Automobile Magazine, September 1998, Volume 13, Number 6
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Four Seasons Test, Porsche Boxster.

Every moment behind the Boxster's wheel is divine, but just as the top-down summer season gets into full swing, it becomes clear that the Boxster is not as reliable as, say, a Japanese sport sedan.

16,095 "It's a joy to drive a sports car that sounds like a sports car. Who needs the radio when you've got that boxer six behind you?"

17,142 "The car is creaking and rattling quite a bit."

17,440 "The Mercedes-Benz SLK230 offers nowhere near the driving pleasure of the Boxster, but its build quality and cabin trim are leaps ahead. If we could combine the Boxster's dynamic virtues with the SLK's gorgeous, well-crafted interior -- wow! -- that would be one heck of a $45,000 roadster."

18,163 David E. Davis, Jr.: "The lack of cockpit storage space drives me nuts, but this is still a near-perfect sports car."

19,431 Returning from a long trip, the Boxster refuses to turn over and requires two push starts. We take it to the dealership. Once there, of course, the car starts and runs fine, so the technicians are unable to duplicate or detect the problem.

20,551 It happens again over the Memorial weekend: Senior editor Joe Lorio drives to Michigan's Upper Peninsula without incident, only to have the car refuse to start in his driveway once he's home. After sitting a few hours, it fires up. We suspect that the problem is related to the car's security system. Back to the dealership we go.

Automobile Magazine reports: 6/96, 3/97, 2/98, 4/98, 8/98
Price as tested: $45,706
Months in service: 9
Miles to date: 21,288
Observed fuel economy: 21.8 mpg

Berkeley | Boxster | Mags