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Old 12-27-2008, 03:59 PM   #5
jwade
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Clarksville, Tn
Posts: 339
1989, here is my two cents...

When did you decide you wanted one?

1987 when I was in the 7th grade. Was out with my grandmother one day and we purchased a Porsche magazine at the local grocery store. An article about the 911 sold me and ever since, I have been a car buff..had R&T, MotorTrend, Car & Driver, and the Dupont registry to entice me for years.

How long did it take to finally purchase it?

Actually this year, February to be exact.

The day I saw a low mileage california red on tan '01 Boxster S come on Ebay, I knew this was the one. User stats for the seller showed zero (0), so I knew this person selling was a total newbie. It was exactly what I wanted ever since I watched the Boxster prototype come into play around the mid 90's while in college at UT Knoxville.

How old where you then, and now?

33 when I bought it. I am 34 now...July Birthday.

Is there anything you would have done differently?

Nope, car was optioned exactly how I wanted it down to the dark burr walnut shifter and e-brake. Literally I thought this was a crazy to have the exact car I would have ordered if new. Really, and I don't want to sound snobish, but buy the S model. It's that good man and really, why mess around with the base model???

Went down to georgia to see the car (original owner had just had it transported from Sacremento, CA to Lake Oconee (Reynold's Plantation, GA) and it was a dismal day, but when the owner arrived for the visual inspection and test drive, the sun came out...almost too wierd man, like this purchase was supposed to happen!

Took it through Jim Ellis Porsche in Atlanta for a PPI. Came out perfect so I went on ahead and had the 15,000 mile checkup performed. Car at the time had 13200 on the odo. Make sure you do this when you find the car you want.

Quick word of advice for a young person trying to save for one?

Do alot of research on the car as well as options and seriously wait until you find the right one! They are getting on down there now, especially in this market we are in now. Don't go too cheap though. You get what you pay for ok.

I had literally been looking for over a year +, but I wanted a highly optioned car, and it had to be guards red with savanna beige interior. Not many out there like that and I have loved Guards Red for years!! Only other color I would consider would be the all time classic basalt black over tan.

Understand that you will need some money to take car of your purchase. Take into consideration the sales tax on top of what you pay for the car. Also, I pay under 1000 per year for full insurance, but I am approaching 35 now with a family of 4. You need to be aware that the younger you are, the more this could hurt you...Ticket history could play into this BIG.

Maintenance is not too bad, but have a few thousand nest egg saved on top of the purchase and be prepared to pay out accordingly. I had the original 18" sport contact tires on the car when I purchased. The guy at Jim Ellis said you have about 2000 miles left and they are done, so after driving back home to TN from Atlanta, GA, and playing around a little since February, late last summer I purchased a set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cups (N-rated).

After mounting and balancing, you MUST get it aligned, so it put me back about 1400 bucks total. Tires are NOT cheap, even at Tirerack prices....but I had the tires drop shipped to Jaguar Porsche Audi of Nashville and they were pretty cool to deal with. JPA nashville will always service the car. We do not have a "specialty shop" here, and I like to keep the maintenance history perfect as the original owner did.

I'd appreciate your guys' time for filling this out if you get a chance, or you can simply give me some tips, either way I'd be greatful, I might get some good ideas.[/QUOTE]

By as highly optioned 'S' car as you can with a reasonable amount of mileage. DO NOT buy a non-optioned, non-S, high mileage car! You will be asking for trouble.

My car was a very well cared for, original porscheophile owner who was about my fathers age...(late 50's...maybe early 60's), and MAYBE splashed with rain a couple times period in it's life in CA.

Only reason they sold it was due to being upside down in a development deal and they needed the cash for staying power. Very good people and I wish them well as if they ever saw this blog, they would know who to call....

I think Porsche makes a great product hands down. VERY FUN TO DRIVE and an exeptional balance between power and handling. Please note this aint a mustang GT ok.

With this being said though, you will see after cruising this site a while, a few blogs about intermediate shaft failures, ultimately causing an engine failure. There have only been a few listed here, but don't be scared of this.

Just know you are buying a high performance car, and it is made to run. Make sure you know who you are buying from, and if given proper care, the car should last you years to come as long as you treat it with repect.

Additionally, you may find that great car out there, but after the PPI, which is an absolute before purchase, they may tell you there is a little seepage coming from the RMS (rear main seal). This is pretty apparent on all these models and I would only be concerned if I saw drips on my garage floor, then it would be off to the dealer for a seal kit.

I bought a Porsche 986 S because I love cars and have a real appreciation for the engieering behind them. I do not use my car for a daily driver, but drive on weekends and on some sunny great days throughout the week and I never drive the car in rain!

If you purchase one, you will enjoy it. The sound is awesome when you open it up, especially de-snorkled and with OEM PSE (Porsche Sport Exhaust). Beware the modding though. It costs BIG money to mod these cars and you will see VERY LITTLE GAIN, unless you do an engine swap or talk with Jake Raby about a conversion from 3.2 to 3.6 liters.

This mod alone will set you back 20k, and to me, I will have to blow an engine before I would consider this as I paid 27k for the car originally and I cannot see droping another 20k in it....but then again...who knows. It really depends on how long I want to keep it. Jake, are you listening????

If you have any other concerns, please ask away as most everyone here on this site seems very knowedgable and you can learn alot from cruising around here.

Later, Jon
__________________
'13 S - Guards Red / Luxor Beige - Options - Loaded to the Hilt!!

'01 S - Guards Red / Beige - Surrendered - 04.18.12
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