True cost to own - used Boxster??

[fatmike]

If you work at it -- you can probably find a Boxster with much lower miles than that (75K) in your price range.

I bet you can find a garage queen base '02 with 20K miles for $20K or less.

Good luck.

[E Kaplan]

Bought a 2000 Boxster with 30,000 miles this year for $18,250. Car had the 30,000 mile check up at a local Porsche dealership done within the year. Found the owner on autotrader. So far, with over 4,000 additional miles, no problems. Chose to buy a lower mileage based car, instead of an S with 70+ thousand miles for the same money.

If you are very concerned about repair costs, I am considering an extended warranty. The best I found is a 48 K or 4 year bumper to bumper for $2,100.00. For an additional $200, they will pay for seal repairs. Not sure if I am going to purchase this, but not a bad price.

Eric

[ekam]

As Randall said, get at least an 03 MY.

Don't forget if you get an older S at 250hp is not that far off to a newer 03+ base model at 228hp. I doubt your butt dyno can really tell the difference.

I'd say get the base model but buy some really sticky tires for the twisties instead.

[pbanders]

Costs are variable, depends a lot on the car you buy. If you're lucky, you only will need regular maintenance, tires, and brakes. Not lucky, you'll need an RMS, your window motors will fail, O2's will go, MAF, etc. If you do your own work, and you're good, you'll save over 50% of the cost of repairs by avoiding paying for labor, assuming you already have the tools ($$) and access to facilities ($$).

In my experience, most people generally under-estimate the true cost of ownership of any car. My suggestion is that unless you can afford regular maintenance and the cost of likely repair (and on Boxsters, this has to include the possiblity of engine replacement), then buy a cheaper to own and maintain vehicle, and wait until you can afford what you really want.

RE: aftermarket warranties - I have one, but if you read postings here, getting them to pay for a major repair can be difficult. Caveat emptor.

[renzop]

I hate to say this but if you fit comfortably in an S2K, a lease on a new one is certainly a better value.

But recognize that the S2K is not nearly as good a commuter car as a Boxster. It is noisier, rides rougher, requires more shifting and has less trunk space.

Of course your lease payment is not the only expense. The S2K will eat rear tires about as fast as the Boxster so figure $400 for tires per year (not covered by your lease) and Honda has no free maintenance so figure $125 twice/year for routine maintenance. Finally there's insurance. Make sure you get insurance quotes for both cars. Since the Boxster is only half the price of the S2K you may find you pay more for S2K insurance. Also I believe the S2K rate will be more than the Boxster rate - even comparing new to new. This mainly because Porsche owners are older on average than Honda owners and Porsches accumulate far fewer miles per year.

The S2K is a good car. It does not have the Porsche mystique but it will still be a very fun drive. Like the Boxster, it has some mechanical issues but they will be covered by your new car warranty.

Whatever you decide, enjoy your decision with no regrets. Life is short, why not live it as a blonde?

[BoxsterLewis]

I test drove both cars and there is no way i'd drive the s2k. I'd chose my 01 S with 80K and cheap 2 year warrenty hands down over a 08 S2000, i guess im partial to Porsche since it adds, not everyone has one and drives way better factor lol.

[chaudanova]

I'm not sure if anyone mentioned it, since I just skimmed the thread, but keep in mind, that these cars eat up the rear tires pretty quickly... Driving 10-12k miles a year, you'll probably be looking at a new set of tires each year... the rears will be the ones that you'll burn through twice the rate of the fronts...

I know some people happen to be able to pull off getting more miles out of their rears, but on average, I estimate about 10k on the rears... people ranging from 6k-20k at opposite ends of the spectrum... but most people I've seen get 8-12k... My current set, about 8k on them, and looking to be replaced right now...

And like some have mentioned, you can do most jobs on your own using the knowledge from these forums and a Bentley manual...

[David N.]

It's not just engine power which distinguishes an S from a regular boxster, there's also better brakes, one more gear, slightly more torque (which you DO feel), larger wheels stock, and a stiffer ride. I'm not sure it completely outweighs a newer car with a glass rear window, but don't forget to add those details to the equation.