Porsche 986 Boxster : Boxster, Boxster S, Boxster S 550 Spyder: model years 1997 to 2005 (Essential Buyer's Guide series) Kindle Edition

It is a very comprehensive book that tells you all you need to know if you are in the market for a Porsche 986 Boxster or if you already own one and just want it for the information it contains about your car.

Having read this book, I decided not to buy one! Too many troubling issues with its complicated engineering and technology. Thanks but no thanks! The only positive comment in this book, well written and laid out as it is, concludes that driving the Boxster "will put a smile on your face".But I guess that's only until all the trouble starts.

I didn't pay attention to the SIZE of the book when I ordered it. It's tiny: 5.5 inches wide by 7.75 inches tall. The photos in the book are supposed to show you what to look for when evaluating a car, BUT they are the size of thumbnails. They are too small to see any pertinent detail. The type font is san serif and also tiny and almost impossible to read. The book is poorly glued together and pages started pulling out during the first half-hour of reading.I'd bought other car books from Veloce before, such as their Miata workshop manual, and had been pleased. This book was a disappointment.

This is not a traditional buyers guide to Porsche models that I have seen and purchased before. This is for a non- car person and lists the things such as service records, carfax, tire wear,etc. that a non car person should pay a professional to inspect. My expectation in a buyers guide lists the year to year changes to the vehicle such as optional equipment, engine size, horsepower, etc., that allow a buyer to zero in on what year and equipment is desirable and valuable to him or her. The only thing I really got out of this book that I didn't know before was that 2001 was the first year of the S model and the small chart at the back of the book that listed engine sizes and power output over the years that this book covered.

Way too expensive for what you get. Most info is general for ALL cars anyway, with some Boxster pics. Waste of money. Get "101 Projects for the Porsche Boxster" instead. Much better value.

Could use more depth on specific issues by year and more year to year differences in models, frequency of repairs, colors, etc

Helpful for a new Boxster buyer, Especially used ones.

All right, but leaves out some big problems with the engines

The strength and (occasional) weakness of this series is that they all adopt the same format so you know what to expect. The main negative is that some of the advice, eg about auctions, can sometimes be repeated from other issues and be little more than generalisations. But if you’re only going to buy one copy for one car then that doesn’t matter. And, having said that, they are written by different experts on the model under consideration so are full of good and, above all, relevant advice. It’s not a foolproof guide, but then they do recommend an independent inspection if you’re seriously interested in a particular car. Perhaps the most important piece of advice is when to walk away from a car if it has issues specific to that model. Each book details costs of major service parts so you can factor those in when assessing how much you can afford to pay and budget accordingly. They’re basically the equivalent of those black and yellow study notes we all used at school and should be utilised in the same manner: as a brief introduction but with expert comments and links to other contacts for information as well as where to source cars.If you’re interested in any car covered by the series, I would recommend purchasing the book and reading the section which ask the question is whether it is suitable for you. You might save yourself a lot of time, money and other grief.

Good starting point for the ckmlGood start for the first time buyer\novice to reach for . Although a lot of his well meaning advice can come over as making even thinking of purchase of anything other than a certified mint car as crazy. Read several times to fully appreciate the authors advice. Armed with said advice will greatly increase your chances of getting your dream car.

I have bought a couple of essential guides before. For the price they are OK but a lot of the information is duplicated so getting on for half the book is not specific to the 986. There are better books, with more information, out there.

Bought this after buying one of Streather's 911 guides which is excellent. This book, however, appears to be no more than a generic car buying guide with a Boxster photo on the cover. No mention of potential problems, such as the rear main oil seal. Particularly disappointing as no reference to the importance of the regularity of gearbox fluid changes, the lack of which can cause severe problems.

Expensive but a good compilation of useful information.