A bit worried about long term costs and reliability - should I be?
I have a newer 335i and 12' Prius, and recently I got a nice condition 2001 Boxster with 54k miles as a fun car to drive that's manual, as my BMW is steptronic.
It's a low mileage 986, and in good shape for the age. I do have a concern, and this stems from a 2001 Mercedes s55 I owned prior which was a money pit with repairs.
I noticed that even thought the Boxster is in good shape, when a car gets older. A lot of little things start to add up.
1. Cracked plastic: $1k for new top with glass
2. Preventive ims/clutch: $2k
3. Brakes and tires worn, plus alignment: $1500-2000
4. I cracked my windshield by accident when putting on wiper blades: $500
5. I just noticed a squeak over bumps and when pushing the front end down, which I believe may be the ball joints/control arm: $800
6. 60k service: I already did filters and belt, but will need plugs and oil done: $400
So I've had the car 1 month, and practically to get it "like new" is $6-7k. I got it for 13k.
All of these are fairly normal - but I thought about perhaps getting a newer boxster, or even a more reliable car like an s2000...but I love the boxster.
I don't mind maintaining it, but I would like to keep a budget in mind because its my 3rd and fun car, so I don't want a money pit.
What would you guys do?
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