The Best Year For The Porsche Boxster
2004 Porsche Boxster by Vauxford — CC BY-SA 4.0
When the Porsche Boxster came out in 1996, it had some problems through the next few years as all new vehicles experience. Then after a couple of redesigns, Porsche would find their sweet spot in 2012, which is the best year for the Porsche Boxster.
If you’re looking to get into a two-seater sports car from Germany, but you don’t want to drain your bank account, then a used 2012 Porsche Boxster could be just the vehicle for you. They’re reasonably priced, they have two different powerful engine options, and great handling characteristics.
GET A CURATED LIST OF THE BEST PORSCHE LISTINGS
The CoPilot app is the smartest way to buy a Porsche. Tell us what you’re looking for and we’ll send you a curated list of the best used Porsche listings in your area - no more scrolling through hundreds of listings looking for hidden gems.
2012 Porsche Boxster Trim Models and Drivetrain
- Porsche Boxster
- Porsche Boxster S
- Porsche Boxster S Black Edition
- Porsche Boxster Spyder
The base model Boxster offers an F-6 2.9-liter engine with 255 horsepower and 214 lb.-ft. of torque. Stepping up to the Boxster S trim level, you get an F-6 3.4-liter with 255 horsepower and 266 lb.-ft. of torque.
The next available Boxster is a limited edition S Black Edition that shares an engine with the track-ready Porsche Spyder. This power plant is a 3.4-liter pumping out 320 horsepower and 273 lb.-ft. of torque.
All 2012 Porsche Boxsters come with an optional 6-speed manual transmission and an available Doppelkupplungsgetrieble seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.
OTHER CAR SHOPPING APPS ARE OUTDATED
You won’t realize how outdated other car searching apps are until you try the CoPilot car shopping app. CoPilot does the hard work for you by searching all of the listings in your area and intelligently creating a personalized list of the best buys in the area that match what you’re looking for.
2012 Porsche Boxster Fuel Economy
The Porsche Boxster gets pretty decent fuel economy and definitely beats out some of its competition.
- Porsche Boxster (manual): 19 city / 27 hwy mpg
- Porsche Boxster (dual-clutch auto): 20 city / 29 hwy mpg
- Porsche Boxster S (manual): 19 city / 26 hwy mpg
- Porsche Boxster S (dual-clutch auto): 20 city / 29 hwy mpg
- Porsche Boxster S Black Edition (manual) 19 city / 26 hwy mpg
- Porsche Boxster S Black Edition (dual-clutch auto) 20 city / 29 highway mpg
- Porsche Boxster Spyder (manual) 19 city / 27 hwy mpg
- Porsche Boxster Spyder (dual-clutch auto) 20 city / 29 hwy mpg
What 2012 Porsche Boxster is Best for You?
If you’re looking to save some money, but you still want to look cool cruising in a German branded 2-seater, the Porsche Boxster or the Porsche Boxster S would be the way to go. You will still have good power and good handling, and a better price tag than the Black Edition or the Spyder models because they are less of a collector car and more of a driver’s car.
If money isn’t really that much of a big deal to you as getting a Porsche that will hold their value and even go up, then point yourself in the direction of either the Black Edition or the Spyder model. There were only 987 Black Edition Boxsters produced, and although the Spyder isn’t a special edition, it’s collectible and will hold its value quite well.
THE BEST USED LUXURY CARS ON THE MARKET
Buying a used or CPO luxury car is one of the smartest buys you can make - you can get a lot of car for not much money. You can pick up a three-year-old luxury car for about half of what you’d pay new. Check out this list of the best used luxury cars on the market to find the best deals.
How Much Will You Save Buying Used?
When looking for the best year for the Porsche Boxster, with enough shopping around, you can come across a used 2012 model for about $20,000 less than the original MSRP (price brand new). It will depend on how many miles and what shape the Porsche was kept in, and possibly the location of the car.
But if you are looking to get into a Boxster S Black Edition or Spyder model, don’t expect too much leeway on price. Most of these vehicles are going to have low miles, be in immaculate condition, and the owner probably isn’t going to be in a hurry to cut you a deal.
The 2012 Porsche Boxster’s Competition
In 2012, the Porsche Boxster had some big names they had to compete with, and they also had some less competitive brands to deal with.
- Audi TT
- BMW Z4
- Jaguar XK
- Chevrolet Corvette
- Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class
- Nissan 370Z
- Mazda MX-5 Miata
Although the Porsche barely holds its own against some of them when it comes to power, it does stand above models like the Audi TT and the Mazda MX-5 Miata.
The Corvette and the Mercedes might have a little edge on the Boxster in the popularity department, especially if you go with the base model or the S trim, but you will also probably pay a little more for them as well. The Jaguar and the Nissan are pretty close matches to the Porsche, but nothing says German sports car better than Porsche.
What You Will Be Missing Out on From a 2013 Porsche
The next year up comes on a 911-derived chassis. Despite being longer and wider, it is a little bit lighter. There are still two different engine options. The 3.4-liter from 2012 is carried over for the Boxster S, and the base model gets a new 2.7-liter with 265 horsepower. Also, new for the Porsche will be an optional torque vectoring system, both for safety and better driving characteristics.
2012 Porsche Boxster Recalls
One of the reasons the best year for the Porsche Boxster is the low recall problems for the 2012 year. There is only one recall set by the NHTSA:
NHTSA: 11V40900 Date Announced: Aug. 05, 2011
Recall: Seat Belt End Fittings Vehicle Affected: 235
THE BEST USED SUVS UNDER $10,000
We looked into price, reliability, features, and more to create this list of the best used SUVs under $10k on the market today. Take a look - some of the best used SUVs have gone mostly overlooked or forgotten.
Porsche Boxster Reliability
It’s true, the first generation had its share of problems, even enough problems to scare away a lot of potential consumers. But the 2012 Porsche Boxster Base, S, S Black Edition, and Spyder is a very well-rounded car that you can depend on for a weekend driver or even a daily driver. J.D. Power gives it four-out-five stars, and reviews from consumers are nothing but positive.
2012 Porsche Boxster Complaints
Although the 2012 model is the best year for the Porsche Boxster to us, there are some complaints. Some have complained that there could be more room in the cabin and storage spaces. There are also some complaints about the power of the base and S models.
Our response to them is “that’s why they make different trim levels with different engines”. Let’s face it, the Porsche Boxster isn’t a supercar by any means, but it can still do the job as a two-seater sports car.
What does Insurance Cost?
Well, it is a two-seater sports car, so look for a little bit of a higher than average premium, especially if you are still 25 years old or younger. But since the Porsche Boxster isn’t an extremely high-valued sports car and not the fastest one on the planet either, you might find premiums to be quite reasonable.
Last Bit of Advice
Make a determination on what you really want out of the car so you can make the best decision when purchasing a Boxster. Our 2012 pick for the best year for the Porsche Boxster does come with trim options, and depending on if you want a car for an everyday driver or something made more for collecting will make a difference in what trim model you should go after. Once you’re ready, the CoPilot car shopping app is the easiest way to buy a Boxster.
Only looking for newer models? CoPilot Compare is the search engine for nearly-new cars. Only see cars 5 years or newer with low mileage - CoPilot Compare is the best way to find off-lease, early trade-in, and CPO cars.
The best part? CoPilot is built using the same technology that dealerships use to buy and sell their inventories, so we have more info on each vehicle than competitors. CoPilot doesn’t work with dealerships, so there are no sponsored posts or other shady practices - just the most info on the best cars. Check out our About Us page to see how CoPilot works.
