[Kirk]

I've only had two non-maintenance repairs in the last 3.5 years that I've owned my Boxster:

Rear wheel bearings - $70 in parts, $260 for the special tool, I supplied the labor

Rear CV boots - $50 in parts, DIY labor

Overall I think our Boxsters are relatively cheap to run. I just bought a 996 and this is the biggest reason why I bought that car, because of my positive experience with the Boxster. I really wanted a Maserati Coupe GT (about $30K used), but there is only one Internet source for discounted parts and they don't carry much. Plus even with the discount you're still buying Ferrari parts. So the rear wheel bearings for the Maserati would have been $630 each!!! I figured down the road I was going to pay $10,000 more in gas (thirsty V8) and $10,000 more in maintenance and repair parts for a Maserati that was about the same cost up front as a 996.

I think we have to count ourselves lucky to have beautiful cars, with excellent German design and engineering, and still be able to run them relatively cost effectively. How many great resources do we have on the Net for help with repairing our cars? How many great resources do we have for cheap parts? How many resources do we have for great aftermarket parts and mods? Again, all of this I found lacking with Maserati. So I stayed in the Porsche family and I'm glad I did! I think we're pretty lucky with the Boxster support that is available on-line.

Kirk