Instead of a Boxster I wish I would have bought....

[fivepointnine]

Originally Posted by 986_c6

May I suggest tracking the car...no seriously, not just 1 or 2 track days, but once a month at least.

There, you will find the true meaning of driver skills and the blurring of car capabilities. For instance, I can lap a GT3, but it is clearly the driver and not the car. Lewis Hamilton can probably lap me in a 80's Yugo.

After that, street driving will purely be cruising and enjoying the sound system/scenery.

already in the plans once it gets nicer weather around here!

[Overdrive]

Originally Posted by 986_c6

Lewis Hamilton can probably lap me in a 80's Yugo.

I don't care who you put in that driver's seat, that'd be one hell of a challenge, and terribly impressive...we are talking about a Yugo......it might melt before completing a lap...

[Overdrive]

rteichman, you let me know if you ever get truly tired of that Esprit, I think I can help you part with it should that time come. I'm curious what in particular sucks about the shifting, if you wouldn't mind...

And maybe I'm wrong for doing so, but I'd lump shifting feel/effort into ergonomics when it comes to a car, kind of like keyboard/mouse placement at a desk. Take my Boxster, the gearshift movement is fine but the clutch feels higher effort than needed...certainly not the worst ever, but I'd prefer it to be less.

[VRsyncro]

VW Corrado

Still looking for that mint OEM Corrado....

[Mike_Yi]

I've gotten to the point where I have nothing but regret about buying a Boxster. I bought my car for $15,500 and have, in 3 years, put over $10,000 into it. It now needs another $3500. It was a mistake buying this car. I've only had one car that I regretted buying more than this one, and it was a '91 Mitsubishi Eclipse. It was a beater, and I had to keep putting money into it to keep it running. Nowhere near the kind of money that goes into the Boxster though.

[mts]

Replaced mine with a 993. I had to scratch that itch.

[ddb]

Originally Posted by mts

Replaced mine with a 993. I had to scratch that itch.

mts,

How are you enjoying the 993 thus far? Love the wheels!

Thanks,

ddb

[mts]

Originally Posted by ddb

mts,

How are you enjoying the 993 thus far? Love the wheels!

Thanks,

ddb

Thanks for the compliment on the wheels. I had wheel dynamics custom powdercoat them for me in Arctic Silver/Gunmetal. It was the first set they'd done in that specific color combo. The sad thing is they liked so much I see they've now done at least two more sets exactly like mine and they are up for sale on Ebay right now (even using my car in the ad). So much for being a little unique.

On the 993, I've really enjoyed it so far. It's shockingly different from my Boxster S in both good and bad ways. I am thinking of adding a Boxster or Cayman back to the stable in the next couple years though (keeping the 993). I will probably go with a post M96 car next time around though as I was one of the unlucky people that had an IMS failure.

[thstone]

Originally Posted by Mike_Yi

I've gotten to the point where I have nothing but regret about buying a Boxster. I bought my car for $15,500 and have, in 3 years, put over $10,000 into it. It now needs another $3500. It was a mistake buying this car. I've only had one car that I regretted buying more than this one, and it was a '91 Mitsubishi Eclipse. It was a beater, and I had to keep putting money into it to keep it running. Nowhere near the kind of money that goes into the Boxster though.

Mike, $10K in 3 years and still needs another $3,500? Can you give us a run down of the issues?

[986_inquiry]

Originally Posted by Mike_Yi

I've gotten to the point where I have nothing but regret about buying a Boxster. I bought my car for $15,500 and have, in 3 years, put over $10,000 into it. It now needs another $3500. It was a mistake buying this car. I've only had one car that I regretted buying more than this one, and it was a '91 Mitsubishi Eclipse. It was a beater, and I had to keep putting money into it to keep it running. Nowhere near the kind of money that goes into the Boxster though.

That's about $300 a month, a little high but not excessively so, I bought mine knowing I should put at least $200/mo aside for repairs and maintenance based on information on Porsche forums. These are exotic sports cars made by a company that only makes sports cars (until recently). You didn't buy a Ford or Toyota, Porsches will cost more to maintain.

Anyone that buys a Porsche and doesn't assume they'll spend at least $200/mo on repairs and maintenance is buying the wrong car and didn't do their research. It's the buyers fault, not the car. If you get lucky and don't need all $2400/yr then buy a new used boxster in 5 yrs with the money saved as a deposit

[Flavor 987S]

Originally Posted by 986_inquiry

That's about $300 a month, a little high but not excessively so, I bought mine knowing I should put at least $200/mo aside for repairs and maintenance based on information on Porsche forums. These are exotic sports cars made by a company that only makes sports cars (until recently). You didn't buy a Ford or Toyota, Porsches will cost more to maintain.

Anyone that buys a Porsche and doesn't assume they'll spend at least $200/mo on repairs and maintenance is buying the wrong car and didn't do their research. It's the buyers fault, not the car. If you get lucky and don't need all $2400/yr then buy a new used boxster in 5 yrs with the money saved as a deposit

Good advice. But, a Boxster is NOT an exotic sports car. Never was, never will be. I don't even consider the iconic 911 in this class. Maybe the 959 or the Carrera GT and the upcoming Spyder 918.

[986_inquiry]

Originally Posted by Flavor 987S

Good advice. But, a Boxster is NOT an exotic sports car. Never was, never will be. I don't even consider the iconic 911 in this class. Maybe the 959 or the Carrera GT and the upcoming Spyder 918.

That's up to debate. Google disagrees
porsche boxster exotic sportd car - Google Search

And the boxster matches the definition of exotic sports car, or at least the definition this website has presented:
Exotic Cars 101: What is an 'Exotic Car' (by definition)? - National Exotic Car | Examiner.com

[mts]

Originally Posted by 986_inquiry

That's up to debate. Google disagrees
porsche boxster exotic sportd car - Google Search

And the boxster matches the definition of exotic sports car, or at least the definition this website has presented:
Exotic Cars 101: What is an 'Exotic Car' (by definition)? - National Exotic Car | Examiner.com

Pretty wide definitions and certainly open for debate. I personally have never thought of the Boxster being anywhere close to an exotic. My neighbor, who really isn't into cars at all always told me he thought my Boxster was exotic (of course he also told me he thought I paid over $100k for it).

I think the exotic part is ultimately all relative to the individual.

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by 986_inquiry

That's up to debate. Google disagrees
porsche boxster exotic sportd car - Google Search

And the boxster matches the definition of exotic sports car, or at least the definition this website has presented:
Exotic Cars 101: What is an 'Exotic Car' (by definition)? - National Exotic Car | Examiner.com

Bahh. If a Boxster is exotic, so is the Z3 and Z4, the SLK and the TT. I even see more Boxsters than 350Zs. Heck, my 30 year old Rx-7 is more exotic. Expensive when new and German does not make a car exotic.

[RandallNeighbour]

You know, these last few posts have a lot of truth in them, but also a lot of potential for assumption on the part of the uneducated reader lurking here to learn about our cars in hopes of purchasing one sooner or later.

So many of the problems I've faced with my particular boxster could have been avoided. Here's a laundry list of my mistakes that lurkers should consider and avoid:

• I didn't even get this far into a boxster forum before purchasing my car. That was my biggest mistake. Had I spent a couple of months reading posts and asking owners questions the way I see many future owners doing here as of late, I would not have purchased my particular car that required hundreds of dollars in repairs each month for the first three years of ownership.

• I bought a car off eBay sight unseen. Boy howdy was the wholesaler good at photography! The price was just so good ($7k off blue book resale) that I lost all my common senses. Yes, this qualified for my shameful (and thankfully short) list of "the most foolish things a person can do."

• I bought a Porsche without a PPI. Had my car been looked over, I would have been told it had a new motor recently (which the wholesaler and I didn't know before the transaction) and that the new motor was quite a strain on the old tranny and it would need replacing, along with the cracked coolant overflow tank, the primary radiator fan, and so forth.

• I bought a 97, not knowing the subframe would not support 18 inch wheels and would not keep a good resale value, especially when the 98's and 99s are selling very well to the spec racing enthusiasts and new owners always want large rims with very low profile tires for that aggressive look.

• I have spent quite a bit of money attempting to eek out a modest 10% HP increase out of what I feel is an underpowered motor. I should have waited and purchased an 03S in 2005 instead of a 97 in 2004. The money I spent on mods and repairs would have covered the price difference easily.

So posting members above say you should budget $200 a month for your Porsche, and I somewhat agree and somewhat disagree. For me, $200 was the minimum I had to spend because I bought the wrong car the wrong way at the wrong time.

However, if you purchase the right boxster (clean, maintained, loved!) the right way (with a PPI) at the right time (when you have the money for the best example you can find... even if it takes a full year) you can put that $200 in the bank for tires and brake pads and DE participation fees!

So I hope this helps bring some balance to anyone lurking here and reading this thread. Buy a car right and the regrets are few.

[986_inquiry]

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

You know, these last few posts have a lot of truth in them, but also a lot of potential for assumption on the part of the uneducated reader lurking here to learn about our cars in hopes of purchasing one sooner or later.

So many of the problems I've faced with my particular boxster could have been avoided. Here's a laundry list of my mistakes that lurkers should consider and avoid:

• I didn't even get this far into a boxster forum before purchasing my car. That was my biggest mistake. Had I spent a couple of months reading posts and asking owners questions the way I see many future owners doing here as of late, I would not have purchased my particular car that required hundreds of dollars in repairs each month for the first three years of ownership.

• I bought a car off eBay sight unseen. Boy howdy was the wholesaler good at photography! The price was just so good ($7k off blue book resale) that I lost all my common senses. Yes, this qualified for my shameful (and thankfully short) list of "the most foolish things a person can do."

• I bought a Porsche without a PPI. Had my car been looked over, I would have been told it had a new motor recently (which the wholesaler and I didn't know before the transaction) and that the new motor was quite a strain on the old tranny and it would need replacing, along with the cracked coolant overflow tank, the primary radiator fan, and so forth.

• I bought a 97, not knowing the subframe would not support 18 inch wheels and would not keep a good resale value, especially when the 98's and 99s are selling very well to the spec racing enthusiasts and new owners always want large rims with very low profile tires for that aggressive look.

• I have spent quite a bit of money attempting to eek out a modest 10% HP increase out of what I feel is an underpowered motor. I should have waited and purchased an 03S in 2005 instead of a 97 in 2004. The money I spent on mods and repairs would have covered the price difference easily.

So posting members above say you should budget $200 a month for your Porsche, and I somewhat agree and somewhat disagree. For me, $200 was the minimum I had to spend because I bought the wrong car the wrong way at the wrong time.

However, if you purchase the right boxster (clean, maintained, loved!) the right way (with a PPI) at the right time (when you have the money for the best example you can find... even if it takes a full year) you can put that $200 in the bank for tires and brake pads and DE participation fees!

So I hope this helps bring some balance to anyone lurking here and reading this thread. Buy a car right and the regrets are few.

I feel I must comment on the 2.5's power because I feel it gets a bad rap.

If your daily driver is a 1999 Trans Am the 2.5 will feel underpowered. But if your daily driver is a 200-240hp V6 (or less powerful engine) in a 4-door sedan then a 2.5 manual will be plenty fast. Remember the 2.5 has a 0-60 time of 6-6.2 and 14.5-14.7 quarter according to several magazines
Weissach.net - Boxster/Cayman Road Test Summary

That's equal to modern 2010 300hp v6 camaros and mustangs.

If you get an automatic it will always be slow compared to anything you are currently driving

[Mike_Yi]

Originally Posted by thstone

Mike, $10K in 3 years and still needs another $3,500? Can you give us a run down of the issues?

Issues I've spent the money on....
MAF
O2 sensors
Brake rotors
used engine + LNE IMS Retrofit (labor done by me)
Water pump
thermostat
About 10 gallons of Porsche anti-freeze before I wised up and switched to Prestone

Issues need to have money spent on....
replace rear window
Head gaskets and all associated miscellany

Originally Posted by 986_inquiry

That's about $300 a month, a little high but not excessively so, I bought mine knowing I should put at least $200/mo aside for repairs and maintenance based on information on Porsche forums. These are exotic sports cars made by a company that only makes sports cars (until recently). You didn't buy a Ford or Toyota, Porsches will cost more to maintain.

I won't debate with you whether or not these are exotic cars (I personally do not think they are). If you are okay with spending the value of the car to keep it running every 3 years, then you have a different expectation of quality than I do. Maybe you're okay with those kinds of costs. I'm not.

Originally Posted by thstone

However, if you purchase the right boxster (clean, maintained, loved!) the right way (with a PPI) at the right time (when you have the money for the best example you can find... even if it takes a full year) you can put that $200 in the bank for tires and brake pads and DE participation fees!

I would take exception to that statement. If you are a potential Boxster buyer and think this would be a great car to take to the track, think again. You might get lucky and have no problems. You will probably want to play it safe though and make some mods to give it a better chance of surviving the track, and that will cost you thousands of dollars on top of the cost of the car, and WILL NOT be any kind of guarantee that your engine won't be destroyed by DEs. This car was not built to be taken to the track.

[RandallNeighbour]

My daily driver is a BMW 550i with a 0-60 time of 5 seconds and the boxster feels very slow indeed on the street and exceptionally slow on the track.

I'm getting just good enough to pass cars in the course only to see every one of them pass me in the long straightaway so we can do the whole passing thing again in the turns. The only way to fix this is to get a faster car or putz along the straightaway to let the 3.8's and turbos get by me and waaaay down the track.

I've yet to meet anyone who is satisfied they bought the sports car with the smallest motor one can get in the model line. Whatever HP you've got now is never enough, just like cash in the bank, hair on your head, ram in your laptop, or the amount of sex you're getting from your woman!

And as to the choice of words "exotic" used by a previous poster, a better word choice would have been "boutique" car manufacturer... which describes Porsche to a tee. They don't make nearly as many cars as BMW or Audi or VW, so the cars break down more and need more attention than these brands.

Reminds me of a mechanic who told me years ago not to buy a Firebird but get a Camaro instead. He said they sold twice as many Camaros each year and they were a far more dependable version of the car.

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

My daily driver is a BMW 550i with a 0-60 time of 5 seconds and the boxster feels very slow indeed on the street and exceptionally slow on the track.

I'm getting just good enough to pass cars in the course only to see every one of them pass me in the long straightaway so we can do the whole passing thing again in the turns. The only way to fix this is to get a faster car or putz along the straightaway to let the 3.8's and turbos get by me and waaaay down the track.

I've yet to meet anyone who is satisfied they bought the sports car with the smallest motor one can get in the model line. Whatever HP you've got now is never enough, just like cash in the bank, hair on your head, ram in your laptop, or the amount of sex you're getting from your woman!

And as to the choice of words "exotic" used by a previous poster, a better word choice would have been "boutique" car manufacturer... which describes Porsche to a tee. They don't make nearly as many cars as BMW or Audi or VW, so the cars break down more and need more attention than these brands.

Reminds me of a mechanic who told me years ago not to buy a Firebird but get a Camaro instead. He said they sold twice as many Camaros each year and they were a far more dependable version of the car.

You'd be getting passed on straightaways by 3.8s and turbos with any Boxster that did't have an engine swap. I did get a ride in a 3.4 swapped '98 once, and that car pulled impressively harder than my 3.2.

Boutique is definitely a good term for Porsches.

[986_inquiry]

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

My daily driver is a BMW 550i with a 0-60 time of 5 seconds and the boxster feels very slow indeed on the street and exceptionally slow on the track.

The 550i is an exceptional vehicle that few people are lucky enough to own, of course the Boxster feels slow, as would a new V6 Camaro or Mustang.

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

I've yet to meet anyone who is satisfied they bought the sports car with the smallest motor one can get in the model line.

Now you have. Hello, nice to meet you

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

Whatever HP you've got now is never enough, just like cash in the bank, hair on your head, ram in your laptop, or the amount of sex you're getting from your woman!

Eh... I don't know. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

And as to the choice of words "exotic" used by a previous poster, a better word choice would have been "boutique" car manufacturer... which describes Porsche to a tee. They don't make nearly as many cars as BMW or Audi or VW, so the cars break down more and need more attention than these brands.

Exotic Cars 101: What is an 'Exotic Car' (by definition)? - National Exotic Car | Examiner.com

They have 10 criteria for a car to be considered "exotic":
1. limited production
2. personaliztion, ie hand built, etc
3. new or unusual materials or engine design
4. not intended to appeal to general population or market audience except to improve prestige
5. may require special dealer to procure or resell unless traded on private market
6. scarcity: Any car sold in a boutique automobile sales environment; if less than 8,000 - 10,000 cars per year, may be considered exotic
7. specialty tools or equipment to repair or service
8. may or may not have competed in races
9. design elements influenced by predecessor models considered exotic
10. appears strange or unusual in concept or design, may or may no include unusual functions (speed, task or newly defined multipurpose transportation, aesthetic value).

That list is pretty reasonable IMHO, the exotics I can think of would match most of the requirements on that list.

Boxster meets most of them:
1) Limited? Not really, they were hard to find when introduced but Porsche made as many as possible. No
2) Personaliztion? Not that I know of. No
3) Unusual materials or engine design? it's mid-engine and boxer, that's unusual. Yes
4) Not for general population except for prestige? two seat convertible that looks amazing. Yes
5) Special dealer? they're hard to find in most of the world. Yes
6) Scarcity? Porsche sold more than 30,000 vehicles in 1997 thanks to swift Boxster sales. While that's over their 8-10k/yr mark, that's still very few cars for a manufacture, especially when you consider in 1999 1.5 million new vehicles were sold in Canada alone, making Porsche's 30,000 seem like a drop in the bucket. Yes
7) Special tools to repair? Yes
8) May have competed in races? I can rattle of a long list of exotics that never raced, so I'm not sure this is a good measure of being an exotic, but it's still a No
9) Exotic design influenced by past exotics? Based on 911s and inspired by classic exotic Porsche 550 Spyder. Yes
10) Unusual concept or design, including special functions? Spoiler raises at 75mph and lowers under 50mph, that's pretty unusual and special, along with functional side vents which is rarely found on normal cars. Yes

So of the 10 criteria (9 if you remove the racing requirement) for a car to be exotic, the Boxster has 6.