My new Boxster! - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

teenageboxsterowner · 08-20-2013, 09:06 AM

I am brand new to the forums, and first off I just wanted to say hi! Anyways, I just got my first Porsche, (my first car ever) this past weekend. I really enjoy the driving experience! Its so much more fun than driving the family car or my dad's truck. Lets just say all of my highschool friends are jealous! Enough of that, now lets get to the car.
-1999 Porsche Boxster
-Tiptronic/Automatic transmission (I cant drive stick yet)
-Silver (don't know if its arctic silver or ?)
-132,000 miles

I want to put some new wheels on the car, and i have $1000 to spend. But they also need to be 17's to fit the current tires because they are brand new $1500 tires. (I have the stock turbo twists) But I dont want them to look too small

I also want to get a decklid mounted spoiler! not a body kit with side skirts or anything. Any suggestions?
Anyways, I am excited to be a part of this forum and driving my boxster to school!

boxslrr · 08-20-2013, 06:59 PM

Please put up some pictures! How much does that cost you to insure, if you don't mind my asking?

hancock1701 · 08-20-2013, 07:08 PM

Congrats on the new Boxster. It's great to have your first car as a Boxster. My Boxster is in the same mileage range, and personally I would suggest you take care of all the essential maintenance first to make sure the car runs well before doing anything else. For my case, the list of maintenance/repair is long, including 120k tune up, water pump, AOS, rear track arms, front motor mount, etc.

tonycarreon · 08-21-2013, 03:40 AM

like hancock said, keep the $1000 handy for when something breaks, and ride on the ones you have.

nothing wrong with 132k miles on the odometer. as pedro once said:

A couple of months ago, on my way to Boxstoberfest in Fredericksburg, Texas, while filling up with gas, a gentleman in the next pump over asked me: "So, how do you like your new Porsche?"
I thought he was joking, so I just smiled.
He insisted again: "How do you like it?"
I then answered, "I’m not sure yet, because I haven’t finished the break-in period".
Then he asked: "How many miles have you put on her?"
And I answered: "Just 190,000".

mountainman · 08-21-2013, 04:45 AM

ditto on keeping a cash reserve until you put in some miles and time in it. Make sure everything is going to be good running wise and then start upgrading. Find some local friends with boxsters and start learning how to maintain it yourself.

black_box · 08-21-2013, 05:13 AM

if you have any crappy fading / scratched up "soft-touch" plastic interior pieces, you can fix them up nicely with plastidip spray, something I wish I'd known/thought of when I bought the car. Also, plastidip can change the color of your stock wheels in a completely removable way, for about $15.

learn to detail your car -- a clean, waxed boxster is a joy to behold. Also, you may want to look into getting clear side markers and front turn signal lenses -- for not much money, you can really improve the looks of your car in a way that looks very "factory", but updated. Don't do ANYTHING to your car cosmetically that can't be undone if you want to keep its resale value though.

If you want to see what the car is really made of, look up your local PCA or SCCA chapter and try some autocross. You won't spend much money, and you can drive the living hell out of the car in a safe way. The Tiptronic is not too bad for AX, I've been told.

ekam · 08-21-2013, 05:22 AM

Yea definitely save up for worn battery, leaking coolant tank, replacing coolant cap, brake jobs, etc...

If anything stock up on cleaning supplies (ie. clay bars, wax, wheel cleaner, 303 protectant, leatherique/lexol, convertible top cleaner/protectant, etc) or just take it to a good detailer to get the whole car done.

$1k won't last you very long...

jb92563 · 08-21-2013, 06:35 AM

Just a word of advice, if you do not have an inheritance or own your own internet corporation and are wealthy, then I suggest you learn how to work on the car yourself and save a boatload of money.

For example the 5000 mi oil change would cost your $200-$300 at a dealer but only ~$60 for (Oil/filter) if you do it yourself in under 30 minutes.

The average yearly maintenance cost on a Boxster is ~$2000 but perhaps only ~$800 if you DIY.

I suggest you save that money in the first year for the upcoming maintenance that will be required unless you feel comfortable not having the car available 100% of the time while you save for repairs.

Weekly washing/polishing is also a necessity and you need some higher quality products for the best results.

Hate to sound negative but its like dating a high maintenance girl...it will cost you for that privilege.

mnc-i · 08-21-2013, 06:52 AM

TeenageBoxsterOwner,

Congratulations!
My first car (circa 1979) was a $300.00 1969 Chevy Impala Custom Coupe...my have times changed.

Reference your question about replacement wheels. My 1999 Boxster had the turbo twist wheels. I replaced mine with a set of OEM wheels and new tires that came off a 2001 Boxster.

I recommend you check out Craigslist, Ebay and Oklahoma Foreign (right down the road in Bethany/Norman, OK).

Be patient and you will be able to replace your wheels with some handsome OEM wheels for quite abit less than $1000.00 and may even get some good tires to go with.

I agree with all my other partners in crime...pocket the $1000.00 for the time being. If you must spend some money, purchase a maintenance manual for 986 Boxsters.

Just my two cents.
MNC-I

recycledsixtie · 08-21-2013, 06:58 AM

I do not want to sound preachy although being in my 60's I tend to be an opinionated old .....The Boxster does have special features such as good acceleration and good cornering. Here is the kicker - in less than optimal conditions particularly if you don't have psm, it can get away on you. I drive in winter on winter tires and it can be okay if you slow down prior to corners. Another one where I nearly lost it was on a traffic circle when in spring there is residual gravel on the road. When I was going too fast around the traffic circle I hit some gravel and the car started going sideways as if on marbles. If you know somebody else with a Porsche get them to show you what to look for in driving habits. You do not want to be in an accident. If you want to speed do it on a track. I will shut up now.......

Coffinhunter · 08-21-2013, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teenageboxsterowner

I am brand new to the forums, and first off I just wanted to say hi! Anyways, I just got my first Porsche, (my first car ever) this past weekend. I really enjoy the driving experience! Its so much more fun than driving the family car or my dad's truck. Lets just say all of my highschool friends are jealous! Enough of that, now lets get to the car.
-1999 Porsche Boxster
-Tiptronic/Automatic transmission (I cant drive stick yet)
-Silver (don't know if its arctic silver or ?)
-132,000 miles

I want to put some new wheels on the car, and i have $1000 to spend. But they also need to be 17's to fit the current tires because they are brand new $1500 tires. (I have the stock turbo twists) But I dont want them to look too small

I also want to get a decklid mounted spoiler! not a body kit with side skirts or anything. Any suggestions?
Anyways, I am excited to be a part of this forum and driving my boxster to school!

Be very careful when talking about spoilers. The Boxster is not a vehicle that most here (myself included) like looking like a ricer.

I will also echo what most here have said. Save that money until you have put a few miles on her. There are maintenance items you will want to look into before you start modding. When was the last time the brakes were bled? How are the brakes/rotors? When was the last oil change? If you are at all mechanically inclined invest in a manual, it will pay off in spades. Then the wheels won't be such a burden on the pocket book.

Perfectlap · 08-21-2013, 07:30 AM

$1000 for new Porsche factory wheels might work but definitely not new. Try looking at classifieds on Rennlist and Pelican.

That being said, did you have this car thoroughly inspected before you bought it?
Given the year and mileage, if you paid cheap for it then there's probably not been a whole lot of the big mainteance done. So like most responsible teens driving a Porsche (oh wait there aren't any LOL

) you're going to need to raise funds to stay on top of this car. At least $100 a month, every month whether you spend it or not it stays in the Porsche repairs piggy bank. Just one question if the car breaks down and you need to spend $1,000 for a new water pump and you alredy spent $1,000 on new wheels how do you intend to cover this repair?

Porsches are cheap to buy now but as car wisdom states 'costs of repairs do NOT scale down with the age of the car'.

p.s.
My first car was a mint condition Honda hatchback. I was too broke to buy it myself even though it only cost $2K so my parents had to pay MY bill. I ended up working in a fancy hotel as a banquet waiter and quickly repaid the loan. My second car purchased a couple of years later I paid for myself (largely through saving/investing), as well as paying for my undergraduate tuition. I did not qualify for financial aid and was not brainy enough to get a scholarship. But my first year out of college I made enough to have paid for school twice -- and I still kept the part time job which meant that I basically worked 6-7 days a week for about 6 years. I still drove that Honda until it was blowing out enough blue smoke to fill the whole block and the neighbohrs gave me evil looks. I drove an old Volvo 240 for a while which I thought was major step up. The Porsche would have to wait a long time as I was too busy building up a self-made financial empire!

p.s.
By teen-age do you mean you're 16 or an old teen-ager at 19? Boy the times have changed. I had people giving me crap about buying a Porsche just because I wasn't yet in my 40's. Granted, I still looked like a 20 something even though I was older. Not stressing over money (or exploding Porsche engines) can keep you looking young, longer.

particlewave · 08-21-2013, 08:45 AM

Wow. Just...wow.

HammerESQ · 08-21-2013, 10:33 AM

I'll give you some advice I wish someone gave me back when I was big in the import tuner scene back in the 90's. Don't.... Just don't. It's easy to fall into the whole big wheels, big spoiler thing. It's easy to want to 'upgrade' your car because your friends do. It's stupid. It's tacky. And I guarantee you'll look back on it after you've been a car guy for 10 years or so and think 'what was I thinking?!?!'. PLUS you already have a spoiler that deploys at the speed it's needed. You know what other car does that? The Veyron. How many of your friends can say that about their cars?

Take your $1000 and spend it learning everything you can about your car and how to work on it. Save to pay your local shop to do the jobs you can't do, and try to tackle the jobs you can (like an oil change, and air filter replacement). Make friends with people who are close to your on the forums, find out if you've got a local Porsche group and start hanging out with them, read everything you can on Pelican and Pedro's about projects you can start to tackle.

Take the money you have left over and go out and LEARN how to drive your car. Look at your local Auto X events, and get involved with the PCA.

Once you know a little bit more about how to work on your car, and how to drive your car you will be best equipped to know where you should spend your money to make your car better. Hint: It isn't going to be on wheels, a spoiler, or a stereo system.

Just a rant from a guy who's been there before. Post some pictures of your car! We like pictures of cars around here, oh and welcome to the community!

runjmc2 · 08-22-2013, 08:21 AM

I smell a troll. Don't feed the trolls.....

trimer · 08-22-2013, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coffinhunter

Be very careful when talking about spoilers. The Boxster is not a vehicle that most here (myself included) like looking like a ricer.

I will also echo what most here have said. Save that money until you have put a few miles on her. There are maintenance items you will want to look into before you start modding. When was the last time the brakes were bled? How are the brakes/rotors? When was the last oil change? If you are at all mechanically inclined invest in a manual, it will pay off in spades. Then the wheels won't be such a burden on the pocket book.

I like my spoiler...