Looking to buy a boxster, 21 years old need some help - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

moose · 10-25-2007, 03:42 AM

ok so i'm young and naive and i feel like if i go to the porsche dealership they'll feed me some BS so i come to you folks.

First off, in case any of you are wondering about why a 21 year old is buying a porsche, i have kind of an interesting life story. If you're not interested, just go to the next paragraph. Well, i'm a professional poker player. I bought my first car when i was 20, a 1997 Mercedes e320 similar to

. I love it. Its classy, luxurious, it drives like an old mans car... which when i bought it, was actually a good thing. It was smooth, roomy, powerful, relaxing. Well it was fun while it lasted, and i test drove a boxster and my god, talk about the complete opposite. That thing is quick, scary, and FUN. The only problem is:

I HATE the bloody look of it. It really does look like a vw beetle but screw it. I don't care. The boxster is a nice enough car that on a nice sunday afternoon, i might burn a few hours just going for a drive.

Now. Price isn't really a huge issue but i'm just trying to ballpark what i should be expecting so i don't get ripped off at any dealers. I WILL be getting the boxster, not the S version. I drove the boxster and since i'm young, i'm pretty sure i would end up killing myself if i had anything faster. Since i have no school and technically no job, i won't be using it to commute or anything, so it won't get high miles. Therefore i don't mind getting one with higher than average miles, as long as it runs ok. I'll probably be driving it LESS than 3000 miles a year.

So i was thinking a late 90's model, for around $17,000. Now, once again, i hate the look of it. So, I think i will be (gasp) adding a body kit to it.

This body kit here - $925

Is what i would love. I'm guessing it would probably cost around $150-200 to ship that, plus installation would be $$$ (i have no idea?)

I would ALSO like black rims with a red brake calliper. Something exactly like this

I reckon i can find something similar at my local shop for around $1500 for the set of rims and $$$? for installation? is it free usually?

So, basically after all this, cliff notes are:

1) Are there any common problems i should be aware of in 98-01 boxsters?

2) How much will it cost to do THESE modifications
a) Front Bumper body kit - $925 - +shipping - +installation
b) Black Racing Rims - $1500 - +installation (or is it usually free?)
c) Red brake calliper - $?
d) IN DASH GPS (i don't care if its average gps, as long as its installed into the dash) - $?

So, how much am i looking at spending on top of the price of the car?

Bambino Don · 10-25-2007, 03:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moose

ok so i'm young and naive and i feel like if i go to the porsche dealership they'll feed me some BS so i come to you folks.

So i was thinking a late 90's model, for around $17,000. Now, once again, i hate the look of it. So, I think i will be (gasp) adding a body kit to it.

This body kit here - $925

Is what i would love. I'm guessing it would probably cost around $150-200 to ship that, plus installation would be $$$ (i have no idea?)

I would ALSO like black rims with a red brake calliper. Something exactly like this

I reckon i can find something similar at my local shop for around $1500 for the set of rims and $$$? for installation? is it free usually?

So, basically after all this, cliff notes are:

1) Are there any common problems i should be aware of in 98-01 boxsters?

2) How much will it cost to do THESE modifications
a) Front Bumper body kit - $925 - +shipping - +installation
b) Black Racing Rims - $1500 - +installation (or is it usually free?)
c) Red brake calliper - $?
d) IN DASH GPS (i don't care if its average gps, as long as its installed into the dash) - $?

So, how much am i looking at spending on top of the price of the car?

The red brake calipers come as standard on the S, so forget about them just now, Rims, you may be lucky and get 2nd hand set saving you some cash, if not Genuine Carrera's will be bought 2-3k plus tyres 1k, however the black look will need to be taken on by a bodyshop. ebay you will source a GPS setup possible 1k, as for rates on the bodykit 700-1000k probably

points to watch, i was told were -- RMS, worn clutch and on early 2.5-2.7 the engines could fail, I dont know the terminology but someone on here will.
I have an S

Have a look at the cars ive had and im 24 and an ordinary worker.

RandallNeighbour · 10-25-2007, 04:23 AM

Let me give you a little advice. I bought a boxster four years ago wanting to do exactly what you want to do... mod the car right away. Boy, am I glad I didn't do that!

1) Save up and buy an S. No one says "I wish I had bought the smaller engine." I really wanted a 2000 S, but settled for a 97 with a 2.5 in it. The 2.7's don't have enough power either if you ask me. However, the 3.2 has a lot more torque and HP and is well-suited for the curb weight of the car.

2) Buy the color car you want and then drive it for a year before you mod it. You'll discover that there are repairs you have to make to any used boxster (coolant tank, oil filler tube, RMS leak, radiator fan crapping out on you, etc.) It would be foolish to put a couple of grand into your car wishing you'd used the cash to keep it running.

3) The body kit, by virtue of the low price, is probably not polyurethane. The last thing you want is a fiberglass front bumper cover. The very first time to scrape a curb or someone backs into you or you tap the side of the garage it cracks.

4) I hope you have a love affair with car wash soap and your sponge. Black rims are always in need of washing with all the brake dust.

I think buying a Porsche at 21 is a great idea if you can pay the horrendous insurance premiums for being under 25. If you haven't looked into that, you should so you have no surprises that first day of ownership. I sure wish I had the money and wherewithal to buy a Porsche at 21

JoshMD · 10-25-2007, 05:03 AM

I'm barely 21 and I just bought my 2002 2.7L and the insurance isn't bad at all. It's actually very affordable (USAA).

OP, I like what you're thinking, but I see a couple problems:

- If money isn't an issue, get the newest S with the lowest miles you can afford.

- Body kits are funny to me, you can get FG and if anything happens to it, it is easy to repair and make new again, but urethane I have heard sags in hot temps and since it flexes so easily, any light hits will make the paint crack, rather than the bumper.
But, then again think about how often you have hit things with your last car, I almost NEVER hit anythign and it be my fault.
I would be concerned about bottoming out though with a big bumper. Depends on how the roads are around you and how familiar you are with the areas with steep driveways, etc.

- GPS would be nice to have, but I'm worried about adding to the appeal for someone to slash my top and yank it. It seems like you are just asking for it to get broken into.

- Wheels, black shouldn't be too big of a problem. Anyone with a porsche should know to wash it regularly anyways, or be smacked. All wheels will have to be cleaned, the only color I would never get would be white. One thing to think about is how the spokes are designed, and how tedious is it going to be to wash the wheels. In general, a 5 spoke wheel is going to be the easiest wheel to clean.

- Brake calipers you can paint yourself, or you can remove them and get them powder-coated, then go ahead and change your brake fluid, pads, and rotors while you're at it. (that's what I'm going to do)

moose · 10-25-2007, 05:21 AM

whoa thanks for the quick reply guys.

Ok well i can't really get around the body kit issue. I simply hate the look of it and will have to mod somehow. Anyone know of any good boxster kits? Whats the alternative to fiberglass?

Also, I hate the dashboards in the boxster since before they've been redesigned (I think earlier than 05?). So i don't mind putting in the GPS at all. To me the dash looks cheap and plastic-y like a GM car

rick3000 · 10-25-2007, 05:27 AM

Just a not I am under 21, and my insurance is really not that outrageous. It is actually comparable to that of a honda civic coupe, or something similar (maybe a bit more). Except my car looks a lot better. Thanks, USAA.

You could probably do a lot of those mods yourself if you wanted to, like painting the rims, and installing the GPS. You can do just about anything on the Boxster yourself. Painting the rims and painting the calipers is a day with your car up on jacks and little elbow grease. The rims the picture you posted are painted stock rims. You could either pay a premium for the Porsche Nav aswell, or retrofit one in. And for the bumper I would wait it out until you get a few little nicks and scratched on the bumper before you go upgrading.

Also, what year dash do you hate, the '97-'04 (986) or the '05-on (987)? Your pictures are of the 986, which it seems is easier to work on yourself.
Hope this Helps!

10-25-2007, 05:28 AM

Moose, I would also suggest the car you buy has PSM- Porsche Stability Management.

Chills · 10-25-2007, 05:38 AM

Just out of curiousity please answer this question for me:

You hate the look of the stock Boxster and you hate the dash, so why are you even getting a Boxster?

nola911 · 10-25-2007, 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chills

Just out of curiousity please answer this question for me:

You hate the look of the stock Boxster and you hate the dash, so why are you even getting a Boxster?

You beat me to it. I was going to say the same thing.

If you don't like the dash now, wait till you really chop up it's lines with a GPS that doesn't match. I say, buy it because you love it or you will never be passionate about the mods. Most people here that have modded their cars loved them from the start, but saw an area that could use an improvement.

Also, the boxster is not really a cheap way to get into a nice car. Any simple repair or tune up can cost you a grand.

blinkwatt · 10-25-2007, 07:13 AM

Whoa whoa! Your a professional poker player? Have you been on the World Series Poker Tournaments on ESPN?

pteam · 10-25-2007, 07:33 AM

Hey I bought my first boxster when I was 19 I think, brand new, and 6 months later I traded it in for a 911 cab brand new. But back then I was making way too much money for my age from the internet lol , but age really has nothing to do with it. Try to do as much research as you can before hand.

10-25-2007, 08:00 AM

Go with an S. As far as body kits go, go all out if you have the money.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Porsche-986-Boxster-996-GT3-997-style-front-bumper-NEW_W0QQitemZ180171118607QQihZ008QQcategoryZ36475Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsche-986-Boxster-996-TA-Evo2-Front-Bumper-New_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ36475QQihZ008QQitem Z180172513426QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

Or my favorite a RUF front bumper. http://rufautocenter.com/conversions/BoxsterS.asp

fatmike · 10-25-2007, 08:52 AM

My first car was mid-engined and had two seats too. Sounds like your at a good point in life to be able to do the same. Soon enough you get married, have kids (etc.) & life gets complicated.

Try this link -- its the bible on buying a Boxster for the first time:

http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/buyingorsellinga1997-2004boxster

986speedster · 10-25-2007, 09:44 AM

My car is still for sale.......

meerzee · 10-25-2007, 10:11 AM

Dare I recommend a GTO in lieu of a boxster?

Any takers/posers?

Norminhouston · 10-25-2007, 01:26 PM

I HATE the bloody look of it. It really does look like a vw beetle but screw it. I don't care. The boxster is a nice enough car that on a nice sunday afternoon, i might burn a few hours just going for a drive.

Can't imagine why you "hate the bloody look of it". Personally I think the Boxster is one of the most beautiful cars on the road.

djomlas · 10-25-2007, 01:42 PM

weird, you think that porsche designed an ugly car, and boxster out of all cars haha. sorry, just funny.
too bad you dont like the interior, as that will be where you will spend most of the time.
good luck

btw, i bought mine when i was 22

and its actually pretty affordable car nowdays, i would go to say its CHEAP to own a porsche now, as u can get one from 10-15k and thats too damn cheap

blinkwatt · 10-25-2007, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djomlas

and its actually pretty affordable car nowdays, i would go to say its CHEAP to own a porsche now, as u can get one from 10-15k and thats too damn cheap

That brings up a good point that we should probably warn him about.

It's cheap to BUY these things but can you afford to KEEP it?

Oil changes $350 at local dealer

Wheel bearing change $600

Just something to consider. You can save a lot if you do the work yourself but there are something that a pro will have to do for you.

rick3000 · 10-25-2007, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pteam

Hey I bought my first boxster when I was 19 I think, brand new, and 6 months later I traded it in for a 911 cab brand new. But back then I was making way too much money for my age from the internet lol , but age really has nothing to do with it. Try to do as much research as you can before hand.

There's no such thing as making to much money for your age!

xxxalexxxx · 10-25-2007, 05:22 PM

first off, if u dont like the look of a boxster as some people dont then just dont get one- theres other roadsters out there that might suit u better...whats the point of driving a car u think is ugly inside and out?
but if u will buy it and like u said and money is not an issue then just buy the newest S model yr and u'll be the happiest with the least amount of repairs
on the other hand as someone mentioned a boxster can also be found for cheap lets say a 98-2000 for about 12-15k although u might have to have some repairs done to it which is ok if u know what ur doing so u dont have topay the shop for it ( and people are willing to help others out on this site with info on doing ur own repairs, mods etc.)...change ur own oil (i dunno why someone would pay 300bux for an oil change)...do your own mods..etc.