[geoff]

Originally Posted by icedude

Thanks Geoff. I meant an insulated liner which is an upgrade to the top and heated seats since this car is a NJ car many dealers sell cars with the winter upgrades. This car isn't under warranty any longer so how much will replacing the AOS and MAF cost? There isn't a spec of anything on the interior. I'm dead serious, this car looks brand new. A little wear on the left edge of the drivers seat which is normal from getting in and out, no chips, cracks, stains. The passenger sid floor mat looks like noone ever sat in that side. 5 nicks on the exterior of the entire car and the rear window is literally perfect. He has a kit of Porsche cleaners in a case in the front trunk and one is the window treatment which he said he's used and he also puts a felt piece between it when the top goes down and folds it. Again, unless the engine blows, this car honestly looks like it's 6 months old.

I consider myself a mechanical spaz, but no more than normal for a guy these days. I do little maintenance things myself, like changing the MAF when I got a check engine light (intimidating the first time you access the engine compartment and wonder if you will terminally break your car), but there are tons of resources on the Internet to walk you through the process, as well as this and many other great forums to ask dumb questions (Hint - Search is your friend). But I don't bother changing my own oil - I just buy Mobil 1 on sale and take it to the dealer for an oil change. There's nothing complicated or difficult about changing your own oil, just a personal quirk that I don't want to bother. I get the oil changed twice as often as Porsche recommends, which all the engine rebuild threads seem to indicate helps longevity.

Joanne at Color Plus - http://colorplus.com/ - will have the right color leather dye to make your seat look new

There are lots of ways to make owning the car a lot less expensive. PCA (Porsche Club of America) members typically get around 10% off at dealers and other service places. Buying parts online (I use Sunset in Oregon, but there are others) can save a LOT of money. The more you drive and enjoy your Boxster, the per mile cost goes down and per mile pleasure goes up. I've read Boxsters that are driven frequently last longer and have fewer problems than pristine garage queens. I also found the more you drive the car and understand how to drive it, the more you appreciate the Boxster's capabilities and how difficult it will be to ever be a good enough driver to fully take advantage of what it is capable of doing

Depending on how you drive and your car's alignment, some people change tires more often than oil. Make sure you understand that cost and plan accordingly. I find the low profile tires need to have air checked more often than on a typical family car. Lots of places to get OK tire prices (Costco, Discount Tire, Tire Rack, etc.). I do a lot of canyon driving and got 27K miles on my original rear tires. Front tires will last quite a bit longer than rears, and front brake pads will wear a lot more than rears. Brake pads are supposed to wear out about twice as fast as rotors, and I still have the original brake pads all around at 56K miles, with lots remaining. Porsches are not street racers, so burnouts, donuts and stoplight racing will hurt your ego and your wallet (tires, brakes, clutch, etc)

I found it's worth it to make good friends with service advisor if you take your car to the dealer for any work. A lot of them will take good car of people they like

If my car blew up this weekend, I would get another one without hesitation