Intro to Porsche

[mikefocke]

I owned 2. wonderful cars. But that was 10 years ago. The cars you might look at are 20 year old cars. Will your financial situation allow for the maintenance on a 20 year old car whose parts are maybe twice what you are used to and for which labor changes are high? What if I told you 10 years ago a major service cost $1k, a brake job cost another $1k and tires cost $1.2k. Doing it yourself, half that. But that will give you an idea that a Porsche is not a cheap car. Oil change for $29.95? Nope. Maybe double that. Premium gas. I'm toying with buying my third despite all that but without any funding limits. A $10-30k engine wouldn't scare me, for example.

Years ago I wrote up this on buying a Boxster. Read it and the other maybe 10 articles to get as honest a picture as I could convey understanding it was written with a ten year old car in mind, not a 20 year old one.

[Jim 'n' SC]

Look for a 2003-2004 986. Many nice upgrades and you can find them relativity cheap.

[old911doc]

$7,000should buy you a very presentable Boxster. I would suggest a very early car, 97 or 98 model year, a 2.5 L model years before the troublesome intermediate shaft bearing of the later 2.7 L engines. Although parts prices from dealerships are stiff, so they are for any other make; don't buy parts from the dealership except as a last resort.
I have not found Boxsters any more difficult to maintain than any other make or model of car. Check my garage list for more background.
The 986 series represent the best value on the used car market, bar none.
Do your homework; read the forum here, the 101 Projects book, the Pelican tech series, and watch Craigslist like a hawk.
If you can't find a great value in a used 986, you just can't find a good used car!
Good luck!

[maytag]

Originally Posted by old911doc

I have not found Boxsters any more difficult to maintain than any other make or model of car.

Ya know, every time I hear one of y'all say this, I laugh out loud just a little bit. And then I say (to anyone who'll listen) "I think it's been too long since you've worked on anything else", haha.

Look, you think I'm wrong? Just think through what happened the first time someone asked you if they could see the motor? Or checking the air filter? Power steering fluid?

For context, this (my first porsche) is car #74 in my life. I've owned a lot of cars of various domestic, Japanese and European brands.
Nearly EVERYTHING you'd do (maintenance and repair) to this car takes longer than it would on most other cars.

But Worth it? Yup.


Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

[ekam]

Originally Posted by maytag

Nearly EVERYTHING you'd do (maintenance and repair) to this car takes longer than it would on most other cars.

Brakes are damn easy. Exhaust came off easily, no rusted bolts!

Oil change... have you done one on a car with dry-sump?

[jdlmodelt]

takes a little extra knowledge and some tool trickery for some of the repairs but, not a heck of a lot worse than anything else I've owned. The headlight bulbs are probably the easiest I've ever changed in a car before.

Originally Posted by maytag

Ya know, every time I hear one of y'all say this, I laugh out loud just a little bit. And then I say (to anyone who'll listen) "I think it's been too long since you've worked on anything else", haha.

Look, you think I'm wrong? Just think through what happened the first time someone asked you if they could see the motor? Or checking the air filter? Power steering fluid?

For context, this (my first porsche) is car #74 in my life. I've owned a lot of cars of various domestic, Japanese and European brands.
Nearly EVERYTHING you'd do (maintenance and repair) to this car takes longer than it would on most other cars.

But Worth it? Yup.


Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

[Geof3]

Originally Posted by old911doc

$7,000should buy you a very presentable Boxster. I would suggest a very early car, 97 or 98 model year, a 2.5 L model years before the troublesome intermediate shaft bearing of the later 2.7 L engines. Although parts prices from dealerships are stiff, so they are for any other make; don't buy parts from the dealership except as a last resort.
I have not found Boxsters any more difficult to maintain than any other make or model of car. Check my garage list for more background.
The 986 series represent the best value on the used car market, bar none.
Do your homework; read the forum here, the 101 Projects book, the Pelican tech series, and watch Craigslist like a hawk.
If you can't find a great value in a used 986, you just can't find a good used car!
Good luck!

I think if you are talking in terms of cost, parts etc. I would tend to agree, to a point. My Jeep is more expensive to maintain than my Boxster (so far) However, due to the electronics configuration, general German over engineering etc, these cars are not great entry level learners. Consequently, the costs go up. Overall, due to the mid engine configuration, pulling things like the alternator, PS pump etc, aren’t any more technically difficult (remove appropriate bolts etc.) However, the access is a major PITA for these items.

And, while I agree 7k can buy a decent looking car, at that age, there will be significant deferred maint costs at that price point most likely.