Cold Feet

[recycledsixtie]

This might put things in perspective. Six years ago I drove to the south side of the city to look at a '99 Boxster. By the time I got there they said it had been shipped out to repair a broken window(likely a controller). On the way back I saw a 99 Miata Mx5.
It was a base Miata, no air cond. , no heated seats. Bought it - wife not happy.

It was a low maintenance costing car - biggest expense was $500. Had a rollbar installed as well. Kept it 4 years and it was reliable. Wife complained about lack of air and lack of heated seats. Well I looked around and found the Boxster with air cond., heated seats. Had it two years. Bought it with 30k miles and now has 40k miles.
List of expenses so far:
- had cv joints refurbished $1000
- had IMS Guardian installed $1000
- had accessory belt replaced, pulley replaced $1000
This does not include antifreeze replaced (Porsche type!)
I do my own oil changes, air filter changes.
So I am spending $1500-2000 a year on fixing things.

This has all been worth it because the Boxster is way more car than the Miata. It is like comparing apples to oranges. Like the above says a 70k mile Boxster will start to need replacement of parts. It is not a Miata but this car is way more fun.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by recycledsixtie

This has all been worth it because the Boxster is way more car than the Miata.

Not for the money it's not.

I modified the heck out of my Miata for autox/DE. Shocks, wheels, tires, intake/exhaust, headers and cosmetic mods that made it a real
head-turner -- just like the Boxster S it always got compliments.
All in, I think i barely spent over $5K. That's what my Boxster's Fabspeed exhaust and headers alone run these days...

To be honest, a well sorted Miata is much more of a gear-shifting, roadster experience in the tradition of Austin's, Elan's, Alfa's than the Boxster ever was. Actually for a roadster, the Boxster driver and feels more like a full-sized sports car. Probably because it's essentially a 996 Carrera by part number from the doors forward.

[black_box]

just buy the damn car. You can get an awesome 986 for 17k. I'd probably look for one in the 12-15k range and buy new tires / clutch / brakes / IMSB / suspension upgrade with the difference though...

Can you work on cars? Do you have lift access? If so, it's very easy to get in there and swap out the IMS bearing. After having pulled my trans a couple times, I think I could do the whole job (clutch and IMSB, drink a beer) in about 4 hours start to finish.

Otherwise, don't sweat it! I sold my car for a little less than what I paid + parts I put into it (I don't count my labor, otherwise I'd be way behind) ) and a had a blast with it! Chicks / dudes / kids / dogs all love it, and most importantly, YOU will love it!

Just make sure it hits 5k RPM at least once every time you drive it and the IMSB will be fine

Best car decision I ever made -- the only reason I upgraded (to a newer 3.4 Boxster S) was because the price was right.

[PorscheBound]

Thanks for all the replys. I have my confidence back to buy the vehicle. Like I said I will put the Ln bearing in immediately following purchase. The vehicle will be driven maybe 3 times a week. It will just be a weekend toy.