Boxster as a weekend warrior and track star?

[thstone]

B2KS is absolutely correct about operating costs for a Porsche that is tracked a lot. Here are my cum totals for 40 track days:

Car purchase price: $10K

Track Upgrades: $5000 suspension, $2,500 racing seats/harnesses, $500 roll bar extension

Repairs: Clutch/LWFW $3,400, starter $600

Preventative parts replacement: $3,200 rear wheel bearings, CV joints, spider gear.

Safety equipment: Helmet $500, gloves $150, shoes $250, firesuit $1,400, $800 HANS, $400 Cool shirt

Expendables: $1,600 brake pads/rotors,$1,000 oil changes, $5,000 tires, $2,000 other general maintenance

Most of the work I do myself.

[recycledsixtie]

Originally Posted by thstone

B2KS is absolutely correct about operating costs for a Porsche that is tracked a lot. Here are my cum totals for 40 track days:

Car purchase price: $10K

Track Upgrades: $5000 suspension, $2,500 racing seats/harnesses, $500 roll bar extension

Repairs: Clutch/LWFW $3,400, starter $600

Preventative parts replacement: $3,200 rear wheel bearings, CV joints, spider gear.

Safety equipment: Helmet $500, gloves $150, shoes $250, firesuit $1,400, $800 HANS, $400 Cool shirt

Expendables: $1,600 brake pads/rotors,$1,000 oil changes, $5,000 tires, $2,000 other general maintenance

Most of the work I do myself.

I would say that this is an expensive hobby. At that price you gotta want to do it.

[thstone]

Originally Posted by recycledsixtie

I would say that this is an expensive hobby. At that price you gotta want to do it.

To be honest, I am completely addicted. I still have 18 more track days on my calendar from now to December.

And I planned things this way. Originally, I was going to buy a 996 for around $35-$40K. Then I decided to buy a Boxster and put the rest of the money in learning to drive well on the track so my track budget started around $30K but its depleting fast!

[grubinski]

Originally Posted by thstone

Originally, I was going to buy a 996 for around $35-$40K. Then I decided to buy a Boxster and put the rest of the money in learning to drive well on the track

You're a genius.

[Topless]

There is an old saying with Porsche... If you have to ask, you can't afford it.

thstone and I have been on a very similar path. Instead of dropping a wad on the car, we invested in the driver. Our expenses have been pretty similar although I spent very little on the car for the first 5 years of ownership. Only last year did I crack the piggy bank a bit with fully developed suspension, trans, clutch, IMS retrofit, waterpump, Tstat. Pretty normal stuff with 100k miles and 60+ track days I guess.

The Boxster is still the most fun car I have ever owned and I will continue to push it's performance envelope at the track as often as possible.

[Squiden]

Originally Posted by Topless

There is an old saying with Porsche... If you have to ask, you can't afford it.

thstone and I have been on a very similar path. Instead of dropping a wad on the car, we invested in the driver. Our expenses have been pretty similar although I spent very little on the car for the first 5 years of ownership. Only last year did I crack the piggy bank a bit with fully developed suspension, trans, clutch, IMS retrofit, waterpump, Tstat. Pretty normal stuff with 100k miles and 60+ track days I guess.

The Boxster is still the most fun car I have ever owned and I will continue to push it's performance envelope at the track as often as possible.

Actually, the cost hasn't scared me (yet). In ~20 track events in the Legacy, I've accumulated:

- Brembo Brake Kit (used) - $2500
- Larger intercooler - $1000
- Front LSD - $800
- Clutch / LWFW - $1600
- Rims (to clear Brembos) - $2000
- Springs / sways / camber plates - $1000
- E85 fuel conversion - $3000+ (most of the cost is in tuning and tweaking)
- Exhaust / Intakes / etc - $2000
- And plenty of brake pads / oil changes / tires

I also blew up the original motor (not on the track), and thus have $7k invested in a built motor.

The Legacy is very capable - other than fully prepped race cars (or really skilled drivers) I can usually out-drive everyone at the track (just open lapping days for now). The problem I'm running into is that since this is also my DD, I can't push the car as hard as I'd like (had to be towed home last time due to split intercooler piping, as an example).

I also have the option of turning the Legacy into the track car and picking up a different DD... but a 4-door family car can only be pushed so far at the track. Plus, coming up with a nice DD that fits the family needs (car seats - ugh!) AND my requirements (manual, passing power, cost, etc) is a tall order to fill.

So far, the only additional expenditure I wasn't expecting for the Boxster would be the rollbar extensions - at 6'1", I'm guessing that'll be required for me.

Since I only plan to do up to 10 track events a year (at least for now), the rest of those costs get spread out over a few years. The only other item that I've planned for in the first year was a clutch (I'm guessing a Boxster with 80k miles won't have much life left in the clutch).

Thanks for all the advice everyone!

[Squiden]

Originally Posted by thstone

B2KS is absolutely correct about operating costs for a Porsche that is tracked a lot. Here are my cum totals for 40 track days:

Car purchase price: $10K

Track Upgrades: $5000 suspension, $2,500 racing seats/harnesses, $500 roll bar extension

Repairs: Clutch/LWFW $3,400, starter $600

Preventative parts replacement: $3,200 rear wheel bearings, CV joints, spider gear.

Safety equipment: Helmet $500, gloves $150, shoes $250, firesuit $1,400, $800 HANS, $400 Cool shirt

Expendables: $1,600 brake pads/rotors,$1,000 oil changes, $5,000 tires, $2,000 other general maintenance

Most of the work I do myself.

That is a great breakdown - thanks!

Looks like most of the replacement costs (clutch / suspension / etc) are about twice as expensive as my Legacy. Safety items don't really count - they are expensive no matter what you drive .

Thanks everyone for the great feedback - still undecided on which way I'll go, but now I have a feel for what a Porsche will run me.