what turned me on to the Porsche Boxster

[grc0456]

Originally Posted by Finnegan

You're going to laugh, but this was my introduction to the 986.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Need_for_Speed:_Porsche_Unleashed

You just made many already old people on here feel even older - me included,



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[jdraupp]

Originally Posted by Finnegan

You're going to laugh, but this was my introduction to the 986.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Need_for_Speed:_Porsche_Unleashed

That game was awesome. I still had a computer version for a while. Don't know where it went.

[andys320]

Always wanted a 911.

Couple of years ago looked to replace my S class with a Quattroporte, test drove and loved noise and acceleration but dealer had a load of Boxsters on display too.

Decided Quattroporte too expensive to run so looked at a Boxster in addition to Merc, never looked back!

[dghii]

Was never a Porsche fan..nothing wrong with them but I was never attracted to their style. I've always had rag tops and since high school I worked my way through various Fiats (X 1/9 and spiders), Alfas and Miatas. I finally ended up with a new Z3 (2.3) in 99 and loved it. The Z led to an 99 M Roadster (really loved it!).

After selling the M Roadster, I test drove a really nice 99 Box with about 22K miles on it and was a little underwhelmed. I love how it handled yet certainly lacked the torque of the M.

A couple more years pass and my current car was a Z4 3.0 manual. I take a test drive in a used 2003 S on a local lot and it didn't take more than 2 or 3 blocks to think "Oh Crap! This is great!"

3 or 4 years pass, before I get serious and after about a years search, I end up with a 2000S off ebay. The car was local and 'by owner' and I had the opportunity to check it out and drive it before the no reserve auction ended. I still have the car and it is as much fun to drive today as it was 8 years ago.

[bobbeck]

Found this at my parents house today.



I guess I've wanted one since about 1986 when I got this... I was 12.



I remember getting it at a Service Merchandse store. It sat on my newly purchased IKEA desk from about 1986 until I went to college. I guess a stuffed toy turned me on to Porsche.

[CHRISP357]

Was a fan since my first ride in a 911 targa many moons ago. My best friend and I were quite poor but huge Porsche fans. It was forever our "someday" car even though, deep down, neither of us really believed we'd have one. When the Boxster arrived we were older, him, married with kids, me, always looking for greener grass. We lost contact for a few years when he went through a divorce. A year ago September, I saw a beautiful black 986 cruise by with the top down. I thought of my buddy and got on the computer to track him down. A year too late. My long time best friend dead of a drug overdose. The next day I started searching and a week later I flew from Boise to Dallas and bought my, our, car. Best tribute ever, I believe.

[p3230]

Originally Posted by CHRISP357

Was a fan since my first ride in a 911 targa many moons ago. My best friend and I were quite poor but huge Porsche fans. It was forever our "someday" car even though, deep down, neither of us really believed we'd have one. When the Boxster arrived we were older, him, married with kids, me, always looking for greener grass. We lost contact for a few years when he went through a divorce. A year ago September, I saw a beautiful black 986 cruise by with the top down. I thought of my buddy and got on the computer to track him down. A year too late. My long time best friend dead of a drug overdose. The next day I started searching and a week later I flew from Boise to Dallas and bought my, our, car. Best tribute ever, I believe.

Very touching and nice tribute to a friend. There's not enough of this in the world today.

[DWBOX2000]

Started back in the 70's. Parents friend was a used car dealer. Had a long body 911 on the lot so he decided to take myself and his two sons to a porsche show. I was likely 8. Anyway, his son who was likely 8 leaned on a 911. The owner socked the kid so I thought, geez this guys are nuts. I was hooked. I won't tell what the father did. Loved everything porsche ever since.

[Retroman1969]

My Porsche love goes back to the late 70s when I first saw a black 911 Turbo (I was about 7). Was the sexiest thing I had seen. I found a Tomy Pocket Car of it and played with it constantly (still have it). Off and on I followed Porsche up through the years. The 959, The Carrera 4, The 993....
I went on a retro kick in college and started appreciating the 356 and the history of Porsche in general.
When the Boxster first came out my friends and I were fascinated by it! We thought of it as a new 356 throwback. I revisited them when the Cayman came out years later (We liked the Cayman better than the 911 frankly).

Years later, when a clean used 986 came available locally for under ten grand, I immediately obsessed over it, at the moment having a truck that was eating me alive in gas. I was searching for a smaller car to replace the truck and thought.... you know, what the hell! Did the trade and have been in love since. Never in my life drove anything that felt as precision crafted as this.
The obsession continues.

[LAP1DOUG]

I purchased mine a few years ago to be a sort of pre-assembled kit car that I could drive and enjoy while experimenting with different parts and set ups to increase performance - it has been a fun learning experience.

I have always liked mid-engined cars, and Porsches in particular. The first car I ever purchased was a new 914 2.0 when I was 17 years old. I bagged a lot of groceries to buy that one, and learned a lot about working on cars.

When you think about it, if you want a mid-engined car with a reasonable torque 6 cylinder engine, there are not a lot of substitutes for a Boxster.

[2speed]

I purchased my 01 S about 4 years ago Put on 50k wonderful miles. Always drove 3 or 5 series BMWs before I got this car. Love the Porsche but looking at the deals you can get on 08-09 CaymanS . Hard to resist . One hard top one drop top. Sounds like the perfect garage ....

[BYprodriver]

My 1st dozen cars were 67-74 Firebirds with 400-455ci engines that I rebuilt. Never cared for the "glorified VW's" due to the low torque engines & spartan interiors. Finally drove 2 '86 Turbo "look" 911's that confirmed my dislike & added shift action to the list. 7 years later in 2000 I got a job prepping & test driving new cars, before delivering to automotive journalists. After about a week a Arena red 996 returned from loan. I liked the color, the silhouette, smooth body line & seams. When I got to the front I loved the integrated light modules, minimizing interruptions of the beautifully painted body panels. Sitting inside I liked everything I saw. Took it for a little longer than usual test drive & was pleasantly surprised by everything about the 996. Days went by quickly at the best job I ever had, & soon a Boxster returned home. I liked it's look more than the 996 & it was fun to drive, but the 2.7L engine left me preferring the 996 overall. Finally the time to test a Box S came, it had just debuted 6 months earlier & was one of the most popular cars that year. This was more like it, adequate power & easier & funner to drive than a 996! (My DD was a 67 Firebird 400 with 100 HP more & 150lbs more & drum brakes) Well 2 yrs went by quickly & my favorite day of the year came, Porsche's transporter truck arrived with the new 2003 Porsche cars! (Cayenne debuted later) I liked the changes to the Boxsters & got to know them well during a stock footage video shoot I prepped the cars for & drove for the photographer from Motorweek.
Well driving 30+ hours a week in LA traffic makes you a better driver & you also gain a keen insight of the positive & negative attributes of all the various vehicles from long test drives.
All the other company locations across the US started losing clients & money so naturally the owners decided to take it out on the employees. My General Manager quit & her replacement soon changed my accounts into her accounts, so I quit soon after.
Firebirds didn't do it for me anymore, especially the new ones I had driven thru work, so I bought my own Boxster S off E-bay with 15,400 miles & 9 months factory warranty remaining. Flew up to Portland OR & drove home down the coast, blissfully ignorant of IMSB or any other issues since I had not encountered any during my 2.5 years of testdriving 2000-2003 Porsches. 103,000 miles later I still believe the only device funner than a 986 S is mine with it's 3.6L!

[grc0456]

Originally Posted by p3230

Very touching and nice tribute to a friend. There's not enough of this in the world today.

I thought the same thing. I hope you drive the snot out of that thing - for both of you.


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[rusty69911]

well I never much cared for the boxster ,nor the 996, I hate the front ends,
but with the later round headlights they better suit my taste,
I kind of got a boxster primarily due to cost,
I sold my 69 long hood 4+ years ago for a very low price and within 18 months prices had trebled, hindsight is wonderful,
so I bought a cheap 924 as a project then this boxster came up, partially stripped with minor interior fire over the engine for a grand so I thought why not, the more I look at them the more I like them, still dont like the stock fronts and lights but haha

[XLR8URLYF]

I have wanted a white 80s era 911 Targa for over 30 years but they're out of my price range. I was flicking through tv channels 2 years ago and came across a Mecum Auction. For giggles I searched their auctions for Porsches and was amazed by the Boxster's affordable prices. "I can drive a Porsche for that price?!?!"

Since then, I've been casually considering getting one. The past few months that casual interest has become a daily obsession, and I've been researching prices, reading buyer's guides, learning the possible pitfalls, and compiling a list of questions. I've wavered between Base and S models, dealer or private seller, Mecum bid & ship without seeing the car, is Ebay really safe, and a dozen other factors. I've played mind games between "do I really need this car/toy" to "Life is short." I've survived cancer, and recently got some money from my dad's estate, and I'm ready to do this.

I'm currently eyeing a privately owned (I don't trust most of these dealers) '02 S with 50K carefully driven miles, Porsche serviced, garaged, etc. Just waiting to set up a test drive (and I plan to get it checked out by a certified mechanic), and crossing my fingers that the dream comes true soon.

Thanks to all of you for posting your thoughts. It appears that no one regretted the decision and you're all having fun driving these.

[grc0456]

I think you should go for it if you can live with the purchase price, and the estimated $1-3k yearly upkeep. Mine brings a smile to my face every single time I drive it. Worse case is you sell it on and recoup most of your money. If you lose $$, well that was your cost to rent your dream and you'll never say "I wish I would of bought that Porsche."


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[Crib]

Had a genuine car interest since childhood, and Porsches has always been somewhat of a long distant dream.

I was in the middle of my car upgrading career that went like:

1. Nissan Micra -91
2. Volvo S70 GLT -97
3. Volvo S60 2.5T -04
4. Saab 9-3 Aero XWD 2.8T -08

..when i realised that pulling the everyday miles to and from work was kind of expensive and inneffective seeing how much you enjoy it at 6 am...

So i decided to change my tactics and go for a really economic daily driver and combine that with something more fun for the weekends. So:

5. Volvo V50 1.6 DIESEL -10
6a. VW Golf Sportscombi 1.6 DIESEL -16

AND of course, since some months:
6b. Porsche Boxster S -03

Filled with excitedment for winter to be over and awaken my new companion :dance:

[por356c]

My Porsche world has been as a 356 owner for the past 20 years. I have a good friend in our 356 club who had a need for me to help him drive his 97 Boxster a couple hours south of where we live and then back home. What a a thrill. I could not believe the power, handling, comfort - and it was a Porsche! It was four hours of driving that seemed like 20 minutes. I immediately resolved to buy one, which I did last September. It's such an affordable car. One of my better decisions!

[jdlmodelt]

I here you. Last winter was more mild and I was able to drive my Boxster most days but this winter is every other week another 4-8 inches of snow. BUT, my Boxster will still be there in the spring. for now I'm enjoying my "rare" Subaru Baja. Boxsters rock!

Originally Posted by Crib

Had a genuine car interest since childhood, and Porsches has always been somewhat of a long distant dream.

I was in the middle of my car upgrading career that went like:

1. Nissan Micra -91
2. Volvo S70 GLT -97
3. Volvo S60 2.5T -04
4. Saab 9-3 Aero XWD 2.8T -08

..when i realised that pulling the everyday miles to and from work was kind of expensive and inneffective seeing how much you enjoy it at 6 am...

So i decided to change my tactics and go for a really economic daily driver and combine that with something more fun for the weekends. So:

5. Volvo V50 1.6 DIESEL -10
6a. VW Golf Sportscombi 1.6 DIESEL -16

AND of course, since some months:
6b. Porsche Boxster S -03

Filled with excitedment for winter to be over and awaken my new companion :dance:

[jdlmodelt]

If you can do your own upkeep repairs, It can be super low cost. I've only replaced a seat belt and the brake pads and rotors. Pretty low cost for 3 years of ownership. Brake kit was a drilled slotted low dollar set on ebay for just over $200. the Seat belt was just over $50. That's cheap! Get on youtube and learn some skills if you wan to keep the cost down on these cars.

Originally Posted by grc0456

I think you should go for it if you can live with the purchase price, and the estimated $1-3k yearly upkeep. Mine brings a smile to my face every single time I drive it. Worse case is you sell it on and recoup most of your money. If you lose $$, well that was your cost to rent your dream and you'll never say "I wish I would of bought that Porsche."


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