Will be buying my first car, a used boxster
 

Well after passing my test 3 months ago I am now ready to buy my first car and the bank is giving me 11k. I have my eye on a couple of used ones of course and need you guys to help out.

I wish to know what things to buy to fix things that wont appear broken to ensure the car runs or increase my chances of the car running proper. My wifes sisters man is a mechanic so I will have all the free labor for putting in the parts that need done.

One porsche has caught my eye but the ac dont work on it and the seller said he paid some cash to fix a few things but still, I would like to be sure I am running smooth.

I cannot f$$king wait to get behind the wheel and kick some ass at the lights. Thanks in advance for your responces and this forum rocks :dance:

Never accept free labor. Nothing is free.

Don't finance a Porsche. Pay cash.

There is a "Sticky" on the top of the forum page titled:

"Thinking of buying a Boxster? - MUST READ!"

I suggest you start there. Here's a link for your convenience:

http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/14685-thinking-buying-boxster-must-read.html

TO

p.s. Flavor 987S has a great point.
p.p.s. If you think you're gonna kick ass at the stop lights, think again. If that's your goal, go for brute American horsepower. (or a Bimmer).

Porsches are performance vehicles, not drag racers.

I'm thinking that maybe you're just going after the brand? My advice is that you should do some serious research before buying one so that you know what you're getting into. ;)
Seriously...read up for at least a week or two before making a decision.

I really don't think a Boxster is a good first car. You'll have too much horsepower to begin with, the rear wheel drive is a bit harder to control if you go too fast on a corner than a fwd, and the car parts aren't that cheap to fix, so when you hit something (and you will at least scratch it) it will be very painful for your wallet. I'm with Flavor 987S, I think you'll might get in trouble if you finance it, because repairs maybe harsh.
But enough with the warnings about that. Either you'll be extremely careful and lucky or you'll learn what we're talking about the hard way.

You should pay for a thorough PPI (pre purchase inspection), and at least you'll how much you'll have to spend on the car **before** you buy it. Sometimes, what you perceive as a simple fix can cost you several thousands. First you should check several cars, to get the hold of what the car feels like. And don't forget things like tires, brakes, brake discs and clutches last less time on the boxster than on other cars, so you can expect to change them more often.

Buy the Best example you can afford.
Don't rush, take your time, test drive, read and research, especially "IMS" issues on these cars. Look for a low mileage car -its just mitigating your risks on old parts needing to be replaced. For $11k I'm sure you can find one with 35k-50k miles or under. Obviously more money for an S model.
Decide what year 986 you are targeting. Check out the different options, the more the better. (i.e. heated seats, cd changer radio, windblocker, bigger wheels)...
Get your future brother in law to check out the car, PPI, a once over if you are not a tinker type.

Best

I think I will have to go for a base model 2.5 as insurance will be killer. All the boxsters are far away and I am too busy with work to go test drive, Both models I have seen have 60k miles.

I suppose I can read all the sticky thread but I was just looking for a quick run down of parts to replace right away.

How tight is your budget. The first thing most of us would investigate would be the IMS. Then while the transmission is removed the clutch, pressure plate, throw out bearing, and flywheel. With that said if you do the work that about $1800 in parts. Garage rates vary so your looking at between $2800 and $4000 at a shop.

Water Pump $200 to $300 self $600 + at a shop
Brakes $200 to $300 per axle by your self $350 to $500 at a shop
Wheel bearing $100 per Wheel & allot of patients by yourself $250 + at a shop per wheel.
And then tires between $500 and $1200 a set If your scrimping for the cheapest tires your buying the wrong car.

My suggestion is have a realistic budget and read the posts
If your worried about the cost of insurance, your buying the wrong car

Can I replace the little 17 wheels with some 19's without doing any modifiactions

I can tell you straight off that the wheels are NOT the first thing you want to replace.

TO

Wrong car for you
 

I can afford the car and it still too much for me. It sounds like you need a sledge hammer not a scalpel.. Buy a mitsubishi eclipse 8k and dog the crap out of it. Trust me the 986 is NOT THE CAR FOR YOU!

Well a few opinions telling me not to buy blah blah but I will buy what makes me happy. Still no answer to the wheels question?

Some lessons by the book, some lessons by life... We all learn one way or the other.

First gen boxster is a money pit unless youre able to do the repair yourself. Save yourself the headache and get something more reliable like a used Honda S2000

I don't own one but SO does and I've been maintaining it for years. She wants to get rid of it but I don't want to bc it's a fun little car. For me to keep it for long term, I'm planning to invest in car lift bc I'm noy getting any younger.

[QUOTE=polkfarmboy;363684]
I cannot f$$king wait to get behind the wheel and kick some ass at the lights. QUOTE]

A Boxster is not good at stop light racing. It has a small clutch that will burn up, and independent rear suspension that is prone to wheel hop. Wheel hop will put excess strain on the half shafts, CV joints, transmission, and eventually something will fail. You will then find out how expensive parts are for a Porsche.

If you need to prove anything at a stoplight, you need to examine your life. The street is no place to be racing. Just check the news, everyday someone is killed or injured from street racing. I can preach, because I did my share of racing when I was a kid, and when I look back, I can't believe I didn't have or cause an accident at some point. Does smoking off any of those cars count for anything now? Not one teeny tiny bit. Not one person cares or even remembers. Are a few seconds of thrills and feeling triumphant worth you life? Life is too important to end it from being stupid at a stoplight. No matter how fast your car is, there will always be someone with a faster one.
If you are driving a Porsche, you don't have to prove anything. You already are driving it. The girls will love the Boxster, but most will hate fast and risky driving. Your choice, your life.

And to answer you question about the wheels, yes you can as long as you pay attention to the offsets so there are no clearance issues. This does not apply to a 1997. They do not recommend putting larger wheels on that year Boxster because of structural issues that were corrected in 1998.

If you want to put on 19" wheels use search and you'll find quite a few threads. The people telling you not to buy a Boxster are just trying to look out for you. It's up to you to decide what you want to do and what risk you are willing to take.

My daughter - 16 - will be learning to drive drive in my Boxster and my Escape hybrid. Why both? Because I want her to learn about traction control using a manual transmission. Even so I plan to send her to Tire Rack Street Survival and recommend you plan on it as well.

Jsceash was spot on in regard to common money sucking issues. You may want to think about it in your budget. Any - and I mean any car that has a single row bearing is one you should seriously consider getting the IMSB replaced. Or only look at cars that already have it. The dual row bearing (early models like mine) have less than a 1% failure rate.

One thing I will say is if you choose appearance - 19" wheels - over mechanics and make a poor or unlucky choice of your first Porsche, you'll wind up with a pretty roller that will not go anywhere. That's why people suggest the P-Car is not a good idea for a first car, can be a money pit, etc. Family mechanic or not, if he hasn't worked on a P-Car before you can expect him to need to purchase some P-Car specific tools and the P-Car is not like every other car out there. It's easy to screw it up, but if you buy the appropriate manuals, tools, and use the forum/Internet you can maintain it yourself.

One tool you will need almost immediately is a Durametric or if you are fortuante enough tto find one reasonably prices a PST2 or PWIS. Otherwise just turning off the airbag light will cost you a few $200 at the dealer. Just to give you a comparission an oil cahnge at the dealer is $285 out here. Doing it yourself cost about $75-100 (depending on oil type and parts).

Speaking of the dealer, if you buy a P-Car, go to Porsche Club of America - Home and join up. One of the benefits is that most Porsche dealers will give you a 10-15% discount on parts and serice (sometimes). You get a cool magazine, the discount, and offers from your local club for various events. Inclusing DE (driver education) and autocross. Check them out. My PCA membership paid for itself with my water pump change. Plus the dealer prices have actually been less than those online. That one really surprised me.

Advice on the thread seems to be getting better, thanks guys

My advice : get off the internet and go learn how to drive in a car you can actually afford.

:troll:

All indications are that you are going have to finance the majority of a pre 2000 Boxster. If thats true, you cannot afford this car, nor any European make for that matter. Come back in a few years and we can talk. Sorry to sound harsh, but we all speak from experience and are giving you the advice any of us would give our teenage kids.

I agree completely with all of the advice AKnowles has given, except that I do my own work or use an independent specialist that ONLY works on Porsche. I don't use the Porsche dealer for anything.

I bought my 2000 Boxster 2.7 ( 63k mile, garage kept, same owner 12 years, local California car) in March 2013 and here is a quick breakdown of the cost of ownership for the last 7 months (13k miles) not including suspension/safety modifications:

2x Oil and filter changes Motul 8100 5W40 (done by me) $190

IMS Bearing Retrofit (done by indy) $1798

6x New Spark Plug Tubes (done by indy) $66

New Motor Mount (done by indy) $153

New Serpentine Belt $45

4x ATE Brake Rotors and Pagid Pads (done by me) $590

4x Hankook V12Evo Tires 17 (mounted and balanced) $480

Total $3322

Keep in mind, this is all preventative maintenance except the motor mount, which was discovered during the IMS retrofit. I personally think these costs are pretty reasonable for a 13 y/o car that is regularly tracked, but you'll have to judge for yourself.

I highly recommend a pre-purchase inspection as well, so that you know what you're getting into... Take your time and you'll find the right car.

Buy a VTEC


(I know I am speaking to deaf ears but..)

Just don't be this guy......

If this is a real thread and not a joke - The only way a porsche makes sense as a first car is if porsches have been in the family for years and a family member is a skilled wrench turner.

Best accessory for an older porsche is a second car so when the Boxster is down and your waiting for parts or saving cash to buy the parts or trying to figure out what is wrong, you have something to get to work in - To Pay for all this FUN!!!

Buy whatever you want. Great car. Treat it good and you wont have too many problems. Finance, dont finance it...it is really none of anyones business how you pay for the car. As far as a first time car goes...if you work hard and have saved for your dream car and this is it, then GO FOR IT. I work my ass off to have what I want.

If the car breaks and you cant afford to fix it...then just remember the thread. If you are not concerned...then get the thing, post a bunch of pics and let us enjoy your enjoyment. Good luck! Hope you get what YOU WANT...

Farmer, ask yourself:

1) Do I have a garage to park my Porsche in?
2) Is all my debt paid off?
3) Will I put $17,500 into my 401K/Roth 401K this year? (assuming you are under 50 y.o. if not, add another $5,500 for the catch-up)
4) Will I put another $5,500 into my self directed IRA account

Start doing and thinking this way, and you will be rich beyond your wildest dreams!:)

I own the sort of car you're looking to buy (see signature and web site for details on maintenance and repairs I've been forced to perform to keep my car in good running order). My big issue for you, Farmer, is the part of the country in which you live. FARGO?

Flat. The boxster is a car for twisty roads, found in hilly or mountainous areas.

Cold. There are owners here who live in Chicago, Minnesota, etc., but they own these convertibles as summer toys, not their main daily driver.

Rural. You won't find a lot of Porsche mechanics in Fargo, and the closest "stealership" loves guys like you and me... you know, guys who buy old Porsches that will enable them to put their kids through Harvard.

Seriously, just on ageographical basis, you should buy a 911 Turbo. MUCH more fun on flat rural roads where you live. Hard top for harsh winters. All wheel drive for snow. And if you get a newer one, it shouldn't need a lot of repairs.

Go back to the bank with this explanation and get a loan for at least $50k so you can get a nice pampered 2004 911 Turbo. I'm on your side here!

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wAxDMfEGho...if+serious.jpg


You are seriously underestimating what driving a Porsche is going to cost.
Actually I think this is a first where someone flat out admitted to only working with a purchase budget. How much cash do you have ready for major maintenance?

And I highly doubt that any $11K Porsche is not going to be in need of at least $5,000 in outstanding maintenace and repairs. Case in point I have spent ~$12K in the last two years, at which time the odometer went from 70K to 90k miles. And on at least two occasions the bill exceeded the cost of my first car and then some. Also, labor (the one your wife's, sister's, boyfriend will be providing) is not the biggest expense, it is the parts. On one $5,000 repair bill I calculated that less than third of the bill was labor.

Also, if the bank is only approving you for $11K, then that's probably a good reason to consider increasing your assets and savings instead of increasing your liabilities and depreciating assets. Given that apparently no one is gifting you your first car, then obviously you are not a trust fund baby that doesn't have to worry about finances.
My advice, buy and second hand Acura RSX or something along those lines. Reliable, sporty, a car that doesn't require $100-$200 oil changes. And save until you hit $10K in cold cash. After you hit $10K start investing in an S&P 500 fund or something in the small cap arena given that you are young. Driving around in a financed $11K Porsche with no cash reserves to fix a major break down is the epitome of "all hat no cattle".





http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wAxDMfEGho...if+serious.jpg

I´m in Norway, NORWAY! Snow from november to april. I´m driving this sucker all year round with studless winter tires and a hard top.

This is from when I captured the 90.000 km mark last winter in my BMW.. just so happend to be cold out:

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/1751/k2ij.jpg

But seriousy, get a VTEC....

I wish those were around or cheap to buy second hand when I was shopping for my first car. I'm embarrased to admit that I had to borrow the $2K from my folks to buy my first car. But I quickly paid them back working as a ballroom waiter in a five star hotel. For my second car I blew out the budget and spent $4K. The third car I went nuts on and spent $6K but had no choice as it was being sold at 50% below market value. The local tax authorities sent me a letter saying that they didn't believe I bought for that little and wanted me to sign a sworn statement that I wasn't trying to evade taxes. I had fun in all those cars and I don't think I ever spent more than $500 fixing any single one of them. I used to be smart back then.....

Cars = money pits.

Doesn't the boxster have "VTEC", too?

FWIW, I do my own work as well now. I just took it in to the Porsche dealer for the first oil change and a "once over" look by the mechanic. Not that it helped much since a short time later I had to replace the water pump.

But if you do not use a Porsche dealer for parts, who do you use? Pelican Parts or someone else?

Truthfully, my local dealer was actually cheaper than both Pelican Parts and Suncoast Parts with my PCA discount. Only time they are not - that I have checked - is when I use a third party alternative - like my last MAF from Pelican Parts.

Also, if I could find a good Porsche independent out here, I'd use one. But I can't seem to find a single one in the Coachella Valley. Outside of it sure, but I really don't want to drive 60-90 minutes away unless I absolutely have too.

+1 on this don't forget the water pump as both examples were 60K cars. For me doing the labor myself it took 1 week of fiddling with it after work and $500+ for the pump thermostat and coolant.

Read the sticky backward and forward, and my advice still go with something different. there are plenty of fun cars out there, speed isn't the only factor.

I use FCP Euro and PartsGeek.com. Both are websites that are very reasonable for regular maintenance items. I would probably use Pelican as well.

I am a POC member, so I'm not sure if we have the same discount situation with the dealer, will look into that though. Currently, I use EuroSpec in Escondido. I know its 100+miles from you , but I highly recommend Tom if you do the LN Engineering upgrade..

Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. I am expecting to do the LN upgrade when I replace my clutch.

This business will get out of control. It will get out of control and we'll be lucky to live through it.

This is a bad idea..... My 2000 Boxster S had at least 3 mechanical incidents in the first year of ownership that would cost more than $1000 to fix if I didn't have ability, confidence (foolhardiness), tools, and hydraulic lift access that I do. As it was, I STILL wound up paying out about $4k in parts (including brakes, clutch, tires) in my 2 years of 986 ownership. I bought my 987S largely because it has a warranty. You can do wayyyyy better with a hot FWD car performance for money wise, like Honda, DSM, or even a Matrix S, although I'd buy a $1500 Miata instead....

Just wait til you see how much it costs to get a knowledgable Porsche guy to fix what your bro-in-law can't.... Also, a 2.5 Boxster will get smoked at the lights by most of the cars you want to "race" anyway, they're built for cornering, not straight lines.

I think I'm not alone in suddenly feeling OLD. My first car was gifted to me by my loving parents, a '78 Olds station wagon with the fenders rusting off. It was awesome and I was thankful to have it.

What the other posters have said makes sense... a Porsche is even expensive to fix for an established person let along a guy who just got his license. The are plenty of fun and affordable cars out there that would be better choices to start with.

'76 Pinto Wagon. Loved every minute of it. WHEELS!!!! (4-speed 1.8 or so)

My first was a 1967 Olds "98". :D
That thing was a battleship! I once spun out on a gravel road, striking a concrete barrier at about 20mph. Result: small dent in the bumper and hood. ;)

I'm seeing a pattern of bad decision making :p

Well guys I don't wana wait and suddenly be one of those guys with grey hair wearing a sweater that looks like an unwanted Christmas present staring at the booty that I wont be able to hit unless I dropped a couple of viagra tabs.

I am getting my porsche and will post picks shortly, who cares if I have to buy a few parts? My brothers in law can fix anything, cars, big rigs even tractors. I know you think your looking out for me telling me not to get a boxster but your driving one?

I thought this was the 986 forum but it seems more like the over 56 and sensible forum with all the goofy talk. I wear skinny jeans and soon I "will!!!" be adding a neck scarf to the ensemble!

^ C'mon! Madmods is that you?

Johnny Danger are you pulling one over on us? This must be a clever joke.

Good one...you had us going. But the scarf reference gave it away.