I felt as though I was riding along with you and the Mrs. while reading your most excellent post! I

Last Thursday afternoon, my wife and I left our home in the Palm Springs area of California and flew to pick up the Boxster that we (I) had bought, sight unseen, in Plano, TX (Boardwalk Porsche). The car turned out to be just as described by the dealer, with all the right equipment we wanted (and more), and we took delivery on Friday morning. Here is the excited new owner after laying eyes on the car for the first time:



After delivery, we inmediately pointed the nose West on I20 for the long trip home:



After a couple of hours on I20 we hooked northwest on TX84 to visit Lubbock, just because it was Buddy Holly's hometown, and went on from there to New Mexico. That night, we made it to Albuquerque:



After spending the night in a motel, we headed out on I40 the following morning. There were some showers along the way, but as we approached Arizona, the skies had cleared nicely:



Once we crossed into California, we got a chance to do some desert mountain driving on our way south from I40 towards Palm Springs. Good chance to get a feel for the car:



Arrival at home in Palm Desert on Saturday afternoon about 5:30:



Here is a picture of the interior:



Some Porsche nut must live in this house:



First impressions of the car - this is my third Boxster, and it is the first chance I get to drive a PDK transmission. I don't know if it is the PDK, or the evolution of the car over the years, but this Boxster feels heavier than my previous cars. Of course, I am talking from memory, since I haven't had a Boxster for about five years now. Nevertheless, I remember the old ones as being more nimble. That being said, I "tossed" this one around some of the turns in that mountain road, and it responded flawlessly, so it may just be me not being familiar with this particular chassis. The PDK transmission also seems sluggish on take-off, but again, that might just be me not getting on it as you should. One surprising trait of the PDK is that it allows the engine to run at much lower RPM's that I am used to. Cruising along in traffic, at a steady 40 mph or so, the transmission will go into 7th gear and the engine will turn 1200-1300 rpm's, something that I would not normally do in a manual car. Of course, you can always downshift for yourself, but it is interesting nevertheless that Porsche programmed the PDK system to do that.

The car is full of electronic gizmos, and of course it has the new PCM 3.0. More modern-looking interface than the old PCM, but still clunky. Porsche needs to hire someone from Silicon Valley (or Garmin for the navigation) to bring them up to date with the technology. Nevertheless, it is fun to play with the system and overcome the challenge of getting it to do just what you want. Something to pass the time on long trips...

It was a lot of fun to buy the car this way. Two days of automotive adventure, the chance to get to know your new machine right away, and the opportunity to see some really beautiful parts of this country that you probably would never see otherwise. Now I need to plan some more trips...

The only thing better than a good road trip in a nice clean car is a road trip in a nice clean NEW car! I'm sure you will enjoy!

dghii
2000 Boxster S 6speed 112k miles

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Tino


The PDK transmission also seems sluggish on take-off, but again, that might just be me not getting on it as you should. One surprising trait of the PDK is that it allows the engine to run at much lower RPM's that I am used to. Cruising along in traffic, at a steady 40 mph or so, the transmission will go into 7th gear and the engine will turn 1200-1300 rpm's, something that I would not normally do in a manual car. Of course, you can always downshift for yourself, but it is interesting nevertheless that Porsche programmed the PDK system to do that.


It was a lot of fun to buy the car this way. Two days of automotive adventure, the chance to get to know your new machine right away, and the opportunity to see some really beautiful parts of this country that you probably would never see otherwise. Now I need to plan some more trips...

Interesting-- in the '06' manual there's a lot of verbiage about not lugging the car below 2k RPM in higher gears; no longer a problem?

Good looking car. In MD, I'd love to take a road trip out west in my Boxster. I have even thought about shipping it to Denver or someplace and flying iout to start the trip.

I had a loaner last year with pdk and I was also surprised at how low it puts rpms. I'll cruise at 2,200 or so in 6th on the highway (manual tranny), but no lower, either shift for power or very gradually move up the rpm range. Lugging has been talked about here as a possible reason for IMS failure (but there is from what I have read no proof of it) and as noted it is mentioned in the owner's manual. So, it was surprising to me that pdk ran at such low rpms.

Having said that, "lugging" (at least to me) is not running at low rpms, but trying to accelerate at low rpms. I might be driving around town in 4th or 5th and keep it there as I a approach a light, and take it to neutral as I brake to a stop. That is, the rpms get down to low teens before disengaging the clutch. This is not lugging. Lugging, in a Boxster, is to me trying to accelerate at anything under about 3k. Or, going up hill under 3k. the pdk that I drove downshifted immediately from low rpms if I gave it even a hint of juice. To keep constant speed uphill, it needs a bit more juice and pdk did its downshift for me. So, maybe in that respect, driving at a constant speed at low rpms maybe ok. I don't to it, but maybe it is ok.

1999 Arctic Sivler/black/black (sold)
2008s Silver/black/black - so predictable
2011 Outback
8/24/2011 first Grandson

Your Boxster has some great company!

What a great way to get to know your new Boxster! That drive along I-40 has some great scenery. I still remember it well from our California trip two year ago. Loved the roadside rest areas in NM with their covered tables.

Enjoy your new Boxster. It's enough to turn anyone into a Porsche nut.

Guenter
2014 Boxster S
GT Silver, 6 Speed Manual, Bi-Xenons, Sports Suspension (lowers car 20mm), Porsche Sports Exhaust, Porsche Torque Vectoring, Auto Climate control, heated and vented seats, 20" Carrera S Wheels, Pedro's TechNoWind, Sport Design steering wheel, Roll bars in GT Silver
[www.cyberdesignconcepts.com]

First of all, congrats on the new stable-mate. It certainly won't be lonely in that garage...

I know what you mean about "feeling" the PDK is less responsive than you may have expected...I had sort of the same first impression on mine, but I've come to the conclusion it is entirely psychological. After all, when you shift manually, you know exactly when to expect the power to be applied to the road and are mentally synched with your own manual shifting process...it'll never seem "slow". But if all you have to do is put your foot down, you won't get that "instant" response...

BTW, mine shifts into 7th at around 46-47. And I agree 100% with Bobtesa about the "lugging". It never lugs, it just puts a higher value on fuel efficiency than "pure exhilaration". Can't you tune that with Sports Chrono? I don't have one, so I'm stuck with the single auto shift program. Perhaps you only get to select shift points for lower gears?

Enjoy. Like the deviated carpet.

... and
Happy Boxstering, again.
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

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Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

I strive to be the "Porsche Nut" that you are! Congrats on the new addition to the stable.

Congrats on the new ride. I thought my 300 mile trip for my new 08 was a road trip, but you put that to shame. Enjoy. Fill us is on how the PDK grows on you.

Current Love: 2008 RS60; 1st Love: 2001 base, triple black

Thanks for the story and pictures. That's a very nice inventory to choose from.

Thank you all for the good wishes and comments. From time to time, I'll keep you posted on how it goes with the car. Believe it or not, we've had a couple of rainy days here in the California desert, so not much driving since I started the thread, but I'm already planning some tours up and down the mountains around here and along the coast. Flash if you happen to see me!

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Tino
Thank you all for the good wishes and comments. From time to time, I'll keep you posted on how it goes with the car. Believe it or not, we've had a couple of rainy days here in the California desert, so not much driving since I started the thread, but I'm already planning some tours up and down the mountains around here and along the coast. Flash if you happen to see me!

Thank YOU for taking the time to share not only the photos and the narrative, but for doing it in a way that facilitated the illusion of being right there on those roads, in that gorgeous interior.

My thoughts eventually turned to....It's starting to turn colder here on Long Island...HELP!!! ...but the ride along with you was nice...

Thanks again, and Drive it in Good Health!

Regards, Maurice.