father in law drops it on me..

[Mark_T]

Originally Posted by black_falcon

the fear mongering on some Porsche forums is unlike anything I've ever seen.

Usually from graduates of the school of "been there, done that"

[black_falcon]

Originally Posted by Mark_T

Usually from graduates of the school of "been there, done that"

Cool story. Guess I've been lucky because all my pcars have been exceedingly reliable. Ditto for most people I know.

[Perfectlap]

Deffered Boxster maintenance/repair is like owing money to the IRS... it only accrues with interest. the #1 truth of owning a Porsche: you can pay now, you can pay later but you will pay. Sure if the car only comes out for Sunday ice cream cones it will be reliable enough. But start pouring on the miles where climates vary from very cold to very hot and Porsche reliability becomes an oxymoron. Perhsps compared to a Ferrari it's an old Volvo...

By the way, someone mentioned comparing against an 11 year old car. Like many Boxster owners my previous car was a Miata. It is probably the most commonly found car at any track day or autocross from LA to South Florida to NY and everywhere in between. On the street you can drive the wheels off the car year round and not face 1/10th the repair costs of any Porsche and any mechanic will jump right in without saying "I don't touch those cars".
if you like to modify your cars youcan do as much as you like without spending enough to buy another car. I had a head turner that received just as many compliments as the Boxster. Oh and you get air bags unlike one of those old British cars with suspect electrical.

Porsche build cars that perform well but durability is not their concern. Most of their buyers will not daily drive and once the warranty comes nearer to the end they trade in for a new weekend toy. The Japanese figured out how to build for performance and daily use durability and we reward this by paying the Germans a big mark up instead of the Japanese.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by Mark_T

Usually from graduates of the school of "been there, done that"

Most drop out from that school before the tuition bill comes due.


Come to think of it if I had dropped out before 60k miles I would probably be singing how reliable the Porsche academy was. Once I stuck around for junior and senior status they sent me the reality check bill. Bailing before the "big wave" is something that predates the water cooled era at the Porsche academy..heard 993 alumni talking about deciding on whether to skip the big wave too.
In Japan the big wave has nothing to do with cars...they engineer things to last.

[Retroman1969]

I think Mr Lebowski has been effectively scared off.

[labowski]

thank you.. i promise to post pics of the car real soon. have a great weekend men

[labowski]

you are correct! i did find a mouse nest..you are reading my mind

[BrokenLinkage]

Don't let 'em scare you, man.
I may jinx myself, but my 14yr old 96k-mile car has needed over the last 30K miles:
1) new rear trailing arms-old ones were still functional but noisy
2) new AOS -cured the occasional smoky startup
3) new coolant reservoir - truly a poor design and a PIA to replace
4) new MAF sensor - maybe could have gotten by with a cleaning but was starting a 500 mile trip and didn't want to take any chances
5) one CV boot
6) routine maintenance
7) oh, and a motor mount - was starting to wear out

All of this did in fact cost more than similar repairs on my elderly Jeep and Honda, but the frequency of required attention is only slightly more. In return, I usually arrive at work in a state of being mildly thrilled from the commute, and have a short 20 min vacation on the way home. And there is one deer that positively owes his life to the handling of the Porsche - with either of my other vehicles, he would have been an expensive hood ornament.
For me, for now, I am very pleased with it overall.I have no problems with its build quality, and for an older sports car it seems reliable. The comprehensive driving experience is unmatched in its price range, but , as noted, one must factor in maintenance, which will be more than most other marques.
Any comparable newer and more reliable car will start at about $30K, so the way I look at it, I got a $30K car for half that and $2k a year in maintenance. You on the other hand, did not get a car for free, just deeply discounted by the time you factor in the catch-up maintenance. But then, your thoroughbred must be fed/groomed/exercised/stabled, and all of that will cost a little more than for your quarter horse. So if your not up for the upkeep....
Anyway, welcome. Get it right, and I predict you will be hooked after the first spirited drive. If the numbers don't work for you, or the driving experience isn't that important to you, or you need more seats, or whatever, then once it is sorted, pass it on to someone at a different point in their life, possibly for a tidy profit if you did the work yourself.

[Retroman1969]

^^ excellent post. I've owned many cars over the years and none of them have been maintenance free after they started aging. These cars are getting on in years. I have around $9500 total invested in my daily driver, including the purchase price and accident repair which wasn't the car's fault. It's a lot of smile-inducing car for the money.
I look forward to the pictures.