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thstone · 12-18-2010, 10:30 PM

I am lucky enough to own a Miata (2003 LS) and a Boxster (1999 base)!

There is no doubt that the Boxster is the better car in almost every way but only the Miata brings back the true original feeling of my old Triumph sports cars (TR6 and Spitfire). Also the parts and repairs for the Miata are dirt cheap compared to the Porsche (which is comparable to the costs for maintaining my BMW's).

My advice is to definitely move up to the Boxster. There are a lot of Buyers Guides and other info online but at the end of the day its still all about finding a good used car that's not been trashed by the previous owner.

Drive several and then pick the best one in your price range. Its also worth it to have a pre-purchase inspection done (I used my local Porsche dealer for $175).

I didn't worry about the IMS or RMS problems since there is nothing you can do to predict them and it seems to be a very small percentage of cars. I figured for under $12K its a throwaway if the engine completely fails and I'd just get another one rather than spend $10K+ on an engine rebuild. I mean, I can go through 4 used Boxsters for the price of a brand new one (which I seriously considered buying).

If you can afford a little more money, get an S model, but the base model is still very fast and drives 99% as well as the S for most folks.

12-18-2010, 10:30 PM	#5
thstone Certified Boxster Addict Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 7,669	I am lucky enough to own a Miata (2003 LS) and a Boxster (1999 base)! There is no doubt that the Boxster is the better car in almost every way but only the Miata brings back the true original feeling of my old Triumph sports cars (TR6 and Spitfire). Also the parts and repairs for the Miata are dirt cheap compared to the Porsche (which is comparable to the costs for maintaining my BMW's). My advice is to definitely move up to the Boxster. There are a lot of Buyers Guides and other info online but at the end of the day its still all about finding a good used car that's not been trashed by the previous owner. Drive several and then pick the best one in your price range. Its also worth it to have a pre-purchase inspection done (I used my local Porsche dealer for $175). I didn't worry about the IMS or RMS problems since there is nothing you can do to predict them and it seems to be a very small percentage of cars. I figured for under $12K its a throwaway if the engine completely fails and I'd just get another one rather than spend $10K+ on an engine rebuild. I mean, I can go through 4 used Boxsters for the price of a brand new one (which I seriously considered buying). If you can afford a little more money, get an S model, but the base model is still very fast and drives 99% as well as the S for most folks. __________________ 1999 996 C2 - sold - bought back - sold for more 1997 Spec Boxster BSR #254 1979 911 SC POC Licensed DE/TT Instructor Last edited by thstone; 12-18-2010 at 10:43 PM.