Hello, Who I am, Trying to get rid of the butterflies in my stomach: re 986 Purchase

[968WNC]

I have found a tiptronic 986 Porsche for $8000, it is a late 99 model- still sold as a 99 but late production for a 99(surprised it was not bumped over to a 2000). It is a 2.5 Tiptronic, the convertible top is in good condition and the car has not been beaten on. The owners are Hmong and they are the 2nd owners per Carfax(not that Carfax means much). They seem to have well maintained the car, the wife drove it most. I don't like the arrest me red, but it is in my price range of $10k or under and 125mi from my home, and is non-wrecked.

About me: I am an enthusiast of 1960's and 1970's cars but I do own a 1987 Range Rover I(3.5, atc) and I have a 1995 Range Rover that I put a 4.2 and 5spd from a LR Discovery I.

Other cars currently in my collection;
1. have a 40x72 storage area and work area
2 and I am finishing a 20x50 5 bay garage
I am 6'0-6'1" weight 290-300lb- yeah I am fat, that's reality, it ain't healthy but it is who I am.

1973 Jensen Interceptor III: looks dead stock- only difference is I was able to replace the front calipers with a set from Wilwood and the rear calipers have been changed to a set from a performance Jaguar adapted using a Mopar Dana 60 rear caliper adapter. The rotors are all Wilwood's in 5x4.5(5x114.3mm) and I can use a 14" to 16" rim, so I am currently using a 16" XJS rim that is quite similar to the original Jensen. Factory 440 is stored and I built a 473" stroker using a salvaged Callies crank and some custom rods using the Chevy rod bearings and Diamond pistons, MP Stage VI heads.. It has a Chrysler 727 BB automatic with a Gear Vendors OD. I used a Hurst "His/Hers" shifter when I changed the shifter to a bellcrank automatic/kickdown. When I reupholstered the rear, I [ realized no one would ever sit in the rear, so I did reupholster it but moved the seats to storage and I moved back the front seats, put in a comfortable race harness(four point buckle) and there is a shelf unit behind for luggage or extra storage. - I can easily change it to the original configuration with no problems. I have friends who are 6'5 and one 6'6 and movng the seat back made it easier to use the car.

1976 Lotus Elite(+2) and 1976 Lotus Eclat, red and white. Converted to eurospec DCOE manifolds(D'ellorto type), header mod, cams custom ground.

1987 Range Rover "Ranch" & 1995 Range Rover LWB County

1970 Dodge Charger, 70 Challenger, 70 Superbee
1972 Charger, 1972 'Cuda with 5.7 Hemi swap

I also own a Gurney bubbled Europa. Great car.

I have nearly finished my Fiberfab Jamaican. It is a Lotus head on a short deck crossflow 711M block, stroked to 2.2 Litres, feeds off a pair of Weber's through a bad conversion kit I made. It uses a T5 that I have down to repair. I need to do the door glass install, do door panels, fit in seats, hook up all gauges. I have driven it with an RAD trans but I wanted a 5 speed. The rear end is a narrowed Ford 8.8.

Long story short: I have had Europa's, had MR2's(even done a V6 swapped one). Owned MRS's.

I want a 986 with the tiptronic(I have rebuilt the early Freelander transmissions and done solenoid swaps so I feel pretty confident).

I will be buying a hardtop for it, and it will be a permanent addition, I am not crazy about convertibles but I really like the Boxster and I am familiar with the mechanics of Porsche's air and water cooled. The Porsche tiptronic I do not have experience with. I do not want a 5 speed. At 42, I am over manual tranmissions.

I'll post my FNG dumb ownership questions later.

Thank you for having me.

[spdrcr21]

Welcome aboard!

[Frodo]

Ditto that.

But...
How does one not like a convertible? What's not to like—you've got the best of both worlds. Unless you're tracking and want that extra rigidity, I can't imagine not embracing the rag top. Never having owned one, that was a big chunk of why I got the Boxster. 17 years later and I still love it.

And how does one get "over" manual transmission? I dunno, it may just be me...but I love that connection with what I'm driving.

Anyway, again: welcome!

[JayG]

Originally Posted by Frodo

Ditto that.

But...
How does one not like a convertible? What's not to like—you've got the best of both worlds. Unless you're tracking and want that extra rigidity, I can't imagine not embracing the rag top. Never having owned one, that was a big chunk of why I got the Boxster. 17 years later and I still love it.

And how does one get "over" manual transmission? I dunno, it may just be me...but I love that connection with what I'm driving.

Anyway, again: welcome!

Ragtops RULE!!!

[stagewex]

I am only 7 months into ownership of my 2002 Boxster but no stranger to older cars and motorcycles. I spent a long, long time looking for one specific to having history but also one with the IMS upgrade service done already. At 131,000 miles used but with one original owner and a 2nd that knew that original owner personally I found what I was looking for. All the box's were checked when I received a booklet of dealer service receipts from day one purchase. I'd rather have a car like this with history rather than one with few miles with no history and a bunch of owners.
Under my ownership I had the regular go-over by my nearby dealership who were able to track maintenance and only came up with one recommendation... the front tires while appearing new were of such an old date-code they recommended replacement. Kinda hard & getting brittle. Test ride after the swap confirmed improved handling and put away my research into new suspension. Rear tires were new just before purchase.

I'm just mentioning this because other than superficial and electronic upgrades I have not had to do much to this car thankfully. And I know from the service history when something has be changed or not so can follow a schedule per the owners service manuals all the time realizing this (in my case) is a 21 year old car that for all purposes was way ahead of it's time.
On a site like this there is a lot of technical help with things that are or have failed. That is always in the background as I suppose you realize with restorations of the vehicles you have listed in your stable.
Here's my kinda answer to you question... based on your experience with all those British cars that we lust after (I've had many MG's and Triumphs) but basically suck design-wise (why they all went out of business) I'd say a Boxster should be no problem for you. Parts if keeping as OEM as possible are expensive and servicing a mid-engine car might be a lot more involved than you Brit & American cars. But what you initially buy, a project or a driver will determine how much you are going to put into it time-wise & $$$.

I bought mine primarily for top-down use. It still has the 21 year old Vert top on it with a newer back plastic window. I should change it only for a better looking newer one but it holds the rain out so sticking with why I bought it in the first place, Rag Top. I do drive it in the Winter (now) and we have not had any snow at all here in the NYC Tri-State area at all. So weekends when it's too cold to ride a motorcycle and occasionally commuting to work in NYC.

You listed Mopar cars... extreme envy/so cool.
One thing I would caution is that at 6'2" and 175lbs. it is a very tight fit for me in the nice leather seats. I suppose they (the seats) may have adjusted to my body/frame with use and I have used leather conditioner on them every few weeks just to get them feeling supple again.
You listed a Firefab Jamaican? That's probably smaller and even harder to get into and out of. Figure I'm kinda describing something like that. I cannot drive this car with my wallet in my back pocket if you know what I mean. And these cars need to be driven, not just looked at.
Go find your Boxster but take your time looking. IMS and other upgrades should be at the top of your list. Or deduct what it will cost for you to do the work or a shop.

PS: I have installed the hardware to accept a hard-top though I do not have one. But if one comes up that is already my cars color-code and within 100-200 miles I'm ready to pick it up. Not a necessity but would be nice to have during the cold months. My Box is garaged year-round.