what turned me on to the Porsche Boxster
 

I was in love with Porsche cars for a LONG time. Always wanted one from an early age. However, My wife and I were watching a movie she rented on the Blockbuster mail program called "The Company Men". It was then that I saw Ben Affleck driving a Porsche Boxster (987) and wondered, "what the hell kind of Porsche is THAT!!!" Then when I realized a few years later I could afford one. Dream come true. My wife is not a car person but I remember her even responding positive while we were watching that movie about like how that Porsche looked? I think I even googled it while watching the movie. :) :cheers:

post your first passion or interest for the Porsche Boxster
 

Okay. I thought for sure my posting would stimulate some fun conversation as to why folks were motivated to buy a Porsche Boxster. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

Don't want to hurt your feelings, but I think your wife was talking about Ben Aflek,not the car. ;)

nice one, haha! nope, the car.

I always liked the way they looked, but never paid them much mind. Five years ago when i started looking for a fun car I still didn't think much about them. But then after accidentally figuring out they were in my price range I started looking around for one. I drove a few 350Z's and a couple RX-8's. Two of the 350Z's were beat, one was really nice. The RX8's sounded like weed wackers and had no power unless red lined. I drove a few Boxsters they had at the local Porsche dealership. I really liked them, but from the dealer with no warranty was too pricey. After a few months I found the car I have now. CL private seller. He drove the car to my work so I could test drive it. To be honest when he was pulling up I was thinking I'm buying this car. So I took it for a drive and the rest is history.

I'd say it was between the Boxster and the nice 350Z in the end. The 350Z had a bit more power, but the Boxster fit me like a glove. Plus it's a convertible and it's a frickin Porsche.

I didn't get a PPI done or know about the IMS issue when I bought it. Thank god for this forum to help me through most of the problems I've encountered. Although this forum has also cost me more money in parts and cool stuff I never knew I needed :)

Never heard of the Boxster before I saw one on AutoTrader.
I had put a $10k down payment on a new Mazda RX8. That night, I went home with some serious buyers remorse, scanned AutoTrader and found the Boxster listed for $12.5k. The following Monday, I went back to the dealer and retrieved my check, drove to KC to look at the Boxster and bought it for the same $10k, knowing nothing about the model.

I've never looked back or regretted my purchase for even a second...until the local redneck harassment started. I got over that and just enjoy the car now. :)

Your story is much like mine. I did not know about the issues, flew to Denver with about 4 to look at, I looked at the first one at an auto Pawn shop, new replacement Porsche engine in 2010 at 37k miles, bought it with 58k miles. didn't even consider looking at the other option cars. I have never looked back and have enjoyed every mile. Now at 96k miles

Sweet trade!

My love for Porsche began in the 70's with the 914. I know, I know....it was really a glorified VW. But I loved the funky styling and go-kart handling. Fast forward a few short decades, two marriages, three kids, and three tuition bills and I got the opportunity to drive my wife's cousin's 08 Cayman. If crack was this addicting we'd have much bigger drug problem. The Cayman was a little out of my price range, but these old 986's could be had for song. And they had the PVS - Porsche Ventilation System (rag top). Two years of researching and forum lurking led me to purchase my 03 from Pedro Bonilla. Permagrin achieved!


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Me I bought it because it's something on the bucket list. I didn't buy it for track or racing or speed as I am too old for this. I really liked the shape of the car I was leaning towards a Corvette but I found this one around Toronto took the train and brought it home and parked it for the winter. I will probably drive it for a couple of summers then sell it and buy something else. I'm really looking forward to April to get it out of storage and get it on the road.

Always a Porsche guy since I saw a white 911 as a little kid.

I first saw the Boxster at the 1997 auto show in NY, and instantly liked it. I still have the poster they were handing out, on the wall in my basement since I bought my house in 1999. In 2001 I looked at used models, but went with an NB Miata instead, mostly due to cost. A few years later around 2007 I started looking at 2001's and up , but they were still just a bit too much for a second/weekend car.

I realized in 2010 that I didn't like the 987 restyle, but really liked the facelift 03-04, so started researching and looking seriously. Then I saw one in Seal Gray, and was hooked. It took 2+ years, but finally found a Seal Gray 5-speed with low miles at a good price.

I've never looked back.

I live on the edge of a well-heeled community and there are lots of Porsches to be seen driving past my house. I never thought that I could afford one but 3 years ago, when the Canadian dollar was at par with it's US counterpart, I noticed that there were lots of 986s for sale at very reasonable prices in California. So I figured that if I couldn't own one for a long while, I could have one for a little while!
The plan was to buy the car in Cali, drive it home to Montreal importing it into Canada, and sell it here at higher Canadian prices, paying for my road trip.
As my friends told my wife: "He'll never sell it you know"
They were right, of course!

Always love Porsches since I was a little kid. The 924 and 928's were my favorite, not knowing they were mechanical nightmares. I maintained a 911 fund for many years, which was all my pocket change in a 5 gallon glass water bottle. Cashed all that in for part of a house downpayment when I got married to show my wife I was serious about buying a house and thought "one day I'll start another Porsche fund."

In 1997 I saw one of the first Boxsters sold in Houston on the freeway and was smitten. Mid engine Porsche??? Love it! I had owned a Toyota MR2 so I knew how much fun a mid engine car was, and having a convertible would be even better I thought. I started a Porsche fund that afternoon with $50 in a bank account.

So, in 2004 I bought a 1997 with 84k on it for $15,500 and spent 3-5 years repairing it and upgrading parts of the car to make it look like a much newer S model.

I still enjoy driving the car, but it's not much fun in hot, humid, flat, traffic-laden Houston. It only gets out of the garage for a day or two every other month. But I can say the car is now very dependable and fires up every time I drive it and I'm finally pleased with my purchase.

My case was different as I think I was born with the itch, first steps were a zillion vw bugs, my first one at age of 12, it was a 63, then a few 914's then 911, and many other cars in between, then I started to make my own 356 speedster replica and when it was done someone came and flashed a bunch of bills on my face and took it so I made another one and the same thing happened again, several times, now im working on a new one but I will try to keep this one and to make sure it will stay in the family Im going to tell my wife that it brlongs to her, lol.
Anyway, I liked the boxster the fay it was released in the mid late 90's and finally bought one and I must admit, I love the damn thing

thanks for sharing your stories. These are great!

Fell in love with it the moment I saw it in MT magazine
 

when it debuted at the car show. I was probably around 13 at the time. I liked porsche to some extent before then but that really put me over the top and I fell equally hard for the 993 a few years afterward. I still have the original production version photo that the dealership was handing out to those pre-ordering prior to launch. The concept car I still think is one of the best looking cars ever produced. I am a z car fan as well and had a few 300zx's (z31 and z32) before the boxster as I tend to hold onto cars for a long time. I was remembering about my dad's MG midget that he had when I was in high school and how much I missed the roadster experience when I checked 986 prices and found they were well within my price range. I shopped for a couple of weeks and had my dad check out a car about 30 minutes from where he was working during the week. He took some photos of the car and I remember being frustrated that about half of them were corrupted files and trying to decipher the options on the car from the pictures that were good. It was 26 degrees the day he drove it and he was not a fan ("rides like a covered wagon and is way too small"....he now owns a Z3...LOL). I conversed with the owner a few times before he fell ill and went to the hospital. He never recovered and unfortunately passed away before I ever got to see the car. I was really saddened as he was a porsche guy and I really wanted to pick his brain and chat with him. I went to see the car and bought it from his widow a few weeks later as she really needed to sell the car and had my dad drive it back a week or two later once the bank lien was cleared. I remember my dad commenting about how something kept coming up on the back of the car....I told him the spoiler only comes up at higher speeds and he was now guilty of giving my new car a workout.

I never liked Porsche's and never wanted to own one. I always preferred Ferrari's. Well, except for the 959. But otherwise, I generally couldn't have cared less for them.

Then, I decided that I wanted a car that I could take to the track a few times a year so I looked at 996's. Everyone that I talked to said that I should buy a Boxster instead of a 996 and after driving a Boxster, I was hooked!

Thus far, I've had 5 Porsche's and still have two in the driveway, but I still want to own a Ferrari some day - probably a 360 Modena after I quit Porsche racing.

The king of COOL! Steve McQueen! I think my father took me to every movie he ever made. I think its funny today. I was a child and was going to see Bullit! Scared for life! LOL!

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

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

Hah, I remember playing that game. Good stuff!

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



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

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!

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.

Found this at my parents house today.

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/b...psdgkbz5sg.jpg

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

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/b...ps3iun6c2r.jpg

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 ....

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! :)

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


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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

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.

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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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:

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!

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!
:cheers:

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.
:cheers: