Wanted to buy a used porsche, now afraid

[recycledsixtie]

A little bit of fear is okay. In fact it is healthy for self preservation and your bank account. I have a 2001 Boxster base which now has 41k miles and got it two years ago and have done 10k miles since.

Budget $2k a year for maintenance and if the motor goes well it will be a lot more than that. I have driven mine for the last 2 winters and to tell you the truth I don't look forward to any winter driving and don't like to see salt and dirt on the Boxster.

Was in the Mazda dealership looking at a Mazda 3(it had to have heated seats for our climate !) but the thought of trading in the Box I would take a bath. Selling it privately would likely be more successful next spring. My daughter's boyfriend says that I will miss the Boxster or at least something sporty if I got rid of the Boxster and got a Mazda 3.

I take it to a local indy shop tomorrow to fix some rattles. I find as a DD there are ongoing relatively minor issues that require $$$ if I don't do it myself. As the above says as a weekend car it should be okay but as a DD it requires a lot more care. My Miata before was a lot cheaper to run but then the Boxster is a lot more car. Hope this helps!

[fatmike]

You can wait for the mid-life crisis to go into over-drive when you hit 40.


(or you can just go get the car you want now)




/

[Verhag]

Waited 40 years to buy my 1st Porsche....after worrying and fretting over SAI concerns finally pulled the trigger at 56 years old and bought a 993 from a forum member. Good history, decent records, and a thorough PPI. Finest, most enjoyable car I've ever owned. Recent stroke resulted in me selling the car to another forum member.

Elected to pick up an older 2000 S Boxster (Tip no less,as shifting a DD is not what it used to be). So far the car is totally enjoyable and offers plenty of mod projects. X Wife had a new 350Z for about 2 years....sorry boring!, personal preference leads away from front engine - rear wheel drive. Interestingly, she now has a BMW 330i and we both prefer the BMW 3 series over the Nissan. No knock on Nissan, drove a 3.6 Altima with similar engine /drive train for company vehicle and they are reliable, sound, practical autos......

However, as the saying goes..for me "There is no substitute". With both the 993 and now the 986, I've tried to pre plan with a healthy maintenance budget, planned on IMS retro before I purchased the Boxster.

Only regret....I should have started my Porsche experiences far earlier in life. To go through life having not owned and experienced these two cars would have been a huge miss. Do your research, plan on a maintenance budget and experience an amazing car. forget about the hype or prestige factor, baloney, they are simply fabulous cars to drive.

[Frodo]

Originally Posted by Verhag

Waited 40 years to buy my 1st Porsche....after worrying and fretting over SAI concerns finally pulled the trigger at 56 years old and bought a 993 from a forum member. Good history, decent records, and a thorough PPI. Finest, most enjoyable car I've ever owned. Recent stroke resulted in me selling the car to another forum member.

Elected to pick up an older 2000 S Boxster (Tip no less,as shifting a DD is not what it used to be). So far the car is totally enjoyable and offers plenty of mod projects. X Wife had a new 350Z for about 2 years....sorry boring!, personal preference leads away from front engine - rear wheel drive. Interestingly, she now has a BMW 330i and we both prefer the BMW 3 series over the Nissan. No knock on Nissan, drove a 3.6 Altima with similar engine /drive train for company vehicle and they are reliable, sound, practical autos......

However, as the saying goes..for me "There is no substitute". With both the 993 and now the 986, I've tried to pre plan with a healthy maintenance budget, planned on IMS retro before I purchased the Boxster.

Only regret....I should have started my Porsche experiences far earlier in life. To go through life having not owned and experienced these two cars would have been a huge miss. Do your research, plan on a maintenance budget and experience an amazing car. forget about the hype or prestige factor, baloney, they are simply fabulous cars to drive.

I REALLY hope this isn't a dumb question, but...what are "SAI concerns"??

[trimer]

Half the fun of owning one is figuring out how to tell your wife you need 800 bucks to fix something . Don't be afraid. Dive in and enjoy. I've now done it twice with Boxsters and would do it again!

[coreseller]

Originally Posted by Frodo

I REALLY hope this isn't a dumb question, but...what are "SAI concerns"??

"Secondary Air Injection", Porsche's attempt to stay compliant with emissions while still running an air cooled motor. Going to water cooling cured many of the pollutant issues inherent in the 40 plus year old original design.

If you are REALLY interested:

SAI CEL FAQ - Pelican Parts Technical BBS

[j.fro]

SAI= secondary air injection, which is an issue w/ 993's.
Life is full of risk. If you enjoy sports cars, this is one to take ... In a calculated manner!
My 2000 986S owes me nothing after 7 years and 110k miles. My 996 C4 is looking good after 3 months and 10K miles!

[barkinfool]

Test drive samples of both & you can make your own determination whether they are cars in the same ballpark. We're biased probably, but I don't think there is really a comparison between the 2 imo. I've not had any major issues in 4 yrs & 5k miles per year (like you're planning). I'm no mechanic at all, but to save money I've bought the self-help book, asked q's on this forum, & enjoyed doing work over the winter months to maintain the car. My vote is buy the p-car with a proper preinspection. Best of luck whatever you choose to do.

[Johnny Danger]

Putting the IMSB failure issue aside, as far as I'm concerned, there's nothing different about owning a boxster in terms of reliability and cost than that of any other high performance European automobile. And, just like every other sports car, reliability and longevity is predicated on the overall care and attention to maintenance the vehicle has received. A 350Z in my opinion is not the equivalent of a high performance European sports car.