Here are some really good tips for the best way to shop for a used Porsche Boxster.

1.    Determine what your budget is for your Porsche Boxster. A casual search on the Internet revealed the following prices for some used Porsche Boxsters:

• 1999 Porsche Boxster – 67,150 miles        $12,700
• 2001 Porsche Boxster – 66,605 miles        $18,990
• 2002 Porsche Boxster – 49,500 miles        $17,900
• 2003 Porsche Boxster – 37,360 miles        $19,950
• 2004 Porsche Boxster – 11,600 miles        $27,800

The average price for these five cars is $19,648, which can give you an idea as to what you’re facing when applying your budget to the purchase.

2.    Since you know for a fact that you want to purchase a Porsche Boxster, you already know what the overall size of the interior is and how you might fit into it with your passenger. But, you may want a particular size engine and drive train combination. Porsche Boxster upgraded their engine sizes practically every year, especially for the Porsche Boxster S models. If the dealer you want to deal with does not have the power combination you are looking for, wait until he does, or go shopping elsewhere. Prepare a list of notes for each Boxster you see. Buying a Porsche Boxster is a big decision, so take your time, and remember to leave your emotions back home. You are looking for the Boxster that fits your wish list entirely.

3.    When you spot a contender for the top of your shopping list, take it for a test drive. Check for unusual noises, bumps, and rattles that are indicators of a potential ‘no’ decision. Add all pertinent data to your list of notes for each Boxster you test drive. Don’t commit to any car or salesman just yet. It is your hard-earned money you are about to spend, and regardless of appearance, if the machine is a finely polished piece of junk, you do not want it.

4.    As you test several Porsche Boxsters, possibly from various dealers, set up a ranking list according to your priorities and the data that you have collected on each car tested. After you have a good priority list ranking for each vehicle, rank them according to price. At this point you should be able to trim your list down to one or two cars. If it is hard to choose between the finalists, test drive them again, adding more specific data to your ranking list.

5.    Once you have made your decision, tell the salesman of your choice and begin the negotiations for the purchase.

These are simple, but effective ways to shop for any used car. Remember, this, though, shopping and testing is only a small part of the fun you will have after you have purchased your used Porsche Boxster.

When you first see the 2009 model of Porsche’s answer to those who would really like to know what it is like to drive a high performance Sebring type racecar you begin to understand why Porsche still has good sales figures for this fine road machine. The basic design of the 2009 model hearkens back to the first Boxsters that appeared in 1997. It still has a harsh drive, no real glove box to speak of, which makes for overflowing map pockets in the door.

The rest of the new interior, though, is a delight to discover. The 2009 model has a Bose stereo system that has been upgraded from previous models. The fade is factory set for heavy front, but can be adjusted more to the back speakers to give a theater studio quality sound that is rich and full. The down side of the system is that there are some uncertain sounds that occur when traveling at higher speeds, which is not too different from many other convertibles. Also there are way too many buttons to deal with when trying to negotiate the curves on Mulholland Drive north of Bel Air.

Other features of the new interior are a new navigation system with a touchscreen display. Excellently designed primary gauges appear on the dashboard with neatly arranged controls that focus on the large center-mounted tachometer. All the buttons and knobs can be ordered with leather wrappings that add to the Porsche appeal to pricey elegance. Temperature control and fan adjustment are handled with rocker switches in the new automatic climate control system.

The Porsche Boxster convertible’s two trunks are still a bit tiny as far as hauling extra cargo is concerned, but after all, we are talking rallye driving here, not pickup truck yeoman’s work. If you only plan on doing a couple of days away from the office and home there is enough room in the front cargo area for that much luggage. The rear trunk space is not as deep as the front but it can handle your briefcase with a complementary computer bag. You will find that this year’s model has race-car-firm seating as standard, but there is an option available for bolstered sports seats.

As you walk around the outside of this fine vehicle you can take in some beautiful car design work. The power operated convertible top is greatly appreciated especially when rainy weather threatens your jaunt through the mountains. The long front hood camouflages the deep storage area. And as you look at the car you begin to realize that the original design is definitely there, but the car has an altogether new skin. The front air intakes take on the look of the flared nostrils of a highbred Arabian stallion. The diagonally arranged headlamps within the now familiar transparent ‘eyelids’ that appear on many newer cars remind you of those headlamps on a 1970’s model 917 fitted out for Le Mans. The car also appears to be a little wider brought on by fender ridges that push out just a bit. The new LED taillights create an all new aura to the rear of the car not to mention brighter lights for safety sake.

The platform of the car continues the mid-engine mount that features two choices of direct injected engines – the standard 2.9 Liter, 255 horsepower, DOHC 24-valve flat-6 or the optional ‘S’ 3.4 Liter, 310 horsepower, DOHC 24-valve flat-6. The exhaust is finely tuned to produce just enough roar right by the driver’s left ear, but for that grab-your-hat and run sound you will have to dish out an additional $2500 for the special sport exhaust system.

The majority of Porsche Boxsters (75%) sold in the U.S. come with standard stick shift transmissions. The new seven-speed Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) dual-clutch automated standard shift transmission is quite the pleasing option to consider. It works great on those winding roads above Bel Air or in the Virginia hills near Lynchburg. It is a great substitute for an automatic. Most reviews show this new PDK transmission as a high performing option for any driver of the Boxster.

This whole package with the ‘S’ option 310 hp engine will surge down the street from zero to 60 in less than 5.2 seconds. The PDK offers steering wheel-mounted shift paddles that some reviewer found to be awkward yet satisfying smooth shifting. There are four options for transmissions to be considered:

• Drive mode – purely automatic
• Sport-automatic mode – lags in the low end shifts
• Sport-manual mode – fast shifts yet silky smooth
• Sport-plus (optional with the Sport Chrono Package) that feature very fast shifts, but real harsh in its response

All in all, the Porsche Boxster Convertible for 2009 offers the feel of great handling, especially on curvy roads through the management of the stability control system in the Sport Plus option. The economy of a sportscar is rarely mentioned but tests on the 2009 Porsche Boxster S with PDK reported 20 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the interstate. To appreciate driving the way it was meant to be, consider the Porsche Boxster Convertible.

Perform a casual online search for Porsche Boxster front brake pads. You will find at least 87,600 places that have Porsche Boxster parts, and each of them have a different price. For instance, the price for the front brake pads ranged from $39.00 to $112.99. It that vast difference in price that prompts the strong urging to restate an old adage – ‘caveat emptor’ or in language less Latin and more American English – ‘Let the buyer beware’ or even better, ‘Don’t be in a hurry to open your change purse!’

Just in case you didn’t know, the Porsche Boxster is a foreign car in the United States. However, Porsche Boxster parts are made all over the world. That is the reason for the great discrepancy in prices for these parts. The company that made the original production parts for the cars also made parts to be sold through repair shops. If the origin of the parts is overseas, it costs a great deal to ship them, and market them through car part shops in the U.S, so, the price for those OEM parts are generally high. Some intelligent machinists here in the U.S. learned that they could make a fast buck by retro-engineering the parts for many cars made in Europe and Japan, and selling them at prices a little lower than OEM [Original Equipment Manufacturer] parts. Hence, a price war is in operation probably right within your own city.

So, you really need to be careful in buying Porsche Boxster parts for your used Porsche Boxster. Here are some guidelines to follow to help you through this economic warfare:

1.    First of all you really need to know if your local dealer is a good place to carry out business for you. You may have better luck online, but first inquire from good mechanics in the area where you live, they will generally tell you the truth about auto parts stores.

2.    If you cannot find a reliable source for parts for your Porsche Boxster, find a place online in the World Wide Web that has a good reputation for supplying foreign car parts to the public. Some examples are:

• vertexauto.com — An online car parts dealer for European auto parts for Porsche, Ferrari, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volkswagen, and a host of other luxury European marks. Located in Coral Gables, Florida, they have been in business for over 25 years selling quality parts and offering high quality service, repair, and body work.
• fap99.com — A quality direct marketer for 27 years for foreign auto parts. They describe themselves as the largest import parts distributor in North America.
• foreigncarpartsonline.com — FCP Groton have been retailing import auto parts for over 20 years for European, Asian, or other imported cars.
• all-foreign.com — Retail and wholesale distributor of foreign and import car parts. They have been in business for over 25 years.

3.    Enter the website of your choice of one of these reliable dealers and enter the year and make of your car. The instructions will guide you to choose from a list of parts of whatever item you may need.

4.    Pick the general category of the part that you want.

5.    Then from an additional drop-down menu or list, pick the specific part that you need. By clicking on the part that you need, you will be guided to a portion of the website that will ask you pertinent delivery information. You will then be asked to pay through your credit card or PayPal. PayPal is probably the safest choice to use. After the transaction is completed, PRINT OUT THE ORDER PAGE!!! Maintain this page in your records until your shipment comes.

6.    When your order arrives, check it against the printed page of your original order. If everything matches, and it is the right part, you can proceed to repairing your Porsche Boxster.

You were quite fortunate to purchase your Porsche Boxster and you want to make sure you use quality replacement parts in your maintenance and repair program. Following the above guidelines will provide you with reliable Porsche Boxster parts and many years of happy motoring.

When you order a new Porsche Boxster you have quite a few optional choices for wheels. The Internet website, porsche.com, has eight different choices for you ranging in price from $390 to $3,620 to change from the 17” Boxster III wheel. The choices are:

• 17” Cayman II Wheel
• 18” Boxster S II Wheel
• 18” Cayman S II Wheel
• Rims and Caps to match the exterior color
• 19” Carrera S II Wheel
• 19” Sport Design Wheel
• 19” Carrera Classic Wheel
• 19” Carrera Sport Wheel

One thing is certain about choosing any of these particular wheels when you order directly from Porsche. The engineers that designed these wheels were designing wheels that do not just fit the car, but are made for it. Weight and load distribution, cornering characteristics, and other considerations helped guide the manufacture and offer of these wheel options for your Porsche Boxster.

However, if you are looking beyond what the car dealer wants you to buy and want to configure your own Porsche Boxster wheels the way you want them you can find quite a few options from which to choose.

There is a plethora of websites on the Internet that will sell you many different kinds of custom wheels for your Porsche Boxster. Some of them are:

• customwheel.com — a company with twenty-two years experience
• tirerack.com — they have been providing tires and professional wheel and tire expertise to the public since 1979.
• customwheelsdirect.com — they have been selling wheels in the San Diego, California, area for thirty-two years.
• americanracing.com — a company that has more than fifty years experience providing wheels for the aftermarket auto industry.

For truly custom Porsche Boxster wheels you can contact shops like:

• Foose Design, Incorporated in Huntington Beach, California, where Chip Foose master designer plies his trade.
• MHT Luxury Alloys from Garden Grove, California
• Sons of Boyd, LLC. in Los Angeles, California, is a new company that has its roots in the hotrod pioneering world with the legendary late Boyd Coddington. Sons of Boyd offer more than twenty years of design and fabrication talent to the custom wheel world.
• Asanti Wheel Corporation in Corona, California

Be sure to provide complete information of your vehicle to these custom wheel designers when ordering a new set of rims for your Porsche Boxster. They will design a new set of wheels based upon your criteria that will fit your car, or you can choose from their gallery of very fine custom designed wheel inventories. In any case, you will have a unique, one-of-a-kind roadster riding on its own set of Porsche Boxster wheels.

An easy eye-catching item to get for your Boxster is a set of Euro LED taillights. They are available for all Porsche Boxsters from years 1997-2004. You can have your choice of black, clear or red housing. These LED taillights produce a vivid, powerful light that uses very little energy and lasts quite a bit longer than stock taillights. This is a great first upgrade for your special Porsche Boxster and the price for it is just a little more than $300.

On the front end of things you can really make a b-I-g appearance difference that is sure to turn heads with a Fiberwerks Boxster GTR Aerokit. If your Boxster is a 1997-2004 you can add the GTR front bumper that features a top grill, center grills, and a lower splitter. Now this kit also features side rocker panels with either the TA or the GT3RS style and the Fiberwerks Daytona II Aerowing. Prices range from $1770 to $2529 and can be found on the World Wide Web at fiberwerks.com. For legal concerns you will need to obtain factory 997 side marker lights also.

To further customize the exterior of your ‘Boxsey’ consider adding these Porsche Boxster accessories:

• Painted headlight covers
• Carbon fiber mirror covers
• LED door light handles – they light up when the door is unlocked to fade out after it is locked.
• Upgrade to new wheels and tires
• Color accented roll bar hoops

For a new look inside the following is sure to please:

• The addition of an in-dash DVD/GPS Navigation system
• Aluminum foot pedals
• Custom painted accent interior trim pieces
• Tinted windows
• Steering wheel cover
• Custom seat covers with matching sun visor covers
• Illuminated map pockets in the doors

Not everyone can afford the work that custom designers provide for their customers. Total remake of body and interior can cost tens of thousands of dollars. These simple additions done a little at a time or all at once, depending upon your budget, will really make a difference in the appearance of your personal ‘Boxsey’. So pick up a few catalogs from the likes of J.C. Whitney, AutoSport Catalog, or Import Performance Warehouse Catalog and start shopping. Porsche Boxster accessories can increase the value of your car and will again cause heads to turn.

The probable reason for the consistency in the average mpg ratings of the Porsche Boxster is the excellent horsepower to weight ratio. The new 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder boasts a power-to-weight ratio of 11.9 pounds/bhp, which runs it really close to the average 11.5 pounds/bhp for most standard Porsche Boxsters.

So, with a low ratio for power-to-weight, how can you boost the Porsche Boxster mpg? Well, there is not a whole lot of weight that can be reduced from the car, since it is pretty light already. And we probably can’t increase the horsepower of the Porsche Boxster since it is already getting about as much as can be had from a flat-6 engine with an exception of a turbo boost, but then you loose the fuel economy. Besides, there is just not a lot of room left to squeeze anything more into the engine compartment behind the seats. So the question remains, how does one go about improving fuel economy for the Porsche Boxster?

The answer for that is the same as for any vehicle in this case. Here are some general tips for improving Porsche Boxster mpg.
1.    Keep your car in good shape.

• Maintain your engine regularly – replace a faulty oxygen sensor, for instance, and you can boost mileage by a 4% average.
• Replace air filters – fuel improvement is a gain by 10%
• Keep the tires inflated to the manufacturer’s suggested pressure – boost mpg by 3%
• Don’t use the wrong grade motor oil – go with the manufacturer’s recommendation. They have spent a great deal of time, money, and testing to find just the right oil viscosity to use in your Porsche Boxster. Just this simple effort can increase your fuel economy by 1 to 2%

2.    Drive efficiently. That is really hard to do with a Porsche Boxster, but resist the temptation to hold the pedal to the floorboard if you really are interested in improving your Porsche Boxster mpg.

• Drive the speed limit. The faster you drive, the lower the numbers on your fuel economy.
• Limit your quick, jackrabbit starts and your stand on your head braking.
• Avoid idling any longer than 30 seconds. When you idle longer than that you will use more gas than if you turned off the engine and restarted it later.

We all know why any purchases a hot, little Porsche Boxster. It is to enjoy the wind in your hair and sun beaming in your face while you negotiate switchback turns on mountain roads at maximum allowable speeds. But if you really are watching the fuel budget, follow these tips and you will enjoy better Porsche Boxster mpg numbers.

The flat-6 midmounted water-cooled engine reminds you of a boxer as he faces his opponent at center ring right at the introduction by the referee. Both of the fighters punch their boxing gloves at each other striking the other’s extended wrapped fists as a salute. The engine’s pistons oppose one another in a similar movement back and forth thus giving the idea of a ‘boxer’ getting ready to box. The pistons are mounted in the engine block in two banks of three cylinders on either side of a centrally located crankshaft.

The Porsche Boxster engine is designed with a low center of gravity and brevity of overall length. This construction provides for more efficient air-cooling especially since it is located behind the seats. The length may be short, but the width of the engine makes it too big for the engine compartments of most compact cars.

In 1997, the Boxster debuted with the 2.5-liter dual-overhead-cam, 201 horsepower engine. The entry-level engine produced 180 foot-pounds of torque.

The next two years found very little changes to the engines, but in the year 2000 the company produced two new dual-overhead-cam engines. One was a 2.7-liter flat-6, which powered the base model Boxster. The other was a 3.2-liter six that pushed the new ‘S’ model through a 6-speed manual transmission.

Year 2003 found the development of increased horsepower in both engines with the base model adding 11 more ponies to make 228 HP, and the ‘S’ engine only gaining 8 horsepower over its predecessor to expand to 258 HP.

Surprisingly, the difference in size and horsepower did not impact fuel economy all that much, for the marque was able to maintain its city and highway mpg ratings with very little change. However speed did change over the years. In 1997 the 2.5-liter DOHC, 201 HP engine produced zero to sixty times in 6.0 seconds. In 2009, the Boxster base model flat-6 grew to a hefty 2.9-liter and 255 HP and delivered the car from the starting line to sixty mph a whole second faster at 5.0 seconds.

Over the years, the Porsche Boxster engine made a gradual change from its start in 1997 to take on more of the architecture and performance of its big brother 911 engines. Porsche is the master at the flat-6 and they have made a really winning car to fit around it.

A new exhaust system can change the look, sound, and performance of your Porsche Boxster.  Here are some elements that can be changed on your Boxster:

• Exhaust headers – the collectors of engine exhaust from the cylinders and distributes it to the exhaust pipe to be expelled from the engine.
• Custom fit exhaust pipes – a greater improvement in horsepower, more torque, and fine sports car sound while still maintaining street legal performance.
• Mufflers – simple replacement of this part from OEM mufflers and an immediate appreciation of increased HP by as much as 10% plus better sound control.
• Exhaust tips – an aftermarket add-on to your Porsche Boxster exhaust to provide not only a unique daytime eye-catcher, but also an after dark appearance improvement as well. Several manufacturers have developed exhaust tips that feature LED lights built into the rear lip. Highly polished chrome construction with various design flames etched on the exterior provide the daytime shine. The LEDs light up the tips of the exhaust pipes at night for quite a unique look.

The manufacturers who have found this niche for customizing your Porsche Boxster exhaust really can put a difference in your car’s performance, appearance, and sound. Some of them are:

• MBRP Inc., Huntsville, Ontario, Canada
• RemusUSA SportExhaust, Emeryville, California
• Option Group, La Puente, California
• Fabspeed Motorsports, Ambler, Pennsylvania
• Borla USA, Oxnard, California
• X-OST Maranello, Maranello, Italy

There is something about the sound of a GT or even a 911 that triggers a mental image of hot asphalt racetracks, fast curves, and the blur of spectators. You might not ever get the chance to drive at any of the famous races like Le Mans, Grand Prix de Monaco, Sebring, or any Formula One gathering. But you might be able to get the sound of such a race coming from the rear of your sports car especially with finely tuned Porsche Boxster exhausts.

One of the first things that brought you to looking for a used Porsche Boxster for sale is the price of a new Porsche Boxster. The base price for a new standard Porsche Boxster is $47,600 and once you add just a modicum of options it quickly can jump to over $63,200. You and the Mrs. quickly decided that you should go with a used Porsche Boxster, and the hunt is on.

There are three good areas to look for good used Porsche Boxsters for sale: The Internet, Major auto magazines, and your local import auto dealer pre-owned car lot. Let’s look at each of these areas individually.

The Internet has become one of the best marketing tools ever. Where else can you get worldwide coverage of something you have for sale? Depending upon your budget, let’s look at a standard 2003 Porsche Boxster. The price range for that year and model runs $18,350 to $21,765 according to the Kelley Blue Book. A few good places to do your Internet shopping are:

• autotrader.com — one of the best places to do used car research and to locate just the used car you want whether locally or anywhere in the world
• carmax.com — another excellent place to look for either used or new cars of your choice.
• automallusa.net — Auto Mall has been a popular used car franchise program throughout the country for many years especially in larger cities. Shopping with them online is as good as the previous location mentioned above
• motors.shop.ebay.com — If you know exactly what you want, eBay is a good place to shop and to do some market research especially for pricing

Major auto magazines have carried classified ads for years for good, clean used cars. Some examples of these are:

• Motor Trend Magazine – One of the U.S.’s oldest automobile magazines. It also has an interactive website which is another good place to shop for a used Porsche Boxster for sale
• Car and Driver Magazine – This magazine doesn’t list used cars for sale, per se, but it is an excellent source for good, reliable information for used cars by checking issues from the year of the car you wish to buy. The magazine has an in-depth, comprehensive buyer’s guide as well as good reviews from first drives to road tests to comparison tests between makes of cars. This magazine also has a good interactive website
• Auto Trader Magazine – Even though we have already mentioned Auto Trader for its website, it has a great weekly magazine of used vehicles principally within your local area for sale

Again, using the Internet, or checking the Yellow Pages, look for import automobile dealers within your local area. There you may find a dealer that exclusively handles new and used Porsches, which would be an excellent place for you to test drive and even purchase a good, used Porsche Boxster for sale.