.

Jeff

It was just that your original statement was "early 718 cars have GPF," which may misdirect potential buyers.
On another forum a poster with just 1 post had told a prospective Boxster 4.0 buyer all 4.0 cars have a problem with GPFs.
He decided against that purchase. I have never heard of a 4.0 having a GPF issue.

 

[Motorhead]

It was just that your original statement was "early 718 cars have GPF," which may misdirect potential buyers.
On another forum a poster with just 1 post had told a prospective Boxster 4.0 buyer all 4.0 cars have a problem with GPFs.
He decided against that purchase. I have never heard of a 4.0 having a GPF issue.

Point taken, but in my defence I did qualify my post with the statement “If it’s applicable”.

The 718 GPF issue appears to be limited to the F-4T cars, mainly the 2.0L, although I believe that some 2.5L cars have also experienced the problem. As far as I’m aware it’s not an issue with the F-6 4.0L cars, but I believe that they use a different GPF monitoring system [differential pressure sensor and a temperature sensor?] when compared with the turbo cars.

Jeff

 

[JurassicGTS]

Point taken, but in my defence I did qualify my post with the statement “If it’s applicable”.

The 718 GPF issue appears to be limited to the F-4T cars, mainly the 2.0L, although I believe that some 2.5L cars have also experienced the problem. As far as I’m aware it’s not an issue with the F-6 4.0L cars, but I believe that they use a different GPF monitoring system [differential pressure sensor and a temperature sensor?] when compared with the turbo cars.

Jeff

Absolutely