new to the 986 world
 

Hey guys just wanted to introduce myself and give a little background. I'm 17 years old, I DD a 944 for the past year (with some major repairs of course, I did all the work myself) and I just upgraded to a 97 986.

I bought the 944 a year ago and did some repairs including camshaft repairs, belt tensions, rollers, but no head or cylinder work. For fun we stripped out some dead weight, put konis suspension on it, short shifter, new shift linkages and a few other bits and pieces. I decided that I would never be happy with the 944s lack of power and started looking for a 944 turbo. During the search I flew out to Florida to visit my grandparents and while there I had the opportunity to test drive a 06 Cayman S and loved every moment. I knew the 944 turbo would actually be faster with a few mods but I didn't care. I knew I wanted that platform. Reality then struck and told me I couldn't afford a $30,000 car at 16 years old (of course lol).

When we got back from Florida I started the search for a boxster and found nothing, I found a 944 turbo but could never see it due to the lack of cooperation from the owner. Fast forward a month and I have a buyer for my 944, luckily I was able to break even on it and a day later I found a 986 being sold for 5800. Needs some work but that's ok. I talked to the guy and after adding my own cash (my parents aren't paying for anything on this car) I found I had enough money.

Needless to say I now own a 97 986 with 116k miles. interior is pretty good just needs a new shift boot and the little mirror adjustment panel on the A pillar, The automatic top doesn't work because one of the arms snapped, I found it for $80. Unfortunatly I dont have any money to fix even these little things for 2 reasons.

1. Spent all my free cash on the car
2. Im extremely close to getting my private pilots license (Future career.) and a good 90% of my money is going to that...

so yeah thats my story...
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Congrats on the new car and welcome to the forums. Seems like the car couldn't have found a better owner!:dance:

I was waiting to see you here, its jacob from instagram! Congrats! Your car reminds me alot of my old one, im gonna miss that car alot!

welcome! and best of luck with your new endeavor. take your time and do your homework and you'll do fine with your new baby. this forum and others will prove to be a wonderful resource. once again welcome to the community..

Very nice , welcome to the club!

thanks all guys! Jacob I've been stalking the forums for a week or so now and I wasnt totally sure if it was you or not lol congrats again on the S!

Buy the 101 projects for your Boxster book and check Pelican for parts.

Congrats and welcome!

Maaaaaaaaaaaveriiiiiiick!!!!!!

Congrats and welcome to the forum! Always great to see young guys figure out they can drive a Porsche! I wish I had figured it out back then! Good luck on your future career, now is a good time to get into aviation. The majority of professional pilots will be retiring in the next 10-15 years so you are well positioned. I am one of those, about 12 years left!

never mind guess not. I was suposed to pick up the boxster next week (earliest time I could get) and the owner decided he was going to sell it out from under me AFTER I put a deposit! to top it all off there aren't any more boxsters in my area I can afford!

Oh man, that really stinks:mad: Well, you will just have to keep a look out for a better one, there will be more.

thats the problem there isnt. Everything in my area is horribly over priced and everyone just drives automatic.

Patience, you will find the right one. It took me months to find mine.

Worst case scenario, winter prices are alot cheaper!

I need a car within a week, I already sold my 944! i might just end up getting a 944 turbo or... bmw 325 (EWWWWWW but avalible)

Yep! And you are going to need some patience and perseverance for your aviation career. Good practice!

Yeah worst case with a Boxster is impulse quick buying. Just don't buy anything you could loose money on in between now and then. I'd hate for you to spend a ton to upkeep a BMW than miss out on a boxster.

Yeah I just ruled out the bmw. Too much work on them. But I need a car so I can go to the airport and such. And everyone in California seems to think their cars are worth 2x what they actually are. Like 99 boxsters with 160k miles for 10k

2001 Porsche Champaign silver Boxster

2.7 with a new ims here... a bit oddly cheap but it does have high miles... this cars probably worth 9 though which it could be a too good to be true thing.. if you can afford this car and a PPI I would suggest it! They are asking cash only so things are odd. Run a carfax for sure and get a ppi and this car is good to go.

1999 Porsche Boxster convertible good cond found this, Very high miles but its something i can afford. I texted him for pictures and I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE dark blue porsches.... the IMS concern is pretty much out of the question as it would have failed by then but the high miles kinda bothers me...

Strangly cheap again, ive never seen one under 5.5.... but hey im sure its a sold car, alot of folks here run cars way over 200k.. just keep changing water pumps and AOSs as they fail every 70 to 100k and keep on truckin... Suspension rework and such is good to do higher mileage, Best of luck, I hope the car is in good shape!

it was painted 6 months ago, 5k miles on the clutch, previous owner bought it from a Porsche mechanic. seats are iffy but im going out to see it tomorrow. problem is he has a ton of people going out to look at it.

Offer him more, it's worth that, and most cars have bad seats at 100k so that's no biggie haha

Wow, a male of 17 years old, I hope Daddy is paying for insurance, I can't even imagine what that premium looks like.

Have fun but do yourself a favor, don't drive it like you stole it.:eek:

If its a base especially a 2.5 it wont be terrible

this is my second porsche. Insurance on this is actually cheaper than the 944. And I pay for my own insurance, its $90 a month

My new S is 1 dollar cheaper for some reason haha, as said before, it isnt terrible. I have friends with expeditions and such that all pay much higher rates.

That's because you can cause more damage with a SUV Ahaha kids+big vehicles= smashed city light poles

Well I bid you all farewell. People in california have no concept of market value so everything is usually ~2k over priced. Even saw a boxster that had no interior trim, missing the spoiler, no front driver side brake. missing the underbody covers, broken top, no stereo, neither of the mirrors or windows worked. The only good thing about it was that the clutch was new and the paint was 6 months old.... the price he wanted: 4500 FIRM. It easily needed 2.5k in parts.

I looked on auto trader and flew to LA and drove it back. Tons of Boxsters in LA. Bought in Orange County. I'm from Antioch and searched the Bay Area. Same results you are having.

Holzy you may have read about my troubles with my 2001 Boxster base(code P1341).
Things can go south with the Boxster in a hurry and your pilot's licence is most important.

You need reliable transportation and if you can fix it yourself you can save a ton of $$$$. I can say most of the three years I have owned mine it has been good until I got the CEL light. Be patient and you may find a good one. Of course a PPI is a must.

I can remember the junky cars that I used to buy when I was young. Now I am older I am much more cautious - PPI's or I buy new.
Cheers, Guy

I know this particular vehicle is a long way from you but plane tickets and a road trip would make a great life experience. This looks like a fairly clean car at a decent price.

$7000 cash FIRM 1998 Porsche Boxster

In this day and age of cheap airfare, the internet to find trusted and reputable mechanics to perform PPI, and just about anything else you would need to make a wise car purchase I see no reason not to travel out of state. Like anything in business, you must go to the deal if you want to pay below market. Place want adds on the Porsche forums, there are many, and speak with Porsche mechanics in different cities to see if they can help in locating a car that they know well.
That Dallas car Bruce H posted is a prime example of a deal worth travelling for. I would let him know that I would pay the asking the price on the condition of a clean pre purchase inspection and put it in writing before heading down.
That way he knows you're serious and won't try to make some low-ball offer cash in hand.


And yes it's true, many guys in the big CA markets think their cars are not mass produced and there is a terrible shortage of water-cooled Boxsters and Carreras. I don't know who put this in their heads.
But it's also where you're most likely to find a car that has been driven year round (a good thing) in mild weather and not extreme heat and cold (a bad thing). However, there's a limit to how much that advantage is worth paying up for.

p.s.
A 2.5 Boxster is a great car for stripping down weight and adding lightweight parts. There's a decent chunk of weight that can be trimmed on what is already one of the lightest water-cooled Porsches.
But I don't think this would be a low cost endeavor, even if the person did all the wrenching you're still looking at a few grand for the aftermarket wheels,exhaust, brakes, headers, and expected maintenance you'll find on any 15 year old Porsche.
But the performance, feedback, low COG/mid engine handling, and easy maintenance (for a Porsche) that you'd get in a modified ~2,600 lb 2.5 Boxster is pretty tough to duplicate in another car, Porsche or otherwise.

However, at 17 I wasn't really looking to put $10K-$20K into a car yet. In fact my first two cars combined didn't cost $7K. I didn't spend over $10K on a car until I was many years out of college and had a fairly significant pile of investments relative to guys that age. Most had all their money in their cars, bikes and other toys. But if you can score a deal like the car Bruce H posted that's another matter. That way ownership and upgrade costs have significant wiggle room.

Noticed this ad a few days ago. Seller seems to have quite a large chip on his shoulder.

"NO joy rides......serious buyers ONLY and be ready to show proof of funds.... You will need to pay your tax, title, license, and registration when purchasing I WILL NOT HAND YOU TITLE until all is paid and transfer completed."

So let me get this straight. I can't drive the car before buying, I have to show you my bank book, and then I have to pay the taxes, title and registration fees on a car that I cannot show proof of ownership?

Shyeah, right. And I got a bridge in Brooklyn you may be interested in buying.

Just sayin'..........

TO

p.s. you cannot register a car in Texas without a title.

Sounds like he has been burned before, but yes, a bit extreme.

^ many good deals come from ball busters. That's why he has to lower the price, too many buyers want five star hotel service where "the customer is always right" for a simple used car purchase. And at this price point, you're going to get a lot of immature kids or older guys who don't have their act together. Actually this exactly the type of seller I want, the kind who discourages buyers from coming over to kick the tires. He doesn't realize it, but he's simply making it easier for me to beat others to the punch. The guy who sold me my first car was the exact same way, "this car is cherry (it was), I will not accept a lower offer, what time are you coming?". When I arrived at his place the car was 10 for 10 on all counts, unlike 99.9% of all the other cars being sold at that price point. You're buying a car not looking for a new facebook buddy.

p.s.
I would ask to at least see the the title beforehand. That's basic stuff. Hopefully it's not a jilted spouse trying to fire sale the car.

If I can't drive it, I'm not buying it.

And there's NO WAY I'm handing over cash without a clear title in return.

Just sayin'..............

TO

I think the guy meant that you have to show the cash before you're getting in the car.
And if you'll need the title to register the car then he'll obviously have to budge on handing over the title once he's been paid. At any rate if he balks at a PPI then there's nothing left to discuss, find another Boxster.
You have to be nuts to buy a car that old without having an expert take a look at it. Otherwise consider it a $3K roller, a Porsche without a sound engine is worth less than my expensive road bicycle.

still havent found anything but still looking. In august ill have my private pilots license so looking out of state will be come that much easier. Just need a buddy to fly my airplane back hehe

SO.... heres a run down of the last 2 months. Airplane broke and had to get a new motor mount ($700) and I finally sold my car... for 500 less than what I wanted...

So where does that leave me in the hunt for a boxster? 3k. so pretty much not enough to get the wheels off a boxster. Being a highschool student whose pay is immediately put into an account to cover costs of an airplane (which I cant sell until june) leaves me in a pretty annoying situation. Without a car, and without enough money to buy the only car I sold mine to get.

Any thoughts?

What you're saying doesn't make much sense. You "finally" sold your car? Why? I thought you said you sold your car long ago--before you lost the Boxster you wanted.

And you don't yet have your private but you own an airplane?