Hypocrisy and "daily drivers"

[hdpt73]

good points fellas, i'd drive my box in the snow or ice, it's good fishtailing weather. i put my (mastiff) dog in it also, and it's a pain in the a$$ to get the hairs out. let me tell you why i would not drive a beater, the money that i save every month on additional repair costs and insurance is money that i plan on using to buy a 3.4 when my measley 2.5 blows or upgrade my aquarium to a 500 gallon. I love porsches, since i was 7 years old, but they cannot make a car where electrical components stay working. engine and trans works great but the cost of little electrical problems here and there on my box was enough for me to get rid of my beater. my boxster is my beater now. porsche (when it comes to electrical problems) there is no substitute.

forgot to mention, very nice car bhduxbury

[KRZTACO]

Here's what I am trying to focus on:

1) A Boxster S, daily driver

2) 997 S, weekend car

[Brucelee]

Don't hold back buddy, what do you really think?

"Anyone who drives a Porsche in the snow, slush, salt, and mud of a Buffalo winter should be executed by firing squad"

Funny stuff!

[boxstter]

I am not rich by anymeans but I just can't part with my cars. I buy them because I really like them - they aren't just transportation - so in effect I have a Boxster and 3 1/2 beaters.

Since they are all pretty dependable maintenance is pretty minimal and it is pretty nice to spread the milage

1976 Datsun 280Z - taken apart, waiting for me to restore it - thus the 1/2
1989 Honda CRX - gets me a nice sweet 40 mpg so it gets driven every day to work after lunch (other vehicles rotate in for the morning drive). Plus it was the wifes first car.
1998 Discovery - It is great when we have to haul lots of family and off-roading is fun too.
2000 Audi TT - My wife just loved it and the Honda was on the fritz so we got it and it never left.
2003 Porsche Boxster - I can't believe how much we like this car - it is another one that will still be sitting in our garage 40 years from now.

[YellowJacket]

Originally Posted by boxstter

1976 Datsun 280Z - taken apart, waiting for me to restore it - thus the 1/2
1989 .

Those are so nice. My old boss had one that he bought new that was in amazing condition. I always wanted to buy it from him, but he had owned it for almost 20 years and was not planning on parting with it anytime soon.

[yellowbox]

I had a '77 280Z, it was a lot of fun to drive. The styling of the car is still better than most of today's sports car, definitely better than the current Z. Too bad designers now can't design cars that last, styling-wise, except the Boxster and 911

[deliriousga]

Originally Posted by hdpt73

I love porsches, since i was 7 years old, but they cannot make a car where electrical components stay working. engine and trans works great but the cost of little electrical problems here and there on my box was enough for me to get rid of my beater. my boxster is my beater now. porsche (when it comes to electrical problems) there is no substitute.

Have to take exception to that one. The reason most Porsches form electrical problems is because the electrical system is ignored and/or the car sits.

Most of the problems stem from dirty/corroded grounds causing components to strain to get the current they need and stress something to the point of meltdown. Keep the grounds clean and your problems are few and far between. I would guess 9 out of 10 owners don't clean their ground points annually as they should, or even know where they are for that matter. Not faulting the owner, it should be a regular maintenance issue listed in the owner's manual.

Another cause of electrical problems is just plain sitting around. When the car sits a lot, the electrical connections corrode more. Even though it's in a garage, it still has the outdoor humidity, etc. to deal with. That and any electrical component that is not used corrodes more quickly. Take a look at any of the electrical stuff you may have had sitting around in the garage for a year or two, especially something connected to a battery and not used. The brass is probably tarnished or corroded.

The two combined can kill electrical components. I had electrical problems in the 928 all over the place when I first got it because the PO put 1000 miles/year on it and never cleaned the grounds. Lights would go on and off, or very dim and gauges would freak. Cleaned all of the grounds and lights are bright and working properly along with all of the gauges.