How did you get into Porsches?

[stephen wilson]

Oddly my Boxster origins are with a '94 Integra. I had always driven trucks, until I inherited my wife's old 'Teg that had been slated for trade-in. Who knew commuting could be fun? It was on it's last legs, so I looked for a 240SX. I couldn't find one that wasn't "riced out", so I moved on to a Miata. It felt a bit too "pedestrian", so the search went on, with the prices rising! Test drove: 350Z, RX8, Corvette (felt too big), Z3(M), M3, SLK, S2000, and finally 986/987. Only the S2000 and Boxster felt "special" to me. The Box won primarily due to trunk space,the S2 isn't much more practical than a motorcycle. I had never dreamed I could afford a Porsche, only hours of searching on cars.com led me in this direction.

[Deserion]

My love for the Boxster (anyway) started in 1997 or 1998. My family was in Longboat Key for a vacation, and we went to a marina to get jetskis for the day. And there it was. An Arena Red beauty with saddle/cinnamon interior and the top down. Needless to say I was smitten, but never thought I could actually get one.

Since then I've had several cars, all of which would have allowed me into a Porsche but I never thought about it until 2010.

In the mid-1990s, I did lust after 944s in the worst way though. My brother came close to getting one but no luck.

[Johnny Danger]

My nanny first introduced me to Porsches. Other things followed ......

[BYprodriver]

As a Musclecar enthusiast & engine rebuilder my disdain for Porsches was deeply ingrained & confirmed when I drove one for the 1st time, a friends 1986 911.

In 2000 got a job as the lead test driver for Porsches SoCA press fleet. 1st up was a 2000 C2 & it was love at 1st drive. I quit that job 2.5 years later & bought my 1st Porsche 6 months later. I knew exactly what I wanted & still have it & have put 88K miles on it so far.

[Bryan topping]

Originally Posted by Johnny Danger

My nanny first introduced me to Porsches. Other things followed ......

I was hoping JD would chime in!!

[Ghostrider 310]

Yup that's JD alright, he's being led by an Opel manta.

[Johnny Danger]

Originally Posted by Ghostrider 310

Yup that's JD alright, he's being led by an Opel manta.

That Manta helped create my "Mantra" !

[Bryan topping]

Originally Posted by Johnny Danger

My nanny first introduced me to Porsches. Other things followed ......

good stuff!

[schnellman]

I was living in Germany in 1981 and wanted to buy a fun car. Found out I could afford a 924, and not knowing it was an Audi, I went ahead and bought one. After several occasions of being embarrassed on the autobahn by Golf GTI's, I bought the newly introduced 944. Still couldn't keep up with the traffic I wanted to drive with. Ended up selling it and buying a 911 Carrera. Now, that would keep up in traffic. Been hooked on the family ever since.

[cas951]

Originally Posted by schnellman

I was living in Germany in 1981 and wanted to buy a fun car. Found out I could afford a 924, and not knowing it was an Audi, I went ahead and bought one. After several occasions of being embarrassed on the autobahn by Golf GTI's, I bought the newly introduced 944. Still couldn't keep up with the traffic I wanted to drive with.

Hard to beleive 944 couldn't keep up. 944's had impressive performance in it's day.

[HAUSIDMT]

Introduced by Birth. My Dad was a Porsche mechanic for many years, he started working for his uncle around 15y/o. I rememeber him tossing my brother and I wrenches and an old volkswagen motor to learn how to tear them down. Taking them apart was the easy part. I think he was using us for child labor, LOL! I also remember sitting in a Speedster that was kept at the shop, pretending I was driving through Laguna Seca. I lso remember getting picked up from school and taken to lunch in random Porsches of the day, while Dad was out on a "test drive".

The sickness was further compounded when he gave me an old '66 912 after I blew the engine in my CJ5. Then that passed on to my brother. Now I'm back in action with the 02S, (which was my brothers), and loving every minute...between replacing parts that is. :P

[RandallNeighbour]

Saw them as a little kid and was told by my parents that we were poor and I'd never own one because only rich people could afford cars like that.

Not a completely true or false statement, but I made sure I earned enough to drive whatever I wanted to drive.

And I drive a Porsche. And a BMW

[particlewave]

I just bought one...that's all.

[ProjectM96]

When I was young, I watched Herbie movies. Herbie was a VW Beetle racecar that was alive. I also watched Speed Racer. Both are cars with round headlights.

So when I first saw a Porsche, I was immediately a fan. But it wasn't until I got to drive a 98 Boxster at 16 years old that I knew I had to have a Porsche. I started saving. It had to be my first car. It took me 5 years of min wage jobs to make enough money to buy one. In that time I was saving, I drove a 1999 911 Carrera, a 2004 911 Carrera 4S, a 1991 911 Carrera, a 2003 Boxster S, and the Cayenne S.

My dream car was the Porsche Cayman S. I was 17 at the time it came out.

When I turned 21, I bought a 2000 Boxster 5SPD MT. That was 2 years ago and I am still enjoying it today.

[southernstar]

I grew up during the 60's in a small town in Ontario, Canada, where Porsches were virtually non-existant. However, the reviews in Road and Track and Sports Car Grahpic magazine were invariably positive and there was something about the clean, uncluttered lines and the 'giant killer' reputation of the early cars that attracted me. At about 13 my older brother took me to some club racing at Harwood Acres and then to the inaugaral Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport. Watching the old 356's and the 911's in the preliminary races, tail-out around various corners but able to beat cars with up to twice the displacement, made its mark and from that point on I positively lusted after one of these rare beasts.

Of course, for my first car I couldn't afford a Porsche, but bought a 66 Beetle that I upgraded with a camber compensator, radial tires, extractor exhaust and a short-throw shifter - and dreamed that I was driving a Porsche. In 1974, at age twenty I managed to find an affordable 61 356B that was rusty but intact and drove her for a couple of years until the rust demons got the best of her - and me. Thereafter, while completing university and getting started in life I bought a series of relatively inexpensive sports cars - two (yes, I am that crazy) Fiat x-19's and a Datsun 240Z and 260Z. I still, of course, lusted after a Porsche.

In 1989 I purchased a Porsche 944 (midnite blue with tan leather, 'Turbo' rims, Blaupunkt stereo with magic wand, sunroof and headlight washers) which eventually I put under a transport truck trailer on Highway 400 during a blizzard (another story). At that point, I exchanged my desire for a replacement Porsche for the joys of raising a family, an expensvie divorce (OK, not so joyful), a love of sailing and the purchase of a small beachfront property in the Caribbean for my retirement.

The good news is that in March of this year I found a 2000 Boxster with low mileage and terrific maintenance records (and in the same color-scheme as my 944 - Ocean Blue Metallic with Savanna beige leather, 17 inch turbo twist rims, wind deflector, upgraded stereo, cruise, stainless door sills and exhaust tip )and, at their current prices, could see no reason NOT to buy one as a toy. Really, incredible fun and HUGE bang for the buck. And lets face it, this is the first time in history that one can purchase a Porsche in excellent condition (and without the rust bug that plagued the early cars) for less than many economy cars with similar odometer readings.

Maintenance? So far, after 7 months and 5000 km (3100 miles) not a single issue. I have found an incredible Porsche mechanic (who did the PPI) and will keep her as she should be kept. I will not drive her in the snow. I will wash and wax and detail her regularly, I will not park her in shopping mall lots (not a single ding in the doors at this point, and I plan on keeping her that way). I will not begrudge the cost of parts, or the sketchy reliability of the some of the mechanicals. Why? The joy of driving a car that has almost perfect balance - incredible handling, braking and steering imput combined with excellent acceleration and throttle response and an exhaust system/air intake that makes glorious sounds - and all of this enveloped in a distinctive and attractive shell with decent ergonomics and luggage space for a sports car! What an incredible joy to drive and, once again, what an incredible bargain!

Could I afford a new Boxster S or 911? Sure, but it would involve either going into debt or disposing of another asset that I really want to keep. Attack my priorities if you want to, but frankly, the 2000 Base Boxster is plenty enough car for me. I find myself perfectly satisfied with its performance and, to my eye, the 986 is still the best-looking and most original Boxster- and one of the best-looking and most original Porsche street cars, of all time. I know, I know, a totally subjective opinion. But in my view what is not subjective is this: those who are less interested in status or 'ultimate' performance, than in good value and responsiveness are indeed lucky that excellent examples of the 986 are now available at such ridiculously low prices.

Brad

[Ghostrider 310]

Where in the Caribbean? Good for you no matter where it is. I'm selling my houses in NY, first the rental then my home, after that I'm going somewhere that has far better weather, lower taxes and cheaper houses. I'll miss Ontario though, before 911 screwed the border crossings, I used to go to Kingston a lot, awesome place.

[BruceH]

Brad,
Great post! Sums up why many of us have such a love of the Boxster! I still can't believe how nice this car drives and yes, the pure joy! I don't begrudge the repair costs either. It's a high performance sports car with the associated costs. I have to agree on the luggage space as well, this car is awesome for road trips!
Bruce

[Uller God]

I was born into a Porsche loving family, 3 days into life I was shoehorned into a 356 on my way home form the hospital. I didn't really know what it was like to grow up as a normal kid with ill handling heavy American cars. This spring my father celebrated 50 years as a PCA member, not sure if anyone has surpassed that mark. Over the years he's owned countless numbers of Porsches. My favorite of his collection was a 1970 Porsche 911 S Monte Carlo Rally Prototype, serial number .0002, currently owned by Peter Kitchak. And second in line was a '56 GS Carrera, it was a right hand drive with a v-sunroof and round windshield. Porsche must have changed to the new windshield but didn't have the tooling for the sunroof yet. That 4-cam motor had a distinctive sound. I started out owning 914s, and today the Box. Next plan is to pick up a mechanically sound late 80s Carrera and back date it to a '73 RSR.

[Brockmeister]

I started out in the early 70's building model cars. One of my favorites was the Porsche. Ever since then I knew I'd own one. I bought my first one, an 85.5 944, in 95. After a crash that totaled it, I bought an 86 944. About five years later a bought an 88 944, had it a couple of years, and then sold it to my friend.
I got into motorcycles and pretty much forgot about Porsches, In 2011, my buddy that bought the 88, called and asked me if I wanted the car back. I said "sure, why not". He sold me the car back for 100 bucks, and it even passed inspection.
After I had it awhile, I realized that I was tired of fixing that car, so I went to the Porsche dealer, drove a boxster, and then traded it in. Always onward and upward.

[Johnny Danger]

I came across some more photos of the nannies I had growing up !